• 26th May 2013
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• Working with photographers in 23 countries.
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summer open 07 single image winner

Wolfgang Stahl grew up in Heidelberg, a quiet university city in Germany. On coming to London, the first thing he noticed was the crowded streets. “The traffic is endless and confusing,” explains Wolfgang “Pedestrians are struggling with pollution as well as blazing a trail through the enormous amount of traffic. Dangerous encounters between 'weak' and 'strong' often cause precarious situations.”

It was this struggle which inspired the winning image in the LPA’s Summer Open competition. Asked about the image, Wolfgang explains: “I took the winning image in October 2006 on Kingsland Road, close to one of the busiest junctions of the capital. My idea was to create a 'glorious mess' and to blow the situation of a guy crossing the road out of all proportion. On the other hand, I intended to play the whole scenario down by merging several shots together showing white cars throughout the image. Styling wise, I decided to go for bright clothes to make the pedestrian appear as fragile as possible.”

Wolfgang feels that it is the contrary nature of the image which makes it special, juxtaposing not only the weak and strong of man against machine, but also presenting a precarious situation in the most innocent way.

view Wolfgang's portfolio