Deep Life Reflections: Friday Five
Issue 104 - Curved Stream
Welcome to Issue 104 of Deep Life Reflections.
This week, words take a step back. Instead, we look through the lens.
As long-time readers know, photography is a huge passion of mine. Every so often, I like to dedicate an issue to the power of the still image and how a single frame can make us think, feel, and reconsider the world.
The timing is perfect. The top entries for the 2025 Sony World Photography Awards have just been announced, and below, I’ve selected my five favourites, shortlisted from the 419,000 submissions across 10 categories. There are some really great shots.
I’ve also just uploaded my latest photography portfolio on Deep Life Journey. My camera led me to the seductive Spanish city of Seville and all its colour, vibrancy and duende. There’s a link at the end of this newsletter if you’d like to explore.
Join me as we take a stroll through a visual Friday Five this week.
2025 Sony World Photography Awards
My Picks
1. Untitled
Hajime Hirano. Winner. Lifestyle Category.
A crammed, claustrophobic hardware shop where every square inch overflows with parts, tools, and wires. Yet, at the centre, the owner sits quietly, reading. A contrast of order and disorder, speaking to our sometimes chaotic world and how we can still make sense of it by turning down the noise.
2. Centre of the Cosmos
Xuecheng Lui. Winner. Architecture Category.
At first glance, it looks like a galaxy—a constellation of light scattered across the void. But this isn’t the Milky Way. It’s Times Square, captured from above in exceptional detail. The super-wide aerial perspective transforms New York’s dense skyline into something celestial, blurring the line between city and universe. And just like stars, millions of lives orbit below, drawn toward the brightest lights—the centre.
3. Gibbon
Pedro Jarque Krebs. Shortlist. Natural World & Wildlife Category.
With a quiet, contemplative gaze, this gibbon seems lost in thought, as if pondering the mysteries of the universe. Framed in shadow, its expression feels almost human—intelligent, focused, perhaps even wistful. Gibbons are social creatures, yet here, in solitude, we see something deeper: the capacity for curiosity and reflection.
4. Eternal Light, Timeless Rock
Karolina Jurkiewicz. Shortlist. Travel Category.
This is Elephant Rock, a sublime natural rock formation in Saudi Arabia, captured at the golden hour. As the late afternoon sun pierces the rock’s natural arch, it almost feels like an awakening—light breathing life into stone. The lone child approaching adds scale, wonder, and the excitement of youthful exploration. Fresh, fragile eyes on the ancient.
5. A Bus Stop in Acámbaro, Mexico
Osvaldo Torres Reyes. Shortlist. Street Photography Category.
Life in motion, but at different paces. Who’s arriving, who’s leaving, who’s simply waiting? The faces suggest weariness, wisdom, perhaps a touch of resignation. Journeys of life have been taken—that much is clear. A bus stop is usually a place of transition, a gateway to somewhere else. Yet here, it feels like a destination. No one seems to be going anywhere.
And a special mention to Curved Stream by Ng Guang Ze, winner of Best Photograph in the Landscape category.
A serene, flowing stream through the grasslands of Wenhai, China—capturing the beauty and tranquility of the journey. A fitting image for Deep Life Journey and this week’s title of Deep Life Reflections.
Which photos resonated with you and why?
Perhaps there are others that caught your eye?
Let me know by sharing your thoughts in the comments below.
Before you go…
Explore my new Photography:
Seville, Spain
Click Here 📸 🇪🇸
Thanks for taking this visual journey with me this week and for being part of the Deep Life Journey community. If you have any thoughts or reflections on the photographs featured in this issue, please leave a comment below.
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