fisherman's life

I like the "paused everyday life" of the hard working fisherman. It reflects his effort for an income which is well captured at your lens. Great tones and well expressed face during this action.

i can clearly see what some had remarked on as a lack of balance in terms of the composition. as a counter argument i would say that all that is in the frame adds to the context. i like the shot so much because there is a real sense of movement, purpose and also it is different from what we have as photo of the week. there is no trickery or photoshop manipulation and the old man is somehow representing a time lost. black and white adds a level of starkness, tonality and documentary, so all in all, i am happy to see this as a picture of week.

"there is no trickery or photoshop manipulation and the old man is somehow representing a time lost."

I think this B&W is converted from a HDR with tone mapping applied.

This is either HDR or a heavy dose of shadows/highlights. I've tried both and found that in order to bring out the detail in deep shadows, the colors can get really crazy, which is why I think this one was converted to B&W. For me, the technique calls attention to itself, with the predominance of gray, rather than a full range of tones from black to white.

This couldn't be HDR. HDR is a blend of several exposures taken from several shots. Considering this shot was taken on a rocking boat and is very sharp tells me that HDR is not a possibility. Perhaps the single exposure was processed several times in RAW and then blended, but I'm thinking Highlights/Shadows or dodge and burn.

He appears to be hand-feeding the rope and net onto the winch, which could easily take his hand with it.

 

This is really a very dramatic shot. The large DOF works for me.

 

--Lannie

This is wonderful! It really makes you want to look deeper into the elements surrounding the fisherman. Congratulations on such a wonderful capture as this.

 

deb

although this picture shows the simple life, it explodes with the complexity of culture and diversity. its usually the most simple things that astound us.

 

this picture rocks

Salty! Perfect timing with the gulls in the background. If there ever was a situation calling for black and white it is this one. Excellent

"This couldn't be HDR. HDR is a blend of several exposures taken from several shots."

Photomatix can blend few different conversions from the same picture, either RAW or exposure adjustment in Photoshop.

[[Photomatix can blend few different conversions from the same picture, either RAW or exposure adjustment in Photoshop.]]

 

That is not HDR.

I have to agree with Carl on this. It looks like a heavy handed shadow/highlight tool was used, and is especially noticed on the face, which is the highlight of the image. To my eye it begs for a bit more contrast. Other than that it is a perfectly composed image that tells volumes IMO. I would love to have taken this picture.

For me the documentary value of this photo is what is good, particularly the expression on the man's face. Compositionally, though, it is weak. In an B&W photo, eyes are drawn to the areas of highest contrast. In this photo, my eyes are drawn to the black blob below the man's hand, and to the white round thing (buoy?) next to his face. As I look at the photo more, then thinking about the content, I of course am drawn to look at the man's face. So intellectually it works, but visually not so well, IMO. Also, I agree with others about the in focus/out of focus issue, whether due to DOF or movement. It doesn't look real and therefore is a distraction.

 

I would say cropping it down significantly, or widening it out significantly, might make it stronger visually, but that would change the meaning.

I like the photo. As for the reel being out of focus, I bet it is moving (not dof). Look at the net in front of his hand. I feel it captures the moment very well. It is a very good exposure of a high contrast image. This image conveys to me the hardship of fishing - I can smell the salt air!

 

(My wife/assistant's take on this) I find his facial concentration riveting, and the seams of years of fishing are so clear in this photo. I love the perspective of his out-thrust hand carefully controlling and feeding the net, and the gritty detail of the slime and dirt on said hand. I like the DOF, and the way the gulls and texture of the ocean are clearly captured in the background. This is a photo that makes me feel connected to the scene, like I am on the boat with him. The only changes I would make are more space above his head (though maybe the photographer was cropping something out that needed to go); and a filter to increase contrast between the clouds and sky so that the feeling of texture is carried there as well.

I like the man , but i dont like the objects around him , too many distracting objects , they rival the main subject and i dont feel comfortabe with the photo :)

I would bet, just a gentleman's bet, that the original image, converted to B/W is better. The adjustments in this image might have brought out more detail in the man's face, but they have also affected the overall appearance of the image, now looking a bit flat.

The portrait is fine. Too many complaints about the deep D of F and teh distracting objects. This is a location environmental portrait, and these things are fine. They add to the mood and teh perception of the man. My big complaint is that it seems a tiny bit dark, low contrast, and, worst of all, highly oversharpened, perhaps because he was out of focus to begin with.

This is a great photo. I read some of the critiques about DOF, balance and using a wider lens and respectfully disagree. The tight shot gives the feel of how cramped these boats are. A wider lens would distort the spacial relationships in the wrong way here. I also like the DOF and the fact that the right side is so open with a few well placed gulls. When you are on a cramped little boat surrounded by the large open sea, it is feels a lot like this photos shows, unbalanced. This is a great image because it communicates all that little stuff while still bringing your attention to the fisherman. Great job Ioanna!

Thank's to everybody for comments.It was surprised for me to be Photograph of the week.Very difficult shot as I suffer from sea sickness)))

It is an impressive photograph capturing the daily drama that fishermen go through. The agony on his face is very well portayed and DOF used also helped you capture the surrounding -cramped boat surroundings(as was just said above by Richard).It is one the photos that pin-sharp quality is of no importance-to me at least.

Well done !

This photo reminds me " The Old Man & the Sea" by Ernest Hemingway.The first thing I noticed was his wet hand which held the rope tightly and then the direction of his eyes.He looks at the horizon outside of the cadre where we cant't seeit .And then his old face.He does his best to keep living by fishery.He's holeful.Maybe he would find a big fish.So this is an impressive photo.The photograph knew how to do it by using artistic elements.The background helps this impressiveness very much

As a Greek i have seen such faces in my hometown, that is a fishing village. i can assure you that this picture is one of the strongest and more real i have seen, on the subject. however my point of view is based on comparison with the "real deal".

This is indeed one of the best photographs I've seen here. It is classic and dramatic. It has an immediate focal point in an intense subject but allow the viewer to enter into the fisherman's world by surrounding his dramatic presence by the equipment of his trade. The location is very generic. He could be anywhere which add to the mistery of who he is. The drama of the open sea is hidden but hinted at by the background again adding to the mistery of the shot. I love this kind of photograph. It beets hands down the one look wonders we see every day that once you looked at it for 2 seconds it done. Even the critics have said they had to look for a period of time to grasp the photograph and all its elements. The tight cropping might not have been my choice but I think it works. The sea is a barrior that gives life but to a fisherman can bring death so who's to say that the wide expanse can't be claustrophobic. There is true artistic expression in this photograph whether you agree with it or not.

A wonderful photograph. It's especially nice to see an image that is a reflection of great photography and not an example of one's Photoshop prowess.

Good job.

And not a fish in sight.

Your mind fills in the story.