URBAN ECHOES

ADRIAN McGARRY

//Adrian was born in Manchester and now lives in North Wales, UK. He has been taking photos most of his life and and has been creating digital art for over thirty years. In his series “Urban Echoes”, he uses multiple exposure techniques to create layered scenes from city streets.

Adrian holds an ARPS distinction from the Royal Photographic Society in their Visual Arts category. His sole aspiration in photography is to refine his craft, connect to viewers and continue to satisfy his nagging thirst for creativity. “Channeling the mid-twentieth-century street photography greats, I venture out with only my trusty smartphone in hand, aiming to capture my own unique vision of the urban landscape,” is how he puts it.

“A window covered with raindrops interests me more than a photograph of a famous person.”

Saul Leiter

What draws you to the arts?

“The creative energy and sense of exploration that comes from engaging with different mediums and styles is what interests me most. The work of Edward Hopper has, in part, been an inspiration for my street photography. By studying the works of other artists, I gain a better understanding of the principles of design, composition, and colour theory.”

What do you like best about photo art such as the images you have shared with us?

“The sense of creativity, fantasy, and exploration. Finding the right combination of exposures, there are no preset rules, I let the picture speak to me and if I like its voice then I keep it.”

Adrian uses multiple exposure photography to capture the energy and essence of the city, providing an immersive experience for the viewer to reveal hidden nuances and intricate elements. He prefers to create his photographs in-camera using only his iPhone. This approach allows him to preserve the spontaneity and organic feel of the resulting images. Nevertheless, he occasionally uses post-processing and layering techniques to further refine and improve his art.

“The most important thing about street photography is capturing the essence of everyday life and the rawness of the streets. It is about being able to see beauty in the mundane, finding the extraordinary in the ordinary, and telling a story through the images captured,” says Adrian. “Within my street photos, my aim is to challenge the boundaries of traditional photography by exploring new creative possibilities. This results in one-of-a-kind images that hopefully captivate and inspire an audience.”

Photos may be cropped for layout. Click on the photos to see a larger image with its title in original dimensions.