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I don't get it! It seems any photo from an exotic country gets about a three point handicap in the picture of the week selection. Maybe we should rename it

"Travel pictures from around the world" I don't mean to be mean spirited, but I've seen a lot of fine photos float past the gallery in the past week (mine own excluded). I very much like the portrait of the gentleman. Perhaps if it was closer in on him, without all the busyness.

The light is a bit flat, making the background seem too busy to convey what is going on in this scene. Perhaps if the contrast in the background were selectively increased it would be more effective.

I found this shot much more compelling in its composition, content, and in its tonality and use of the medium.

I am puzzled. Why this photo has been chosen?

I don't understand this type of picture, so I will reserve comment. But I am truly looking forward to profound and enlightening commentary from the critics who have been clamoring for portraits the last few weeks.

Is it just me and my monitor or does the person in the picture appear to be glowing? The area immediately around him appears lighter and there's some sort of vapor rising above his head.

I like this photograph. It has a strange and mysterious quality. I like the details of the interesting building behind the main subject. The yak-looking animal negotiating the stairs adds a sense of activity. Though not always necessary for a successful photograph, it has an interesting contrast: Clean white robe in a dusty, sooty atmosphere. The photograph also has a beautiful range of tones, and a lot of gritty shadow detail.

This is a very engaging picture. The man in the forground is a great subject. His dark eyes are engaging and draw you into the picture and his knowing expression provides you with a feeling for his character, perhaps mischievous and mystical. He seems to be a savvy guide to the world that you see beyond, both welcoming and daring you to venture forth. Meanwhile his white robed form brings out his dark features and contrasts with the muted background quite nicely. The background itself is interesting in it's multilevel geometry and rhythm. The appearance of the famous sacred brahmin bull incongruously walking down the steps unchallenged, as well as the toilers and temples in the background provide a concise microcosm of chaotic Indian life that is hard to mistake. You can almost smell the incense burning. Well done.

I suppose I have a different take on this photograph from most people so far. I think its not bad at all. Far superior to simple snapshots of sunsets with balloons or of a bird in flight (a bit more than a P&S was used for that last one, but its still a snapshot). Or reasonably well-executed but meaningless shots of motorbikes trying to fly. This POW demands study and provokes thought.

 

Edward Rieux, perhaps your monitor is in need of a bit of contrast and brightness adjustment.

 

Bong Munoz, the "vapor" you cite is simply smoke from the fire that is burning in the vicinity of the man.

 

Tony Rowlett, the "yak-looking" beasts in the background, including the one descending the stairs, are less exotically known as cows in my part of the world, and I suspect, yours.

 

Exposure, to be honest, is just about perfect, as far as I can tell from the JPEG. Despite the overcast sky and consequently flat lighting, there is a wide range of tones in the subject, from the bright sky (which is not a part of the picture, so does not need to be properly exposed, and isnt) to the cloak of the main subject (which is expertly placed just inside the detail-retaining section on the characteristic curve) to subdued shadow beneath the overhanging roof of the edifice and around the subjects eyes. The diffused lighting made it easy to lose detail in the cloak, as no harsh shadows were cast to emphasis texture, but the photographer has not allowed the cloak to become featureless. Likewise, there is an enchanting degree of shadow detail throughout the image, even in this digital representation, and this gives the background the captivating detail this photograph needs to succeed. I would even go so far as to say that there is an element of the legendary "decisive moment" here, with the cow descending the steps and the mans transient expression being captured in time, for our leisurely perusal in foreign lands. The background is sufficiently out of focus to clearly identify the man in the foreground as the subject, while allowing the viewer to browse the background at length taking in the detail. This is what you people in the know would call an environmental portrait.

 

The subjects face is nicely framed on the upper right with the highlight on his bald head. To the left of the face the outline is more confused, particularly around the ear area, and this could have been improved by simply taking the shot from a position slightly more to the left (slightly, to avoid having the man block the stairway behind him). A positive by-product of this more leftward shooting position would be the full capture of the icon which is partially concealed by the man in the posted photograph. I really do wonder why that icon wasnt a key item in the photographers list of objects to include in this shot. I think it says a lot about the place and plays a significant factor in the generating the "feel" of the location. If it was the photographers fear that it would dominate the photograph, perhaps drawing away from the main subject of the man, why was it not hidden completely?

 

What is the result of the all these technical particulars? In my mind, the effect is quite startling. The following is my subjective impression of the scene. A middle-aged man, physically aged a little beyond his years, is struggling to maintain a sense of dignity in a place that has lost all dignity. His poise is that of a person making a last stand, superficially brave, but obviously insecure nevertheless. He is not impervious to his surroundings, as evidenced by the self-mocking twitch of his lip. Although he wants to feel proud of his heritage and life, when confronted with the photographer he feels dissatisfied with his life, and his mixed feelings of self-pity and envy show through. However, he has learnt that he is in no position to do anything about his life and unfortunate circumstances, having tried several times, unsuccessfully, to improve his familys living conditions and quality of life. He was brought up in a religious dynasty, and because of the ingrained principles that still linger in his soul, is reluctant to remove the icon of his faith from his property, although his religion (Hinduism?) has offered no respite to his suffering. His tranquil eyes reflect his resigned state of mind, and the calm hopelessness that has embedded itself in his being. Of course, life goes on despite his poignant broodings -- the children continue to play on the raised veranda, and the wives gossip is only occasionally punctuated with sharp commands to disobedient kids, and the cows, sacred as they are, are left to roam at will throughout the dwelling place. The cooking fire smoulders on, and all would be normal if a guy with a Hexar Silver hadnt come along to give the day that distinctness which will be commented on for a day or two at the fish market.

 

This is a case of a photograph which really is worth a thousand words. As such, it is a worthy heir of the POW award, and a pleasant change from the snapshots of the last three weeks.

This dude look's like Col. Kurtz.

 

The horror,,,,,,,,,,

 

The horror,,,,,,,,,,

Well, a fine photograph, but I do say...it looks like HE!!! is smoking. (Bong has already mentioned this). I feel that this has 'ruined' the photograph for me (which is too bad, because I might really like it otherwise). He seems to be too far away from the actual scene to be part of it. An excellent job none the less...

 

Cheers and keep shooting,

K

It's a remarkable shot; what more can I say? I've lived most of my life in India, so you can safely forget any exotica points. This is something you can only do in photography presenting the inexplicable, the near-absurd, without a verbal statement. I dont call the background busy, I call it rich. Maybe a lot of guys here have been fed far too long on a thin, weak diet of rule-of-thirds, camera-club photography. My only regret is that the person's head isnt a little better separated from the sculpture just behind his right ear.

The picture is of a Brahmin Panda (or 'Dom Raja') priest or possibly of a grieving relative with freshly shaven head who has kept overnight vigil beside a cremation ground. This is confirmed by the stacks of cordwood in the lower right of the picture.The 'yak' is a cow, as pointed out above. This is likely an early morning or late evening photograph, judging by the mist.

It's a nice portrait with unorthodox composition, but I stated my reaction to this kind of picture -and a far more ghoulish and distasteful one in the portfolio-in a reaction to an exquisite and exquisitely tasteful picture of the week from the same location, Varanasi (Benares), by Wee Keng Hor.

http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo.tcl?photo_id=7061>http://www.photo.net/photodb/photo.tcl?photo_id=7061 .

I said then " I am also extremely pleased, speaking as a Hindu, that you've not included a picture of any actual cremations taking place (at least not noticeably), which unhappily, many visiting photographers tend to do little knowing that such crass perspectives, in the name of fearlessly depicting human reality, instead trash privacy, offend deeply, and exploit the physical openness of communal life in India.I've seen more than a few pictures of the riverfront in Varanasi that do just that. Very high marks to Mr. Wee Keng Hor for making a moving picture of Varanasi without resorting to such visual tactics."

Paul & Patriz apparently couldn't quite do the same apparently, much like many foreign visitors to this city.

I, for one, am dismayed.

I agree with Mani. This portrait was taken at one of the burning ghats in Varanasi. The person depicted is probably a relative (eldest son?) of the deceased who is standing next to the funeral pyre.

 

I don't know how the subject in this photo was approached by the photographer, but judging by another photo in the portfolio (close up of body in shroud on a pyre) I fear the worst. Imagine standing at the burial of your father/mother and being besieged by hordes of camera-toting tourists. BTW: if I'm not mistaken it's illegal to take photographs at or near the cremation site.

 

The only thing this kind of pictures show is extremely bad taste.

I found the picture interesting.

Good expression.

The halo around him is masking.Dodging i think.

 

"I fear the worst. Imagine standing at the burial of your father/mother and being besieged by hordes of camera-toting tourists. "

That just doesnt happen, so it's a false scare. About intrusion of privacy, that accusation can be made about just any kind of documentary photography. Go check out some of Mary Ellen Mark's stuff from the library. (Of course, she cultivated long-running relationships with many of her subjects).

"BTW: if I'm not mistaken it's illegal to take photographs at or near the cremation site."

All kinds of things are illegal in all kinds of countries. Telling the truth is often illegal. In India, photographing bridges is almost always illegal. You can be harrassed by a cop and be accused of being a Pakistani spy.

First thought came in my mind after looking at the pic is, whats the big deal..? Its just any other place in my home country, india. Technically the picture is not all that great, if the sky is less important backgrond, why include it..? if not included, since its a b&w, everything probably will be flat, the person won't stand out from the picture.

 

On the other hand, the expressions/feeling on the persons face is, unless made-up, a big plus. I also like the cow which is stepping down the stairs. But since i know that the location is Banares, overall picture makes me feel sad as i tend to think the smoke and burnt wood/ashes are part of human dead bodies they burn at Banares(kashi). I agree with Werner, really bad taste.

Sadly, I think an oppourtunity was lost here for a great shot. The look on this man's face and in his eyes should have been the subject, but sadly is not. The cow? walking down the stairs is such an unusual sight, that it becomes the subject. Maybe opening up a stop or two would have given more detail to the man, and reduced the tendancy for my eyes to go straight to the cow due to less depth of field. Maybe some fill flash would have done the same thing.

Havig lived in India for a long time I don't find this picture appealing. A lot has been said about this above. I would add; the statue next to the head of the man is distracting, it looks it is another person sititng there, but in rality it is not so.

So it doen't merit showing a natural scene effectively. However, the expression on the face of the man and cow stepping down are caught at the right time. Rest of the composition is very flat.

This is an interesting, well composed photo, but I find the dodge n' burn job done on it a bit too distracting. Perhaps the wierd glow truely is from smoke, but it looks suspiciously like dodging. What I can't understand is why so much; personally, I would like to see a bit more detail in the man's cloak; it seems a bit blown out (at least on my monitor set to 6500K).

 

Notice the odd dark spot near the cow's head; perhaps it truely is a shadow, but it doesn't seems to "jive" with the apparent light source.

 

Of course, my comments are highly subjective; I'd like to see a little more contrast, but that's me.

 

I have to agree with the previous poster who mentions images of exotic locations seem to instantly garner bonus points. However, this is a much more interesting photo than most.

 

All and all, I like the image, but wish I could see a less zealously dodge and burnt version of it posted.

 

 

Interesting, moody, exotic....like India.

India is a mind-boggling place that oft-times looks like its caught in another time. If you had a magic carpet it is one of the best places in Asia - the world - to land with a camera.

 

Brace yourselves....I wouldn't be surprised to see many more quality entrants from India.

 

Works for me.

Very interesting comp and subject

Just because this photograph gets under the skin of so many vain photographers who insist on a single isolated subject or who have a "rule-of-thirds camera club" mentality, I love it. But I don't know if I would put this on the wall. Something about the perspective and the sky. I do find the scene interesting, however.

I also believe that POW is giving bonus points to photographs from exotic locations. However, I don't see a way around this. It is easier to come up with an image that garners interest using exotic subjects than using ordinary subjects. Many of my favorite photographs are travel photographs. Some say that it is a myth that one needs to travel to take good photographs. I'm not sure.

I do think the powers who select POW should show some courage and back their selection with a brief explanation.

The taker of this picture takes things seriously (gear used, B&W film) but that is no excuse to be so invasive of a person's privacy.

 

No comment 'cos it only encourages this sort of stuff.

 

(average anyway)

 

Perhaps paul &patriz asked permission and should state that in his/her upload. Check out the responses to POW 'Week of August 14, 2000 by Richard Baillie'

Well, I must say the subject and the backdrop are rather intriguing... One thing does bother though: there seems to be a lack of clarity and light in this picture (too dark, details lost in shadow). Is this volountary or a not?

 

Congrats on making the pic of the week! : )

Nothing against the photog here, but I have seen far better photographs both in terms of composition and overall "feel" being put up on this site over the past days. Just as well, a few days back I posed a question in the moderated forum asking Phil and Bob how they make a photo of the week selection - it was promptly "zapped" to the unmoderated forum and neither of the addressed gave an answer. Funny, in this day and age of transparency!! The least they could do (and this would be great for amatuer photographers and professionals alike who use photo.net) would be to state just what they saw in the picture that it was selected as Photo of the Week. We're waiting . . .