All images by Slava Semeniuta. Used with Creative Commons permission.
If you think you love colors, you probably don’t like them as intense as Russian artist and photographer Slava Semeniuta wants them. This fascination for neon hues manifest in every creative project that he does. A fine example would be this brightly colorful street set aptly titled Wet Neon.
The idea may not exactly be a novel one, as photos of colorful puddle reflections are pretty common. However, while they are merely minor elements in other photos, these colorful reflections take center stage in Wet Neon. They draw the eyes as they come in different shapes, blends, and combinations. The textures are a nice touch and added dimension. We know nothing about the surroundings that light up the wet pavements. This anonymity of some sort is not meant to be taken as a bid to be mysterious. The goal is to keep the viewer focused on the colors.
The set may seem like an oversimplified or toned down ode to capture a city’s colorful lights at night. After all, photographers like Mark Broyer have done it so well with a more familiar approach. But, what Mark’s After Hours does on a wider perspective, Wet Neon partly achieves on a macro scale. Each shot is a celebration of the way surreal colors bleed into our daily lives, even in the most mundane and ordinary ways. If only we would look closer and pay attention the way Slava does.
I find this set particularly interesting for the different creative disciplines that come together in each image. You can say it’s partly street photography in concept, color studies in inspiration, and abstract photography in execution.
Don’t forget to check out Slava Semeniuta’s Behance portfolio to see more of his colorful visual art and photography.