Readers picks #247

Julian

Amateur street photographer Julian lives in Paris and is fascinated by New York. “I’ve travelled there five times over the last four years, and I consider New York my refuge”, the artist tells us. An ideal playground, for Julian who seeks to capture people candidly. Although inspired by the works of Tish Murtha, Mark Cohen, Helen Levitt, Vivian Maier or even Stephen Shames, it all clicked when he discovered the series East 100 S and Brooklyn Gang by Bruce Davidson, 6 years ago. “The Kids series started with a portrait of a lonely young boy and his “plastic gun” in a fast food in May 2018. I observed him for so long his sadness moved me. A year later, in Tompkings Square Park, East Village, I met a group of children in the midst of a water fight. I felt like I’d lived a rare, decisive moment, and an absolute happiness”, he remembers. By capturing those authentic and carefree subjects, Julian presents his own portrait of America.

© Julian

Lester Jones

Lester Jones, a British photographer and film director based in Sydney, discovered photography at University. From mere hobby, the medium soon became a way to capture moments with rawness and authenticity. Whether he produces documentary projects, street pictures of fashion commissions, the artist always seeks sincerity in his work. His series Their grind not mine was born 3 years ago, in Australia. “Standing next to Hyde Park in the heart of Sydney one evening, a bus pulled up and inside were an array of people all displaying signs of stress and exhaustion. I was very close to them as I stood on the pavement looking in. It felt like I was somehow looking into those people as well.  My obsession with documenting this further was thus born and I travelled to other cities to see if I could find similar themes and moments”, the photographer tells us. A humane and unique series.

© Lester Jones