Places & People, Ryan Jellyman.
I’m always fascinated when I see a foreign culture, city, or lifestyle photographed. There are always little visual signifiers that lie within a shot; that identify one place and set it apart from another. One of the key elements that gives a location a personal trait is light; the way that the sun illuminates different places in the world as well as at different times in the year is always special and individual to that place. Apart from the obvious flora, fauna and racial characteristics of the people, it is this type of light that helps to capture the mood and essence of a place. It is what makes an everyday scene or moment different to a seemingly similar location anywhere else in the world, and it’s this atmosphere that creates beauty in the most mundane environment. Light dictates so much of our individual cultures and also provides us with the means to sustain our varied lifestyles.
This set of images by Wellington photographer and The Case contributor Ryan Jellyman, provide the perfect example of how one image can capture the feel of the place so much that you can imagine the smell of the earth or sounds of the street behind. Captured earlier this year in Sipitang, Malaysia, Jellyman gives us an understanding of the daily culture of local residents in this small coastal town and does so in a subtle and understated fashion. We learn a lot from a little.
Photos: Ryan Jellyman
Text: Marta Buda
