breakfast in Tia

This image has been selected for discussion. It is not necessarily the "best" picture the Elves have seen this week, nor is it a contest. It is simply an image that the Elves found interesting and worthy of discussion. Discussion of photo.net policy, including the choice of Photograph of the Week should not take place here, but in the Site Feedback forum.

Before writing a contribution to this thread, please consider our reason for having this forum. We have this forum because future visitors might be interested in learning more about the pictures. They browsed the gallery, found a few striking images and want to know things like why is it a good picture, why does it work? Or, indeed, why doesn't it work, or how could it be improved?

So, when contributing to this thread, please keep the above in mind. Address the strengths, the shortcomings of the image. It's not good enough to like it, you should spend some time trying to put into words why that is the case. Equally so if you don't like it, or if you can't quite make up your mind.

Let's make sure this forum is a wonderful learning resource for future photographers!

Thank you and enjoy!

Great atmosphere of real Ladakhi interior. Here we can feel both the warmth of the sun rays and the coldness of winter. Well contrasted and still nuanced. Well desserved POW.

In turn it reminds me the work of Fred Boissonas, a true photographic master of the previous century. I dare not say if the light is 100% natural or not (as I am not experienced in digital manipulation) but the result is certainly pleasing. Some might disagree but I would prefer to see the subjects acting more naturaly as if they were not aware of the photographer. The child's direct look on the camera although charming takes a bit away of from the mystagogue atmosphere. I would also not use that frame. That said I still think you produced an astonising overall result here. Well done

This is the kind of picture that makes me wish I was there. So where is the rest of the series?

I like the photograph very much. I hate the frame. Those little crackled things are stylish just now for some reason, but they really turn me off.

 

Since I seem to do this sort of thing, I would find composition improved by cropping the left side to eliminate the extreme left hand window, cropping right up into the women's head. That brightness coming in the window tends to grab the attention away from the rest of the picture. Nothing major, but to me, it would improve the picture.

 

Congratulations on being the chosen one this week. I cannot find your portfolio to compare it with other of your works. Nice picture.

 

Willie the Cropper

I like this shot. It's nice to see an actual photograph (i.e. unmanipulated). Congratulations on treating this frame like a real photograph and not simply something to which you can do whatever you want just because you can.

 

I would eliminate the white border, and only leave the black border if this is an actual full-frame silver print. Even if it is a silver print, I would use a full frame carrier with neat edges, as I think the ragged edges take away from the photo and make it heavyhanded.

 

Keith

Also, I would like to hear all the technical details, if you don't mind sharing them. Camera used, film used (if it was), developer, dilution, temp., time, and how you got it to the computer (scanned a neg, or printed and scanned the print. If printed, what paper, etc.

 

just curious about these things

 

Thanks,

 

Keith

It is unprecedented for the elves to give us three such fine black and white images in a row. The present offering is very effective indeed even if its virtues are old-fashioned - this wouldn't have looked out of place in the 1960s or '70s -. a marvellous documentary shot which displays fine technical control. The light is particularly eye-catching. The atmosphere is almost palpable. Perhaps 'timeless' is the appropriate epithet for this classic image. Congratulations, Karl-Einar, on a well-deserved POW. David M.

This I think is my first comment on any POW. I was stupefied to see such a wonderful photograph. The light from the door panes look so divine and the family members are positioned very aptly. Black white makes it a perfect shot. Congrats!!!

I think any photographer who takes a shot like this and prints it deserves to do what they like. For me the fact that an image is full-frame does remove most competing cropping considerations (ccc's).

The image is sublime. The frame looks done to replicate a filed-open negative carrier; which begs the question, why not use a real one? Is this digital black & white?

I doubt very much that this would be a digital B&W. Looks like well worked film to me...

 

But leaving the technical details aside for a moment, I just wanted to say " WOW ! ". This is just AWESOME... It just feels good to be reminded, that such places and people can exist under such light...

 

I think great human documentary works are many, but great documentary works where the light really meets the people's hearts, feelings or traditions are pretty rare. One of the most remarquable examples of documentary work I saw, which were supported and enhanced greatly by awesome lighting won a Fuji World Press award in 2004, if I'm not mistaken... It was a picture of a woman going crazy in her dark home when discovering her husband died at war.

 

Just don't less this little jewel sleep in your drawer or on your wall... This picture deserves to be seen... (And by the way, any chance we could have a little detail of the boy's expression or such ? This jpeg is a little small for a masterpiece...:-) )

I rarely comment on POW photos, but this one caught my eye for sure! I do not think it is going to be a lot of discussion this week, but simple admiration for such a great photo: lighting, documentary, execution... sorry, I see no flaws at all.

 

Congrats Karl, for your photo, and for your trips to Ladakh, a place I am looking forward to seeing.

Well if there ever were a flawless photograph this would come very close. It is absolutely engaging. You?ve taken the viewer right into the space and we are able to smell and feel this single moment as if we were there.

 

Simply magical division of dynamic lights and darks. It oozes with atmosphere. Congratulations and thank you for sharing your skills.

A remarkable and dramatic photograph that portrays the feeling of the family's unfortunately smoke-filled living conditions. I especially like the composition as it is and the diagonal depth of the room and its contents. I think it would be more realistic and more emotionally introspective if the boy were looking at the woman on the left (or her hands) instead of unaturally twisting around and making the photographer an unseen part of the scene. I also like the lack of unimportant technical details; the equipment was used effectively.

What more could I say that has not been said already other then to repeat the words, Bravo! Extrodianary!The lighting and feel of this photograph makes one feel the experience captured here. Thank you!

I agree with the above, the lighting is awesome and that look of the boy is very nice, congrats, RK!

The effective and distictive part of the photo is that the kid is looking back, both literaly and figuratively. It serves to bring him so far into the foreground and makes him so important in the photo that he sort of briefly leaves the scene as he grabs us and then intives us back in. Having a confrontational person in the photo, even though it breaks the imaginary spell of the photographer as the impassioned and objective observer, makes the scene more important because the rest of the photo becomes the context of that boy's life which gives the photo purpose and importance and that's the stuff that we relate to. If that boy is not looking at the camera, and therefore not looking at us, the photo is just a diorama. They might as well be churning butter in Colonial Williamsburg.

 

It's the photographer as humanist and it doesn't have that pretense of objectivity that photographers like to think they posses. The photographer is purposeful,intentional, an active participant and most of all creative and that's why I like the photo. The beauty of photograhy is it's sparkling and pristine subjectivity. It's the perfect tool. I wonder is Mr. Lofqvist is a school teacher because his photo is so inviting and explanatory.

WOW!!! This is something wonderful in the history of photography. Great image, an ordinary scene but extraordinary capture!!

Nice to have a truly accomplished artist like this guy stop by from time to time to show us how it's done.

 

This is a sublime photo. Brings to mind some of the religious scenes depicted by the great Renaissance painters.

 

By the way, Karl-Einar's website contains some equally great images; I only wish there were a lot more.

Just GREAT !!!

Grattis! Det 䲠verkligen v䬦�rtj䮴 f�r det 䲠en fantastisk bild. Visa g䲮a dina bilder i lite st�rre format, s堢lir det l䴴are att l䲡 sig av dem.

zounds! great light.

Great light! very touching human atmospher, execution and composition are flawless. Photography at its best, congratulations.

Moderator note: Just a reminder to some and an announcement to newcomers. Please take the time to offer an actual critique or observation when you make a comment in the Photo of the Week Forum as per the guidelines. Short "wow" congratulatory comments and even short negative comments without some effort to describe why the photo/image works for you should be sent by email to the photographer. We look forward to your thoughtful comments!

super nice!