Bearded Man

I am trying to overcome my fear of photographing strangers. I asked

this man for permission and he kindly said yes. I hope I see him

again sometime.

nice catch. I really like the emossion you captured in his eyes.

Very nice...he looks like he would have a story or two to tell.

This is a nice photo, so don't be afraid ;-)

If I were you, I would change the crop. I wish I could see his entire head including the cap. Looking forward to your future photos of strangers.. Best regards, Aleksa

 

Well done, he certainly has an amazing face.

I too would like to see a little more of his head.

I bet this would make the most amazing B&W or toned!

 

Simon

Mike! Way to go on the asking and nice work on the capture! His weathered face is wonderful! The stories I bet he can tell! Thanks for sharing. Doug

Thanks for you comments folks I really appreciate your thoughts and suggestions, I really do find them helpful. He is quite a character isn't he. I am not sure how to interpret the expression in those eye but I'd say a little bit of sadness, maybe a touch of nervousness and distrust. He was a very nice man in our brief meeting and spoke softly and kindly.

I agree that this is a very unusual crop isn't it. I did so for several reasons,

- The photo is a snapshot. I was so surprised and unprepared for this man letting me take his photo I paid no attention to the background and wound up with a horizon cutting through his hat at a strange angle and not looking very good at all. I also haven't worked up the nerve to direct people "turn your head a little left please" when I am photographing them - especially this man who I interrupted in his afternoon walk. It's something I need to work on, especially with strangers.

- The only tangible thing I truly found interesting about this man is his face, he was wearing a rather plain snowsuit and hat, wearing gloves and using 2 wooden sticks as 'hiking staffs'. The sticks actually were interesting, as was his posture with them but I was after a shot of his face and long, wonderful beard. The background at the time was bland and the lighting was unremarkable - grey and overcast.

-So those two reasons necessitated a close crop. I fiddled with some more nicely centered crops, but stayed with this one as it really is kind of unusual with the eyes so high in the frame. Being so close to this man's face, and being unusual in it's cropping combine to make me feel kind of uncomfortable, I don't know where to look. I was hoping I would have conveyed this.

I will post the original as it was in camera below.

=)

Love p

I like the way you've brightened things up, Ghulam. I'll have to look out for that in the future.

Hi Mike, personally i think your cropping is fine. By cropping close you increase the sense of connection with your subject and the intimacy of the portrait. If i may make a few suggestions, i think that the focus is a bit soft and it lacks a bit of contrast. I hope you dont mind, I've done an alternative edit: I increased the contrast, corrected the color balance a little, and sharpened it a bit. See what you think. Regards - michel

Wow Michel you've turned him into a coal-miner. I love seeing variations of pictures and appreciate it, thank you.