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LONDON -- One needn't spend a huge amount of time on London's underground system before realising how it can lay bare the trials and tribulations of the human spirit.
Sweaty languor, anxiety, carnal instinct, triumph and failure, intense joy and profound despair -- street photographer Toby Ziff has captured it all in a compelling series of images he calls "Renaissance in the Underground," which seeks to emulate the essence of Renaissance-style artwork in modern-day London.
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Credit: toby ziff
Credit: TOBY ZIFFThe collection of photos features unposed scenes of the Underground that the London-based photographer captures through "a complete mixture of planning, serendipity and luck."
Credit: TOBY ZIFF
Credit: TOBY ZIFFZiff elaborates on his process: "Sometimes I'll tactically hang around the central stations late into the evenings (even more so with the Night Tube now); sometimes I'll spend a few hours hopping on and off carriages; and sometimes I'll find myself with a great scene, as a normal commuter going from A to B. Thankfully I rarely leave the house without my camera!"
Credit: TOBY ZIFF
Credit: TOBY ZIFFWhile Ziff did not set out to do a series focusing on the Tube, he admits: "I've always been fascinated with the London Underground and observing the way people react when social norms are broken.
"After I received a few separate comments saying, 'Hey, that's like a Renaissance painting or something', I found myself looking for images that held some of the principles [of Renaissance painting]."
Credit: TOBY ZIFF
Credit: TOBY ZIFFThe 21-year-old describes an effective Renaissance-style photo as one that "should consist of emotion, naturalism (in this sense, a candid photo), and the frame should be filled with a variety of people and characters."
Credit: TOBY ZIFF
Credit: TOBY ZIFFTo check out more of his work, follow him on Instagram.