Maria Jose From Brazil -1997 (flatbed scan of 8x10 print)

critique please

it's a very good portrait in beautiful b&w. Like the look you got when taking the photo. Don't mind the hair under her right eye. You should get rid however of the (power?)lines in the background and the trashcan. Nice work.

The expression is haunting and the model beautiful. You have done her justice. Ton, as always, is right about the wires and trashcan. Cheers

David,

About Ton's comment on Maria's photo. The power lines I can now fix thanks to Adobe. I could not do it at that time (1996-1997) in the darkroom.

 

The trash can is just there and stays. I would never use photoshop to alter a photo to that extent and I would not know how anyway. Maria was not a model. This was not a pose. This is how she was. I did not pose or coach her. She was just there and with her husband and so was the trash can. I spoke to them briefly; took that one shot an never saw her again.

 

I did mail her a print to Brazil. I still hear from them from time to time on email. A couple of years ago (2006) I received a family photo.

 

Meir, just a question out of interest. About removing that trashcan you state that you wouldn't alter a photo to that extent. I'm really curious about that. I think the trashcan as such is inconsequential while it doesn't add a thing to the quality of your photo just as removing it wouldn't diminish the overall quality. So I can see no way how that would influence the integrity of your photo?

Ton,

You are correct but....

The following is how I may soon occupy my time in the nursing home.......First, we should not call this thing a "trash can". Sounds bad. The city calls it a "waist container"...... I did not say the trash can is inconsequential. I too would rather it not be there now that everyone notices it. I did not see the trash can when I took the photo -or the wires......... The trash can does not add it diminishes the quality. But it is there. What can I do?.....I could not be intrusive and ask Maria to redirect herself and if I did her natural self would have flown away. This was not a ?pose? per se....Moreover, the beach was crowded. Shot from another angle there would be even more distractions, in fact so distracting that you might not notice Maria. And in fact good I did not include someone in the shot that did not wish to be included. The trash can did not mind........Maria lives in Brazil. She has a Fiber Base Print and the trash can is there (already). She will never see the photo without a trash can... I have sold this photo. The prints have and always will have a trash can. I cannot do a ?Product Recall?...... I have this print in my own collection. It is 12"x18" in an 18"x24" mat/frame I think 18" is about 45cm. The trash can is there. The print is in a crate in climate controlled storage in America with almost 200 more (most not on photo.net). I will never see this again with or without the trash can or any of them again or anything else......... When I am gone the storage lock will be cut and everything will be trashed. All the crates, the negatives, furniture, studio equipment, all of my books: poetry books, art, etc, my diaries, family photos and letters and a lot more. The photograph with the trash can, will end up in a trash can. Kind of appropriate........ The primary importance of the photo to me is the negative not the print. The trash-can will always be on the negative. ...... I do not have the Photoshop skills to alter this photograph in such a way that would not be obvious on a 16"x20" blowup.....

Yes, recently, I do make archival-rag digital prints but since the negative is in America I cannot make a digital print of this photo unless someone pays the airfare and hotel...... Should the digital print be different than the wet darkroom print? I think not and as long as there are two versions, it is misleading... Along that same line of misleading, if I take out the trash can it is a statement that "this is how it is/was" and that is not how it was. I am very purist about this. The documentary aspect of this photo if any supersedes any artistic. I made a lot of mistakes taking the photo and printing it. merit./meir

 

I'm not very content with the sanguine manner in which you propose letting everything you have created just go into the trash. Please reconsider. It is of too high a quality to have so little concern for its future. Secondly, this is a fine photo with or without the trash can. I like your purist approach, although I have no plan to adopt it. I do not do photo journalism, and therefore feel no obligation to vouch for any particular reality that one imagines exists in an image of mine.

David is right in his first statement, but I've already told you the same. On his second I feel exactly the same. But let's forget about the trash can.

 

"The documentary aspect of this photo if any supersedes any artistic" Problem is I can see no documentary aspect without your explanation and by now it should be clear that this is valued because of it's artistic value.

I cannot answer. I have no time. I have homework to do :-)

Wery beautiful natural portrait. Please do nothing with PhotoShop. I use this program proffesionaly but PLEASE, Let photography be photography! (-; Best regards. P.S. Trash is the part of situation, this is not commercial studio. Some people dont understand this kind of "moment photography"

I also (like Jacek) am quite surprised by all this worry about the power lines and rubbish bin, and the hair under her eye, in my opinion they are very good details... and they all contribute in creating a scene for this very serene portrait. she's beautiful. kind regards, rob.

Critiques are a curious thing, eh? I am an amateur photographer (at best) with no formal training. Right-brain dominant, I am either drawn into an image or not, and if so, there are no power lines, no trash can.......only that which elicited my initial reaction. Perhaps peering into the eye of a beautiful, naked woman leaves some with no option but to turn their attention elsewhere.............I can't take mine off of her. Wish I had shot it.

Thank you for taking your time to look and leave a message. I am dropping a not of by your page.

I've enjoyed very much the comments/discussion here. Indeed, a prime example of varying perspectives. The beauty lies in so many levels: skin deep female beauty - it'd be nice to remove the waste container and power lines; free and easy holiday with her husband sitting in the breeze, allowing a stranger to visit and photograph - the container and lines are a pure part of the picture. To me the beauty which strikes me is that a brief momentary experience which might well pass into oblivion lives on. Let's not be mistaken, however, that such a moment is living on a piece of editable media - neg., print, disc - it lives in the mind, and indeed will be trashed upon death. Instead of trying to photograph all those moments, I think we should just try to witness them. Sometimes, about .01% of the times, we'll capture them. But I don't think they should be edited.

Thanks,

Franz

This is a beautiful portrait with the contrasty look that I admire in so much of your work on Photo.net. I love how her light-coloured ear-rings contrast starkly with her dark hair -- it really attracts the eye towards her face. The much-debated trash can does not disturb me in the slightest and breaks up what would otherwise be an empty expanse of white, which otherwise might lead the eye away from her face.

 

In a perfect world, it would have been nice to have softer light. The straight lines and harsh light transitions of the shadows detract from the tonal gradients and curved lines of the photo. But the moment presented itself in the light that was available, and you seized the moment! I also agree that it might be worth considering removing the power lines.

 

Nice shot, Meir. I'm just discovering your work this morning and it's quite inspiring!

 

Hello Meir . Beautiful her pose . Congratulations !

Meir, this just a great shot, a real woman and I do not care about the "Trash container " well done , congratulations // Salvador

Thank you very much for your visit and comment

 

I like it very much, a great image. BR.

I love this portrait. If I understand it right, you have scanned it from a rag print. It looks soooo real. Probably the best scan I have ever seen.

 

The lighting, beautiful skin tone, wind blown hair, earrings --- all are perfect. Frankly, I did not even notice the can and lines in the background, which are nicely soft focus. I see her and the over all design -- the shape of her shoulders against the area of light sand surrounding her and the horizontal ban of foliage with the well-toned band of sky.

 

The idea of reportage is that it be should be unretouched and I agree with you about keeping the integrity with the original negative. I heard that Henri Cartier Bresson did not want to have his photos cropped. Whatever was in the negative, that WAS the photo.

 

Cheers, Leora

 

 

So you are saying that sometimes trash cans help :-) Yours is nicer than mine.

Thank you for compliments. Yes it is flat bed scan of a Ilford FB print. The photo was before digital cameras. Maria lives in Brazil. I used to hear from them from to time..

so you are saying that trash cans can help. Yours is a nicer trash can than mine :-)