23/12/24
warsaw, pl
The streets are more than just places of movement—they are canvases where light and shadow interact in a delicate dance
The project began with a simple observation: no matter where you are in a city, the interplay of light and shadow is ever-present. It shapes the mood, directs the viewer’s gaze, and adds depth to the ordinary. From the harsh midday sun casting sharp, defined lines on the pavement to the soft glow of street lamps stretching shadows across deserted alleys, light has the power to tell its own story. Through Street Shadows, I sought to capture the way light interacts with the urban landscape, revealing the often-overlooked beauty in the everyday.
One of the most compelling aspects of street photography for me has always been the unpredictability of light. As the day progresses, the quality of light changes, painting the streets in different shades and tones.
In the early morning, the city is bathed in a soft, golden glow, creating long shadows that stretch across empty streets. By midday, the light becomes harsh, casting deep, defined shadows that turn even the most familiar places into something striking and new. And as the day draws to a close, the evening light softens again, creating an atmosphere of quiet reflection. Street Shadows is about capturing these shifts in light and exploring how they shape the stories of the streets.
Film photography was the perfect medium for this project. The way film captures light is unlike anything digital photography can achieve. There’s a richness and depth in the way film responds to shadows, bringing out details that might otherwise be lost. With each frame, I was able to capture the textures and contrasts that define urban life—the way light filters through the trees, the shadows cast by buildings, and the silhouettes of people as they move through the streets. Film added an extra layer of authenticity to the images, creating a tangible connection between the viewer and the scene.
I wanted to focus not only on the light itself, but also on the life that moves through it. The people who populate the streets are integral to the project, their lives intersecting with the shadows in unexpected ways.
From a solitary figure walking through a sunlit alley to a crowd of people casting long, overlapping shadows on the sidewalk, the human presence adds a dynamic element to the otherwise static play of light and dark. It’s in these moments of movement that the city truly comes alive, and I sought to capture that energy through my lens.
The project took me to various cities, each with its own unique relationship to light. In some places, the tall buildings create dramatic, towering shadows that give the streets a sense of grandeur and scale. In others, the low, sprawling architecture allows the light to wash over the streets, creating soft, diffused shadows that evoke a feeling of calm. No matter where I was, though, the interaction between light and life was always present, shaping the mood of the scene and revealing new layers of the urban landscape.
