Two Worlds

Street photography often reveals more than a single reality. Sometimes two separate worlds exist within the same frame — divided by a window, connected through a reflection, or brought together simply by the photographer’s point of view. Two Worlds explores these moments where different spaces, stories and realities unexpectedly meet.

I am fascinated by the visual possibilities of glass. A café window can show the quiet world inside while simultaneously reflecting the movement of the street outside. A person sitting alone behind a window may suddenly appear surrounded by buildings, pedestrians, signs or fragments of another scene. By photographing from outside looking in — or from inside looking out — familiar places can become layered, ambiguous and sometimes almost surreal.

But Two Worlds is not only about reflections. I also look for situations where two contrasting realities share the same photograph. Someone inside a brightly lit restaurant may exist only a few metres away from the anonymous flow of people outside. A doorway can separate private life from public space. A window, mirror, shadow or opening between buildings can create a frame within the frame, allowing different stories to unfold simultaneously.

These photographs often require patience. Rather than simply photographing what is directly in front of me, I look through things, beyond them and sometimes back at what is behind me. I move slightly, change my position and wait for people, light and reflections to create relationships that did not exist a few seconds earlier.

What interests me most is the moment when these separate elements begin to communicate with one another. Reality becomes less obvious. The viewer may need a second look to understand what is inside, what is outside, what is reflected and what is actually there.

Two Worlds is therefore about more than a photographic technique. It is about discovering how several realities can briefly coexist within a single frame — transforming an ordinary street scene into something layered, mysterious and open to interpretation.

Colorful paper umbrellas with blue, orange, and red hues on a glass window reflecting yellow lanterns and a dark street scene outside.

Reflections of city lights and person walking in rain on wet sidewalk

“There are the things that are out in the open, and there are the things that are hidden.”

— Saul Leiter

A woman serving himself from a display of various pies inside a bakery or cafe, viewed through a window with several customers outside.

Two women wearing patterned dresses and beige headscarves are facing each other, holding hands, with a young girl doing a yoga pose in between them. The scene appears to be at an outdoor event with a crowd and various balloons in the background.

View through a shop window showing a display of nuts and chocolates in the foreground, with mannequins dressed in stylish clothing inside the store and other storefronts reflected in the glass.

View through a window showing an outdoor cafe with people sitting at tables, some using smartphones. Reflection of pedestrians and trees outside the cafe, with a man in a red jacket looking into the window.

A woman with glasses and tattoos on her arm is serving herself a piece of pie or pastry from a bakery display case. The bakery display case contains various pies and baked goods, with some slices visible in the foreground.

A lively outdoor event with many people gathered around tables, some wearing orange hats, and surrounded by banners and temporary fencing, with historic buildings and green trees in the background.

A woman wearing a floral head scarf is taking a selfie on her phone while sitting on a bus or train. The reflection shows a red brick building with a sign that reads 'CASA DE HERRAMIENTAS', a lamppost, streams of water flowing from the roof, and some trees.

Reflection of a man with a beard and glasses in a glass window with the words 'Vordammen öffnen' written on it, and a pink checkered basket and bicycle handlebar inside.

A man with short dark hair and a beard wearing a white polo shirt and navy shorts stands on a city sidewalk, leaning against a building with a Pandora jewelry advertisement displayed on a window behind him. The ad features women laughing and smiling, showcasing jewelry, with the Pandora logo at the bottom.

A child walking on a wet sidewalk holding a small fish in their hand, with their reflection visible in a puddle.

A man exhales vapor from an e-cigarette in front of a store window displaying mannequins dressed in lingerie. The street scene appears in the reflection of the window.