( CNN ) Take one look at these images and you experience a range of city-life emotions . You feel the noonday sun beating down on your back , surging waves of people on every side of you . You sip your overpriced beverage and stare into the distance for a reprieve from the crowds and from a morning spent on your feet . You see long shadows and you hear the quiet : the exhale of a city that 's been running hard and long all day -- the settling down , the withdrawal of vendors and businessmen and every sort of tradesmen in between . Dutch photographer Bas Losekoot is interested in these interactions , and by isolating them he examines `` the mask that people are wearing on the streets , and things like the gaze -- who 's looking at who ? `` What do these small gestures on the street tell us about the human condition ? '' Losekoot asked . `` How do people feel and how do people respond to ( each other ) ? '' Losekoot was trained as a classical photographer and spent time after graduation shooting stills on film sets . Influenced by the lighting techniques from the cinema , he had the idea : `` Why not bring the light to the streets ? '' `` After that , '' he said , `` the street became a studio and the people became the actors . '' He started in New York three years ago when he had this idea . `` I was fascinated by this theme of the 'urban millennium , ' `` he said . `` What 's going to happen when cities get more busy and people have to live in a smaller space ? '' The urban millennium references the announcement , made by the U.N. Department of Economic and Social Affairs in 2007 , that `` more people ( are ) living in cities than in rural areas : 3.3 billion people ( are ) on three percent of the earth 's surface . '' During his time in New York , Losekoot made a blueprint for where he would go next to continue this documentary work : Sao Paulo , Brazil ; Seoul , South Korea ; Mumbai , India ; and Hong Kong . He is now stationed in London , continuing the project while he pursues a master 's in photography and urban cultures . When deciding what city to focus on for his project , there are three determining factors , he said : `` Speed and scale of urbanization , size of economy , and population density . '' Once arriving in a new city , Losekoot brings passion for his work , and grit and determination carry him through long days standing on dusty and crowded street corners . `` I find these places interesting , because this is where the personality and character and the desires that people have come up in places where the population density is very high , '' he said . `` You really see what they 're thinking in those places , and small gestures have a lot of information about what we think about ourselves and what we think of each other . '' Losekoot brings small flashes with him and sets them up on whatever is available , be it light posts , poles or railings . Then he waits for the perfect moments . Nothing is staged ; it 's all a candid flow of human interaction . The most subtle gaze or movement speaks volumes in a still image . Losekoot does his best to be invisible so that people will act naturally and not pose for the camera . The dramatic lighting makes for a very theatrical end product . Running late for the bus suddenly becomes an epic dash through dappled sunlight and illuminated sheet-metal buildings . `` The camera made me curious in the world , and the camera is a great way to explore places and people , '' Losekoot said . `` And it can open doors in a lot of situations . '' Social media . Follow @ CNNPhotos on Twitter to join the conversation about photography . Losekoot asks thoughtful questions of society by holding up a mirror and inviting honest examination . `` What kind of cities are we creating , and in the end are we creating an ideal world ? Those are the big themes I like to touch with my work . And the themes I like to raise questions about , '' he said . `` It 's very difficult to find those answers in photography ; it 's hard to see the progress of the city in someone 's eyes . I 'm very much interested in the people in there , in the social behavior of the group . '' These questions are the driving force that propels Losekoot 's work . Exploring the dynamics of the streets . Capturing a moment in time that you can delve into and resonate with on a very human level . Just pictures of people on the street ? Yes . But the underlying implication is that we , the same humanity that used to roam the forest floor , now traverse concrete in this urban millennium . Bas Losekoot is a Dutch photographer based in London . You can follow him on Facebook .
Photographer Peter Losekoot is fascinated by city life and its people . He took photos in major cities across the world to see how its residents interact . In 2007 , a UN report said 3.3 billion people live in cities -- 10 % of the Earth 's surface .