a quiet corner, a borrowed shadow, and the slow turning of pages – her gaze defies time, her book bridges centuries. between stone walls and fleeting footsteps, she reads not just words, but the life that pulses beneath them.
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What caught my eye here was the geometry of light and shadow across the square—a natural spotlight cast by the sinking sun, catching two ladies mid-step as they strolled through Brugge’s historic Markt. The architecture of the Provinciaal Hof stands resolute behind them, but it’s the human scale that brings the scene alive.
This was one of those moments when the timing felt just right. The red windows shimmered like embers, and the golden sunlight lit the cobblestones with almost dramatic precision. The women walking toward me, animated and unaware, added a perfect counterpoint of movement and warmth to the rhythm of the buildings.
Photographically, it’s the contrast I loved: the deep shadows framing the vibrance of the figures, the clean lines of Gothic architecture against the fluid unpredictability of life unfolding in the square.
Captured on a quiet morning at the market, this candid street shot freezes a fleeting moment of daily life. There’s a dignity and weight in the way the older man moves forward, a plastic bag in one hand and a handkerchief in the other. I aimed low to emphasize presence and texture — in every wrinkle, in every fold, there’s a story. The image is in black and white to strip away distractions and let the moment breathe.
Op het Neude in Utrecht zitten twee stelletjes, elk op een eigen steen.
Ze praten, zwijgen, wachten – onbewogen terwijl de stad aan hen voorbij stroomt.
Voetgangers, fietsers, zelfs een bus trekken langs als water in een rivier.
De mensen op de stenen blijven zitten. Stil en stevig.
Zoals stenen in een bedding.
Tijdloos in het moment.
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Two Stones in the Stream
On Utrecht’s Neude square, two pairs of people sit quietly on separate stones.
They talk, they pause, they wait — still, while the city flows around them.
Pedestrians, cyclists, even a bus pass by like water in a river.
And the ones on the stones remain.
Unmoving.
Like two stones in the streambed — timeless, grounded in the moment.
Op de achtergrond: een tentoonstelling vol vaak pijnlijke verhalen uit de oorlog en de nasleep ervan.
Op de voorgrond schrijven mensen hun eigen verhaal.
De man die belt.
De vrouwen die hun gesprek afronden.
Het verleden kijkt mee, maar het leven gaat door.
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In the background: an exhibition filled with often painful stories from the war and its aftermath.
In the foreground, people are writing their own stories.
The man on the phone.
The women just finishing their conversation.
The past watches on, but life moves forward.
This photo was taken during an 8-hour train ride through Uzbekistan in third class, the most basic option available. Without air conditioning, the heat inside became unbearable, and outside temperatures reached 37°C.
But this moment stood out: a man quietly enduring the journey in his undershirt, another trying to cool off with a towel. No one complained. Everyone just coped in their own way.
Travel isn't always smooth or scenic. Sometimes it's crowded, sweaty, and slow. But it's real—and full of small, honest moments like this.
This photo was taken during an 8-hour third-class train ride from Tashkent to Bukhara. The air inside had become heavy and stale, as there was no air conditioning and the outside temperature was 37°C.
The man on the right sits quietly, shielding his face—not just from the heat, but from the thick, smelly air hanging in the compartment. You can feel the exhaustion in his posture. Meanwhile, the older man in the foreground is squeezing past in the narrow aisle, one of many small movements in a space that offered little room to breathe.
It was a tough ride. But moments like these say a lot without words. Travel isn't always comfortable, but it's real and human.
Eyes forward, bag in hand, she walks with purpose—and grace. There’s something timeless about her look: a golden touch of glamour, practical poise, and a sense that she’s earned the right to take her time. You can almost hear the soft click of her shoes on the stone as the city carries on behind her.
There’s a quiet power in her stride—the kind that says she’s weathered a few storms and come out brighter. The burnt orange coat, the soft scarf tucked close—practical, stylish, and unmistakably her. In a world of rush and noise, she moves with intent. And that, somehow, makes the street feel calmer.
the city slept lightly, the kind of sleep where streetlamps hum and shadows flicker in alleyways. she sat in the doorway, cradling a bouquet that looked too bright, too alive for the quiet of the night. lilies and tulips spilled from the brown paper, their color spilling into the dark like whispers of spring. her phone glowed in her hands, a small beacon against her face, which held the weight of waiting.
maybe she was waiting for someone to come to the door. someone who wasn’t there yet, or maybe never would be. her boots crossed at the ankles, her jacket folded into the night, she looked like she belonged there – a fleeting part of palma’s rhythm. the street wasn’t hers, the doorway wasn’t hers, but in that moment, it all felt like it might as well be.
the flowers didn’t wilt. the night didn’t answer.
a glance, a flicker, a moment half-seen. on the left, a reflection—a woman’s gaze caught in the shimmer of glass. on the right, a woman in pink, present and tangible, the anchor to this layered reality. the café becomes a boundary, not just of glass, but of perception, where lives intersect and overlap without touching. light dances on surfaces, and the ordinary becomes layered with mystery. reflections are whispers of stories untold, while the real unfolds quietly in the warmth of the café.
all rights by Tom Kairos
www.flickr.com/photos/t-tayler/
all rights by Tom Kairos
www.flickr.com/photos/t-tayler/