I decided to hit the New York subway system, destination Lower Manhattan on a day that must’ve felt like a 1000 mile trekked on the concrete jungle. As a non-purveyor of public transit I was glad to rest my weary feet and to justify my curiosity of my decade old absence from the underground. The sights, clean and fresh, the sounds unchanged and the smell, typical. The name of my stop eludes me as I arrive rather quickly. It was an older station and with a clackity clack the train disappears. I quickly scan for an exit when this very scene hits my eye, a gentleman walking towards my way in the dimly lit tunnel with a sense of calm. Barely a second or 2 for a quick adjustment on my camera but managed to compose it right and get the shot off as I see it. What I felt in a New York Second at this very moment in time and space was this sense of calm and serenity in this underground microcosm. Like ocean waves lapping the shores at regular intervals so to the rush of the commuters and the subsequent stillness before the next cargo of New Yorkers doing what they do best, rushing somewhere or those knowing their day is about to end. I, like the man, was in our flowing mode until we both got off the train with the man strolling towards me with his ebbing mentality and I gear up quickly to grab my days’ adrenalin image.

SONY a99 with 24-70mm f/2.8 | Exposure 1/90sec @ f/2.8 | ISO 800 | Focal Length 24mm
Ebb and Flow, by Stephen Chu

Award Winner: Photo of the Day | September 25
Award Score: 68 (Value 12.5, Clarity 13, Composition 18, Style 12.5, Skill 12)
Photo of the Day Award Category: Street Photography
Photograph Location: Lower Mahattan, New York City Subway, New York, The United States

Photographer: Stephen Chu (Downtown Toronto, Ontario, Canada) Registered
‘Expressions, serendipitous, emotional, urban, beautiful, RAW, present’ … that’s what Stephen Chu says … Having lived in the USA for many years, this Toronto native returned to his hometown of Canada in 2016. As a well-traveled, past photography club event organizer he considers himself a lifelong student of the world. Unafraid and willing to try everything at least once he’s a foodie at heart loving all that is ethnic and diverse. He has a tremendous observational love for all of humanity’s quirks, foibles’ and emotions – what surrounds and encompasses society, something we call life. Purest in the sense, through his mind’s eye, he clicks at the RAW, as it happens and documents the moments that whispers in the wind. His compassion for those who possess less exceeds his own passion for reality. Ultimately he strives to imbue into his images a sense of humanity and through many years of continual training, honing his skills and practicing through the lens. As he journeys on this train, he’ll continue to strive and capture in his mind’s eye, the world and it’s never ending rotation we call life.

Website: http://www.picnchu.com
Gallery: http://www.eyesbychu.com/browse
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/stephen.chu.9822
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/picnchu89