10 Perfectly-Timed Candid Photos That Won The Independent Photographer’s “Street Photography” Contest

Being a street photographer takes both skill and guts – you often have to get really close and personal to capture that perfect shot, and you hardly ever get a second chance. Every year since 2016, The Independent Photographer organizes a photography competition with different themes every month – and one of them is “Street Photography.” Recently, the winners of this year’s competition were announced, and the breathtaking photos will make you appreciate how much a street photographer can tell with just a single photo.

#1 Florian Lang—1st Prize

Image source: Florian Lang

“Buddhist Roadside Shrine”—Siem Reap, Cambodia, 2020.

People are paying a visit to a Buddhist roadside shrine in the center of Siem Reap.

Prize: $1000.

Feedback from Martin Parr:

“One of the hallmarks of a great street photo is to get every component lined up, so out of a jumble of people, objects with the background, everything has room to breathe. In this rendition of this roadside Buddhist shrine in Cambodia everything is in place, and the people have real presence within the frame. It is difficult to find fault with any of the details in this image, and I know how tricky this is to pull off.”

#2 Joseph-Philippe Bevillard—2nd Prize

Image source: Joseph-Philippe Bevillard

“After Church Wedding”—Wexford, Ireland, 2019.

Women and girls from the Irish traveling community get together after church. Girls as young as 3 wear high heels, false tan, eyelashes, make-up, and colorful dresses as part of their ritual.

Prize: $600.

Feedback from Martin Parr:

“This image taken at a traveller’s wedding in Wexford in Ireland really catches the atmosphere of such an event, with everyone in the right place. The woman on the left, adjusting her daughter’s dress, with a cigarette in the mouth is exceptional, and this with the layers of pink dresses makes an exceptional image. It is a co-incident that the 2 winners both distilled a complicated real life situation into beautifully balanced images. You will see with my runners up, you often get a strong image with a lot more simplicity, but for me, the real challenge of street photography is to make order out of chaos.”

#3 Monia Marchionni—3rd Prize

Image source: Monia Marchionni

“The gardens from the sky”—Cuba.

During a summer day, the three generations of an Italo-Cuban family are serenely spending their time in a period house overlooking the sea.

Prize: $400.

Feedback from The Independent Photographer Editors:

“Theatrical and deeply expressive, Monia Marchionni’s impeccably-timed image eloquently communicates the eccentricities of family life; capturing the unique temperament of each character with rare lucidity, it demonstrates how a seemingly quotidian scene can be transformed by the lens of a skilled street photographer.”

#4 Marcel Van Balken

Image source: Marcel van Balken

“Repair”—Dordogne, France.

The car was apparently broken because there is someone underneath. But it’s not clear what she is doing. The woman is perhaps trying to repair the car but her dog is still waiting and less confident in it.

#5 Orna Naor

Image source: Orna Naor

“Children looking through the glass”—Bnei Brak, Israel, 2000.

#6 Carlos Antonorsi

Image source: Carlos Antonorsi

“Fantasy Alley”—Hollywood Beach, Florida, USA, 2020.

#7 Giuliano Lo Re

Image source: Giuliano Lo Re

“The Train for Jaipur”—India.

People are resting inside the train that will bring them from New Delhi to Jaipur. For a few hours, the wagon becomes their home. Some of them are resting on the seats and seem immersed in their thoughts, some brush their teeth, shave or prepare food.

#8 Lorenzo Caten

Image source: Lorenzo Caten

“La comitiva”—Paola, Calabria, Italy, 2020. “La comitiva” is an Italian term that indicates a group of young friends with a very close bond. I met this group randomly along the seaside and I spent some evenings with them portraying their everyday rituals along the rocky beaches of a small town in the south of Italy.

#9 Susanne Grether

Image source: Susanne Grether

“Workout session”—Varanasi, India, 2020.

#10 Andrew Biraj

Image source: Andrew Biraj

“Workers in a shipyard”—Dhaka, Bangladesh.

Workers in a shipyard by the river Buriganga, on the outskirt of Dhaka, Bangladesh.