Photo of the Week - #47 8/8/22

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Great face, but the processing makes him look like a lizard man (perhaps from the old TV series "V"?

The style and pp treatment sure looks familiar. My reaction and first impressions are super detail and brilliant image. Well done to the photographer !!.

The artistry here is impressive. The only elements in focus here are those that need to be: from part way along the nose to part way along the ear—a grand total of about 5”—and within that range the detail is exquisite. This very selective focus isolates the subject beautifully. I hardly notice the background, except to note how harmoniously most of the background colors work with the subject. Only the patch of orange is somewhat distracting; it must have been tempting to desaturate it a bit.

 

I’m intrigued by my emotional response to the image: I feel uncomfortable looking at it, and I suspect that this may have been the photographer’s intent. The elements that contribute to the feeling:

1. The ambiguous expression—anger? fear? amusement? I don’t have the impression that the subject fully approved of having his photo taken.
   
2. The harsh, unforgiving detail and high contrast on the face makes it feel a bit more like a caricature than a portrait—I suspect the subject might not find this to be a flattering portrayal.
   
3. Those compelling, wide-open eyes staring directly into mine—if he’s angry, it’s me he’s angry at.
   

But at the same time, there’s so much character etched into the face…and those eyes. I’m uncomfortable, but at the same time I’m fascinated.

 

Congratulations to the photographer for crafting such a powerful image.

The expression of the subject is certainly eye-catching. The accurate focus makes the facial features sharp, although a face without much of an environment makes me look for a story but then cannot proceed much further.

 

However, all that sharp focus is partially overshadowed by what appears like over processing. Due to the HDR effect that is a new popular style nowadays, the image looks less like a photo. The tender wrinkles of aging have been made harsh to the point, where the eyes get caught on the surface and feel distracted, rather than connecting with the subject below. The creases on the neck look more like alligator skin, rather than human.

 

While this post-processing is not my cup of tea (I thought, people add these effects to salvage mundane shots, but this one is not that mundane in its original form), If this was a deliberate intent of the photographer, I would be curious to learn more about his/her thought process in giving the picture this look at the end.

Subject is fine, but the processing which I believe used to be called the Dargan or Dragan after the photographer who developed it, is a complicated, orused to be, technique using several layers and masks. It was popular for a while but fortunately isn't so much now and thankfully. People think it creates this craggy, sharp characture of a person. I always thought It was uninteresting and gimmecky, all style and little substance. Here, the person is interesting to me, but is buried under the technique. Sorry if this sounds harsh, but there you go.

Interesting character and lots of things blend together well in this shot- but it looks, by the "expression" on this dude's face, that he just couldnt stop talking long enough to get his photo taken. I'm with others who've complained about the processing... while it's not too terribly over the top compared to a lot of the HDR stuff I see around, I'd prefer a more natural look. Just my personal preferences. Cool s hot tho and a cool looking individual. Pity he couldnt just shut up and get his pitcher took. :)

As one who does a lot of pp, I’m with the other members. The post work on this image is overdone. A quick fix would entail using a blur filter/tool.