There’s no clear subject here, and that’s exactly what makes the image work. Instead of focusing on a person or a place, the scene builds its entire tension around shadows and rhythm. Strong lines of light slice through a mosaic-like surface, stretching and warping the silhouettes until they barely resemble human forms. The grainy pavement texture adds grit, while the deep blacks create a sense of isolation.
The composition is tilted, almost disorienting, like a still frame from an old noir film—one where the tension is already high and something unseen is about to happen. Light in this case isn’t illuminating anything—it’s dividing the image into slivers of presence and absence. There's motion suggested in the blur and reach of the shadows, but it’s ambiguous, anonymous, and fleeting.
I didn’t plan the shot—I just saw the lines stretch like actors hitting their marks and pressed the shutter.
Welcome to my world of photography. I am Martijn Jebbink, born in the Netherlands and living in Rome.
I grew up in a small town, surrounded by an impressive forest. In that environment I developed my own way of looking at the world. At first, I didn’t see..
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