Some pictures work because of what’s in them. Others work because of what’s around them. Crowds, weather, architecture, and the simple act of waiting all shape the frame. These five images, pulled at random from the Pixel Effects feed, each deal with a different kind of surrounding noise.

David, Florence

The copy of Michelangelo’s David that stands in Piazza della Signoria is never alone. Tourists, scaffolding, and the heavy stone of the Palazzo Vecchio all compete for attention. Shooting in black and white strips away the competing colors and leaves the statue’s gesture clean against the sky.