Best of Behance: Photography

Good photography does more than just capture a moment in time. Photography has the power to tell a story, present a different point of view, or challenge us to see things in a different light. It’s got the ability to transform the ordinary into something worth taking a second look at. Photography has a curious way of presenting truth. On one hand, it depicts subjects with a greater degree of honesty than any other medium, but on the other, it strips those moments of their context, leaving the rest up to the imagination of the viewer. This interactive aspect of photography by which we as viewers build narratives and fill in details by pulling from our own experiences is part of what makes photography such an interesting medium.

Here’s a collection of some of the best photography-based projects from Behance that I felt either captured a feeling, told a story, or challenged the viewer to see the ordinary in a new light.

Source: Shivam Pandey

Source: Shivam Pandey

Source: Shivam Pandey

This first project, titled Around the RED, by Saint Petersburg-based French photographer Viktor Balaguer, explores Russia through the color red. Street snaps of the vibrant hue span clothing, vehicles, umbrellas, and flowers, taking the viewer to various corners of the country’s former capital. Though the so-called “Red Scare” was well before my time, as an American, the echoes of that period are still observable in media and popular culture today. As such, and as someone with limited knowledge of that part of the world, beyond just the beauty of the photos in this project, I was most struck by the sense of quiet peacefulness common throughout the series. The retro vehicles, vintage signage, and traditional architecture combine to give the series the feel of a bygone era and paint the “red menace” in a very human, relatable light.

Source: Shivam Pandey

Source: Shivam Pandey

https://www.behance.net/gallery/122381893/Minimalism-through-lens

This next series titled Minimalism through lens., by Kolkata-based photographer Shivam Pandey demonstrates the transformative way that simple things like fog and color can change the way we see things. This series of photos, which were taken at a local park, depict subjects doing normal park activities yet have an otherworldly feel thanks to their black and white treatment and a thick blanket of fog. The compressed landscape and limited visibility isolate the subjects from everything but their most immediate surroundings, giving the shots an unnerving feeling of disconnect, almost like you could wander through the fog endlessly and still end up lost and alone.

Source: Mitchell Rouse

Source: Mitchell Rouse

Source: Mitchell Rouse

This last project, titled INTERCHANGES, by Washington-based photographer Mitch Rouse focuses on highway interchanges, offering viewers a perspective you’d usually only get from a plane. From above, these man-made constructs of cement and pavement take on a curiously organic feel, with their gentle curvatures and interweaving lines reminiscent of nerves or veins. Viewing our world from such a zoomed-out perspective leaves the viewer with a strange sense of calmness. There’s something about reducing an entire Costco warehouse to no more than the size of an M&M that just makes all the world’s problems feel insignificant.