INSPIRATION
Everyday Wonders
SCENES OF LIFE
LOVING THE LIFE WE LIVE
“Life is really simple, but we insist on making it complicated.” ― Confucius
Two teenage girls pass by. Oversize shirts, funky shoes, backpacks full of stickers, long, wavy hair, smiles up to their ears, headphones on their heads. The city is theirs, better said, the world. The old lady who hasn’t left her apartment for two months waves at them from her window. She seeks happy faces in the crowd every day to ease her loneliness. The homeless man they pass by doesn’t even notice them. Food is on his mind today. Just like it is every day. They cross the busy street, talking loudly, ignoring the frowning men and women sipping coffee whilst browsing their emails on autopilot, and head for the old neighborhood where history whispers at every corner. There, the headphones come off, and their eyes widen. The girls like it here because they can connect with their ancestors using a language they understand: the brightly colored graffiti on the walls. These old streets know so many stories, and although not all of them are happy, they are all familiar. Oddly, the girls feel understood here.
If you look around, you’ll notice the same stories unfolding. The same characters appearing again and again. These are the scenes of life we pass by every day, those we imagine happening behind closed curtains, or experience ourselves. These are the little things that make the big picture, the ones that impact us without disturbing us, the ones that make us who we are today.
And so this is where we focus our attention in August 2025, for our new monthly competition theme “Scenes of Life”. For inspiration, we turned towards amazing photographers whose portfolios showcase the diverse perspectives, aesthetics, and stories on this topic. They come from every corner of the world to make us aware of the beautiful life around us. That the little things do matter.
Banner image by Ozan Öztaskiran on Unsplash
THE UNIQUE: PIPER MACKAY
Images © Piper Mackay from her Instagram grid. See more at @piper_mackay
“From the moment my feet hit the rich red soil of Africa, I was changed. The sights, the smells, the sounds, the raw and wild spaces; it was a magic that filled my soul in a way nothing ever had.”
Piper Mackay found unique scenes of life in the heart of Africa. In a place where most photographers focus on wildlife and nature, Mackay listened to the legends and stories of the tribal communities and brought them to us in the photo series Voices and Legends. For outsiders, this is an inhospitable climate, but for these people, it is home. Their everyday life may be more challenging than others’, but they face any adversity with resilience, ancestral wisdom, and faith in their traditions passed from one generation to another. Thus, Mackay’s portraits are authentic, profound, and emotional, vivid documentary scenes. She captures timeless traditions in a simple yet profound manner, allowing her subjects to naturally showcase their lifestyle, beliefs and customs.
THE TRIBES: BENJAMIN CREMEL
Images © Benjamin Cremel from his website. See more at benjamincremel.com and @bencremel
“I’m drawn to quiet moments that feel charged with something more – the gestures, the glances, the spaces that suggest a bigger story unfolding beyond the frame.”
Benjamin Cremel turns his lens to football supporters in the series Football Til We Die. A rather common appearance around the world, football supporters form a community of their own. Paradoxically, the smaller the team, the stronger the bond between members. The series showcases not only the supporters’ enthusiasm and dedication but also how they can spend an entire day at the stadium, enjoying the game and each other’s company, transforming the match into an event, creating a separate society with its own rules and dress code. Highlighting the need to belong, the scenes captured by Cremel expose a lifestyle that may seem extreme or ordinary depending on which side of the barricade you find yourself.
FAMILY LIFE: LINDSAY SIU
Images © Lindsay Siu from her website. See more at lindsaysiu.com and @lindsaysiu
“After a few weeks in lockdown, my previously overcommitted family had settled into a strange, steady, and simple rhythm.”
Lindsay Siu exposed the most intimate aspects of family life in the series Scenes of Everyday Life in the Age of Coronavirus. It took a terrible pandemic to force us to acknowledge that most scenes of our lives take place at home. After weeks of lockdown, we had to admit the importance of our homes and loved ones. And what better way to showcase family life in isolation than a photo series?
Siu found inspiration in the Dutch Golden Age and transformed her photographs into works of art. In her apartment, mundane activities, elegantly lit, become the fuel that keeps us going. The photographer teaches us where and how to look for beauty and harmony and becomes, in turn, a source of inspiration for those eager to photograph scenes of life.
CITY LIFE: SEUNGGU KIM
Images © Seunggu Kim from his Instagram grid. See more at @k.seunggu
Seunggu Kim brings to our attention what life looks like in one of the hardest-working communities in the world. The series Better Days documents South Korea’s popular relaxation destinations, such as Jangheung Hanok Swimming Pool, Mulbit Park, and Royal Azaleas Hill. Although surrounded by civilization, these colorful places manage to preserve a bit of nature and offer their many visitors a moment of respite. Nevertheless, the photographer captures a dual perspective that raises awareness of the more and more frequent phenomenon of death by overwork and the effects of the new leisure culture on the environment. By focusing on the bigger picture, the photographer shows us the forest we can’t see for the trees.
COMMUNITIES: FEDERICO BOROBIO
Images © Federico Borobio from his Instagram grid. See more at @federico.borobio
“If I have to define genres, I could say that I do street, documentary, and social photography, although I don’t care about these kinds of labels. I wander, I interact, I search and search for myself, that’s all.”
Federico Borobio highlights the transformation. His series, Colours and Contrasts of Comuna 13, focuses on Comuna 13 in Medellín, Colombia, a working-class neighborhood that has been through a lot only to become a beacon for peace, cultural identity, and hope. Here, art took the place of poverty, drugs, and crime. The photographer captures the energy of the graffiti walls, the vibration of break dancers, the soul of the people, once again, enjoying music and everyday life. These scenes are as much about the present as they are about the past and emphasize the power of community to prevail in any adversity.
SOLITUDE: MARK FORBES
Images © Mark Forbes from his Instagram grid. See more at @_markforbes_
“While these images are my collected memories, they are here to be shared and possibly become yours too.”
Mark Forbes dedicated five years to a personal photo project that captures people, places, and spaces from his life journey. Collected Memories is a slow project, put together with love and tenderness. These are the scenes that made the photographer who he is today, the steps on his journey, his struggle, and his inspiration. However, more than showing us his past, the photographs immerse us in our own. There are objects, images, smells, and sounds we will never forget, not because they are exceptional but because they are ours. Forbes takes us home, to our roots, nudging us to take the journey inwards and be honest with ourselves.
Our Scenes of Life competition is an opportunity to be mindful of your photography and open up to your audience. There is so much the camera can convey. It can capture what’s on the inside and on the outside, solitude and the crowd, the old and the new, the past and the future, the insignificant and the impactful. Life is made of everyday moments, emotions, and acts, glued together by time, and sharing it with the rest of the world is empowering. So, share.
Created with ❤️
Words by Monica Radulescu
Photography © the author.
