/ 2025 / Special / Street Photography

• Prize
  Honorable Mention
• Photographer
  Joseph Hon Chow Lai, Taiwan
• Website
  https://www.honchowlai.com
• Instagram
  @honchowlai

Stairs uses minimalist black-and-white imagery to explore the solitary figure in transitional urban spaces. By isolating subjects within simple, geometric stairwells, the series evokes feelings of introspection, ambiguity, and cinematic stillness. The stairs become a symbol of movement and uncertainty, reflecting moments of pause in daily life through light, shadow, and space. These photos also represent the delicate balance between humans and the constructed environment.

Joseph Hon Chow Lai explores the interplay of light, motion, and form through street, narrative, and fine art photography. Born in Taiwan and raised in New York, he draws from both Eastern and Western cultural influences, which shape his perspective and artistic voice. His street photography captures fleeting urban moments with depth and contrast, while his fine art images transform movement and texture into expressive visual forms. United by a fascination with shadow and illumination, his work invites new ways of seeing.

Awards 2023 New York Photography Awards - Silver, People Photography, Street.
2023 New York Photography Awards - Silver, Nature Photography, Sunset.
2023 Annual Photography Awards - Honorable Mention, People, Streetlife.
2023 Tokyo International Foto Awards - Honorable Mention
2024 PX3 Prix de la Photographie Paris - Honorable Mention.
2024 Annual Photography Awards - Honorable Mention, People, Streetlife.