Photo This & That

Pictures Of The Year 2011

Heavy rain soaks a businessman as he passes an advertising sign saying "Love Your Job". Hammersmith, London. January 14, 2011. Photo: Edmond Terakopian

I’m delighted to say that one of my pictures has made The Huffington Post Pictures of the Year 2011. Interestingly the feature was done by asking photographers to choose their favourite image of the year. I chose mine and I’m delighted it’s in and what’s more, is the front cover image to the slideshow.

This is the one image which really stands out for me from 2011. I’ve been fortunate and had some great press and commercial jobs, both in the UK and the US (New York and Miami), but something keeps bringing me back to this picture taken in a rainy winter’s afternoon in Hammersmith, west London. I was on my way back to my car after visiting an expo at a nearby hotel. The rain was absolutely torrential and people were running for shelter all round. I first spotted the illuminated sign as it was side lighting the rain and giving a surreal look to the entire scene. It was a rolling sign with several adverts, but this particular one was the brightest. It was only then that I realised the message and as luck would have it, after several minutes, a businessman ran across my frame and I managed to get this picture on my Leica M9 and 35mm Summicron ASPH lens. The RAW image was processed in Apple’s Aperture and the black and white work was carried out in Nik Software’s Silver Efex Pro 2.

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For me the image works on several levels. In it’s simplest form, it’s a rainy and great day with a dreary businessman and the message to love your job. It also works on a deeper level of world recession, doom and gloom. The message now taking on a different meaning; love your job as there are no other jobs, or as you may lose it. There’s also a lot of interesting aspects to the image, various figures, interesting light and bucket fills of mood.