action reportage

great image, It is definitely different and original in composition. light enhancement works well here against the backdrop scenery a worthy POW

This is certainly a high quality reportage photo, perhaps the most exciting in your portfolio, Luigi. However, I do not know if I am quite comfortable with the feeling of danger for all involved -- with an escape to a heliocopter that has a questionable landing place on an incline near a precipice.

 

But maybe that is the point! It is like taking the leap into marriage. If this were a movie the next frame would be a close up on their terrified faces, as they come closer to the edge. And then relief when they scramble into the heliocopter, as it lifts off with the bride's dress blowing in the wind and the groom holding on tight.

 

Ciao, Leora

Well, I think this photo is good, and you can go on all day about how much to crop. I agree that a little bit of cropping is warranted on the upper left cloud and branch. But I think the clouds are important to the photo because it makes it that much vaster? is that a word. Anyway you know what I mean. I guess the composition is good, I mean the shooter didn't have a lot of time to stage this right? Overall I think its a good POW and worthy of discussion. Speaking of POW's the photo for a moment made me think of the Great Escape movie rather than a couple heading to their honeymoon. Who are those people anyway?? Well done Luigi.

Giday

Very well set and shot... for me its about the couple not the helicopter, the helicopter is an element in the shot and nothing else, the image converges into some point of escape, cool idea.

 

I looked at all your images, thank you, I am impressed with your imagination and ability. Hard stuff to bring a new feel to weddings photography. For me some work better than others, but a wedding is a tough assignment. Brilliant tones, I was interested to know if you shot digital or film and did you use a red or yellow filter.

 

Thanks again

An incredible, stunning image! Why can't I get to shoot weddings like this?

Pay no attention to the croppers here, the image is well composed as-is. I can't help but want to see this in color, though. Did you shoot this in color? If so, please post it!

i wouldn't change the crop at all. the pic looks great and has tremendous impact as is. the 1/3 rule is a wast... you're cropping out the clouds. i love the cumulus in the shot. leave it alone!!! this is my most favorite wedding image i've ever laid eyes on in my life!!!! i am jealous!!! LOVE ITTTTT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

it's been a long time that any image hasn't made me say "I love photography!!" Your photo is one of the images that make me say this

Beautiful black and white tones and a fun shot. The groom bothers me a good deal with the ballooning of his jacket and that tail sticking out. It looks like he is wearing a chicken suit. All part of the fun of the moment but it is a bit distracting.

I've never posted a comment before, although I've been a "lurking" member for quite some time. I'll confess that I'm quite the amateur when it comes to the sport of "shutterbugging" but as some sagacious soul once noted: "I don't know nuthin 'bout art... but I know what I likes!" And I like this picture. I find the content intriguing. Is it intended to be metaphoric? Symbolic? Whimsical?
The original and 2 of the three crops maintain the centrality of the image. I find my eyes drawn to the center of the photo as if all lines are converging toward the focal point of the chopper in a swooping rush. A slower shutter speed may have captured an interesting blur of movement toward the center by the bride, the groom and a spinning main rotor. All three tails... the helicopter, the train of the bride's gown and the flipped up tail of the tux all seem to rush toward the center of the image. As does the linearity of the mountains, the edge of the meadow, the main rotor blades, etcetera. The crop of the photo with the bride, groom and helicopter shifted to the left doesn't quite do it for me. I think that the lighting, tonality and contrast are excellent... especially keeping in mind that the photo was captured within a heartbeat. If the image was shot in color, I'd really like to see that rendition as well. All in all, it's a fabulous photo!
Congratulations!

Michael

Great location, and wonderful idea! I'm really blown away by this concept!
Rajat Poddar is on the right track in assessing the image and clearly this person's crop is much more captivating than the original. However, I believe the reasoning is not as clear as it could be, and can be clarified with a more classical, "art history" approach. The real challenge to the original crop stems from two points - the leading lines, both implicit and explicit, and the placement of the horizon.
I'll start with the horizon, since it's simplest to describe. It splits the image directly in half, creating two separate parts between the sky and the foreground. I recognize that the horizon is obscured by the movement of the mountains on the right; but the dark mass of rock in the middle ground (edge of frame on left) and the tail of the helicopter itself both serve as devices to define the horizon. It's too bad, because my instinct tells me this is a very near miss on a wonderfully dynamic 2-point perspective composition. Instead the focus is drawn to a very small and boring position in the image, which brings me to the second part...
In regards to the leading lines. You have all these wonderful triangles. A cloud in the upper left, pointing directly to the middle of the frame, the ground that the bride and groom are standing on is a big wedge, receding into space, the layers of mountains on the right all create lines which push toward the middle. With a big aid from the brightest highlight in the image, the left prop blade, they all push the viewers eyes directly to the connection point for the blades at the top of the helicopter. Even the horizon line trends the eye toward this point. Not our main point of interest.
While the horizon issue really is a fairly rudimentary faux pas and my opinion on that stands firm, now that I think about it; I wonder if simply burning down the highlight on the left blade and dodging back some detail in the blocked up area that is the groom's lower half would be enough to save the original composition. (my apologies if there is in fact detail in his legs - the black rendering of my laptop monitor sucks) I wouldn't hold my breath, but it would be better than no changes. A more ideal crop or a slightly different angle is still the best choice.

To start with, I have to say, I wish I had taken this photograph! This is a very difficult image to comment about. It is rich, powerful, inspiring and above all, brings to my mind a lot of associations. Indeed, life is like a mountain: one can climb up or down. One starts this new adventure "near the summit", there is something left to conquer... The back of the people allows me to imagine anyone starting a new and exciting experience... The man has the supporting lower position, while the woman, more like a giant butterfly, adds power and delicacy... The richness of the landscape, top to bottom, adds a last invitation to the adventure providing all it has in the open. The only element that is somehow bothering is the chopper, but it gets lost in the general beauty of the image. As to the BW quality, it is excellent on my calibrated monitor!!! I have seen it on a second one I use, not calibrated, and the image was unexciting. Please my friends, go and buy a calibration device. It costs a small fraction of the price of a good lens... Viewing this picture is like sitting in concert hall and listening to a Beethoven quartet. Writing this comment leaves me with the feeling that I start to clap hands before the music ends. But here, the music does not end...

This picture is not only interesting but also has a sense of humour in it. The way their dress is flowing , of course it is because of the wind thanx to the helicopter, but it shows that are in a hurry to enjoy every bit after their wedding. The composition is great, the tonal variations are superb and the clouds add to the celebration. Lovely and one of the rare wedding pictures. Great Job and greater sense of timing.

Magnifiscent in all aspects.
The above crop suggestions are all killing the dynamic of that trully good photograph.
If I would make an attempt of critic, I would say that the helo is not centered well to make it a real masterpiece. But that's secondary.

The natural enviroment of its own is really spectacular with the low light and the intense contrast in the sky.But the "just married" couple and the swinging chopper are coming to ground you to the "urban life".Their rush is full of charm and fun, an enchanting and very amusing photo.Great work.Regards

Congratulations, Luigi, on a fantastic photo and POW. I also fall into the camp that prefers your original composition over the tighter crops. The tighter crops lose the sense of the vast expanse that lies before the couple. Others might find the gray clouds in the upper corners distracting, but I think that they add to the element of risk and danger. I would consider cropping out the leaves in the upper left corner, but even that might be too much. Congratulations again.

It is a very unusual wedding photo. I find the central point of the couple in composition justified in this scene. Entering the photo this occurrence is the main center of attraction, only later my eye looks at the surrounding. The surrounding lines and forms leads to that center ,and adds to the feeling of the vast area and special event. A nice triangle is created by the bride's dress, groom and the helicopter rotor, and some more in the landscape( only the Upper L clouds and leaves are taking a bit too much attention). I like Rajat's version and treatment as it did not lose the center and vastness, but in any event it is an interesting POW.

 

Congratulation Luigi.

what Rajat's and Gordon's crops do is preven the viewing eye from getting around the two figures. That means the viewer is right behind them, headed to the chopper just as they are. In the original posting, the viewer can race around them, or race off to the mountains on either side. Not so with the crop: The viewer must wait his or her turn.

Why this is photo of the week fails me ...it is so awkward and poorly composed but then why I ask myself is that the cae ? Why ...well if the photographer had stood up he may have lost his head and his camera !!! Thats why ...but eve4n so its what 21 or 24 mmm on full-frame and he couldve separated the Heli from the wedded couple ... wouldve been a rush on video tho...action! As a still its poor for me ...even Larry Burrows in Vietnam gave us great composition under fire!

It is quite surreal tho and gives us a clue as to what a great shot it couldve been....4 out of 10n from me ...are they eloping???:)

What really makes this photo IMHO is that it is both very interesting and very powerfully metaphorical , I think anyone would be very happy to capture such a photo. Fist: Its interesting because of the juxtaposition of elements, everything seems out of context in the fist few milliseconds ( a bride and a groom running into a helicopter in the mountains!!), but then when the brain starts decoding it to finding the logical ties, things start looking logical, and small but lovely unconscious aha moment is born in our brains. That does not happen in everyday photos. Secondly, We start to give meaning to things, and here comes the powerful metaphor of this photo, its like a new ride, or a new adventure in life, a real takeoff if u will, and thats what make it very meaningful. I think this is a very good photo, maybe its not a perfect photo, but surly this photo will stay long in our minds. Best Regards.

I love this.It really captures what life can be like .The married couple embarking on an adventure together.Very original and well done image.

Personally I like the shot as it is... Wouldn't crop a thing. Both versions that have been cropped above - remove the drama, the story of the location and now miss the feeling of the viewer "being there"....

I get an overwhelming and exciting sense of the moment with the bigger picture.

Great photo!!! I admire it!!! Theoretically (just theory of course) it would be even more extremely interesting (anyway it is) for me if I could see only the near foreground and the far background mountain-lines without the smooth slope at right. It would look more isolated the background.. more abyss the future.. My congratulations!

This picture is perfect exactly as it is! The suggestions to crop the photo are ridiculous as the clouds and expanse of the frame add to the photo. Personally I would PS the branch out of the upper left frame, but I love the photo without ANY crop. The posters above who suggested cropped versions of the image have ruined it IMHO.
The B&W tones are GREAT...the exposure is GREAT and the composition works for me. People need to remember that this isn't a studio shot...the photographer captured a magical moment in a split second. MAGICAL shot, wish it was mine!

Great shot, congrats! Fantastic tone and texture and the mood. But just a tiny thought - if the bride had been wearing a veil on her hair, and it is flying in the wind, it would have enhanced the"wind factor" as evidenced by the gown and the jacket. As it is, the bride's hair is so in-place that it negates the credibility of the prevailing atmospheric condition, like an "out of sync" situation.

Hi, sincere thanks for your compliments, comments and criticisms, I find them constructive and very helpful as a stimulus for doing things better. In reality, today, after many years that I am doing this work, thru photography, I try to capture an emotion, a real situation, to come as close as possible to the heart and soul of the people. Even the technical aspect is very important such as a perfect shot or a precise angle, but I think that what counts (particularly regarding a reportage, ‘a true reportage’) is to capture an instant, a moment, that a second before or half a second after, will never exist again. Thanks to everyone. See you soon and ‘buone foto’! Luigi