Street photography relies on the photographer instinctively knowing when form and compositional elements coalesce with content. Only occasionally do all these elements of space, pattern and uniformity come together to provide something that is perfectly harmonious. When they do, the image becomes unforgettable.
In this photograph, the three individuals on a Tokyo subway form a near-perfect compositional narrative. Their isolation is enhanced by the physical distance between them and the architectural elements of their environment. The vertical column which divides the image off-center further amplifies the physical separateness of the individuals. The viewer is also isolated from the full image by a second column in the foreground, hinting at something dynamic but unknowable happening behind.
The compositional starkness of this image further amplifies human isolation. The setting of this shot is clinical, ordered, and stark. There are vertical and horizontal lines running throughout. Horizontal floor tiling, the vertical lines on the platform barrier, verticals, and horizontals running across the fabric of an individual's coat. These elements provide a strict harmony but also a contrast to individuals and their myriad idiosyncrasies for whom the space was designed.
Further harmony and contrast is provided in the tension between the fluidity of the individuals, their unified focus, and the perfect triangular space formed between them. The unity of their thought and distraction is another element that brings harmony to the composition. They are all lost in thought as many Tokyo commuters are, and they form a small part of the millions who travel on the Tokyo subway every day. The story is told not only through composition but also through the anonymity of the figures, the 'personality' of Tokyo city, and the role of the lens in capturing their isolation in the urban environment.
Words - Vilja Wheatcroft