THE BAKER

Is there anymore room for a comment??!! ;-)

 

This one is my favourite so far from your recent series of restaurants "promotion"....it seems so sincere and direct....keep it up!

 

Regards

 

 

Dave;

 

You are a lucky guy if these recent shots are representative of the spirit of your hometown. This guy seems bursting with an almost childlike pride in his shop. I bet he bakes lots of that joy into his breads and pastries.

This is very good, David. The project is a nice idea and you've composed the picture in a perfect way. I like the placement of your characters in their environment as well as the angle and color. Very nice, humane and authentic. I enjoy this humane approach to photographying people infinitely.

Muchas gracias por el comentario. De veras el pan de este panaderia es sabroso.

Thanks. It is a simple piece.

Many folks think my town is paradise. I find it a bit confining and intellectually deficient. But it is sage to walk the streets and, like most other places, it has its share of good folks.

Thanks for your thoughts. I'm not being modest, but I must say that I don't feel most of the images I'm doing for this book have the kind of meat to them that I would like. But, under the circumstances they will have to suffice.

"I must say that I don't feel most of the images I'm doing for this book have the kind of meat to them that I would like."

 

That's a significant thing to say. Can you elaborate? What kinds of things are lacking for you. I think articulating those would be an important first step in getting results in the future that you'll be more satisfied with. If you could talk some about this lack of "meat" you're feeling, I bet we could get a discussion going that might prove helpful.

What I meant was when one compares these images to something like Dorothea Lange's migrant farm worker mother and children, or some of Mary Ellen Marks images or Arbus's. Those suckers just grab you and don't let go. Of course I know it is absurd to compare myself to such luminaries. That will only lead to an inferiority complex. But that is what I meant by the statement.

A very interesting discussion David & Fred...

 

I think anyone seriously interested in photography can ask this kind of question...what would make a photograph worth and touching, what could make it last in memory more than a little time due to the enourmous amount of image present everywhere....what would make it worth so see again and again like the Migrant Mother and the other example you're refering to...

 

Not easy to answer, even less to capture...for me the difference between a good one and a iconic photo is sometimes very little....a way of capturing something touching, an expression...something deep that radiates from the image...a bit of life that gets magically caught in the picture and makes it much larger than the model it presents...I think this kind of things that makes a difference is practically impossible to plan...the photographer can make a difference of course (both technically and on the human side)...for example the Migrant Mother has got this expression of someone that has endured so much that being photographed or not makes no difference anymore, she has let it out and the image captured this truth...

 

I really think that making such picture requires a huge patience, dedication to the subject and some luck to be there at the right time...the best image comes when the subject is in the state to let it go in front of the camera....either because trust is there and the camera is practically forgotten or when the subject is in a state to ignore the camera and give a bit of truth on the expression side...

 

This is very difficult to achieve for amateurs (like me) I guess...I am not talking on technique here but on the kind of patience and dedication to a foreign subject that capturing a true moment in life requires....

I agree with Laurent that the subject of the photo has to be in a certain state. I also think the photographer can help create that state, or at least a space where that state can be reached by the subject. I agree, too, with Laurent that expression is a key. I'd add atmosphere.

 

Everyone will naturally work their own way and find ways to enrich their work. Something I know I found helpful was taking a lot of close-ups at the beginning. Interestingly, that seemed easier to me than standing back and including place and environment in my portraits. I know getting in close is more difficult for others. What it allowed for was learning to understand, to read, and to help create expression and moments. Now that I am stepping back a bit more and including more in my frames, I feel I have a good sense of expressions that will work in my photographs. I also really do love connecting with the people I photograph.

 

As I read through the comments here, I think there is a repeating theme among them and I think you can take those comments and push yourself further with them in mind. Sometimes, the compliments people give me get me to change as much as the criticisms. I think looking at this next to a Dorothea Lang may be misleading, because they are different in nature to begin with. Your subjects are not meant to elicit the same kind of pathos as hers. Not that studying Lang will ever hurt, but I might also look elsewhere, at those working with more lighthearted subjects and more everyday situations.

 

Do you ever shoot these people in action? What does he do inside the shop? His hands full of dough, or smiling because he's engaged with one of his customers. Does he sweep away those leaves in the morning? As for atmosphere, what about those leaves? What if someone were entering or exiting his shop as you shot? There's movement and energy to consider in addition to expression and atmosphere. Do you think you're looking for more complexity? I'm not sure. You might eventually wind up with this kind of very simple and effective shot standing in front of his store, but you might, by going through other kinds of motions, be able to bring more of the depth of expression you seem to want. And, even if you don't wind up using them, I'd still consider taking some close ups and finding ways to get their eyes speaking to the camera. One thing I'm conscious of in Lang's work is Intimacy.

The Baker & the photographer have many things in common,Dave.I wish both of you best of luck during these days of recession.

Congrats on getting the book gig. I hope the $$$ is good.

Again.. I know these shots are outside you comfort zone, but it is looking very good.

 

there is a nack for taking vernacular shots and even though you may not think so, you do have that nack. You have the eye for balance and composition that makes this an interesting shot. Keep at it and post as much as you can on thsi porject.

 

Kudos again Mr. Boss man