Alexey Titarenko is a Soviet Union-born American photographer and artist born on 1962. Titarenko was influenced by the Russian Avant-garde work and the Dada art movement. During the collapse of the Soviet Union, Titarenko purposely used long exposure to highlight the suffering endured by the people living under the Soviet Union, creating his most well known series, “City of Shadows”.

In the photograph titled “Vasileostrovoskaya Metro Station Crowd 1, from City of Shadows, 1992“, the long exposure creates a sense of rumble and chaos, depicting the fast ways of the world. The stairs which have a crisp focus contrast the chaos, showing stillness as the world moves in motion. The diagonal leading lines of the stairs show a sense of direction, one that goes up or down. The dim lighting in the background of a circle shape contrasts with the bright lighting from the left of the photograph.