samba noir @ Rome (italy, 2015)
“Samba Noir by Ovos Photography engaged me with its vignette of a person riding a bus, in her own world. Being able to capture a moment like this so masterfully is no easy task, and shows how street photography is a very deserving expression of our craft. I immediately want to know what she’s thinking, how her life is different than my own, what challenges and blessings she’s encountering. This photo is all about the human side of travel photography, and the fact that there’s so many strangers around us, each with their own story. The farther we get from our bubble of familiarity and understand new perspectives, the stronger we all are, and this starts with curiosity of people around us. This curiosity hopefully leads to empathy which then hopefully leads to compassion, and with this compassion we are all enriched. I love the stark tones in the image, the play off of the bright lights and the dark clothing worn by the people in the image. The composition of the window panes, the right angles, and the balancing of the numbers all _feel_ good.” – Josh Hafte