Michael MA

[Hong Kong]

GR III

Judge's comment
In the river of time we call life, each of our lives flow at a different rate. Sometimes it stagnates and flows slowly, and sometimes it's fast and flows rapidly - but the speed is not what's important in our lives. It's the direction in life that allows you to keep flowing. With the expression of the GR's original deep black and white, widescreen composition, and selecting the appropriate shutter speed, we can capture our daily lives, with a cross-section of it being completely revealed.

Brodie Clark

[Australia]

GR III

Judge's comment
I can feel the moment when the eye level light pierces the car window, depicting a tired man so exhausted that he has forgotten even to light a cigarette.
The afternoon light is captured so naturally that is makes you feel drowsy, it contains the feeling of going home perfectly, even without any horizontal or vertical misalignment that is often done when putting a frame within a frame.
In addition, the woman's face, combined with the light on the window, reminds me of his family in a thought bubble as if it were made by the man's cigarette smoke. Looking at the picture, I feel drowsy and sleepy at the thought of ending a long day.

上垣内 晋

[Japan]

GR IIIx

Judge's comment
in the movie 'About Time' the father of the protagonist has always travelled through time, and he decides to take his last trip back to when he spent time with his young son before he dies.
He takes his son's hand, eats delicious food, walks the beach together as a father and faces his son man to man.
It was a normal day without anything special, but for the father it was the most precious and memorable day in his life.
The moment we're facing right now may be the day we want to come back to in 10 or 20 years and that's why every day is so precious.

As we experience life events, like bringing a baby into the world or raising children, they are moments in time that we couldn't go back to even if we wanted to.

These moments will be the best gift for our children in the future and they are treasures.

Jesús Vázquez Toro

[Spain]

GR III

Judge's comment
In street photography, what you want to find is up to you, just like everyone in front of you is focussed on what they're doing, distributed thoughout the street.
Photographers are looking for some kind of meaning in the combination of lines, and spatial arrangement.

Photographs are two-dimensional space, by depicting shapes of light, blocks or lines of color, through distance, size, color, brightness and contrast it is transformed into a space that give a sense of depth within the image.

By taking photos on the street without any planning, you can enjoy the mesmerizing fun of street photography, the lines of city buildings, the activities of people on the street, and feel the moment when various factors are combined into a great photo, forming an interesting street photography composition.

上垣内 晋

[Japan]

GR IIIx

Judge's comment
A gentle image of everyday life.

This photo reminds me of my first experience with photography, taking pictures of the world, not for the sake of others, but for myself.

Because we are not in a hurry, we are able to appreciate the details - that is life.

The beauty of photography is not in the profound content or the skill, but in the beauty of life and the emotions of the people that are conveyed through the photographs, making the person looking at the photograph feel something, tell a story, and that can resonate with you.

Gareth Bragdon

[United Kingdom]

GR II

Judge's comment
The street doesn't need to create a new reality like in the studio, life is unfolding and you're watching in the middle, full of many contradictions and conflicts.

The man in the pink canvas shoes and the Chihuahua in the pink jacket are interesting enough to see which side is being kept.

With GR, in the hands of intuitive and powerful photographers, a visually interesting classic photo can be born, containing the collision of form and meaning, or the absurd irony of life, etc., replaced by some kind of free form combination experiment.

A good photo usually has a sense of three-dimensional space vision, and a key element of a good photo is the content itself.

Nita Olan

[Thailand]

GR III

Judge's comment
This photo is simply fantastic. The colors, the sky with ambers flying through, the use of flash brings the cat to life adding dynamic energy to the photograph.

Tianfu Zhang

[China]

GR III

Judge's comment
This image brings to mind how fleeting youth is and how quickly we grow up. Kids playing with guns. A great metaphor for the way things are going in the world. Plus great colors and the forth little face hidden in the mirror adds a little treat.

Rikard Landberg

[Sweden]

GR II

Judge's comment
This is an interesting portrait of a young boy. It's odd and a bit eerie due to the distortion created by the magnifying glass. The boy's expression is inquisitive, and the lighting is dramatic. It all comes together really well and reminds us that photography doesn't always have to capture beautiful and happy things; sometimes, strange is good.

Nagai Satoshi

[Japan]

GR III

Judge's comment
This image shows two young siblings on a road of what looks like a small town in the country side of Japan. What I like about this photograph is that it is a relatable moment of daily life for japanese children. The two children are catching flies and insects which is a typical activity for young kids. The road leads us to a few houses in the background which could be where these children live. What makes this photograph personal is the eye level perspective. This makes me conclude that the photographer is the parent. The choice of monochrome adds a timeless quality and the gestures and expressions of the children are nicely captured.

Umareta Dan

[France]

GR III

Judge's comment
A crowded scene in an underground subway wagon. As a viewer I feel like I am standing right there with everyone waiting to get off at my stop. What makes this dynamically captured scene interesting to me is how much it tells me about the location and time it was photographed in.
First we have many different ethnicities in the crowd. My guess is that this is france. Maybe Paris? The Girl in the front with the glasses speaking into her smartphone has bluetooth earphones (Probably Apple Airpods). We know technology evolves fast and these earphones and the way she uses her smartphone (probably recording a voice message) will remind us how we used to communicate in 2023. What also helps date this image further is the woman with the face mask in the back. She is the only one wearing a mask which means that this the story of the end of the covid pandemic. It shows how we are slowly going back to a more “normal” life. This is the kind of image I strive to take when I do street photography. Well done by the photographer for seeing and capturing this great scene.

金子哲郎

[Japan]

GR III

Judge's comment
This is a great snapshot of daily life that has visible traces of human life in it. Everyone who rides a bicycle to work knows that not every day is sunshine. The snowfall in this photograph must have started a few minutes before the photo was taken. This could be the sight that the photographer stumbled upon after getting off the train from work. You can still see the foot prints and bicycle lines in the snow which tells us that people have been picking up their bikes here just seconds ago. There is enough snow on the bicycles that you want to have something with you to wipe off the snow and dry your saddle. Hopefully you wear a warm jacket with a hoodie. And pray that you didn't forget to bring gloves today. This is the kind of image that makes you want to come up with a story. The monochrome edit helps emphasize the contrast of the snow and the foot prints.

张剑威

[China]

GR IIIx

Judge's comment
Unknown organisms fly around inside a transparent bag. They might be fireflies, they also look like shooting stars, maybe even will-o'-the-wisps. The appeal of photography is its ability to expand your imagination. A pleasant event in the forest at night displays its photogenic brilliance, which leads to a strange vision on a large scale and a fresh sense of wonder due to the photographer’s almost innocent idea and instantaneous reaction. The lens captures a variety of invisible objects, showing that the photographer is strongly synchronized with something new for which there are no words to describe.

李浩

[China]

GR III

Judge's comment
A psychological spectacle of daily boredom, small fears and nervous anxiety amid the local unique colors is stimulating. This rhythmical scene probably has a story to tell of the animal world or human society.
The daily activities and interests are cleverly captured in the shot from the wild eyes of the chicken and the gaze of the street barber. And the eyes of the customer holding his breath with the anxiety and tension at the touch of the razor blade. Suddenly, even the psychology for prayer seems to drift away.
The eyes of the photographer, that were able to swiftly capture the daily humor, manifest to show his deep interest in the psychology in society.

千葉 竜介

[Japan]

GR IIIx

Judge's comment
Photos are a reliable pathway that leads to nostalgia. They call up fond memories in a single photo of a certain time and day. With a background that cannot be surpassed in size, the photographer chose this place and time to capture the joy of living beyond daily life. Modeled on family that should be commemorated.
The sea at dusk with a waxing moon, and a ship disappearing into the distance. You should be able to hear the sound of overlapping waves amid the approaching darkness. In the lapping of the waves, the photo continues to tell the story of a never ending moment. The image of eternity dances in the form of the husband and wife lifting their child towards the moon.

高橋敦

[Japan]

GR III

Judge's comment
I like this, it's clean, intimate and the light and text from the adjacent buildings is futuristic almost like it's a scene from Blade Runner. The photographer captured a moment that was personal which is rarely shared on social media or in general so this is just great, I would like to see it in Black and White but I think this is good in color all way maybe a little brighter.

梁彬乐

[China]

GR III

Judge's comment
I don't know this is just funny, it makes me laugh, great picture. I don't remember my first hair cut but I am sure it was like this in some way or another. I love how the frame is filled up with no wasted space. The eye goes right to the kid followed and clippers it's just fantastic in so many ways. Another moment captured that is normally never shared on social media because it's a personal family moment.

单衣

[China]

GR III

Judge's comment
We have all shot vacation photos like this. It's great, it's funny and it makes me laugh. It is just fantastic in so many ways. His expression, the toning the balance of noise. I would like to see this in black and white as well but it definitely sings in color and maybe a little brighter.

nicolas fransolet

[Canada]

GR III

Judge's comment
This is a great image which reminds me of the outstanding work of Oli Kellett. A few things come together to make this an image which grabs your attention. The first is the time of day and weather conditions. Many of us know the uplifting beauty of a winter sunset on a snowy walk home after a long day at work and this image takes you there. The traffic suggests people trying to get back to the warmth of their houses, and then we are drawn to the single figure crossing the road through a slice of sunlight who is the subject of the shot. Secondly the colour really serves to evoke the mood of golden hour in a wintry northern hemisphere with the cooler shadows providing some nice colour contrast. But for me what pushed this shot further is the window through which the image is being taken. It's not clean, which gifts the photographer with a 'glow' to all the highlights similar to the effect of using a pro mist filter. Then there is the out-of-focus reflection in the glass of another surface catching the sunlight which gives the left hand side of the frame an inverse gradient of golden hour orange which adds another superimposed layer of colour to the shot. The only note I would have would be to understand why the photography chose the square crop. I am left wondering what lies outside the frame, whether more of the street could have been included to expand the scene, and whether there was some way to include more of, or remove the slight distractions of the traffic light in the bottom right corner, or the cars peeking in from the left middle and right middle of the frame respectively. Images like this which include so many elements though are often a compromise of composition so the photographer may already have done their best. Fantastic image.

梁彬乐

[China]

GR III

Judge's comment
This image has such a classic feel for me. Apart from the phone in the image and the fashion choice, this image feels 'stuck out of time' and could have been captured over a number of decades which gives it a timeless feel. There is a nice rule of odds in the left hand side of the frame with three enthusiastic Marilyn Monroe's looking at a boy who couldn't be less interested on the right. The repetition of the boys glasses with the 'cool cat' glasses peaking around the boy is also a nice touch. There is a 'humour' in this image, and if you want to add meaning there is a nice commentary on our obsession with our phones and our ignorance of the past. The colour is great with the repetition of pops of red in the ice cream cup, Marilyn and the Union Jack in the background. The composition and the arrangement of the elements in the frame is really well placed with features being well spaced, and a natural left to right draw from Marilyn's various eyes to end at the boy on the right. The only note I would have is to suggest that a slight shuffle forward to give a very subtle tightening of the frame would have served to remove the inclusion of the edge of the 5th chair in the back left and produced an even neater frame. Excellent image.

Daniel A. Durazo

[United States]

GR II

Judge's comment
I love the mood of this image. It's a great example of why an obsession with sharpness and detail is overrated. I think you could have taken a picture of this scene in clean colour and sharp detail with a faster shutter speed and not come close to creating the feeling of this shot. It reminds me of 'Boys of Volta' by Jeremy Snell which is a body of work I love. The contrast masking the subjects but preserving the stormy skies helps to protect the anonymity of the people in the frame whilst capturing the drama of a storm rolling away in the background. The slower shutter speed means that nothing in the image is really sharp, but there is a sense of kinetic movement and life in both the swimmers and the photographer. The choice of contrast and exposure is perfect for me. If I have any notes it would be questions around whether the vignette is just a little too strong and whether a slightly wider frame could have included a little more breathing room for the subject on the right from the edge of the frame? Great image.

Nikita Erphène

[France]

GR 1

Judge's comment
The entire image, including the sky and water surface, has a blue coloring, making it look quite beautiful. The clothes she is wearing look like a military uniform. This is probably what tightens up the image. There is a badge on her hat as well, and it makes you just image and contemplate about her situation. This mysterious girl also has her eyes closed, and lures us into her maze. It must be somewhere cold. This is a mysterious photo in which there is an endless flow of the ordinary and unusual, amid the tense feeling in the air.

田口忠正

[Japan]

GR

Judge's comment
People waiting at a rail crossing, it’s a type of scene that you can see from inside a train, and it motivates me to take photos. I've tried many times to take this type of shot while standing at the door of the train but it never turned out right. The positioning of people, and the composition that shows us the end of this narrow alley. It’s wonderful. The people waiting at the rail crossing do not know they are being observed by others, and they show us their defenseless expression. This defenseless expression is not the same as when asleep because they were being overwhelmed by the mass of the large object passing by along with the thunderous roar of the train. This is a special expression created by the ordinary, the rail crossing.

徐铭

[China]

GR IIIx

Judge's comment
We can see three elderly women in front of a shop, and another is inside the shop. They are wearing a fashionable cloth on their heads, this must be a local custom. After finishing work, this is how friends probably naturally gather and spend some time together. The photo exactly captures everyday life in the local region. The women appear healthy so when I look at this photo, it makes me reflect on the fact that I eat too much and don’t exercise enough. They may have never stood on a stage to be looked on by thousands of people or have never earned a large amount of money. It seems that this photo tells us that there is a life that transcends such prestige and greed. I feel that a profound view on life is being told in this single shot of daily life.

Brian Reilly-Troy

[Ireland]

GR II

Judge's comment
On a sunny day, a man reads by the river with his legs up in the sun. Sunshine, water, walls, reading, all kinds of elements are orderly solidified in the image with a leisurely, relaxing atmosphere. Such moments in life are common, yet vivid and immersive.
The author uses light and shadow to depict everyday scenes. The composition of his work is excellent, and the tone levels are exquisite and rich. Black and white makes the picture more concise, and the main body prominent and clear. The intersection of light and shadow, the ripples of water, the texture of the floor tiles, the posture of the characters, all achieve harmony and unity - altogether this is indispensable.

薏仁的一天

[China]

GR III

Judge's comment
The photographer captured a scene of an orderly train seat corridor, focusing the camera on two feet sticking out from the side of the frame. From the picture, it is not difficult to guess that this is someone taking a rest in the seat, stretching their legs to relax. The author focuses on the details of the feet, which is not only funny, but also leaves room for the imagination.
The scene in this picture is so everyday that most people have seen it before, but few people have captured such a picture with their cameras. However, a good photographer has this ability to capture the detail. The author sees the truth in the minutiae and focuses his lens on the easily overlooked details of daily life. He must be an observant person who loves life.

George Pitt

[United Kingdom]

GR IIIx

Judge's comment
The photographer's lens takes a unique perspective to capture a life scene: three old men are shirtless, leisurely playing cards in the sun. The overhead angle gives the picture displays an orderly composition. The picture seems to be static, but it feels full of dynamism. Thinking, watching and making choices seem as if there is a lively scene unfolding in front of the audience, which draws in the viewer.
The veins on the back of the hand, the wrinkles on the arm, the patches on the back, the texture of the table and the ground, are all traces of everyday life. The colors and details of the photo are also very rich, with the proper light and shadow, rich levels of light and shade, also leave more details and also room for the imagination.

Ryota Yamada

[Japan]

GR IIIx

Judge's comment
Childhood should be the most carefree. Run with open arms and imagine yourself as free as a bird. On the way home from school, what is the reason that made the little girl "fly"? Maybe a word of praise from a teacher? Maybe a new friend? Maybe it was their favorite lunch today? Maybe because Dad can play with her today? Or maybe the eraser that disappeared yesterday just magically reappeared? Our happiness was once so simple. Thanks to this photographer for giving me a wonderful healing moment, when facing such a picture, calm composition and a warm tone are just additional parts.

巽慶一

[Japan]

GR III

Judge's comment
The photographer used the GR's multiple exposure feature to finish the shot with two images. Ordinary enough scenes, but taken unusually enough to attract me. As for the single exposure photo, the street scene under smooth light becomes vivid because of a large number of shadows. The author may have observed such changes of light and shadow first. After two exposures, the picture has a structure of darkness and shade. This picture is full of imagination, full of fun and of life, this is the charm of photography.

HantaoTB

[China]

GR III

Judge's comment
Life is a wonderful journey, and every day the scenery changes. The fisherman may not even realize that he is seeing such a beautiful picture. It is the photographer's eyes that capture this beautiful moment for us. Is he fishing or looking at the scenery? It doesn't really matter. The important thing was that it was a beautiful moment, and both the photographer and the fisherman were in their element. In fact, many photographers would crop the image, like applying a 16:9 ratio, or try to cut out excess parts when composing the image - the picture may be cleaner, but it will lose context. Through the 28mm wide angle of GR III, it perfectly depicts the environment resulting in a dramatic photo that gives both questions and answers.