【Second Hand Market Find A Seppa】

LONDON -- One needn't spend a huge amount of time on Second Hand Market Find A SeppaLondon'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.

The collection of photos features unposed scenes of the Underground that the London-based photographer captures through "a complete mixture of planning, serendipity and luck."

Ziff 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!"

While 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]."

The 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."

To check out more of his work, follow him on Instagram.

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