Winners and finalists of The Independent Photographer street photography competition (11 photos)

The Independent Photographer jury has announced the winners of the September 2022 street photography competition. Applications came from more than 40 countries. Distinguished judge Jamel Shabazz selected the top 10 entries.





Jamel Shabazz was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York. At the age of fifteen, he picked up his first camera and began photographing his peers. He was inspired by documentary photography by photographers such as Leonardo Fried, James Van Der Zee and Gordon Parks.

In 1980, he began documenting various aspects of New York City life, from youth culture to social conditions.

David Keith Brown - 1st place. Prize - $1000



"Balloon Dance" - Tegal, Central Java.

"Women dance with balloons at a festival in Tegal, Central Java."

"What immediately caught my attention was the juxtaposition of the two couples with balloons. Meanwhile, a small child, in his own world, appears in the center of the photo and seems to be captivated by his balloon. What I found interesting was the age difference between the couples On the left side of the frame there appear to be teenagers, and on the other side there are women, one of whom is barely noticeable, the other not so much, only recognizable by the jewelry on her left hand. There is also an image of the moon on one of the balloons. women have noticeable designer handbags. Perhaps these are good friends or relatives on vacation with children. When looking at this photo, much remains unknown. Now this is a strong visual narrative, frozen in time," explained Jamel Shabazz.

Erich Wohlenberg - 2nd place. Prize - $600

"Honest street scene."

"The shot is taken at the right moment. We see the reflection of a colorful street façade on a parked car and a pedestrian at the entrance to the building."

"There are so many interesting elements to this intriguing image. From the cinematic mood created by the lighting, to the overall composition and tricky perspective, as well as the technical process, these are all important ingredients needed to create such a unique and surreal image. What impressed me the most was... how the photographer captured the silhouette while capturing the different textures and nuances,” commented Jamel Shabazz.

Julien Schoner - 3rd place. Prize - $400



"Shadows of New York's Early Steel Years" - New York, USA.

"The sun came out and these beautiful shadows appeared, telling their story of space, time and dimension. The illusion of the first black and white photographs of New York during the construction of skyscrapers."

"A wonderful image that demonstrates the power of high angles in street photography. The dark figures and their shadows form an interesting composition that almost borders on abstraction and is reminiscent of the work of the great 20th century photographers Rene Burri and Andre Kertesz," The Independent Photographer editors.

Brenden May - finalist



"You're Late" - Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

"Taken on Peachtree Center Avenue in Atlanta, Georgia."

Gokhan Arer - finalist



"A Glass of Contact" - Galata Bridge, Istanbul, Türkiye.

John Juhasz - finalist



"Play of light in the subway" - Chicago, USA.

"Image of a passenger climbing a subway staircase, Chicago, Illinois, USA."

Jonathan Yasberg - finalist



"Mount Lavinia" - Mount Lavinia, Sri Lanka

"Children gather at a temple in Mount Lavinia, Sri Lanka."

Maude Bardet - finalist



"Live Conversation" - Cairo, Egypt.

Mehmet Esen – finalist



"Stranger".

Suresh Naganathan - finalist



"Morning exercise" - Mumbai, India.

"This photo was taken at one of the forts in Mumbai. It was interesting to see how people use ancient structures for their daily activities."