While taking photos with smart phones is very common nowadays, in order to make these images appear casual and candid, the moment the photographer chooses to capture these images is critical. Tokyo-based photographer Laurence Bouchard loves to use his iPhone 7 to show the isolation and loneliness of the city.

Bouchard’s work features many motifs, including the stark contrasts between light and shadow, reflections, pedestrian crossings and umbrellas. And the incorporation of these elements looks incredibly integrated with a black-and-white filter, such as making the dark shadows cold and detached or presenting glowing pedestrians as they walk in separate directions. Bouchard has assimilated these apparent elements and formed his distinctive style so well he has became one of the top 25 black-and-white street photographers of 2017, selected by the street photography website Street Bounty. Maybe his work is the best proof that good timing outweighs everything else?