old musicien

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Non so come funziona questo forum, in ogni caso cercherò di apportare un mio contributo...in italiano in quanto faccio fatica ad esprimere troppi concetti in inglese....La foto mi piace molto. Un bel b/n con una bella gamma di grigi e ottimo contrasto. Quello che vedo io e che mi fa apprezzare l' immagine è la posizione dell'uomo inquadrato di schiena con lo strumento chiuso nella custodia. Pare che stia aspettando qualcuno...o qualcosa. Non mi da l' idea di sentirsi solo. Mi pare sospeso in una situazione di attesa......

As a normal behaviour I'm not so eager to post my detailed thoughts in the POW's forum (there is no reason but indolence), but taking into account that "the winner" is an Italian friend, I will make an exception. First of all I want to congratulate Andrea because this "medal" awards an incredibly rich and beautiful portfolio and, in particular, this photo.
Secondly I need to divide the aesthetic evaluation from the technical one and I'll start form this last. The B&W seems the right choice for this picture, but the lights and not only the highest ones are deeply burned out by what I feel a severe overexposure, probably due to the high contrast in the scene where, indeed, the middle and dark greys look well exposed.
Nevertheless, and this is my aesthetic viewpoint, the picture convey to me anxiety, unhappiness, sense of failure and, at the same time, a sense of waiting, as if the old musician were hoping the last chance has not gone through yet. I must admit — even if I criticised the overexposures — that the overexposures themselves contribute in a relevant way to this emotional result. If a pictorial comparison were allowed I'd say that this picture is very closed to some Edward Hopper's paintings.
Lastly I would say to the Elves, that yes, this picture deserves the discussion! (Well, i know, this is not the PN policy place...)

The composition and the light contrast coresponds perfectly with the story Andrea told us here.

I like the shot, I find that the picture has solid compostion that realates well with the tittle. I like the use of the light from the window to creat this scene with it strong contrasts from over and under exsposed areas, this adds to the picture as I see it. Its interesting to shoot the man from behind as I feel most people seach for shots where the main subjects face is showing. For me this picture works really well as it is. A very good picture that does not follow the main stream.

good shot...good depth of field and b&w make it more impressive...a deep feeling and sadness is clear in this pic...thnx for sharing...regards.

It feels like everyone and everything has left this room except the musician.. Musician himself is about to leave.. "there's only few lines left to finish", and this "about to leave" lasts for few years already. The overflowing light, angle of shooting, flowers went dry add some surreal feeling. I'm enjoying exploring it. Bravo!

I never understood this concern with some of the lights being burned. So the end result is white: is that so bad? There are some pleasant tones in this photo: lights and shadows on the cello case and the furniture. There is however an overall sense of opacity that is not pleasant: which is understandable considering that the shot was taken facing the light source. Somewhat nice picture, but overall, I don't see any reason to rave about it. Sometimes I wonder why people rave about some picture more than others. ???

For me there is so much bright white my eyes keep going there instead of focusing on the subject. I feel the entire window at right could be cropped out as well as a small section at top. Tried it in PS. It gives a square format in which the subject is more easily focused on. It's just a thought.
Congrats on POW

Well,
You can't make good photo just because you put some musician's back there and convert it to bw with too high contrast.

This one is severely overexposed which does not make any sense to me - half of the picture has no details at all. BW conversion is nothing interresing. Contrast is pushed too far (darks washed out either). It also seems oversharpened, maybe sharpening was applied to resizing? And it all in just a random place we can hardly guess where or what it is and we do not even care because it does not look too much interresting.

I do not see any point in saying good thing about bad things here. This is not a flickr...

At first, my response was to think only of overexposure. I looked several more times, and I came to the conclusion that the composition and the story of the photograph far outweighed what may have been a technical oversight.

I see the musician sitting in a room that appears to be both empty and desolate (hence, the overblown white) What a commentary this is on the fate of musicians everywhere. There are so many gifted people who refuse to sell out to commercialism and/or conventionalism. They don't attract a great deal of company; nor are they considered successful. The white in the photograph is cold, and cold is the feeling too many of these people experience.

This is one of the fundamental flaws of our society. Andrea, this photograph has an extraordinary message, exposing this flaw. I think it is masterful.

My sincere compliments,

michael

Actually I think the over exposure of the windows is what makes the composition. Perhaps it's just an anglo-american-metephor but "going into the light" is a euphimism for death, and a white hair musician, sitting alone at a table shouded in darkness but surrounded by brilliant light, tells that story nicely.
On third look, the white also evokes a sense of "silence" which postioned against this being a picture of a musician is also interesting.

First, really thanks to the site that choosed this photo, and sincerely thanks to all the friends that have spent , and will spend, their time looking and critiquing it.

I have been very surprised for the choise, becouse this is a photo that i love, but i think is a lost occasion. This photo made me not sure about the digitals reflex… and at the end made me decide to choose a better reflex. So, it is also an expensive photo.

Our passion make us shot a lot, and often – i am the first one – we shot without to have good subjects. When an interesting situation arrives (i’m talking about streets, of course), we see, and feel, the difference.

This was something like that. There was a lot of people in that restaurant, when suddenly i saw that the woman was alone with their instrument. So i went in the position i thought was better, and shooted. When i did it, i was suere thet the window had ruined all, but i had no time to walk in the menus for choosing the spot exposure (so after i choosed a camera with external commands, as the analogic). I know very well that the most important affair is that a photo tells, not that is perfect, but without any doubt with an other exposure this photo had been very better telling. Not for the windows, but becouse the woman loose his posture, that i remember was a very tired posture. And the white hairs….

ciao, and thanks again!

I was drawn to the implied emotion of the subject and felt there was a sense of loneliness. There is a debate here about whether the over-exposure works or detracts from the image. For myself, I tend to prefer my pics a little under-exposed and I think that would work here too; perhaps giving a sense of gloomy darkness. I found the light from the left window too distracting. But again, this is a personal preference and not a compaint of the photo. I appreciate that this photo kept my interest after viweing it more than once. Good shot and thanks for the oportunity to see your work.

My first impression with this image is that I am looking down a funnel , where all the visual interest is clogged down the hole. It all becomes too confusing and complicated. This works as an opposite to the open, space around which carries a feeling of extreme emptyness . The white windows and blackened areas express a severe condition. The old woman almost seems sufficated by the intensity of her surroundings. The decision to push the contrast ,really, creates the mood. The image might succeed more with a closer composition, as Kens crop indicates, but including the window on the right , for me . kicks up the emotion by making the composition less comfortable ( Comfort is often the unfortunate aim of many crops).
I like the consistency within the image. Empty windows, empty hanging pots, empty room, perhaps an empty life. The photographer suceeded in imparting these emotions , but IMO failed to pull the most effective composition from the scene.

Despite the white hair and old-fashioned shoes, I don't see "old"... I see a modern fibreglas cello case hiding someone who may be deep in thought.

The big blank window spaces appear to be the result of fear of getting close to the subject. Reducing the musician to nothing more than "old" suggests the photographer didn't have the courage to directly engage her...

I wish the photograph showed the musician rather than all that useless space.

Perhaps "old" implies a technical skill that has been superseded by the music of today rather than in the context of time as applied to age (perhaps, but not sure). I like the composition here because, with the title, it gives away just enough information to the audience while allowing them to reflect introspectively (we all get old, we all question our usefulness from time to time). The high light key tones of the windows serve well here, they remind me of 'inevitability' or rather the imminent death that awaits us all, or perhaps white washed memories. An unusual choice by the elves but a great image by Andrea so a well deserved POW

So..... the subject is a woman?.... perfect...... her instrument by her side is her lifelong companion... cozy in it's case... protected... I love how the light hits the instrument's case and the chair she sits it.... I believe the subject has taken off the shoes... sweet... a quiet moment with her companion...great choice for bw and intense light.... I love this file folder, Andrea... warmest regards....just me ;-D

I am so glad Sheryl responded as she did... all this talk of death seems so... morbid (ha).

That people read fear and death into this image is not to be unexpected. Many people fear old age and are afraid of old people, because I think they themselves fear death.

I hope to god that I am able to practice what I love well into my old age, and at the end of each performance, sit and be comfortable in a restaurant (by the ocean?) as I wait or make plans for whatever may come next.

I think the exposure is perfect; open, bright with no flare, full mid-tones and strong rich blacks... t

(and I love the comment "i had no time to walk in the menus" and will begin using that phrase myself. The moment is much more important than the camera settings... f8 and be there)

Though overexposure has been mentioned quite a lot, I wonder if the photographer could tell us if the original shot was, instead, underexposed. That would explain why the blacks on the bass case and the shadows on the wall under the window are so black and strong. Either it was underexposure or there was extreme levels work done in post processing to attempt to bring the highlights way down and that's how the blacks got so out of hand. Perhaps there was a severe contrast adjustment. The shadows on the wall wind up looking like smeared charcoal, and that seems more a result of processing than a likely result of overexposure. If this were overexposed to begin with, as many people seem to think, why wouldn't those shadows and the blacks on the bass case read better?

The photo is simply wonderful! Tells everything in its simplicity, there is an atmosphere of sweet melancholy, and the picture is simply fantastic. This image expresses many feelings, what words can not say for me .... a masterpiece!

Riconoscimento meritatissimo. La luce abbacinante, ordinata dal ritmo delle finestre, e' la musica che inonda i pensieri del vecchio musicista. Grande forza espressiva e simbolica.

FANTASTICA!!!! Concordo parola per parola con Claudio. Luci perfette, ottima inquadratura, grande sensibilità. BRAVISSIMO! 10/10

Well, Rita, you know (if you read my previous message) that I appreciate this picture a lot for his emotional value

Ciao Andrea,

innanzi tutto complimenti per la foto grandiosa. A dirti la verità ho riconsicuto a prima vista che si trattava di uno scatto fatto alla "Bussola" sulla spiaggia delle ghiaie probabilmente qualche anno fa. Oggi infatti il posto ha cambiato aspetto.

Magari prima o poi mi viene anche in mente come si chiama la tipa.

Complimenti di nuovo per il bello lo scatto fatto a "Casa mia" (Elba).

 

an optimal shoot in a optimal place...... Compliments Paolo