EDITORS’ PICK
Daily Happenings
SCENES OF LIFE
SCENES OF LIFE EDITORS’ PICK
Following Damarice Amao’s selection of winning images for our recent Scenes of Life competition, this compilation of 20 images represents some of the other talented photographers whose work struck us and left a mark. Each a stunning image worthy of exposure and attention…
When selecting for editor’s picks we’re always searching for those striking photographs that make for an unforgettable single image, whether from a broader series or not. We enjoy the accompanying text some photographers submit with their images, and while not always necessary it can be relevant when understanding the work in full context.
These are intended to be a conversation starter… so feel free to join the discussion on our social networks.
BANNER IMAGE: KAMILA J GRUSS
Simple and efficient, this minimalist fine art shot quickly becomes the one you talk about with your friends. It’s catchy, impactful, and amusing. At the same time, it comes with a backstory and meaning, transforming a legend into a visual poem. As we are always reaching for more and for better, one can completely understand the eagerness of the small hands, the childish desire behind the gesture, and, sometimes, the frustration of not reaching our goals. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Reach for the peach. In this minimalist frame, we see something more than just two little hands reaching for fruit. It’s like a moment of magic, where a child’s innocence intertwines with the desire for eternity. The inspiration for this photo comes from the Chinese legend of Monkey King, Sun Wukong, who sought to grasp the peach of immortality.
These two tiny hands, much like the small hands of Sun Wukong, reach for something special. The peach, full of colors and fl avors, becomes a symbol of life, joy, and the beauty found in moments we hold in our hands. The tale of litt le hands and fruits symbolizes our longing for beauty, joy, and the infinity of life that we grasp in our palms, even if only for a fleeting moment.
This photo is not just a snapshot from my son’s life; it’s a vision that connects our everyday reality with myths and dreams. By grasping with our own hands, we reach for joy, reach for life, believing that these moments of magic are ours to share, much like the embrace of little Sun Wukong, yearning for eternity. In the minimalist world of this frame lies a deep conviction that even the tiniest moments can last forever if we view them with love and attention.
VINCENT SALASOMBATH
This photograph captures the moment when the moment is captured, which creates a story within a story and delights the viewer with a rich plot. In addition, the composition is artful and graphic, which suits the theme and makes all the subjects stand out. Light and shadow share the space, architectural lines take the role of leading lines, and a patch of burnt orange entertains the pop culture mood. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Higher! Barcelona, Spain.
JULIA LEBEDEVA
Life begins at home, surrounded by the love and tenderness of our families. This peaceful moment, filled with joy and anticipation, is one of the myriad moments we take for granted. By giving up color and anything else that may distract the viewer’s attention, the photographer creates an intentional image, a straightforward pointer to a story of love and connection. The scene’s serenity transfers to the viewer, who, unknowingly, slows down their breath. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – This intimate photo captures the tender and transformative time in the lives of Tanja and Christoph as they await the arrival of their first child. Through quiet moments, gentle touches, and shared anticipation, these black-and-white images reflect the depth of their connection and the beauty of new beginnings.
ARTO P
For those living in big cities, feeling disconnected and stuck is not uncommon. The photograph comes to reminds us that there is still hope, joy, and playfulness amidst the concrete buildings. The unusual angle and delicate color contrast make the subject stand out, catching the viewer’s attention and guiding it through the frame. A simple image with a powerful message. – LIFE FRAMER
JEREMY SKIRROW
This photograph shows that you don’t need anything more than presence and openness to capture a moment and take a good shot. Inside a crowded bus, with almost no light at all and a dull moving background, myriad stories are waiting to be revealed. The image makes one curious to know more about the life journey of each passenger and think about their own life journey, for that matter. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – In transit – near Panajachel, Guatemala, February 2025.
KIRILL MUNIABIN
One may say that by photographing scenes of life, the artist focuses on the mundane, the pointless repetition, the scenes we are all familiar with. But if you look closely, you see that everything we do is a step in our very personal chase for happiness. Here, the photographer puts together an environmental portrait that gravitates not around actions, but emotions, defying standards and cultural norms. Instead of answering questions, the image raises them. What if instead of always doing, we’d be happy just being? – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – The generally accepted image of a man is still more associated with polygamy. Being in several relationships is considered a normal behavioral attribute of a “real” man. But a critical look at the problem of masculinity shows that the situation is not so clear-cut. There are men who, regardless of age and social status, voluntarily or not remain without relationships. Men beyond gender stereotypes. Men who return home every evening where no one is waiting for them. Except for loneliness, which everyone lives in their own way.
This image: Vladimir, 21, florist. After a painful breakup, he moved to another city. He has been living alone for over a year, renting a room in a communal apartment. He is not ready for a new relationship yet.
HANNA WOLF
By turning the lens on herself and sharing a very intimate moment, the photographer builds a bridge between what’s behind and in front of the lens. Often, the photographer and the viewer are observers. They don’t interact with the subject, which is the only one exposed. But here the perspective changes, inviting us to set aside and consider with compassion how we show up in our own scenes of life. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Weaning Elowen. Abandoning self-led weaning was one of the hardest choices I’ve made as a mother. The anecdotal advice was endless. “Don’t offer, don’t refuse. Try garlic or vinegar on your nipples. Leave home until she forgets.” In the end, it was bandages on my chest that worked because she understood the word broken. I turned the camera on myself to capture the vulnerability of this moment; an intentional act of acknowledging both my feelings of defeat and the grace in releasing my ideals of what I had wanted this moment to look like. Weaning doesn’t look the same for everyone, and I felt it was important to share that.
GEERT VAN DEN EEDE
The streets of one of the busiest places in the world provide a potpourri of overlapping moments, scenes, and characters. It takes a lot of technical skill and mindful presence to fill the frame with stories, giving each the space to shine in, and making the viewer feel right in the middle of the action. The image has depth, contrast, color, and exquisite details that lure the viewer in and guide them from one layer to the other, from one story to the other. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Market, Mumbai, India, 2017.
RIK ROOS
It’s not easy to find new ways to photograph a photogenic city such as New York. The bird’s-eye view of this photograph emphasizes materials and colors, filling the frame with textures and details you didn’t know to be there. And while the moving silhouette speaks about the passing of time, the red shoes of the observer reveal the hidden witness. It’s a good metaphor for life, as we are both stationary witnesses and passing by strangers. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – A day in a life in New York City.
ANDREW GOLUBEV
It’s so interesting to see the chiaroscuro technique of Dutch painters in 21st-century photography. By filling the frame with a sea of people, the photographer focuses on humanity, what brings us together, and what separates us. The scene is beautifully lit, allowing each face to stand out and leading the viewer from one person to the other. Each time you look at this image, you discover something new, which is fascinating, just like life itself. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – The Crowd as a Canvas. Captured at an event in Electric Brixton, London, where the crowd moved in unison beneath the stage lights. Each figure seemed suspended in their own moment, like brushstrokes on a painting, yet bound together by the same sound.
ALEXANDRU MĂCIUCĂ
A complex composition with multiple subjects, cinematic lighting, and a busy background, the image captures a collective scene, a dance of togetherness and separation, the ebb and flow of life as it is for the many. Photography knows best how to stop time and let us see the details of an otherwise fleeting moment. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Seraphim Light captures the Artistic Spirit at “Ferma de Arta”, the Art Farm near Suceava, Romania, owned by Marian and Victoria Zidaru. Drawn to their story of Artistic Devotion and profound loss–the tragic passing of their Son when he was just a little Boy–I documented the August 2023 Summer School, where Faith, communal meals, Collaborative Art, and shared Prayers brought People together.
This image: Cristina Iacob, Mara Bejan, Lazăr Teodora Catrinel and the 2 Dogs belonging to the Zidaru family photographed in front of Dan Sandu’s Workshop.
MARIUS BURGELMAN
This image is a metaphor for our shared humanity, our common efforts and achievements, and our individual selves that never get lost in the crowd. It’s a busy composition, with lots of details and colors mixing in and filling the frame with energy. However, the business serves the photographer’s purpose and enhances the message. Sometimes, one has to break the norms to get close to the essence. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Scenes of Life is about capturing the fragments of our shared human experience — the ordinary and the extraordinary moments that define us. It is not about perfection, but about truth, emotion, and presence. Each frame becomes a window into lives lived, reminding us of the beauty and fragility of being human.
This imahe: In the heart of Sealdah’s market, in West Bangla, India, just steps from the station, a world of raw energy unfolds. These workers carry over 500 kg on their heads, their strength almost beyond belief. Yet, amidst the backbreaking labor, there’s laughter, camaraderie, and moments of pure joy. Watching them move, lift, and joke with each other, I saw more than just hard work. I saw resilience, pride, and an unbreakable bond.
EDEN ANTHO
What a powerful environmental portrait, with the main character framed by his own achievements and with his entire world behind him. The black and white aesthetic fits perfectly with the character’s attitude and personality and makes it stand out and dominate the frame. The image is a series of good choices and proves the photographer’s engagement with the subject and his story. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – King of parsley – The imposing look of a herb seller at the market of Kutaisi, Georgia.
OLIVIER LAVENAC
A blue hour scene, silent and peaceful, this image excels through color and light. Sky and water meet in shades of blue and purple, but the fishermen complete the landscape with their colorful outfits and still silhouettes. There is nothing more or less than it should be in this frame, which conveys a feeling of ancestral connection. The scene simply is as it has always been. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Skywalkers captures the moment just before dawn on the atoll of Mataiva, in French Polynesia. Under the supernatural glow of daybreak, sliced by the harsh glare of the dock’s floodlights, the fishermen’s gestures take on other meanings: reality begins to flicker.
Nets become Japanese bō staffs, lightsabers… The dogs look like they’ve wandered in from some improbable Polynesian Blade Runner. The fishermen, heroes of the dawn, are samurai for a moment, silhouetted against the sky’s gradients, Jedi warriors surrounded by interstellar shadow. Dying fish stare back at their executioners with haunted eyes, Tarantino is close. Blood, sky, shadows: everything becomes cinema, everything becomes painting.
Then the violet-pink sky fades, the sun rises, and the heroic figures return to the familiar faces of the island. Through light, Skywalkers speaks of the tension between the ordinary and the imaginary. It casts a gaze on the quiet, unsuspected magic of a ritual that unfolds each morning at the edge of the world, on the peaceful atoll of Mataiva.
CRISTIAN FLUERARU
Scenes of life are meant to reveal the reality, whether a shared one or a very intimate one, and it’s the photographer’s job to find the angle and composition that tells the story best. This photograph has a clear narrative line that catches the viewer’s attention and makes them wait for something to happen, for someone to move. It’s a movie on pause, a page in a travel guide, a glimpse into a foreign land. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Dhaka, Bangladesh.
ARRAZI TARMIZI
This candid street shot resembles an impressionist painting, revealing an exquisite taste for color and an innate talent for working with transparencies and textures. The technical details make the mundane scene stand out, underlining its simplicity and calmness and contouring cultural aspects of everyday life. This is the ultimate travel shot that captures the soul of a place without the need for landmarks and tourist attractions. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – A scene from Hanoi’s Old Quarter during Typhoon Kajiki. Heavy rain pours down as a translucent sheet shelters vendors, casting blurred silhouettes and warm light behind the plastic, while another vendor with the traditional hat fixes their stall in the storm’s intensity.
SEB. SZCZEPANOWSKI
For some, it is a challenge of the mind, for others, a boost of the ego, but for children, it is just a captivating game like so many others. It’s a lot to say with just one image, but the photographer has found just the right angle, light, and focus to encompass all of it. It is also a multigenerational story that fits so well with the theme. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Decisive Moment. Every Saturday afternoon, people meet in Wrocław’s Market Square in Poland for a casual game of chess. The matches often attract large crowds of spectators, even children.
LAIMUTE KURIENE
Scenes change rapidly during childhood, but there is nothing more photogenic than the innocence and playfulness of youth. The focal point of this photograph, kids are simply unaware of anything that isn’t play and fun. A refreshing perspective on life, the image is so cleverly composed that if you look carefully, the trees in the background participate in the girls’ game. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – Two sisters walking hand in hand through the water at sunset, surrounded by Sumba’s enchanting “dancing trees”
ALEX YOANNOU
A picturesque vacation scene, this minimalist photograph artfully captures movement and stillness, excitement and relaxation. It’s not easy to balance various visual elements and put together a harmonious composition when most elements change their position all the time, so synchronization is to be appreciated. The use of proportions is also notable because nature takes the scene in this image, as it should be. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – The Hot Spot, Sardinia, Italy.
RAQUEL PONTE
It’s not easy to photograph an ordinary scene, such as a school day, and come up with a memorable shot. The photographer has wisely kept the composition simple and aligned with the children’s poses, but takes it up a notch by focusing on color contrast. The result is a vibrant image that evokes nostalgia and keeps the viewer hooked until the class is dismissed. – LIFE FRAMER
Photographer statement – School day at Kizimkazi, Tanzania, 2025.
