“Beauty often hides in plain sight, not in perfection, but in the unguarded moments when we are simply ourselves.” – MJ Martin
Beauty in street photography is often not what the subject sees in themselves, but what the lens reveals in an unguarded moment. Imagine one person sitting on a wall, unaware of the quiet grace they carry. Their face is softened by natural morning light angled to accentuate their inherent beauty, their body turned slightly as if pulled by the rhythm of the mighty Niagara Falls crashing downwards nearby. They are not performing, not posing, not conscious of being observed. It is here, in this candid space, that beauty emerges most powerfully.
True beauty is not just perfect symmetry or powerful fashion looks, but it is hidden in their genuine authenticity. It is the way someone’s eyes narrow in thought, the faint smile rising uninvited, or the curve of a hand holding their eye glasses with unconscious disregard. Street photography studies this hidden beauty and immortalizes it. The photograph becomes a mirror that shows the subject what they never considered about themselves. The strength in their smile, the kindness in their expression, the calm in their presence; all captured in an instant, without rehearsal.
This is the paradox of beauty: the one who carries it often does not see it, while the stranger with a camera recognizes it immediately. In this exchange, both the viewer and the subject are transformed.
About the Author:
Michael Martin is the Vice President of Technology with Metercor Inc., a Smart Meter, IoT, and Smart City systems integrator based in Canada. He has more than 40 years of experience in systems design for applications that use broadband networks, optical fibre, wireless, and digital communications technologies. He is a business and technology consultant. He was a senior executive consultant for 15 years with IBM, where he worked in the GBS Global Center of Competency for Energy and Utilities and the GTS Global Center of Excellence for Energy and Utilities. He is a founding partner and President of MICAN Communications and before that was President of Comlink Systems Limited and Ensat Broadcast Services, Inc., both divisions of Cygnal Technologies Corporation (CYN: TSX).
Martin served on the Board of Directors for TeraGo Inc (TGO: TSX) and on the Board of Directors for Avante Logixx Inc. (XX: TSX.V). He has served as a Member, SCC ISO-IEC JTC 1/SC-41 – Internet of Things and related technologies, ISO – International Organization for Standardization, and as a member of the NIST SP 500-325 Fog Computing Conceptual Model, National Institute of Standards and Technology. He served on the Board of Governors of the University of Ontario Institute of Technology (UOIT) [now Ontario Tech University] and on the Board of Advisers of five different Colleges in Ontario – Centennial College, Humber College, George Brown College, Durham College, Ryerson Polytechnic University [now Toronto Metropolitan University]. For 16 years he served on the Board of the Society of Motion Picture and Television Engineers (SMPTE), Toronto Section.
He holds three master’s degrees, in business (MBA), communication (MA), and education (MEd). As well, he has three undergraduate diplomas and seven certifications in business, computer programming, internetworking, project management, media, photography, and communication technology. He has completed over 60 next generation MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) continuous education in a wide variety of topics, including: Economics, Python Programming, Internet of Things, Cloud, Artificial Intelligence and Cognitive systems, Blockchain, Agile, Big Data, Design Thinking, Security, Indigenous Canada awareness, and more.