Álvaro Vegazo's makes 'classic' reportage and street photography where composition, gestures of the subjects and the photographer's gaze manage to result in a pleasant and impactful image. The (chance?) or patience of the photographer makes us simultaneously see the men looking one way while the woman in the background looks the other way. Even metaphorically this photograph tells us a lot.

I’m attracted to the clutter and composition of these images — each one is jam-packed, multi-layered, and crowded with life. Aniruddha Guha Sarkar fills each frame with activity, and puts us in the mix, up close. He helps us to see the beauty of everyday humanity in these dense urban spaces shaped by shadows and vivid colors and bathed in rich warm light.

I was pleasantly surprised by the work of photographer Caroline Grimprel, who was a discovery for me. Her series Ones Among the All stood out for its calm and melancholic feel. I also appreciated her use of vertical compositions in street photography—which is not an easy feat. Each photo introduces us to scenes of a small Japanese town, yet the emotions conveyed could resonate anywhere in the world. Caroline's ability to capture stillness and emotion in her work is very impressive. Her unique approach and skillful execution in Ones Among the All showcase her great talent and thoughtful perspective.

Daniel Sackheim's black and white images have a timeless, cinematic quality. I feel like I'm looking at a movie set with the info booth and the express train images in particular. He makes strong compositions and uses light and shadow very effectively. Each scene feels dramatic. Overall the set of pictures hang well together. Daniel's professional background as an Emmy award-winning director and producer, and his early obsession with Film Noir has clearly played into how he sees and makes images.

This series by Gustavo Bravo brings a new layer to street photography. The photographer follows the body language of pedestrians through the streets of Bilbao, from light to shadow, allowing you to see them for a moment. It refers to the work Beltzuria by the writer Ixiar Rozas, whose study of words forever transforms the photographer's view who uses the camera to read the energy emitted by human beings passing through this space: some absent, others sleepwalking. Already in ancient times, the Romans believed in the existence of 'genius loci', spirits that watched over and protected certain spaces, giving them special magic, sometimes of an evil character.

In the attempt to contribute to photography and more specifically the subset genre of street photography, a lot of images become the same—there’s a similarity in tropes, ideas and use of color and shadow, etc... and while tradition needs to be respected and honored, it's crucial that a pursuit to contribute and advance the medium is always present. It is extremely clear to me that the series The Illusion of Meaning by Svilen Nachev does exactly this. The work is surprising, funny, dark and unique all at once. The idea that this work was not just a fluke was reinforced by visiting the artist's website, where many more, if not better images can be found.