Read Your Photography | Emotions Between People | Focus #699

In 'Read Your Photography,' we focus on the stories behind photographs—narratives that cannot be discovered by simply looking. Alongside works gathered through the cizucu-hosted and social media, cizucu Magazine translates the backgrounds and unique moments behind each image into 12 languages, sharing them with the world.

Keeping a story to yourself is one choice. Yet, that feeling may quietly touch someone else's heart and inspire emotions yet to be experienced.

This time, we present works from three artists from around the globe.
Let us gently peer into these singular stories.

winggss
Twilight was falling along the coast of Tseung Kwan O.
At the end of the long stone jetty, a bridge stretched out, and the tranquil blue-green sea swayed in the evening breeze. Soon, the sunset dipped behind the high-rises, and one by one, the city lights began to glow.
On clear days, dusk is serene and transparent. The heat of the day gradually softens, and people spend their time walking their dogs, jogging, or gazing at the sea—each in their own way. There was a gentle sense of romance in that scene.
I, too, raised my camera, hoping to capture that atmosphere. Yet, I couldn't quite find a moment that moved me.
Suddenly, two young people dashed past, carried by the sea breeze. Without exchanging words, they simply ran in the same direction. In their figures, I felt the unfiltered brilliance of youth and a surge of vitality.
I hurriedly pressed the shutter, with no time to adjust the settings. Even so, the slightly slower shutter speed beautifully preserved the soft twilight air and the dynamism of the two.
What is captured in this image is the very 'vitality' I felt in that moment.

📚 01

cizucu Editorial Team
The soft light of dusk and the silhouettes of the two running, their outlines melting into the scene, are truly striking. Precisely because their forms are not sharply defined, the wind, the speed, and the direct energy of youth are powerfully conveyed. In the quiet time as the city lights begin to glow, a fleeting surge of vitality arises. Its transience and brilliance make this work all the more special.

LUKALOK
You move forward without hesitation.
I remain standing in the same place.
It seems as though we see the same scenery, yet our worlds are different.
This photograph reminds me of that.

📚 02

cizucu Editorial Team
The sense of distance between the figure walking through the city in strong sunlight and the perspective left behind is striking. Though it is an ordinary street scene, the tilted composition and deep shadows evoke the surreal spaces reminiscent of scenes from Christopher Nolan’s 'Inception' or 'Tenet.' Beyond its visual intrigue, the work also conveys a sense of the boundary between reality and unreality becoming blurred. The person moving forward and the self standing still—even in the same place, the worlds each of us sees are subtly different. That dissonance becomes even more vivid in the brightness of the city.

Jie flim
That day, my friend Chen-Chen left Taiwan.
She quit her stable, well-paid job at an accounting firm and decided to study abroad in the Netherlands.
For many, it may have seemed a courageous challenge, but for her family, it was also a day of parting with their beloved daughter.

We met in college, and she has always been like an older sister to me.
That’s why I documented her departure with a film camera.
In the developed photograph, her mother holds her tightly, while her father quietly watches over them, holding his sadness within.

Even now, I am glad I pressed the shutter at that moment.
In a single photograph, I was able to capture a major milestone in life.
And this image reminded me once again why I love photography.

To me, photography is not about capturing landscapes or light, but about recording the emotions that truly existed between people. In other words, it is about photographing people. That is the origin and essence of why I continue to take photographs.

📚 03

cizucu Editorial Team
The strength of the embrace and the slightly teary expressions convey emotions that cannot be fully expressed in words at the moment of parting. The pride of sending off a loved one and the sadness of not being able to stay by their side—both quietly overlap in a single embrace. Including the family watching from a short distance, this photograph is not about 'farewell,' but about the love that believes in the future of someone dear.
May Chen-Chen’s studies in the Netherlands lead her to wonderful new paths. We look forward to the day when the two of you can look back at this photograph together and smile.

How did these stories resonate with you?

We want to focus on the allure that cannot be fully conveyed through visuals alone. 'Read Your Photography' is a project that turns attention to the thoughts and emotions behind each photograph, inviting you to receive them as stories.

What is captured is but a fleeting moment. Yet behind it, there is a flow of time and unspoken emotions.

We invite you to savor these works as if reading a photograph, as if turning the pages of a book.

On cizucu’s Threads, we occasionally post a 'photography theme.'
Simply reply with 'your image' that fits the theme.

The only requirement is to follow cizucu’s social media accounts 💙
From among the submitted works,
those selected will receive a message from the cizucu Editorial Team!

'Read Your Photography' also features works exhibited in the cizucu-hosted .

ppp may be taking place in your country as well. Encounters connected simply by a shared love of photography are now spreading across the globe.