GLOBAL – The Nokia N95 is one of the most successful Nokia’s of all time. For its time, its five-megapixel sensor, Carl Zeiss lens and flash were unheard of, and turned ordinary folk the world over into budding snappers. Right now there are over 5.7 million photos taken with the N95 on Flickr. Reasonable, then, to look at some of the best snaps in two bites. Here’s the first 10 that caught our eye from N95 users around the planet. We’ll feature another 10 next week.
Click through on each thumbnail to see more from each photographer, we’ve included links to the full size shot on each one’s individual Flickr channel.
Stone Bridge
As this pic’s caption itself says, this is of the many thousands of bridges in Venice. But just by going for a different type of shot, the ordinary becomes extraordinary. The lighting has a dreamy quality that works perfectly.
Av. Conde da Boa Vista
If you’ve never shot in black and white, take a look at this pic. Everyday situations take on a moody grittiness that would be lost in colour, and this gives faces an expressiveness that tells a story in itself.
Little Kiss
A simple shot brought to life by some clever creativity. Taking a black and white shot at night means the N95’s flash creates fantastic contrast, and the flower’s stem being level with the edge of the frame is a nice composition touch.
Clouds N95
Don’t take shots straight into the sun, right? Well, we’re glad our man Ange 29 didn’t listen to conventional wisdom, because the reflected light off the objects in the foreground counterbalances the near-lavender sky beautifully.
Now and then, here and there
The textures of the damp mould rising up the wall, the framing of the curtain and wire and the diagonals created by the steps are all great compositional elements, but it’s the bicycle that brings it all together.
A superbly simple photo.
The Red Door
This kind of scene presents itself more often than you might think, and a camera phone is just what you need to take advantage. The slightly washed out greys of the tree, steps and wall just makes the bright red door stand out more.
Track
You can almost feel the cool damp of the sand here. The contrast of the very personal image of a footprint on the empty tract of shore behind is as effective as it is simple. Great detail in the sand, too.
Sugarcane landscape
The N95 seems designed to show Brazil in its best light – this is the third of four in this week’s selection. The colours are superb here, and the detail in the foreground adds definition to the stunning clouds in the sky.
Allos Lake
How do you make an ordinary landscape photo tell a story? Like this. Sticking a tripod and camera in shot is a simple trick, but transforms what was a pleasant but ultimately ordinary pic into one that makes you stop and look twice.
Permuta
An exercise in contrasts: between nature and machine, buildings and rubble, bright dusty light and dark shadowy undergrowth. Some shots are more about technical skill than photographic eye. Not this one – a great opportunistic shot.