Documentation of an environmental issue

by Anat Shushan

It’s been a week since 170 km of the coastline of Israel was covered with tar.

170km of beautiful beaches, full of unique animal habitats (some are in extinction danger), hidden magical spots to escape to from the hectic everyday life- all have been damaged.

Sea birds, sea turtles, crabs, fish and one adult whale died.

It might take decades to restore the damage in the ocean and some of the beaches.

Unfortunately, this is something that happens all the time all over the world. Big vessels dump tons of oil and fuel into the ocean without thinking or taking any responsibility for the damage caused and the killing of animals. Add to that the enormous amount of plastic and garbage are thrown into the sea and you get a dangerous deadly soup.

Environmental issues have been close to my heart for years. Many times I drag my daughter to protests and events to support as much as we can. So when I first heard of the ecological disaster, I had to go and help clean the beaches.

One of the reasons I join all these activities, besides helping out, are the people. The other side of humanity. The good side. Every time I encounter these people, it gives me hope. Seeing people who really care, who are willing to stand in front of huge wealthy companies and say NO. Without fear, without ego, without thinking of themselves. To me, it is a real need to see that good side. It restores balance, faith in humanity. It shows that not all people are bad, driven by ego and power.

While we were cleaning the beach, I looked around and saw little children, elderly people, teenagers, parents, all came with one goal and with that spark in their eyes. That rare kindness and pureness we don’t get to see as much anymore.

This is one of the biggest ecological disasters this country ever saw. And one of the largest volunteering touching operations this country ever saw involving thousands of people from all over the country who come every day and say in their own way- NO.

I came back home from these days at the beaches tired, smelling like tar, sad for this planet but full of hope. That’s what spending time with the other side of humanity does.

We didn't finish coping with the first batch of tar and a couple of days ago another batch landed on our beaches.

And again, so many kind wonderful people are not discouraged and continue to volunteer to clean, to help, to do good

I'm a experienced street photographer from Haifa, Israel. Started my exiting journey in photography when I was 16 in high school when I chose to learn in an art school. There I was exposed to the world of dark rooms, self-developing pictures and negatives and the magic that a camera creates. In my army service I was a photographer and a photography instructor and continued to spread my love to this amazing art. I've been experimenting all kinds of photography over the years, till a few tears ago I found my home-street photography.

Anat Shushan

Kolkata young street photographers

curated by Deepbrata Dutta

As we are in 21st century, technology and its use have rapidly evolved. The liquidity and flexibility have increased and this means that there are more people doing things. Nowadays young photographers are much into social media photography but there are also young photographers who are touching sky in this field due to their passion and eagerness to learn. Young photographers are even discovering several new techniques which are amazing the viewers and which are adding new pages to the book of Photography.
Deepbrata Dutta

Aranya Bhoumik

The Quarantine Couple: Formed this short story in my visit to my aunt's house. As I started to notice their its and bits moments in a day. And how they enjoy even the smallest thing as sitting together over a cup of tea. Which made me think, Maybe we can miss the time of quarantine once it's gone. It's better to enjoy the moments we have now.

A novice in the field of Physics and an enthusiast in photography from India. Originally based in the northern part of West Bengal, But spent a lot of time in Kolkata for studies. This small journey has started back in 2013 as I took the admission for my Bachelors and given my first smartphone. since then tried a few of the genres as Macro photography, Creative Photography, Landscapes and what not. But the search for new stories often leads me to the streets. I like the experience of photography as it lets me witness beautiful moments in time and frame them for people to see.

Arkadeep Mitra

I am Arkadeep Mitra, a 20 year old photographer from Calcutta. A very disillusioned engineering student, I find myself often indulging in photography to escape the realities of life. Though I've refused to conform to any particular genre, you can usually fine me in the streets looking through the unlikeliest of angles trying to frame the unlikeliest of pictures.

Dreams

1- The thing is, I think I can write and come up with a whole world of ideas and stuff when writing about myself: my life, my dreams, my joys and my sorrows. But when I actually sit down and try to pen it down, nothing ever really shows up. It boggles me. It really does. But then I guess I don’t really have a lot of things to talk about. I mean, at the end of the day, I’m still only a twenty year old university-attending kid (not so much nowadays, obviously). I’m just another one of those boys who’ve been thrust into studying subjects he doesn’t want to; books he doesn’t enjoy reading. It’s a pretty sad life, if I may say so. I mean at least till this moment, I don’t really know what I wanna do. My parents are pretty confused too. They don’t know what to do either. I guess what they say is true: “You’re lost, boy.” Indeed, I am.

2- These days, what I do is, I watch an insane amount of films every single day. And it’s not just limited to the American big-budget blockbusters - in fact, I hardly watch Hollywood - I see pretty much everything I can possibly lay my hands on: Taiwanese films, films from Iran, John Woo action flicks, German Expressionism; you name it and it’s highly probable that I’ve already seen it. Anyway, my point is, since I’m so horribly lost and all, I spend a pathetic amount of time watching films. It was all during this fine endeavour that I first came across Wong Kar-Wai’s “Chungking Express.” The film was alright. It was pretty dope. But what really struck my imagination (crucially) was this one protagonist from the movie: Faye.

3- To tell you the truth, I kinda fell head-over-heels for this girl, Faye. I mean, I really did. I crushed on her so badly, it’s pathetic. But why shouldn’t I? So she’s this sweet and bubbly twenty-ish waitress in a late-night fast-food centre, and she’s also ridiculously good at her job - cleaning the place and serving food. She’s very attractive and most importantly, she keeps listening to The Mamas And The Papas’ “California Dreaming” all the time on a loudspeaker. I mean, when I say “all the time”, it is indeed ALL THE TIME. She says “it keeps her from thinking so much.” She’s right, of course. Trick your mind; that’s the trick. Interestingly, it also tells us one of the more important aspects about her: her dream. No prizes for guessing. Yes, the dream is to visit California. Oh, by the way, she’s from Hong Kong.

4- Now if I think about it clearly, I think the reason why I like Faye so much is probably due to the fact that she’s so much like me. I mean, looks aside - I’m ugly; she is the prettiest - I did find some similarities between the two of us. Of course, one of them (and the major) reason is that we share the same discontentment for our surroundings. It’s not like the things around me suck so bad; it’s not that bad honestly. But like she comments in the film, “I had to know whether it’s sunny or rainy in California,” I too have to know if things get any better from this absolute nadir of life I find myself in. She wanted to go to California. I want to go and see Hong Kong. That’s my dream. I know it sounds stupid. But really, that is it.

5- Like I said before; my parents don’t really understand. I mean, all I do the entire day is sit in the bad with the laptop open in front of me, watching films, reading books, playing video-games. They probably think I’m a good-for- nothing. I don’t think they’re wrong though; they’re right. Right now, I’m in fact a good-for-nothing. I won’t be denying that. But what I sometimes really feel like doing is going up to them and blaming all my shit on them. They are to be blamed (partly) in all honesty. I mean, I didn’t go around specifically insisting on studying engineering - in fact, I clearly stated that I didn’t wanna do it - and now, when things aren’t being very easy for none of us, they make me take all the blame?

6- Guess what though? I’m twenty now, and I’m old enough to stand up to them. I mean,at the end of the day, I’m the one who is living my life. Why the hell should I listen to what others think about me? I don’t give a fuck now to be very honest. What I think now is that one’s personal happiness and satisfaction is what is of the utmost importance. You can take whatever suggestions and criticisms others have for you and do stuff what they want you to do, and I don’t think you’ll ever be happy if you do that. Sure, things might get comfortable for you. But what about fulfillment? You think you’ll get that if you only listen to what others have to say? I don’t think so. And I don’t I’ll be listening to them anytime soon either.

7- I won’t be pushed around. I will not let others dictate my life. I’ll only do what I please; whatever makes me happy. I have been so depressed and so very sad for way too long now. It’s time to grow out of my disillusionment and live the life I dream of (it’s gonna be very difficult though) living. I am gonna stand up and take notice of my own aspirations. What I eventually plan to do is make a living out of things I genuinely enjoy doing. I have realized that what they say is in fact the truth: “Life is too short to be doing something you don’t enjoy.” I am gonna stick by my guns now, no matter how challenging the road is. I choose to live. And I choose to live happy.

8-But then again, I don’t really know what I wanna do. Or wait; maybe I do know what I am talking about. I think I just wanna enjoy life. Doing that, I wouldn’t mind visiting places I want to visit; like Hong Kong. I just want to enjoy the smallest things, and the little moments. I want to be free. I want to be happy. I wanna feel content. I want to be satisfied. I want fulfilment. I want to live life. I choose to live life. I’ll do all that, maybe after another two years or so, when I’m actually done with this stupid BTech degree. No shit, I gotta follow my dream.

You can contact me and view more of my works here:- Facebook Instagram 500px

Dipanjan Chakraborty

My name is Dipanjan Chakraborty. I am 22 years old, I live in Kolkata. I have completed my graduation last year and now I am preparing for Civil service. I am a Kolkata based street and documentary photographer. I have been documenting Kolkata for the last 2 years. As a photographer, my perspective remains to explore street photography as a key to reach the common people and their lives.

People of Kolkata are insane about Photography, lots of photographers are working on it, but to some extent, we all are united by a common term, that is 'Kolkata'.

Kolkata is a congested city, too many people, too many vehicles are there. That is why pollution or it may be termed as a smoggy environment is very much photogenic and colours of land and people through this fog is a very interesting thing which I find.

Photography is the face of social structure. Photography definitely has a social function. While I document or photograph the people of Kolkata, I want to portray the socio-economic structure of them.

I love to tell stories through my lens. Every frame tells a story but when we create a story within a frame, it makes the frame more beautiful. Juxta is an interesting thing to do, but I find storytelling more attractive than juxta.

People of Kolkata are normally camera-friendly, they generally don't create any difficulties while we are moving among people. But sometimes people get curious about what we are doing or why we are taking pictures of them but otherwise they don't create any problems.

My photography journey is not so long. But after being a street and documentary photographer my course of life has entirely changed. I have started photography in 2018. But I have had a craze for photography since my childhood , whenever I could get a mobile or camera from anyone I would always try to capture my surrounding people and their daily life. I love to see photos daily , in social media I used to watch various kinds of pictures from different countries and different photographers that helped me to increase my knowledge.

When I make a plan to go out for a shoot at first I used to make a research on that particular subject or project on which I am going to do my work, then I used to make a plan on that particular place and time when my shoot takes place , because time is more important in street photography. But sometimes when I go out with my equipment I capture various candid moments on the street and Kolkata is a city which never fails a photographer with its various moods and moments.

The northern part of Kolkata is my favourite place to shoot rather than the middle and southern part of Kolkata. Because North Kolkata has more potential. In north kolkata there are so many traditional buildings which bring an ancient culture , the people , streets of North Kolkata brings an essence of traditional old culture , which I find more interesting rather than modern culture of South Kolkata , though I live in south Kolkata.

Kolkata is a city where a photographer can find various projects in all 12 months in the year. September and October is the month of celebration for the people of Kolkata because the biggest festival of Kolkata Durgapuja normally happens in the month of October. In the month of September there is a place called Kumortuli where Durga idols are getting prepared and in the whole preparation of Durgapuja starts from the month of September. There are very few festivals in India as big as Durgapuja , so definitely it is very crucial to me right now.

People from different regions are able to know about this project and its vastness at Kolkata.

I am using a Sony A6000 mirrorless camera right now. I have used a DSLR earlier but mirrorless is giving me such a great output, especially in low light mirrorless is a revolution.

I just want to give a tip for your readers, that is please do visit Kolkata , because I don't know how much the city there in the world is potentially like Kolkata. Maybe it is an exaggerated statement but Kolkata never fails to amuse you with its various moods and moments. And especially the people of Kolkata and their activities and daily lifestyle makes the city more animated. I think the depth of subject and content makes a project interesting. Generally, I prefer candid moments in street photography. While I work with people and I shoot them, I used to capture all the time candid moments because the natural reaction of people comes out when he doesn't see the camera in front of him, if they get aware about the camera in maximum time natural reactions or natural activities does not come out. But there is a difference between documentary and street photography. In documentary photography there is a chance to get a directorial shot where my subject is aware about my presence with the camera in front of him.

I think a picture is captured in our brain , a camera is just a device to print that image which has been captured in my brain. That's why many times I make plans for my shots and I make the composition in my mind. But sometimes the picture comes out without any plan because there are lots of candid moments in the street which are constantly creating. I like both colour and black & white pictures. But I feel that colour image portrays the nature and colourful clothes of people but black and white image portrays the soul of the people. I do not give much time in post-processing, I do post-processing a little bit like retouching but nothing more than that.

Kaustav Gangopadhyay

I am Kaustav Gangopadhyay (AKA Kaustav Ganguly in social media). I am doing my PhD in biological sciences from IISER-Kolkata. I am an amateur photographer who tries to click human interest.

I have a love towards knowing people and talking to them, hence I love to do people photography, specifically looking into human interest. I describe myself as a naïve learner who has just put his baby-foots in the field.

Photography in Kolkata is growing with time. The names of photographers from the city have been in the winning list of different prestigious photography awards like HIPA, Sony Photography Awards, etc. Recently, photographers from the city and around have also been part of Magnum Photos as well. It can easily be said that the new generation is highly motivated in photography and a good pool of photographers will come up soon from Kolkata. Photographers in Kolkata are highly connected as the seniors play a vital role to motivate, show the way to the juniors and the friendly relationship help everyone to grow together.

Colours give vibrancy to a photograph. Since I love clicking peoples, it’s necessary to acknowledge the colours and the bondage of every festival in India with colours. But, to me, I see the world more in Black and White rather than colours as I find it more soothing to capture the expression of the people around which eventually can change a very usual moment to an extra-ordinary one.

The world is having a dynamic shift every day in terms of socio-political scenario. From, Black lives matter in the US to CAA/NRC protest in India, it has taken the ground for a longer time. Hence, documenting every moment is one of the sole works of photography to let our history know the truth. Photography has helped in the development of many tribal areas which would have otherwise destroyed with time. Even if we look into the works of Ansel Adams on the Sierra Nevada, this clearly shows how photography can play a vital role in the social changes. Hence, its more important to showcase the truth than the happiness, colourfulness and joy as clicking the melancholy mood can eventually help in the development of the society.

India, specifically Kolkata, is a place of different people with a different kind of behaviour. The moments, layers and people activity are the sole part of most street and documentary photographers. But eventually juxta-photography in India as well as Kolkata is getting a rise with the help of Vinit Vohra, Rohit Vohra and Subrata Dey. But in my opinion, I still find clicking people and creating a moment with them satisfy my photographic thirst more but obviously juxta till date have a fanbase and I find it quite interesting as well.

Initially, I was not opened up to click people and used to miss a lot of good moments which eventually I find many people could click easily. Recently, with the help of Joydeep Mukherjee, I find it easier to communicate to people and click their candid moments and this communication finally help me to get together with them which led them to be easy with me as well.

I started using DSLR back in 2012 from my friend and learned the nitty-gritties from her. In 2017, I bought Nikon D5200 and my first trip was to Buxa Tiger Reserve in North Bengal, India. I did a lot of birding starting from crested serpent eagle to Wreathed Hornbill. But with time I find my interest in the street and the lanes of Kolkata.

Dhritiman Mandal

Notun Jibon is a Non Governmental Organization (NGO) distributed relief to one of the Amphan struck places in the deltas of Sundarban. Amphan is stated as the worst cyclone seen in years which caused the destruction of many rice fields which was the only source of income for many families in Sundarban areas. Notun Jibon delivered reliefs at different places of Sundarban. On the 9th of September 2020, we went to the district of Chandipur to distribute relief. From Kolkata we went to Godkhali where the real journey began. We loaded the boat with packets of rice, cereal, vegetables and oil. We also distributed sanitary pads and sewing machines to those who can use them, which was arranged beforehand. After reaching our destination we unloaded and distributed the relief with maintaining proper sanitation. While others were busy distributing, one of the members interacted with kids which helped us in a great way. The smiles on their faces show how much they were in need.

I am Dhritiman Mandal, a 18-year-old Kolkata, India based photographer. I shoot mostly street photography while covering events across Kolkata.

I have tried my hands on different genres of photography but street photography is what I find most challenging and that's what I usually do. Yes, there's definitely unity among us that brings us together as a community. We really connect to the emotion of Kolkata that brings us all together. We love colours, Kolkata is the city of joy and India is best known for its colours.

I think photography can have a social function. And we photographers try to tell our stories without a lot happening. It’s kinda our style. We don't have problems moving around people. In fact, people make way for us sometimes.

Pushpak Kundu

I am Pushpak Kundu. I am from Kolkata. I am studying Electronics and communication Engineering from BBIT college, Kolkata. Photography is my hobby. I love to do street and travel photography. I am doing photography from past 2 years. I just love to play with light and shadow through my lens. I go to new places and it opens my eyes to different things that I haven't seen before. Everything from colours, to silhouettes, to patterns - it just comes from everywhere. I love street photography but I do travel photography as well. See Kolkata is known for best Streetphotography hub in India. So the majority of photographers are based on the street in Kolkata, and I really like their work. Yes, there is some reason that unites all of us because of the culture, the place and while we do photo walk. Yeah, using colour in photography correctly helps draw attention to the subject and therefore creates a powerful visual effect that is pleasing to the eye. I am interested in showing the social reality of my country. I feel like the street is all about showing the truth and the emotion of the street. So this is how I am trying to show the pain and the emotion people living in street and trying to document them. Juxta is not my part of genre and I always love to show stories and documentary. In my view telling stories are more important in street photography because the street is all about motion, emotion, the lifestyle is all about candid. In the beginning, I fear to approach the people. But now after 2 years of photography for me it's normal to approach any unknown person.

FB account-

Soumadri Chowdhury

Cultural harmony and rising tension: Looking back at Chinese New Year celebrations in Kolkata

As we spend the days at home, locked down in uncertainty, we get time to introspect on the days that have gone by, and one such significant memory is my first-hand experience of the cultural diversity and inclusive nature of my city, Kolkata. With the rising tensions across the border and the Indo-China relations turning sour, the Chinese settlements in Kolkata are also facing fearful times under such situation. They are now citizens of this country, intertwining the local cultures and lives with their own, they are all a part of us. Over the years, the city has heartily accepted all cultures and faiths and turned out into a huge conglomerate of unique cultures and festivals. Hence this photostory is to look back at the good times, the times of being together in harmony. As a citizen of this city, intrigued by the uniqueness, this year I decided to make a photo story on the Chinese New Year celebrations held in the Chinese settlements of Kolkata. On the eve of the Lunar New year, the Chinese settlements in Kolkata get decked up in string lights, red lanterns and traditional decorations. The locals gather on the streets, dressed in bright dresses, filled with glee and usher in the New Year with pomp and splendour. Before the clock strikes midnight, the people gather in the temples and churches, indulging in music and celebrations, bursting firecrackers and have a merry time. The next morning sees the main part of the festivities. The people from the community gather at the temples to seek blessings for a prosperous year ahead. As the sound of the cymbals and the tanggu (Chinesedrums) intensifies, a hefty number of on-lookers and people gather around to join in the festivities. A number of processions by different clubs start from here, going around the neighbourhood, visiting the local temples,churches and residences. The otherwise mundane streets brighten up with activity and joy, people of all ages and kind come down to be a part of the festivities. A number of processions by different clubs start from here, going around the neighbourhood, visiting the local temples, churches and residences. The otherwise mundane streets brighten up with activity and joy, people of all ages and kind come down to be a part of the festivities. The procession gradually makes it's ways through the bylanes, stopping at residences to collect blessings and rewards. Integral part of the procession is the lions and dragons, the young people who wear a traditional mask with another carrying the long flowing costume.

Cai qing, meaning plucking the greens is a part of the Chinese traditions, where the Hong bao (red envelopes of money) are given to the younger ones on this day. They form a human ladder, climbing upon each other's shoulders as the one dressed as the lion reaches out for the envelope and the money, which are hung down by residents from the windows, along with lettuces. It is a unique sight, seeing the trust and bond they have as they confidently make these human towers.

The Lion Dance Dressed in lion costumes, they dance on the streets, bursting firecrackers which are believed to ward off evil. The festivities are a sight to behold and appreciate the uniqueness and inclusiveness the City of Joy, Kolkata has to offer.

soumadrichowdhury.wixsite.com/phototales

Sudeb Chowdhury

I am Sudeb Chowdhury from Kolkata. After completing my degree in Civil Engineering, I decided to pursue my long time hobby of Photography. I love telling stories that I see in front of me. My love for street photography comes from this. I also love documenting events as the ability to freeze moments gives me immense joy. Kolkata has a vast number of photographers. And most of the young bunch is unique and have their own styles. What unites all is the love for our city and the passion to tell its stories. Colour is obviously very important. It makes a frame more real and communicates better with the audience. Absolutely, photography does have social function. A beautiful image always brings joy to the viewer. I personally love juxta and try to do it in my own way. Since I want them to be absolutely unique, there might be deficit in its quantity.

I had a fear in the beginning and I think with time, the fear goes down, things become easy and one learns to communicate among the people which definitely helps.

Suparnojit Sarkar

Street Life at Bandel, India has changed over these few months. Very few people could be found in the streets. Mostly people go out for essential daily work. People are found wearing masks which was uncommon before the pandemic. Only a very few people roam in the streets just to see the daily progress of the own.

"A year on the street of the World"

Dzung Viet Le*.jpg — **"A year on the street of the World"**

**2020**

cover by Dzung Viet Le

A photo gallery chosen by some members of the Gang among some Progressive Street Galleries on FB

and our Photos of the week

Happy New Year “on the streets”!

DOWNLOAD YOUR PDF

Pdf by Frans Kemper

Images chosen by Frans Kemper:

Rene Geensen

Andres Cesar

Olivier Avez

Andrew Dare

George Natsioulis

Greg Scott

Images chosen by Alan Roseman:

John Gellings

Keef Charles

Nadia Eeckhout

Images chosen by Delfim Correlo:

Petros Kotzabasis

Min Myo

Michael Kennedy

Images chosen by Nadia Eeckhout:

Batsceba Hardy

Eduard Maiterth

João Coelho

Images chosen by Fabio Balestra:

Harrie Miller

Juha Forsberg

Rolly B Mercado

Images chosen by Theodoros Topalis:

Ajit Mishra

Shimi Cohen

P-o Alfredsson

Images chosen by Batsceba Hardy:

Pacho Coulchinsky

Corinne Spector‎

Juan Londoño‎

Theodoros Topalis

Simone Christina Sander

Images chosen by Keef Charles:

Fabio Balestra

Jim Payne

Batsceba Hardy

Nadia Eeckhout

Irina Escoffery

Fernand De Canne

Photos of the week from Progressive-Street Group 2020

Alan Roseman

Alberto Cavallari

Alpay Beler‎

Andreas Mamoukas

Asbjørn Lind

Batsceba Hardy

Bogo Pečnikar

Boy Jeconiah

Bruno Lavi

Calvin Angelo Casem

Carlos Díaz

CC Lu

Cheryl Atkins

Christian Cross

Corinne Spector

Cris Tian

Daniel Antunes

David Williams

Debby Masamba

Derra Ng

Dino Santos

Don Scott

Dov Oron

Dzung Viet Le

Emir Sevim

Edita Sabalionyte

Fabio Balestra

Felipe Toledo

Fran Balseiro

Gabi Ben Avraham

Gautam Maiti

Gerri McLaughlin

Gurhan Gunes

Hermano Lobo

Ilan Ben Yehuda

Irina Escoffery

Isa Egea

Jim Darke

João Coelho

John Gellings

John St

Joy Prakash Das

Keef Charles

Khit Tayza Aung

Lola Minister

Lorenzo Ponzi

Lue Escandell

Luiza Menescal

Marcelo Sznaidman

Marco DM

Mário Ferreira

Martin Ingber

Matthew Cope

Michael Kennedy

Miguel Lisbona

Mikael Carlsson

Min Myo

Mónica Murillo

Nadia Eeckhout

Never Edit

Neville Fan

Niklas Lindskog

Noorhadi Saleh

Nuno Vasconcelos Branco

Ohad Aviv

Orna Naor

Patrick Merino

Petros Kotzabasis‎

Rainer Neumann

Richard Keeling

Robert Adams

Roberto di Patrizi

Rytis Vilnietis

Sam Benari

Saman A. Ali

Sanjoy Mondal

Santanu Dey

Shimi Choen

Sudipta Sarkar

Swarup Chakraborty

Takashi Tachi

Victor Borst

"A year on the street of the World" 2019

Caution wet floor! by Aurélien Bomy

Aurelien-Bomy-Caution-wet-floor-Octobre-2020-300DPI-167-Submission.jpg — **Caution wet floor!**

**by Aurélien Bomy**

« Caution wet floor ! » is a series I shot one rainy night in the street where I live « Le quai de la fosse » which is located on the old commercial port by the Loire river, downtown Nantes (FR).
In my photographic practice, my interest is focused on capturing cinematic scenes and atmospheres and this street is one of my favorites for night shoots. It offers a great environment of light (traffic lights, street lamps, neon lights, store signs...).

With time and experience I have learnt where to stand and how to move to get a better point of view and how to find the good spots with the good lights and reflections on showcases, frames and compositions.
One year ago I made a series in the same street called « Le quai des brumes » on a foggy night, capturing people in a misty atmosphere, created by the muffled lights.
This time with « Caution wet floor ! » I wanted to capture people in a more sparkling environment of light offered by the reflecting wet floor, on a rainy night.

These photos were taken in my neighborhood, so I know it well and the more I practice, the more my presence is assured. So I feel more secure standing in front of strangers and shooting pictures of them in this environment, with the best attitude. They seem to accept it rather well and sometimes they play with that situation like spontaneous actors.

There is something somewhat paradoxical in this practice: Two different and opposite ways of being present and holding the camera are in conflict every time I have to trigger the shutter:
The first is to hide, to disappear, to try to be invisible to prioritize the scene as it is with the least incidence or influence on it.
The second way is to be visible, to assume an unavoidable presence, sometimes by standing in the middle of the sidewalk as an obstacle in the path of passers-by and ostensibly holding the camera to provoke surprise, a change of attitude, a detour, a visual contact...

These two orientations are both necessary and I have to compose with them. Work in progress ... On my way to make life a story...

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Aurélien Bomy https://www.progressive-street.com/features

Aurélien Bomy

When the City of the dead comes alive by Ubo Pakes

All Saints Day in the Philippines

Kalag-Kalag or All Souls Day is a red-letter day for Filipino Catholics in Philippines. During this day, families flock to cemeteries to celebrate and remember their loved ones who passed away. It is maybe the biggest reason for people to travel from the cities to their hometowns to be with their families and some even call it the Kalag-Kalag Fiesta. It is estimated that more Filipinos travel home for this than for Christmas. At the same time, there are whole communities living and making a living at the cemetery and for them, these are the busiest days of the year, selling flowers and candles and cleaning and fixing up graves. My mother in law and aunts are also busy for weeks making sure that the family graves are presentable so that they can receive the living.

In the cemetery’s families get together, mourn, celebrate, eat, pray, flirt and more. People burn candles or lamps and leave flowers and food for the deceased to partake. It is as if society is standing still on these days and that all life and businesses are concentrated in and around the cemeteries. When people are leaving the cemetery, they usually go through a bonfire of smoke which is believed to prevent the ghosts of their loved ones from following them and haunt them at home.

For more than ten years now, I attend with my family this event and I am very much fascinated by the phenomenon. In the evening when there are tens of thousands of people, lights, candles, fires, flowers, picnics and more the cemetery is transformed into an almost mystical place. The city of the dead comes alive while the surrounding business areas are virtually deserted. The world has turned upside down. Throngs of the yellow glow of lighted candles, fires and lightbulbs against the setting of flower adorned concrete tombs and a dark blue sky creates a special atmosphere that adds to the magic of the event.

This year, the government in the Philippines has closed all cemeteries for Kalag-kalag due to the high risk of COVID transmissions. I will be missing the cemetery this year.

Ubo Pakes is a Dutch national and is an environmental engineer by profession. He moved to the Philippines in 2008 and photography became a way of getting more acquainted with the many different aspects of Philippine culture and the many differences between his home country and the Philippines. Observing the world around him through his camera is a great way to remain curious of the area where he lives.

Living and working in a big metropolitan area like Cebu has directed his focus on the many people who are working and living a big part of their lives on the streets of the City. Creating portraits turned out to be a great way to be in contact with society, learning parts of the language and the customs of the big city and surrounding province. His interests are mainly in documenting the faces and lives of ordinary people in all facets of daily life.

Ubo Pakes

Mermaid Parade by Martin Ingber

MP28 Lobster mom w fish girl.jpg — **Mermaid Parade**

**by Martin Ingber**

Like the festivals of Carnevale in Venice or Mardi Gras in New Orleans, the Mermaid Parade is a seaside celebration of summer held annually on Coney Island, in Brooklyn, New York. Known as the world's largest art parade, this high-spirited pageant features thousands of creative individuals in colorful, hand-made costumes, with thousands more participating as spectators …except for this year. With 2020 and the restrictions caused by the Covid-19 pandemic, summer in the city and it's usual wealth of concert series, sporting events, holiday celebrations and more was rendered almost unrecognizable.

With summer fading away, I felt an urge to share a reflection of what was missed, in the form of some images -and especially some of the people- who have made past Mermaid Parades such a memorable highlight of New York City summers.

We have been living through some extraordinarily challenging events …but, as the saying goes, "This too shall pass".

Hopefully, we can all look forward to the return of better times, and opportunities to celebrate, in the years to come-

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The Daring Divers by Goutam Maiti

River Transport has been a century old option for the city of Kolkata, one of the oldest cities and once the Capital India. Since few hundred years ferry services are in vogue on the waters of Ganga and this appears to be one of the cheapest and most popular of the transport options to the people of Kolkata till date.

In order to facilitate the river transport, the during the British period, before India was Independent, several Ferry service Jetties were built by the Britishers, which were further expanded by the Government of India over the past 74 years of Independence. To name a few of these Ferry Service Jetties like: Bagbazar Ghat, Kashi Mitra Ghat, Kumortuli Ghat, Nimtala Ghat, Shovabazar Ghat, Ahiritola Ghat, Fairly Place, Babu Ghat and so on which are placed on the side of Kolkata where as, on the other side there are several other Jetties on the side of Howrah, the twin city of Kolkata.

These Ferry Jetties, Commonly known as “Ghats” are the happening spots for the street photographers like us, where we get to experience diverse activities from morning to midnight. One of the several interesting activities of these places is the bathing of young boys at Ganga with full of daredevil diving into the river from atop the iron constructed Ferry Jetties as well as the Ghats mainly during the summer.

As a street photographer, this attracted me a lot in the last three-four years to watch the fearlessness, energy, exuberance and joy of these boys who sometime even cross the boundary of personal safety, but of no help courtesy to the stupendous skills and guts they inherit from their ancestors from whom they have acquired all these. Needless to say that these boys hail from the vicinity of the banks of the river Ganga where they spend maximum of their life on the river and its the river that plays a major role in their lives and livelihoods which created a stupendous bonding between the two.

Most of the photographs as portrayed here were taken during the years 2018 to 2019 and in most cases I used Nikon D500, Nikkor 18-200 mm lens. In many of the instances I has used continuous shutter option just not to miss a moment with manual mode which I prefer always to be in full control.

Goutam Maiti is a Kolkata based documentary and street photographer. His work includes street life and people from various socio-economic backgrounds, focusing on their life in a more intimate form. Photography has given him an opportunity to express how he perceives of the world; through it he tries to find himself.

Out of his professional life in corporate services, he finds photography as fresh Oxygen to rejuvenate himself and also to find himself among the people on the streets and tell their story to people. His works have been published in National geographic Daily Dozens, Chiiz Magazine, Street Core Photography group, several publications of Progressive Street, Street Photo Collective etc. His works have also been exhibited in several prestigious photography exhibitions in different cities of India.

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Down to earth at earth studio in Kolkata

Kumartuli is a traditional 250-year-old Heritage Potter’s Quarter in Kolkata. Kumartuli is known for its sculptural skills, where an idol is made for various festivals across India - yet also for counties around the world.

One morning I happened to visit to this art quarter of Kolkata. As I walked through the maze of narrow lanes densely packed with artist workshops, I began to discover a new world of art.

Artisans are compelled to occupy pavements and extend their workshops a few yards beyond to compensate the lack of space. Idols-in-progress, sturdy frame work, moulds and other wares lying on the pavements help make these studios all the more vibrant and exciting.

These narrow lanes barely allow the passage of a hand-pulled rickshaw or a van. Yet here you can see dimly-lit potters studios succeeding one after another throughout the colony. These studios are mostly made of bamboo and plastic sheets.

Nearly 175 artisans live here at Kumartuli. They are popular as Pal, both a traditional and professional last name. The Pal families are dedicated to this traditional art work for over a couple of centuries.

It is from here that idols of various deities make their way into Kolkata and abroad every year, specially during Bengal's famous festival Durga Puja ( worship of Goddess Durga). Moreover,

the work of these artisians include other Hindu festivals of idol worship, idols of national heroes, spiritual personalities, as well as historical figures. They have made a permanent place in Kumartuli Porter's portfolio because highly proficient artisans never miss any details or perfection.

There is a long and layered process of making idol, and it starts with the “Kathamo” (a bamboo structure to support the idol). After the straw is methodically bound together to give shape to an idol, completion results from various mixtures of soil like Ganga Mati (mud from the bank of the Ganges River) and Path mati ( a mixture of jute particles and ganga mati ) are used for moulding the structure.

Major festivals are held in autumn and production of idols begin as monsoon begins. Humid weather and heavy, continuous showers enhance the challenges of making the earthen goddesses. Artisans resort to driers (gas burner) and polythene sheets to cope up with the adversities posed by the monsoon.

I visited this sprawling clay studio just a few days prior to “Kali Puja” (Worship of idol of Goddess Kali ), and noticed potters busy sculpting idols of Goddess Kali - or imparting final touches to the colorful and power packed Goddess of the Hindu mythology.

Ornamentation of the goddess play a significant role to complete the making of every idol . Craftsmen dextrous in making such props and ornaments and weapons to adorn the goddess are also busy at work in Kumartuli . Artisans make the special colours themselves. They mix Kharimati ( a special clay prepared from the sea froth) with coloring chemicals and a glue prepared from Khai-bichi or tamarind seeds, Tamarind seed powders helps to keep the colour on clay idols for a longer period of time. I also noticed some idols decked up to start their outward journey towards destination.

The precise attention to details of the idols is thoroughly impressive. The clay artists here are an institution unto themselves. It is baffling why there has been so little documentation of this centuries-old tradition, and the lives of these artisans who silently recreate the significant manifestation of the human soul – the deities.

As I meandered through the lanes, I found art and daily life pulsating in the same space, an incredible and peaceful co-existence of two contradictory aspects of life.

The workshop studios where the artisans thrive are so confined that they seem claustrophobic. Yet they manage to sleep, cook, dine and live here without complains. Children prepare lessons for schools and even play games while helping the family carry out their struggle for bread and butter.

Most impressively, the struggle of their lives have not worn out these spirited artisans who work in such challenging situations, producing one of the finest artworks of this world.

Art lovers across the globe must not forget to pay a visit to this clay studio if they ever happen to be in this City of Joy – Kolkata. This heritage art colony has much to say to the world.

ABOUT KIMSUK

Photography & Painting have long been a pursuit of Kolkata based Kimsuk Ray. The journey of his art began in his childhood. Life to him is itself an Art. And Photography the rendezvous of ART and LIFE. Four solo exhibitions of photography of Kimsuk, had been launched at Academy of Fine Arts, Kolkata, in the year 2008, 2009,2011 & 2014. Besides this, he has participated in various group exhibitions in different galleries in Kolkata. Kimsuk bagged 2nd position in Kodak wedding photography contest in the year 2009. Kimsuk was selected by ILO for photography contest and exhibition at New Delhi in the year 2011.

A photo feature of Kimsuk published in travel mag. Turiosity online bookstore in Feb 2013. He has also been a part of several online photo exhibitions and contests. Kimsuk keeps travelling and clicking.

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"The New Shopping" by Never Edit

IMG_1887 (2).jpg — **The new shopping**

**by Never Edit**

The so-called "New Normal" after the outbreak of the virus also involves a new way of shopping. Something that had been so ordinary and easy suddenly became restricted and complicated.

Nobody had ever liked the stores to be crowded but the new emptiness also brought a kind of confused loneliness with it...

And is money infected and contagious?

Is packed food safer?

Should I wear gloves?

Will business ever return to the way it was before?

Who will help me when they only let one person into the shop?

Should I buy large amounts in case of another lockdown?

Do I need to wash and disinfect everything I bring home?

How long will the queue be this morning?

Do I also need to cover my eyes and ears?

And how safe is it to go out anyway?

Yet people will adapt, as they always do. Until the day we're all waiting for when the infection rates go down to almost zero and it will feel strange *not* to wear a mask anymore...

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Holi festival by Avik Roy Chowdhury

Holi festival signifies unification, Holi represents the triumph of good over evil. We Indians always talk about the celebration of Holi in Barsana because many of us still don't know that the city of Joy too celebrates this festival in a grand way that too from decades ago.

I've tried showing the joy, the sheer excitement amongst people during the Holi festival.

Hello everyone! My name is Avik Roy Chowdhury and I've been doing photography for over a year now. Being an avid fan of art and literature, I focus on observing more before taking pictures. To me, photography is a way to express our thoughts, perceptions, the kind of things we believe in. It's a way to establish a connection, establish the truth.

I'm inclined towards street photography a bit more compared to other genres, I try to find synchronisation amidst the chaos, I look for unusual things and try to create a frame out. I don't have a formal education when it comes to photography, I read about art, watch a lot of films and try to find inspiration from various other mediums.

My work has been published in IPA, XXZ magazine, Street Photographers Foundation. Currently, I am pursuing B.Tech in Computer Science.

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A STATE OF QUARANTINE by Susmit Sarkar

m9 (1).jpg — **A STATE OF QUARANTINE**

**by Susmit Sarkar**

The following pictures are part of a documentation that I was working on since the pandemic hit our country and the world. The mental state of a person is extremely important, while the first four pictures were taken at my home and consists of my family members, the rest of the pictures I took in a remote village in Sunderban where due to lack of work, there's a struggle for livelihood. There's a striking contrast in the urban and rural mind space of people in this pandemic. While my family members became anxious and restless resembling the nature of the lockdown, the rural villagers lined up in desperation to receive some aid as they thrived to live on due to lack of their work.

To start with I have an avid interest in documenting street life, it could be anything, a normal day activity or any festivities, capturing the raw images brings out the true nature of the event and it always helps me to express myself through those images. But few months ago everything came to standstill and our world suddenly froze due to the pandemic. It was at this time I understood the challenge of creating in toughest condition. As time progressed I slowly started observing my family members and their changing moods. This is when I decided to start this project “A Quarantine State”. So I started capturing their daily lives whenever I could.

A few weeks later I was fortunate enough to travel to a remote village in Sunderban, West Bengal with an NGO for aiding the poor villagers who were hit by the cyclone as well. There I noticed the struggle of rural mass. The people there depended on daily work for their survival and their family also lived on this small income. But with Pandemic, all their work was suspended and many of them barely had anything to eat. Many of them lined up to seek some aid and it was sad to see that most of them did not have a mask to wear. I managed to capture some of the images where even women carried their children along because of the unfortunate situation.

I realised it's sad yet surprising how little we know of people and their struggle. While documenting the series I felt a strong urge to show their plight to the world and I hope to continue documenting more such scenarios, so that the message reaches to anyone who is willing to stand by the needy.

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My name is Susmit Sarkar, I am based in Kolkata. Photography has been part of my life for a long time. I started off with my father's Kodak reel camera followed by a point and shoot camera and around 15 months back I could afford my own by saving. I am a fresh graduate and I have a keen interest in documenting through my lens, so that I can tell stories with my lens.

Looking through the darkness by Arkadeep Mitra

One look through the window, and it confirms that the world outside is still in a state of quarantine. The roads are deserted and the people outside are few and far between. Working-from-home has become the new normal. While we continue convalescing from the effects of the deadly virus, unsure of what the future has in store for us, we find ourselves acclimatizing ourselves to this shutdown lifestyle.

It is this uncertainty that has been central to our emotions and thought processes over the last few months. Among the glut of saddening news and negative developments around us, we have swiveled inside a cycle of being down-and-depressed, to something more optimistic and then back sadness.

Confined to the rigid walls of our homes, there is not much we can really do. It is during these dark times that I find myself drifting towards films, and books, and quietly hoping for them to take me to some far-off foreign land. A new place, different from the constructs we’re all stuck in.

On rare occasions I turn to my camera. Looking through the viewfinder, I somehow hope to catch something new in the rather familiar surroundings around me. The photos I take are in black-and-white, monochromatic like life itself, finding myself to be devoid of colors.

I try to look through the pitch-black darkness outside. Sometimes I succeed in doing that. It gives me a thrill and I feel a little better, albeit for a fleeting moment.

Doing street photography in these times has become quite challenging, and carries a huge amount of risk.

I try not to get bogged down by the limitations and use my Canon 1200D wherever and whenever possible. I look for hours and hours out of the window, gazing at

the ever-changing cloudscape, the setting sun, the bright moon and the occasional airplanes flying in the sky, free.

By switching to my handy zoom lens, I manage to capture the far-off things easily. In my eyes though, they too are devoid of any real colors. I shoot them in monochrome only to saturate them with excess colors in post-processing. It looks a little unreal, but then isn’t what we’ve been experiencing a little unreal, too?

Feelings of loneliness and seclusion have often been central to our feelings during the lockdown period. To make myself less lonely, I try to indulge myself, watching an unhealthy number of films and relentlessly obsessing about them.

More often than not, it’s all for a lost cause as I again look out aimlessly and long for companionship and intimate conversations.

Watching and analyzing a huge amount of movies has influenced my photography in many ways. For example, my preferred method for shooting photos has become the landscape mode, usually in a very cinematic 16:9 aspect ratio. Also, I keep yearning for more drama in my work.

However it very rarely comes out the way I pre-visualize, which in turn leads to disappointment.

Throughout my photography, I have refused to conform to a particular style or form. Always experimenting, I am perpetually on the search for a style that I can stand by.

Yet as I keep clicking more and more images, I realize that one cannot just choose a style for themselves. In the course of making images, the style chooses them. One does not have to force it. Till that moment though, I shall keep trying different approaches and methods in my photography. Hopefully, my own distinct style will emerge.

Growing up, I had a natural affinity towards good artworks. I’d stare with awe at the paintings and with time, I learned to appreciate them.

However, I wasn’t particularly talented with a paintbrush. Nor was I good at poetry. Not even sculpting. So, I had to look at other artistic mediums that would satisfy my artistic desire. The medium turned out to be photography, and the camera became my paintbrush. This became a genuine passion. Immensely curious, I spent countless hours everyday learning about this beautiful device called the digital camera.

My primary method of shooting photographs involves going out on long photo-walks, on the most crowded streets and shooting amidst the utter chaos, in an act of uncomplicated honesty.

Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to indulge in this during the ongoing lockdown. There was only so much I could do inside the confines of my home.

While photographing things, I don’t really start-off with a lot of frames in mind. The shooting process comes rather naturally to me. I tend to walk a lot during such events and whenever any interesting object pops up, I take out my camera and frame it.

Technical details don’t matter as much to me as long as there’s a heart and soul to the photo. It’s only during processing later, that I really look at the pictures, analyzing them, and unearthing the hidden meaning behind it.

I admit that not the happiest person out there, and I don’t go out looking to capture images with a particular theme, either. But as I’ve realized during the course of my two years of photography, there are recurring themes in most of my work. These include feelings of isolation and loneliness in the modern city.

Especially at a time when we are legally prohibited from going out and about on our daily routines, such feelings are sure to overwhelm us. I sometimes wonder what kind of lost universes I would capture if I actually decided to undertake the task of photographing the emptiness of the long and unending network of streets.

Probably nothing at all.

Note: All the pictures were taken in Singapore (where I was fortunate to visit before the pandemic kicked in) and in my hometown of Calcutta, before and during the course of global-lockdown. The photographs here are for referential purposes, to give you an idea of where to position it.

I am Arkadeep Mitra, a 20 year old photographer from Calcutta. A very disillusioned engineering student, I find myself often indulging in photography to escape the realities of life. Though I've refused to conform to any particular genre, you can usually find me in the streets looking through the unlikeliest of angles trying to frame the unlikeliest of pictures.

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Mother, Ma, Amma, Mom by Sagnik Bagchi

Mother, Ma, Amma, Mom - whenever I hear these words, I can relate to one thing - a comfort zone. A safe house where you're loved and nurtured, for whoever you are. No harsh judgements, just pure love.

Well, the last few months have been pretty rough. I had cone home from my college in Bhubaneswar, to capture pictures of Holi. Who knew that a three-day vacation would turn into a never-ending stay at home?

At first, when the lockdown was announced, I was absolutely pissed. I was in Kolkata and couldn't roam in the streets of my city. It was tough, being at home, 24x7. But there was one positive thing - I would get to spend more time with my mother, which would not have been possible otherwise.

Although my mother's a working lady, much to my delight, her office was closed due to Corona. We started bonding and connecting after a long time - watching movies, learning new recipes and she enquiring about my college life, etc.

Okay, so the lockdown was turning out to be not so bad, after all. Yes, I missed the smell of at Koley Market, the sunsets at Princep, the shingaraas, the roshogollas, catching the odd movie with my friends, but my mother made sure that I do not get bored at home, and she always tried to keep the spirit up!

Now, the one thing that was bugging me terribly was the fact that I was not able to click pictures. I became restless. But, on seeing a few other photographers, I decided to try and shoot at home. It would definitely test my skills and would be a good learning experience as well. I had to focus more on my framing, composition, observation and find stories in my daily life, in my regular surroundings.

Seemed really tough at first, so I tried to observe. I wasn't really getting any shots. So I thought of documenting my favourite person, my mother. Well, I had not tried such a thing ever in the past, so it was something new and challenging. But, I was up for it.

I started observing her. Saw her activities around the house. It surprised me as to how much effort she puts in. It's like she's the fulcrum to our everyday life. This family wouldn't function at all without her!

She wakes up at 5 am and works non stop. Cooks breakfast, cleans the entire house, picks up milk packets from the main gate, and whatnot. Certainly made me realize what a lousy son I had been. So, I started helping her too.

This definitely brought us closer. We shared some laughs, I wiped her tears too when she was low and used to breakdown. She helped me with my academics, I helped her with the chores.

Although she had to resume going to office in mid-April, still I tried to spend quality time with her and managed to capture some candid moments in between as well.

This quarantine life has been pretty rough on all of us, but I am so glad that I could reconnect with my mother and also keep my passion for photography alive in testing conditions.

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Hello, I am Sagnik Bagchi, a 20-year-old photographer from Kolkata, India.

I have tried my hand at several genres of photography, but my personal favourites have to be street photography because of it's unpredictable nature and blink and you miss frames.

I have been clicking for close to two years, mostly using my phone, but sometimes using my dad's DSLR too.

Stories of the Streets Of North Kolkata, India

Kolkata (6).jpg — **Stories of the Streets Of North Kolkata**

**by Tathagata Ghosh**

The streets of North Kolkata have the magical power of taking you back in time, and they do so with a whole lot of charm. This makes these old by-lanes great for street photography.From the sculptors and artisans who bring the gods and goddesses to life in Kumortuli, market of Mallickbazar, streets of Shobhabazar there is so much here to see, and to photograph.

Every street of North Kolkata creates a story. The old age monuments are the most attractive thing of North Kolkata for visitors. Each and every frame creates different story.

A whole day for North Kolkata is not enough. There are so much things to capture one or two days are not enough. I took a whole day & walked through the vintage old streets of Shobhabazar and capture a few stories. It was a beautiful experience to walk through this kind of streets.

I submitted in black and white as black and white is an emotion.

Tathagata Ghosh

Protests in Israel by Raviv Meyouhas

Tel Aviv, July 18th 2020

Israeli people don’t usually get out of their homes to protest. Most of them think it is a waste of time.

Israelis like to criticize and complain, it is almost a national hobby. But they always finish their sentence with the phrase – “Yi-hie beseder”, meaning – Everything will be OK.

It is a sign of strong optimism that makes Israelis think positive and overcome obstacles.

But for the past two months, since Israel finished the first wave of COVID-19 very well, something has changed dramatically.

The situation for the past few weeks is bad. EVERY DAY 1,500-2,000 new COVID-19 patients are detected.

The economic situation is even more frustrating, as many people don’t work for months and have no money to pay their increasing debts. Many businesses collapsed, their employees fired, and firms that still operate have a very small revenue and lose money.

The combination of the economic and health situation made many people lose their faith in the government, and especially in the prime minister. This made the people stop saying – “Everything will be OK”.

They don’t believe things will be OK anymore. So they go out to protest in Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and other cities.

It is strange to see that there are no leaders to these protests. The crowd goes out almost without an organizing leadership, and is combined from many different groups – old people, young people, families, self-employed, unemployed, employees, left wing, right wing, everyone. A lot of frustration, anger and disbelief are expressed, and sometimes the demonstrations become violent and the protesters collide with the police.

The protests are getting stronger from week to week, and the media echoes it louder each day.

I went to one big demonstration to photograph. It took place in Tel Aviv on July 18th. Thousands attended, and it went quietly for two hours. I hope you will feel the atmosphere and the people, even though the signs are all in Hebrew.

We all hope for a better future, with some positive and effective steps from the government that will shift Israel back to course.

Raviv Meyouhas

"Black and white touches the soul"

My name is Bishnu Goenka, I am a freelance photographer from Kolkata – West Bengal, India – trying all genre of Photography but mainly into the street, because to me street is an emotion.

When I was a kid I loved clicking images, but took it seriously from the year 2018. when I turned 22, I started working in a corporate sector, and through those saving I purchased a camera and started with my career into photography.

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Making the most of what you’ve got

During the construction of high class apartment buildings, the construction workers themselves were allocated an area of land to use for their temporary accommodation; tents and so forth.

The facilities were very basic and often, due to water loss, the families of the workers would have to use natural water sources nearby.

This wasn’t a photo project as such, more a series of photos that captured how these people coped with their conditions.

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First Prize winning of 3rd Assignment - Stylish of Canon Photo Marathon 2010.

Saigon, Vietnam

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A clubbing culture in Tel Aviv by Antonio Miller

**A clubbing culture**

**by Antonio Miller**

Hi'

My name is Antonio Miller' I live in Israel. My artistic name is Inside Antonio.

I am just going to clubs and photograph people and scenes.

People mostly do it for money, I do it for drinks.

I made these pics in a clubbing culture in the city of Tel Aviv.

Have a nice quarantine,

Antonio Miller.

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In the time of coronavirus by Amir Lavon

A photojournalist travels across the city to document how curfews and quarantines have changed it.

For weeks, I have had coronavirus news for breakfast, lunch, dinner and midnight snack.

You talk to colleagues, and it is the only topic. You talk to parents, and it is the same. Friends, too. In my social media bubble, everyone seems very aware of the situation and its gravity, even if there is still the occasional joke.

But I was curious to see how other people see it. And I needed to work, to do something.

So, together with my camera and a mask, I decided to take a trip across the city to document how daily life has changed.

Day 1, March 24

I have never seen my city so empty. It is the first day since a military ordinance demanded that people stay at home. With our bags packed, provisions made and batteries charged, we drive on almost deserted streets and abandon places, you could hear the sound of Despair and frustration, and the rituality of nothing and the abandonment of man.

Day 2, March 25

I always wanted to go on a trip like this, but I never imagined I would be using the camera for the purpose of self-isolation.

My first stop is the market in the hood. Behind a stall with carrots and celery, people wore white rubber gloves. Some of them will turn 50-60 next month and come rain or shine or virus, they come to the market to buy their vegetables, milk, eggs, meat, toilet paper and most of them said they were afraid of the situation so they have bought Whole carts as if it were doomsday.

Some claimed the fear of the unknown, the sense of uncertainty, the fateful memory of the Israeli wars and the memory of the Holocaust.

Others are more optimistic about the warmth of the family and the feeling of togetherness, and maybe that's a kind of defensive I don't know.

Friends I met talked about the world that was and the unknown to come the day after.

They sought spiritual shelter and philosophical explanations to find some sanity in the chaos, fear, and sense of threat that swept us all.

Sarah, a very fashionable girl talked about not being afraid of herself but very afraid of the grandparents in the house alone.

Finally, a beautiful woman came out with flowers in her hand and talked about buying flowers for the hope and homey feeling it brings.

Day 3, March 26

It felt unnatural doing documentary photography without getting close to people; to listen to their stories while keeping them at a safe distance.

This feeling of distress will accompany me throughout, as street photographers need proximity like oxygen. In addition, the sense of man's zero resemblance to the invisible natural forces.

Street photography that looks taken from a science fiction movie, face masks, bright colors, deserted streets, and a world-end atmosphere.

Day 4, March 27

Later that morning, a soldier from a nearby military base visits us. He has been tasked with informing people that they should stay isolated at home.

"What can I say, more isolated than this you cannot be," he says, smiling.

A short and optimistic conversation with our soldiers who, just a moment ago, they were children in high school and were currently called to the flag to save the situation.

It's always absurd to see how you become heroes for a moment.

A long visit to the food distribution centre, which has become a battlefield of onions and holiday packages for the adult population, seems to be a joint customer in the X-files series.

Day 5, March 28

I keep writing things down in my notebook and notice that, for the first time, my notes are more personal than observational.

I think that documenting what is going on maybe what is keeping me focused, and even sane.

Busying myself with asking where we are going today, what point we will go to.

The depression starts to seep, the feeling of crunch causes a lack of air,

You can feel what death looks like.

At the market, people are buying groceries, women are selling flowers. If not for the face masks, it would look like nothing had changed.

Day 5, March 28

As I walk past the buildings towards the Square, it resembles the set of an apocalyptic movie.

There are few sounds to interrupt the silence here - just the heels of a passerby on the cobblestones, a tram in the distance, a pigeon.

The emptiness is both hard to bear and comforting.

Empty pool and no people, felling of horror no less.

Day 6, March 29

I decided to spend time at the pizza place not far from the main street.

There were only two cooks, ask to be photographed for the project.

"What can we say, more isolated than this you cannot be," they said, smiling.

But in the evening we watch the news, as we do every evening now, and the tranquillity and reassurance of the day is mostly shattered. But not entirely. That happens when I read an article in the paper about the situation in Italy called We Take the Dead from Morning Till Night. I cry like a baby and feel truly scared for the first time - not for myself, but for my parents.

Day 7, March 30

A day of writing, editing, despair, insights and trying to understand the unintelligible.

I believe most people are questioning the future, asking what is to come.

"This coronavirus thing makes you think long term, puts things in perspective, changes your ideas and brings a fear … the fear about tomorrow,".

I fall asleep thinking about what people have said, thinking about tomorrow.

Amir Lavon: A 39 years old street and documentary photographer based in Afula, Israel, works on long term projects.
Also an English teacher and photography teacher for special aids students and student at high risk community in the education system.
Learned for his P.E Degree in photography and new media in PCK Photo center College.
Finished BED in English and special needs communities.
Finish B/w photography and printing from creative photography school, TLV and culture photography in National geographic Israel.
Most of my work is being done in the streets, telling the story of the simple man, the story of life and place.
Lately started to learn photo therapy as a tool for a better life and Education.
Student for curating art and photography. Photovoice and PhD in American history curating photography and museum studies.

Works on long time street projects concerning social issues, race, minorities, protests, poverty. Social activism and street life.

Works as researcher and photographer for worldwide magazines, galleries, museums, newspapers and agencies.

Also work as a teacher in high school for students at risk.

Willow by Simon Gradwell

Unfortunately we’ve found ourselves in the middle of a pandemic.

And Governments & drs the world over are telling us to stay inside. In today’s society we don’t really have much experience at staying inside. I’ve heard some of my friends say they’re bored and others saying that this is all driving them crazy.
Recently I’ve discovered the more I entertain myself inside means the less likely I’ll want to go outside. My 2 year old cat Willow is an expert at staying inside because she’s a house cat, and that’s all she knows. So I’ve found myself following Willow around the house to see how she does it.

Try following Willows fine example, stay safe & stay indoors.

Simon Gradwell