Day and Night on the Polish Street – the street photography of Marcin Baran
A woman holding an umbrella strides across a rain-soaked street at night.
Copyright ⓒ Marcin Baran
Maybe it is the journalist in me, but when I look at a photograph like this my mind starts churning with questions. Who is she? Where is she? How late is it? Where is she headed? Where has she just come from?
In one sense, of course, it is a straightforward photograph with some beautiful features emerging from it. The thin flashes of light on the wet road surface, or the hint of colour on her umbrella, contrasting with the bleak darkness of a rainy night in a Polish town.
She is rushing home from work is one possibility, or heading out on a date? But is there a deeper significance in this photograph? I love this photograph and I want to know the story.
“This was taken in my home town Gliwice,” street photographer Marcin Baran tells me. “It was one of those rainy evenings – quite empty streets but fortunately I noticed a beautiful girl waiting for the green light to come across the street. I waited and decided to take a shot from a lower position.”
Never skimp on detail, so, Gliwice is in the south of Poland, about 28 miles from Katowice on the 902-cross-country route.
But, is there something more profound and a bit 2020 about this shot (irrespective of when it was taken)?
Surrounded by night and on her own we feel the girl’s isolation – a familiar word in this year of COVID-19? Is that the black rain of global pandemic, and isn’t it significant that the safety of bright lights is way off in the distance?
“I really like the movement on this shot,” Marcin continues. “Her walk is so confident. I remember that it was really heavy rain that day however my camera survived.”
Copyright ⓒ Marcin Baran
A man holding an umbrella stands with his back to Marcin. But the remarkable thing about this shot is the way the street photographer has caught the colours reflected in the rainy streets, red, yellow, and blue. Like the reverse of the Romanian flag.
“So – night, dusk and dawn,” Marcin explains “I find it really difficult to shoot during dull, cloudy days. I am a huge fan of mornings, rain, snow and fog. I guess for me these moments can be perceived as far from ordinary.
“Our…well-known surroundings look completely different and so do people. That appeals to me shooting… evenings and nights. I love to seek… contrasting lights, a mixture of fog and rain. As far as emotion is concerned, I guess that this nostalgic and sometimes depressing feeling comes into place when I look at my shots. This is enhanced by the night and darkness.”
Copyright ⓒ Marcin Baran
Marcin started taking photographs around the age of 12 or 13 on a simple point and click, but drifted away from photography in his teenage years. His interest returned in his mid to late 20’s and, he tells me, though he loves travelling, the vast majority of his work was taken in his hometown of Gliwice.
“My starting point is usually light,” he tells me about how he goes about his work. “This is strongly connected with time of day or, of course, night. Next, I seek people, interesting scenes, interesting characters, juxtapositions. I also like to seek out an interesting location. I might wait for some time for what I call the ‘human element’. I don’t do it that often, I am more of a ‘walker’ than a ‘waiter’.
“I always have that impression that something interesting is happening just around the corner and that keeps me going. I also look for reflections – I like shop windows, glass and so on.”
I am surprised he didn’t mention rain-soaked streets?
Copyright ⓒ Marcin Baran
I am impressed that Marcin also works in black and white as well as colour, and seems equally at home with this medium.
In one black and white shot, one young woman who is on the steps of a train carriage holds the hand of another in, what seems like, a long, lingering, maybe even tearful, goodbye. And, those questions are starting to emerge again. Who are they? Are they lovers? Sisters?
“I remember this shot perfectly,” Marcin tells me enthusiastically. “It was taken during a 24-hour Photo Project. I took part in one of those three years ago. It was taken in Katowice… train station.”
His voiced tailed off as he thought about the photograph, as he wandered down the platform saw the women, took the shot.
“It was a sunny afternoon,” he continued. “I entered the platforms to seek for some interesting people(to photograph) and all of a sudden the platform was completely empty.
“There were two girls however. One was leaving, the other said goodbye. I took several shots of this scene – this is the one that I like most. I love the authenticity and mood of this photography. It is one of my favourites and I am glad you chose it to discuss. After 60 seconds the girl entered the train and the moment was gone.”
I think this photograph works beautifully in black and white. I liked the drama and the emotion of the shot. The girls are so absorbed in each other, so engrossed in their goodbyes, they seem totally unaware of Marcin.
It doesn’t matter if they are lovers or sisters there is an emotional connection between them that is about to be broken as the train pulls out of the station, and we share with them this poignant moment of impending separation. That is what makes it work so well – aren’t we desperate to know who they are, what their story is?
Copyright ⓒ Marcin Baran
“Funny thing is that this photo was taken about 15 or 16 hours before the ‘train station’ shot,” Marcin revealed. “I was passing a night club that had really small windows just above the pavement. The lights and people in the club caught my attention. I lowered myself and after one or two minutes I noticed this couple almost kissing. I like the chemistry here, the tension. I also like the way they are ‘beyond’ everyone else there.”
Marcin Baran loves to travel, he tells me, but takes most of his shots in his hometown of Gliwice. For me, he somehow manages to capture shots with all the ingredients in them that I personally love.
There is drama, emotion and often that feeling that people are engrossed in their own situation, as if they are in a bubble and detached from the rest of the world. And, that resonates, once again, with Covid-19…
“My main ambition is to seek my own, distinctive style,” Marcin says simply. “It is hard and I don’t know if it is possible, however, it gets me going. I also would like to work more on series of photos and try to take more shots of places.”
Copyright ⓒ Marcin Baran
For me, there is something distinctive about the work of Marcin Baran already.
Marcin Baran works with a Fujifilm X100T and Iphone 8. He has an additional flash but almost never uses it.
“When I am on the streets,” Marcin adds. “I only have a camera in my hand and few spare batteries – that’s all.”
That’s enough.
Visit Marcin’s website
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