I think a portrait is a picture of a person or a group of people. Its main goal is to show what that person is like—their personality, mood, or even their story. While a simple snapshot just shows what someone looks like, a good portrait tries to show you something more about who they are. Yousuf Karsh’s photo of Einstein has become one of the most classic shots ever. In the photo, Einstein’s facial expression demonstrates a figure of wisdom. He is looking up at something high behind the camera, which offers this portrait photo more content than the appearance of Einstein.

This photo captures street worker’s labor with vivid colors, highlighting his ordinary but essential role in urban life. – It shows daily life elements

This picture freezes at a decisive moment, which is a person smoking, interacting with the environment, embodying the essence of street photography. The monochromatic filter also emphasize the mood and character.

This photo creates visual contrast between the western cook hat and the Chinese traditional buildings, reflecting the effects of globalization in street life. The use of black and white filter also emphasize on the contradiction in the image.

This picture also captures a decisive moment, adhering to the rule of thirds, layers, and the tension created by the particular height of this shot. The combination of the concepts places us into the child’s perspective and offers the feeling of sad and maybe anger.

This photo captures a relaxed, unguarded moment of the driver, highlighting the human element in everyday street occupations.

This picture shows a spontaneous street scene with passersby and urban elements, embodying the candid, slice-of-life essence of street photography.

This is a snapshot of all the photos I took at the Hutongs.

These are the top 9 photos. Some of them are successful because they simply satisfy the street photo style, while others are successful due to the intentions and unique ideas that I personally would appreciate, although they may not be successful enough objectively.

This photo is in my top three’s because it satisfies my intent, such as the composition(rule of thirds,) variety in layers, and strong diagonal.

Well… I didn’t rotate this photo on purpose… And I don’t know what keeps making this lovely photo facing the wrong way. Whatever… It has very powerful and clear layers, satisfies the rule of thirds, and possesses a triangular trend. Despite achieving multiple concepts, there is one area that needs improvement: I should’ve told Frank to move a little bit closer to the camera. However, no matter what, I’d still like to declare that this is my favorite photo among the rest of 162.

This used to be my favorite, but I don’t think it is interesting and lively enough. It demonstrates a calm and relaxing feeling and possesses various layers. The composition of this photo is typical, placing the subject at the center, and features a certain angle that makes it more powerful. To improve this photo, I would move closer so that the focusing point would be on the elderly instead of everything else and the background.

The title of this project is “The Strange and Unfamiliar.” It is made by Marie Laigneau.

The concept I want to tell with my photographs is how the rule of thirds can transform ordinary scenes into visually compelling narratives, guiding the eye to discover stories in everyday urban and human moments.

I want my audience to feel engaged — like they’re actively exploring the frame, wondering what is actually happening behind the photos.

I will get inspiration and develop my ideas by looking for these kind of photographs that master the rule of thirds to balance subjects and background elements.

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Marie Laigneau is a London-based street photographer who enjoys travelling to the world’s biggest cities to capture the fleeting essence of urban life. Her pictures have a soft, magical feel yet often show people in nature looking thoughtful or mysterious. She’s famous for a project where she photographs all kinds of people from her home country. If you scroll through her Instagram, you’ll see her feed is full of these beautiful and interesting images that make you stop and wonder what’s happening.

Analysis of this photo (Concepts used):

• Capture Eye Contact: The woman looks directly at the camera, creating a connection with the viewer.
• Avoid Distractions: Despite the busy background, the focus remains on the woman, ensuring she is the central subject without unnecessary visual clutter.
• Rule of Thirds: The woman is positioned along the vertical thirds of the frame(approximately in the middle third.) This technique balances the composition and making it visually engaging.

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I’m going to focus on capturing photos of people’s everyday lives. I will achieve this by applying the concept of the rule of thirds, and these are some of the images that inspired me:

These photos were taken right at the moment when people were acting natural and daily life. I feel like these are the types of street photos that I’m going to take, therefore they are the photos that’ve inspired me.

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In my point of view, street photography is like being a spy with a camera. You walk around in public places—like a city street, a park, or a mall—and take pictures of life as it happens. The key is that you don’t pose people or set anything up. You just capture real, unplanned moments.

It’s all about finding interesting or beautiful scenes in everyday life. This could be a person laughing, a cool shadow on the ground, or a funny coincidence you see. The goal is to tell a small story about the world and how people act in it, all without anyone noticing you.

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