the october harvest jubilee Portrait of a Local Lady

her pose and expression speak class. i can't quite imagine her on that bicycle. most interesting!

I agree with you. There is a directness in her bearing that is quite unusual to find here in Japan. I took three shots and she held her pose for me, This alone is uncommon in a land where most people don't have a great deal of self-confidence, where they always want to flash you the V sign or mug for the camera. As for the bicycle, I'll chalk that up to a unique individual who may need a little help now to get around (note the supports on her ankles).

FABULOUS SHOT Jack . . . this is a top picture that really SPEAKS to the viewer - a top picture, here, there, anywhere. A great picture !!!

The portrait is excellent. The cars of the background take too much place. A closer crop would be interesting in order to eliminate the oblique black top. Ciao, Alx

Taking your comments and suggestions to heart, I played around with it a little . What do you think of this slightly altered version?

I like the cropped version quite well. She has a great deal of dignity.

Thanks. I never would have come up with the cropped version without a little prodding from my friends above. I think it's an improvement. That's the value of feedback on this site. As for her dignity - no doubt. It's quite evident.

this picture really goes beyond the regular fare for reasons that, unfortunately, I recognize but cant quite explain. Being unable to validate a picture for lack of a cohesive critical description doesn't detract from its power. The exotic oddity of personage and locale has something to do with it but that's as far as I can take it.

Thanks for the comment. The intelligent critiques I got from Alex and you caused me to take a second look at the picture. I could see there was a lot of potential in the portrait but it took your proddings for me to have another go at it. I think the reworked version is much the stronger of the two. So thanks again to you and Alex for pushing me. Regards, Jack

I wonder if you got my email. . .

Yes. And I appreciate your efforts on behalf of my picture as well as making the discussions private. I forgot to reply to the second issue you raised and will do that forthwith. Regards, Jack

I love this portrait. It is direct, compelling, and intimate. The choice of monochrome is perfect. I love the placement of her feet and the slight motion blur in her hand. Wonderful.

 

I would recommend Silver EFEX Pro if you are interested in monkeying with monochrome shots, it allows local control over contrast, brightness, and structure, also makes monochrome conversions from RAW files much more film-like. It's not cheap but when I look at prints I have made I cannot imagine digital black and white without it. I sound like a sales guy! This is a mono conversion from my point and shoot from a color file:

 

http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=9296335

 

To nitpick, I would add a levels and curves adjustment layer to this nearly perfect photo.

 

Cheers,

 

Jay

 

 

I like this one a lot, the subject has such a powerful connect with the viewer, with her strength and poise. Beautiful work.