Vendors and pedestrians along a steep staircase in Hong Kong, November 1934.Photograph by W. Robert Moore, National Geographic
There’s so much about this picture that makes it incredible. Compositionally, the focus and clarity drew me to the scene of the two boys in white. But then the lighting and vantage point led my eyes up to the woman carrying the packages on her shoulder. From there the light hit and the rays brought me all the way back down to the front of the picture again. I literally stared at this for, like, 15 minutes.
But even with all of that, I think my favorite part is the over exposure in the far right of the picture. It almost looks like something from another frame may have leaked in. And it gives the feeling that even though this picture seems so perfect, it was probably still taken in an instant.
One of the most deeply atmospheric and authentic photos I have seen, that overexposure lends an almost warp like quality to the photo..you want to talk about time capsules, this photo is the epitome of that term
