In mid-2019, it hit me - I am getting older. If I don’t do anything now, I never will. So, I bought my first camera in November 2019. Initially, I did not know what to shoot and how to shoot. So, I started learning photography from YouTube, online journals and researching famous photographers. Initially I was very interested about landscape photography. But soon, realised that it was not my cup of tea. I discovered that street photography is the best fit for me, even though I was extremely shy and nervous. So, initially I used long telephoto lenses so I could take photos from a distance. But then in early 2020, the world was plagued with COVID-19. Everybody started wearing masks. And that was the game changer for me. Since, the people I shot wore masks and so did I, our identities were not disclosed. That gave me the comfort of getting close to people. In the meantime, I formed a small group of like-minded and enthusiastic street photographers. This has helped me to shoot confidently on the streets, exploring new places of the city and exchange different thoughts about photography. For my photography, humans are the most important element. Different environments provoke different emotions, different emotions provoke different moods and different moods provoke different behavior. In short, environment determines the mood. Most of the time, it is the humans in a photo that catch my eye. It is this combination of moments, environment and the people in it that draws me to preserve them in a frame. ANWAR EHTESHAM In mid-2019, it hit me - I am getting older. If I don’t do anything now, I never will. So, I bought my first camera in November 2019. Initially, I did not know what to shoot and how to shoot. So, I started learning photography from YouTube, online journals and researching famous photographers. Initially I was very interested about landscape photography. But soon, realised that it was not my cup of tea. I discovered that street photography is the best fit for me, even though I was extremely shy and nervous. So, initially I used long telephoto lenses so I could take photos from a distance. But then in early 2020, the world was plagued with COVID-19. Everybody started wearing masks. And that was the game changer for me. Since, the people I shot wore masks and so did I, our identities were not disclosed. That gave me the comfort of getting close to people. In the meantime, I formed a small group of like-minded and enthusiastic street photographers. This has helped me to shoot confidently on the streets, exploring new places of the city and exchange different thoughts about photography. For my photography, humans are the most important element. Different environments provoke different emotions, different emotions provoke different moods and different moods provoke different behavior. In short, environment determines the mood. Most of the time, it is the humans in a photo that catch my eye. It is this combination of moments, environment and the people in it that draws me to preserve them in a frame. LOCATION Dhaka BANGLADESH CAMERA/S Fujifilm X-T30 WEBSITE https://anwarehtesham.com/ @EHTESHAM_DIGITAL FEATURES // People And Their Environment The Stranded Pakistanis Beyond The Bricks

I am a comedian and a photographer. I am a twin. My twin brother is ten minutes older than me. Time, I'm told, for my mum to have a cup of tea in-between deliveries. One year at senior school I received an A for effort and attainment in every single subject on my end-of-year school report. I then became obsessed with magic and performing and ended up getting an O level grade for my French A level. Merde! On a positive note I was a finalist in the Young Magician of the Year in 1985. I also passed Grade 8 on the flute. My dad was mayor of Epsom & Ewell 1990/91. I started stand-up in 1992. I am conversational in the Serbian/Croatian/Bosnian/Montenegrin languages. I saved my father-in-law from drowning in the sea off the Montenegrin coast in 2007 with the help of my twin brother. I have had two operations in the last several years to combat my snoring. The first was an Uvulopalatoplasty (a surgical procedure in which a laser is used to remove most of the uvula at the rear of the mouth). I'm not a baby, but that bloody hurt. It kind of worked (but not enough according to my wife). The second was a Radio-Frequency Ablation or Somnoplasty (the inner tissue is heated to 85 degrees Celsius, resulting in the tissue beneath the skin being scarred). This operation was not as painful. It did not really work either. It does however require the patient to undergo several sessions. I never went back for more. I am still married, but tend to sleep in the lower bunk of my son's bunk bed, who on occasion is known to shout at me to stop bloody snoring (so I'm told). I have never played Candy Crush. For the last 10 years or so I've been documenting my scene, the comedy scene: backstage and on stage, the highs and the lows, the camaraderie and the competition, the loneliness and the isolation, and the outright joy of being a stand-up comedian. STEVE BEST I am a comedian and a photographer. I am a twin. My twin brother is ten minutes older than me. Time, I'm told, for my mum to have a cup of tea in-between deliveries. One year at senior school I received an A for effort and attainment in every single subject on my end-of-year school report. I then became obsessed with magic and performing and ended up getting an O level grade for my French A level. Merde! On a positive note I was a finalist in the Young Magician of the Year in 1985. I also passed Grade 8 on the flute. My dad was mayor of Epsom & Ewell 1990/91. I started stand-up in 1992. I am conversational in the Serbian/Croatian/Bosnian/Montenegrin languages. I saved my father-in-law from drowning in the sea off the Montenegrin coast in 2007 with the help of my twin brother. I have had two operations in the last several years to combat my snoring. The first was an Uvulopalatoplasty (a surgical procedure in which a laser is used to remove most of the uvula at the rear of the mouth). I'm not a baby, but that bloody hurt. It kind of worked (but not enough according to my wife). The second was a Radio-Frequency Ablation or Somnoplasty (the inner tissue is heated to 85 degrees Celsius, resulting in the tissue beneath the skin being scarred). This operation was not as painful. It did not really work either. It does however require the patient to undergo several sessions. I never went back for more. I am still married, but tend to sleep in the lower bunk of my son's bunk bed, who on occasion is known to shout at me to stop bloody snoring (so I'm told). I have never played Candy Crush. For the last 10 years or so I've been documenting my scene, the comedy scene: backstage and on stage, the highs and the lows, the camaraderie and the competition, the loneliness and the isolation, and the outright joy of being a stand-up comedian. LOCATION London UNITED KINGDOM CAMERA/S Fujifilm X-series, Leica Q WEBSITE https://www.stevebest.com/ @STEVEBESTPICS @STEVEBESTPICS FEATURES // Comedians

I love just wandering around with my camera - generally I follow my nose, look up and around and see what catches my eye. I'm always drawn to buildings - especially tall ones - which I photograph in a way that makes them seem very abstract and graphical. Talking of graphical, I would say my photography is very much led by grids - I think about lines and edges within compositions before anything else. Especially when it comes to editing my photos. I nearly always shoot for black and white - that's generally all I share on my Instagram, anyway. There's something about the removal of colour that seems to heighten lines, grids and patterns within images. So it suits my style perfectly. BEN ALLAN I love just wandering around with my camera - generally I follow my nose, look up and around and see what catches my eye. I'm always drawn to buildings - especially tall ones - which I photograph in a way that makes them seem very abstract and graphical. Talking of graphical, I would say my photography is very much led by grids - I think about lines and edges within compositions before anything else. Especially when it comes to editing my photos. I nearly always shoot for black and white - that's generally all I share on my Instagram, anyway. There's something about the removal of colour that seems to heighten lines, grids and patterns within images. So it suits my style perfectly. LOCATION London UNITED KINGDOM CAMERA/S Canon 80D @BALLONANDON FEATURES // Gridlines

Being a shy person poses challenges in everyday life and adopting personae to feel comfortable in interaction with people is crucial. It's a bit strange perhaps to choose professions that put you right in front of groups of people, where you have no chance of blending into the background, but, I feel very comfortable in my roles as a teacher and a fashion model; I find it delightfully stimulating and a well balancing contrast to my quiet time after work hours. As a photographer I started out using the skill you often develop very well as a shy person, quiet observation. I focused on lines and shapes, mainly architecture and abstract, but gradually moved onto street photography - from a distance. With a growing comfort in the streets it felt a natural progression to further challenge myself, step out of my comfort zone also in this arena, and so instead of merely observing a scene I started immersing myself in the scenes and take candid portraits. LAINE MULLALLY Being a shy person poses challenges in everyday life and adopting personae to feel comfortable in interaction with people is crucial. It's a bit strange perhaps to choose professions that put you right in front of groups of people, where you have no chance of blending into the background, but, I feel very comfortable in my roles as a teacher and a fashion model; I find it delightfully stimulating and a well balancing contrast to my quiet time after work hours. As a photographer I started out using the skill you often develop very well as a shy person, quiet observation. I focused on lines and shapes, mainly architecture and abstract, but gradually moved onto street photography - from a distance. With a growing comfort in the streets it felt a natural progression to further challenge myself, step out of my comfort zone also in this arena, and so instead of merely observing a scene I started immersing myself in the scenes and take candid portraits. LOCATION Stockholm SWEDEN CAMERA/S Canon 200D @LAINE.E.M FEATURES // Soho Small Hours

The built environment, static and inanimate, is the stage upon which a walking choreography is played out. The humans, who bring the animate, are spatially arranged as though carefully directed. Have they been conditioned already to act like automatons or self-absorbed passersby uncannily acting out parts in mental isolation? I don't actually direct images but adhere to the rules of candid street photography. I'll often 'build' a shot by waiting for a satisfactory outcome in real time. This, according to other commentators, is perhaps why the images ring true as documentary. Often shot in a half light with a muted colour palette, there at first seems something sad about these corporate scenes but there is an intention to transcend the mundane by sometimes making comical comment on our increasingly designed environment. STREETMAX 21 The built environment, static and inanimate, is the stage upon which a walking choreography is played out. The humans, who bring the animate, are spatially arranged as though carefully directed. Have they been conditioned already to act like automatons or self-absorbed passersby uncannily acting out parts in mental isolation? I don't actually direct images but adhere to the rules of candid street photography. I'll often 'build' a shot by waiting for a satisfactory outcome in real time. This, according to other commentators, is perhaps why the images ring true as documentary. Often shot in a half light with a muted colour palette, there at first seems something sad about these corporate scenes but there is an intention to transcend the mundane by sometimes making comical comment on our increasingly designed environment. LOCATION UNITED KINGDOM CAMERA/S Fuji x100s, Nikon D700 WEBSITE https://streetmax21.com/ @STREETMAX21 FEATURES // Street Choreography

I am an American expat living in Taiwan, exploring the space between documenting home and the outside world, following the thread that connects them both. My mission is to become the kind of photographer who can not only see the beauty in the mundane, but can also communicate that beauty to others in a unique way. I want to slow down, get close, and tease out noteworthy elements in all of the things I encounter just by living my normal life. CAHLEEN HUDSON I am an American expat living in Taiwan, exploring the space between documenting home and the outside world, following the thread that connects them both. My mission is to become the kind of photographer who can not only see the beauty in the mundane, but can also communicate that beauty to others in a unique way. I want to slow down, get close, and tease out noteworthy elements in all of the things I encounter just by living my normal life. LOCATION New Taipei City TAIWAN CAMERA/S Canon EOS M5 and M6 mark ii WEBSITE https://www.cahleenhudson.com/ @CAHLEENH FEATURES // See My Neighbourhood

Seeking stories is my way of learning. Therefore, I think it is not a coincidence that my Sociology and photography education started in the same year. Capturing the sociology of everyday life brings me closer to photojournalism and documentary photography. Maybe that's why I'm looking for human faces, emotions and behaviour as much as I look for composition and light. Telling an ordinary thing through photography allows us to see it in a completely different way. What attracts me to photography is to witness so many emotions while documenting the events and to tell them as best I can. Narrating social movements, finding short street stories, and telling these stories cinematically makes me one step closer to the documentary subject I have been working on. When I moved to Antwerp from Istanbul 3 years ago, I returned to photography because I thought that the best way to learn a new city was to take pictures. I found a new topic every week and followed the traces of these stories in Antwerp. This inspired me to work on a documentary photography project. I am currently working on a documentary project about Crimean Tatar Villages because it is fascinating to imagine that even a single thing we observe will reach the history pages through us. NESLIHAN USLU Seeking stories is my way of learning. Therefore, I think it is not a coincidence that my Sociology and photography education started in the same year. Capturing the sociology of everyday life brings me closer to photojournalism and documentary photography. Maybe that's why I'm looking for human faces, emotions and behaviour as much as I look for composition and light. Telling an ordinary thing through photography allows us to see it in a completely different way. What attracts me to photography is to witness so many emotions while documenting the events and to tell them as best I can. Narrating social movements, finding short street stories, and telling these stories cinematically makes me one step closer to the documentary subject I have been working on. When I moved to Antwerp from Istanbul 3 years ago, I returned to photography because I thought that the best way to learn a new city was to take pictures. I found a new topic every week and followed the traces of these stories in Antwerp. This inspired me to work on a documentary photography project. I am currently working on a documentary project about Crimean Tatar Villages because it is fascinating to imagine that even a single thing we observe will reach the history pages through us. LOCATION Antwerp BELGIUM CAMERA/S Fujifilm X-T3 WEBSITE https://www.neslihanuslu.com/ @ANTWERPIST FEATURES // Sociology of Everyday Life

I don't consider myself a photographer, but an interpreter of photography. I was born in Frattamaggiore (Naples) Italy in 1964, and I live in the province of Reggio Emilia. I am a self-taught photographer and a Member of Merit at the International Academy of Modern Art in Rome. My photographic works are in the collections of the Italian War History Museum in Rovereto, the Reggio Emilia Civic Museums, and the RosPhoto State Museum in St. Petersburg. Some of my projects are also held at the Archive and Communication Study Centre (C.S.A.C) at the University of Parma. I am the creator, co-founder, and curator of the Artistic Photography Exhibition Montecchio Fotografia – La luce scritta. I have published three photo books with Corsiero Editore: La bellezza perduta, Otto ore, and Reggio e i colori dell'Emilia. My poetry has been included in anthologies of unpublished works that have won national literary competitions. ENZO CRISPINO I don't consider myself a photographer, but an interpreter of photography. I was born in Frattamaggiore (Naples) Italy in 1964, and I live in the province of Reggio Emilia. I am a self-taught photographer and a Member of Merit at the International Academy of Modern Art in Rome. My photographic works are in the collections of the Italian War History Museum in Rovereto, the Reggio Emilia Civic Museums, and the RosPhoto State Museum in St. Petersburg. Some of my projects are also held at the Archive and Communication Study Centre (C.S.A.C) at the University of Parma. I am the creator, co-founder, and curator of the Artistic Photography Exhibition Montecchio Fotografia – La luce scritta. I have published three photo books with Corsiero Editore: La bellezza perduta, Otto ore, and Reggio e i colori dell'Emilia. My poetry has been included in anthologies of unpublished works that have won national literary competitions. LOCATION Naples ITALY CAMERA/S Olympus E-M1 WEBSITE http://www.enzocrispino.com/ @ENZO.CRISPINO FEATURES // Eight Hours Island

I am a London-based documentary, street and travel photographer, and graphic designer. I divide my time between commercial work and personal projects. Most of my photography work is concerned with observations of people in public spaces. JAN ENKELMANN I am a London-based documentary, street and travel photographer, and graphic designer. I divide my time between commercial work and personal projects. Most of my photography work is concerned with observations of people in public spaces. LOCATION London UNITED KINGDOM CAMERA/S Nikon D800 and D850 WEBSITE https://www.enkelmann.co.uk/ @JANENKELMANN FEATURES // Smoking Chefs

I am a Californian born photographer currently based in Brooklyn. I photograph places and the people who live in them. Studying at the International Center of Photography, my work has been featured in solo shows at Viewpoint Gallery in Sacramento, California and Gallery 1855 in Davis, California and in group shows at the International Center of Photography; Women Street Photographers 2022 at Artspace PS 109; Centro Fotográfico Manuel Álvarez Bravo in Oaxaca, Mexico; Art on the Ave, New York, New York; Los Angeles Center of Photography; Noyes Arts Garage at Stockton University in Atlantic City, New Jersey; Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, Brooklyn, New York; Showfields, New York City; and other galleries. JEAN ROSS I am a Californian born photographer currently based in Brooklyn. I photograph places and the people who live in them. Studying at the International Center of Photography, my work has been featured in solo shows at Viewpoint Gallery in Sacramento, California and Gallery 1855 in Davis, California and in group shows at the International Center of Photography; Women Street Photographers 2022 at Artspace PS 109; Centro Fotográfico Manuel Álvarez Bravo in Oaxaca, Mexico; Art on the Ave, New York, New York; Los Angeles Center of Photography; Noyes Arts Garage at Stockton University in Atlantic City, New Jersey; Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, Brooklyn, New York; Showfields, New York City; and other galleries. LOCATION New York UNITED STATES CAMERA/S Nikon D810, Nikon Z7ii, Fuji X-Pro 2 WEBSITE http://www.jeanmross.com @JEANMROSS FEATURES // Raising The Bar

I take photographs every day. I also paint, sing and dance. I like to walk around without an agenda and catch whatever piques my eye. I’ve always been into art but additionally have loved fashion, popular culture, languages, music and dancing since I was a child. I was born in London into a Persian Jewish family. My mother was an Israeli ballet dancer, from whom I inherited a love of dance and music. I even imagined becoming a fashion designer and spent my free time drawing and designing clothes. I’ve used a camera most of my life; my father had bought me a Kodak Brownie 127 when I was kid. At home we placed a lot of value on family photographs and home movies. As a teenager loved going to art galleries on my own; it felt like an adventure and an entry into a fascinating world and an escape from suburbia which I considered frustrating and boring. I studied art history with Italian and French languages at Sussex University. It was during my year abroad in Venice that I started developing my own photos in a darkroom. My camera at that time was an Olympus OM1. I was also painting on canvas, mainly abstract expressionist still life and self portraits, but increasingly felt that the future for me was in photography and not fine art painting. On my return to England I also worked as an artist’s model which gave me an understanding of what it’s like to be on the other side of the artist’s eye or lens. In the late 80s I did a degree in Photography and Visual Culture at the University of Westminster, studying Semiotics and the writings of Saussure, Roland Barthes, John Berger and Susan Sontag as well as the work of photographers such as Jo Spence whose project Beyond the Family Album really resonated with me. I later went on to teach interdisciplinary courses in Art History, European Studies, Visual Culture and Film studies for many years which also involved curating film programmes for an independent cinema, before deciding to focus on my own creativity and Blog. Now, in my mid 60s, I feel blessed to be able to live a creative life. MISH AMINOFF I take photographs every day. I also paint, sing and dance. I like to walk around without an agenda and catch whatever piques my eye. I’ve always been into art but additionally have loved fashion, popular culture, languages, music and dancing since I was a child. I was born in London into a Persian Jewish family. My mother was an Israeli ballet dancer, from whom I inherited a love of dance and music. I even imagined becoming a fashion designer and spent my free time drawing and designing clothes. I’ve used a camera most of my life; my father had bought me a Kodak Brownie 127 when I was kid. At home we placed a lot of value on family photographs and home movies. As a teenager loved going to art galleries on my own; it felt like an adventure and an entry into a fascinating world and an escape from suburbia which I considered frustrating and boring. I studied art history with Italian and French languages at Sussex University. It was during my year abroad in Venice that I started developing my own photos in a darkroom. My camera at that time was an Olympus OM1. I was also painting on canvas, mainly abstract expressionist still life and self portraits, but increasingly felt that the future for me was in photography and not fine art painting. On my return to England I also worked as an artist’s model which gave me an understanding of what it’s like to be on the other side of the artist’s eye or lens. In the late 80s I did a degree in Photography and Visual Culture at the University of Westminster, studying Semiotics and the writings of Saussure, Roland Barthes, John Berger and Susan Sontag as well as the work of photographers such as Jo Spence whose project Beyond the Family Album really resonated with me. I later went on to teach interdisciplinary courses in Art History, European Studies, Visual Culture and Film studies for many years which also involved curating film programmes for an independent cinema, before deciding to focus on my own creativity and Blog. Now, in my mid 60s, I feel blessed to be able to live a creative life. LOCATION London UNITED KINGDOM CAMERA/S Leica d-lux 7, Fujifilm xt4 WEBSITE https://www.mishaminoff.com/ @MISHAMINOFF FEATURES // End Of An Era

Born and raised in the United States, I am a passionate photographer who is always ready to take my skills to the next level. While I love all genres of photography, I consider myself more of a creative photographer. As my interest in photography evolved, I began to experiment with different camera techniques and particularly love using intentional camera movement to create a more abstract or artistic feel to my photos. I am mesmerized by vibrant colors, beautiful light and the tiniest details, and enjoy the challenge of photographing the mundane. Yellow is one of my favorite colors and is the color of thread that ties this series of photographs together. For me, yellow is cheerful and reminds me of my sister. My work has been published online in several National Geographic Your Shot stories and has been published in Click Magazine. I have been exhibited in the National Geographic Museum in Washington D.C., the Sacramento Fine Arts Center in California and Blindwell Art Gallery in the United Kingdom. ELIZABETH PAOLETTI Born and raised in the United States, I am a passionate photographer who is always ready to take my skills to the next level. While I love all genres of photography, I consider myself more of a creative photographer. As my interest in photography evolved, I began to experiment with different camera techniques and particularly love using intentional camera movement to create a more abstract or artistic feel to my photos. I am mesmerized by vibrant colors, beautiful light and the tiniest details, and enjoy the challenge of photographing the mundane. Yellow is one of my favorite colors and is the color of thread that ties this series of photographs together. For me, yellow is cheerful and reminds me of my sister. My work has been published online in several National Geographic Your Shot stories and has been published in Click Magazine. I have been exhibited in the National Geographic Museum in Washington D.C., the Sacramento Fine Arts Center in California and Blindwell Art Gallery in the United Kingdom. LOCATION UNITED STATES CAMERA/S Nikon D7200, Nikon D5000 @ELIZABETH_PAOLETTI_PHOTOGRAPHY FEATURES // Let the Sun Shine