The Pool Cleaner

Great shot, Jeff. Makes me flight in time... Kind regards.

Awesome and exquisite. Great effect in B/W. Rgds.

hey Jeff... something about this shot reminds me of the bizarre born again religious rituals ... ;-). A bit dark about the face I suppose... But it's probably as you intended as it adds to a mysterious vibe that actually serves the picture. The Pool Cleaner works (for me). Carlos

That is beautiful photo, Jeff.

with greetings

Jose: I was going through vacation pictures, and this did make me fly back in time. Thanks.

 

 

Kaushik: Thanks so much for your thoughts on this.

 

 

Carlos: This does have the feel of a baptismal--perhaps the light makes it so. I tried to lighten the face a bit, but it made the photo look too ordinary, so I brought the light back down again. The original was brightly colored in Caribbean blues, pinks, and yellows. The B&W seemed less about place and more about experience. Thanks.

You were posting while I was posting. Thanks for your thoughts. I'm hoping I'll have a ton of time next week to go exploring in other people's portfolios.

You seem to have time travelled back to the baths of ancient Rome. That's a neat trick and one I'd like to learn.

Jeff, with is his magic wand, has created a powerful image of contrast in B & W. But the guy at the pool seems to have trouble in fathoming depth of the pool and feels lost.The chiaroscuro effect is fascinating.

Awesome work, Jeff. This shot has got my attention. The tones, the mans actions, the soft edges..not to mention the b/w/ work. awesome work. Well done, my friend. Regards, Lawrence.

I find this a very intriguing picture for a lot of reasons. Formally speaking everything fits: composition, BW treatment and contrasts, subject. What is left is interpretation and reaction. It is wonderful to see/read how various people respond to this photo.

This is great! Lovely B/W tones, light and treatment.

Excellent! This reminds me of some of the paintings done for the WPA for some reason - the muscles in his arms and the chisled features of his face I guess. That, and he seems perfectly trapped in a different time and place - somewhere distant and slightly unreachable. The great lightness to the water really sets off the darker background and draws you into the image. I also like the room you gave the subject with the crop - nicel long frame to surround his thoughts with. Another great addition to your portfolio-

Mark

This is like a dream it is so soft and your B/W is fantastic. Thank you for sharing. Take care

Superb capture, Jeff. High quality b/w scene with a delight of contrast and atmosphere. Excellent photograph! Congrats!

original and nice..congrats

Really nice work, Jeff. I like the way you have blurred and darkened, the way you have presented the subject and his aspect. Very well done.

Jeff, this is a incredible image. The softness tends to make this a very contemplative photograph, both in the viewing and of the subject.

A definite favorite, thus marked as one.

 

Regards, Todd

I like this a lot. The vignette, lighting and overall softness is very nice.

this one is nice, but i have issues with the romantisation due to the vignetting effect. seem to be the only one though.

Jack: The good-old days of Rome, when everyone got their bonuses and the peasants didn't stir up any trouble about it.

 

 

A.K.: This guy seemed so focused on his job. I took many pictures of people during my vacation, but few held any lasting interest.

 

 

Lawrence: These days, I typically don't do a whole lot of PS post-production work, perhaps five minutes or so, but on this one, I thought a little softening and selective burning saved a ho-hum picture. Thanks.

 

 

Frank: This does require a little projection. The guy was incredibly friendly, very willing to have his photo snapped.

 

 

Inger: Thanks, I'm more drawn to B&W these days.

 

 

Mark: Yep, there's a Thomas Hart Benton feel to the picture, glorifying work to some degree.

 

 

Cynthia: I've been keeping up with your forays into PS transformation, and I won't deny that this was inspired to some degree by some of your recent experiments.

 

 

David: Atmosphere is the descriptor I was hoping for. Thanks.

 

 

Mehmet: Thanks so much.

 

 

Drew: I rarely have time to play around with PS lately, but this was a lot of fun. I suspect I went a bit overboard.

 

 

Todd: Glad you found this to be of interest. The original had a vacation snapshot feel to it, and I was surprised how removing the Caribbean color removed the context.

 

 

Bob: Thanks so much. I'm glad you liked this.

 

 

Florian: You're right about the vignetting, which does make this a bit dreamier than the subject deserves. My wife felt the effect was too much and detracted from any documentary statement that I was attempting. I hate it when she's right.

A masterpiece, Jeff! My hearty congratulations!

"...The B&W seemed less about place and more about experience"... Precisely right Jeff !

 

 

Someone I assume was a photographer pointed out that " If you're photographing in color you show the color of their clothes - if you use black and white, you will show the color of their soul " Maybe a bit dramatic but it makes the point.

great photo. I like the tones !

Interesting and unusal composition and B/W conversion. His body is well lighted , his face are hidden, nearly black. I like the frisky back light, as well as the light in the pool, framing his body and his busy pose. Well post processed as well.

Your post-processing is original and interesting, Jeff. You managed to create a very special and sort of unreal atmosphere.