Little Prince

YOU haven´t just taken a picture Marc, you have captured the greatness of an "older soul" and his indestructible dignity...

Great image, no doubt, and worth the ratings. But just tentative thought -- isn't it a bit "stagy" and doesn't he get a lot of the dignity etc. referred to in comments from the angle/viewpoint? I prefer a more direct viewpoint, e.g. what about Salgado's "Children" portraits, which generally have some eye contact and, for my taste anyway, communicate more straightforwardly.

one of my favourite from you marc... I also remember the color version for this one, am I right? I love this chot because of the clever low angle. It makes the shot more a commercial look. nothing much to say... I like it.

striking image...I prefer this to the colour version, excellent perspective!

Fantastic. I'm afraid I don't have anything new to add to this thread... but I just wanted to say how much I like this. I prefer the mono version to the colour, but they both have their merits. For me, the emotion comes through a bit better in this version.

Like the tones, the mood most of all gives thought.

What a wonderful portrait, excellent perspective and toning.

excellent image. i am impressed with the poise and the confidence of this boy,strong amongst the chaos, in his surroundings. the drawn cloth tells a great tale. forget technicality, because marc is perfect technically. The word "THIRD WORLD" is an evil metaphor coined by the neo-conservative policy writers of the western world. He is what he is because of that.

 

Flawless exposure. The contrast is so strong in this shot. Creative point of view as well. The dark sky is very nice and maybe interferes just a bit with the top of the childs head..his head seems to blend into the sky somewhat. Really a minor pick however, that is overshadowed by the excellent composition and exposure.

Superb tones and a wonderfull expression and composition. I love the clarity in this image and the rendtion of the materials very much against that dark threatening sky. And what a wonderful thought provoking title. Bravo!

Great image, Marc! This is serious, and you know what I mean!

The subject is portrayed with great dignity in this shot. The use of such a low camera angle and strong side lighting really creates a powerful image. I particularly like the use of the cloth, hut and pose. The viewer has to form an opinion as the the childs status. Is the title mocking? Althought the subject is centrally lcoated in the frame I do not find this detracts, rather the shot is finely balanced.

Wonderful! I love this photo very much. The pattern on his cloth and background texture is very nice.

Marc,

 

Reminds me of Phil Borges, minus the hand-tinting which I mostly can't stand. This is an absolutely first-rate, powerful image.

hello.

i do not remember if a rated it. but more i watch at it more i like it.

Could you tell us the story of this picture ( who is the little boy, why did you took the picture, how did you succeed to take it with such an angle without he even had a glance at the camera ... and all that )

thank you.

Wonderful shot... I would also love to have a few details on its story...

First of all, I would like to say thanks to all photonetters who posted in this thread. I am truly touched and truly happy to see the response this picture has had so far. As a matter of fact, this picture means a lot to me, and it's great to see that many others may have seen a bit the same in it as I saw. I read a few times the word "Dignity" or such, in this thread, and that's exactly what it is about for me too.

To Pingu Pingu, Laure M. and others, about the story...

Pingu, you asked a few questions, so I will try my best to reply to you:

"Who is the little boy ?"

A young boy who used to live in a fishing village in Southern Thailand in 1997, when this picture was taken. Never met him before that day, and never met him after.

"Why did you take the picture ?"

That's a dificult question in fact: there are so many answers. Here are a few of them... I love Asian kids, especially those who have a hard time surviving in poor villages. I love them because of this dignity they have, which gives them a sort of maturity that fascinates me. I went to this fishing village, that day, with the intention of taking pictures of the celebrations and hard work that take place daily, on this shore when the fishermen return from the sea... Before the arrival of the boats, there were about 15 children playing around this hut.

"How did you succeed to take it with such an angle without he even had a glance at the camera"

First of all, I need to tell you that I watched these children for a long time. About 2 or 3 hours... I recorded about 2 and a half rolls on 120mm film and a few with my Nikon as well: children playing and moving around only...

I usually stay a long time around them, the eye always in the camera (viewfinder being on top of the camera body). Except for a few breaks, I try to remain focussed on what's happening in front of me, I try to get an insight in what's going on, that would help me anticipate on each person's next move or next action. Sometimes it works and sometimes not, but this method has actually helped me a lot, many times.

Kids are always a bit distant at the beginning, when a stranger arrives. Then, slowly, they get used to your presence, and stop worrying about you. This shot was one of the last ones I took of him. So, the boy knew I was around, but had "forgotten" all about me, and carried on with his life. For a while, he rested in the shadow of this hut, behind, and I took a chance to get closer... got a few shots, and then he stood up.

He saw me doing my thing of course, and even laughed at me... Then his brother or friend, or cousin (?) called him, as he was adjusting his "sarong" (the cloth)... His brother apparently told him that the boats were arriving or such, and he took a peak at the sea. Pure luck.

My camera was already more or less positionned and pre-focussed when I saw this in the viewfinder, and that was it.

If this picture somehow touched you, then I feel Dignity has won a battle over money this week, and I am truly very greatful to those who shared for a moment my love for this little Prince. He's a message of hope in my view. He means to me that money isn't all that important, and that a human being's will to survive elevates him above everything... I had not decided to take a picture that would mean anything of that sort, that day. It just happened in front of me.

really a fantastic potrait of third world people in general. I have often wanted to capture a part of what you have here- the pride, the beauty. I'm too shy.... but seeing how splendidly your efforts have paid off I am feeling motivated to redouble my own efforts.

thanks for sharing!

 

Steve

Thanks for the story and the photo. Perfect.

One ocassion in millions. You got it. congratulations. Manuel.

Extraordinary work.

Great angle. Sharp and contrasted, slightly burnt (?). I prefer your art in this style rather than digital experiment. At first, I thought he was african...

excellent.very great.good good

This is a great image, simply perfect.

Simply a masterful photograph.

Sorry for being so curt and short. No much time for the net at the moment, Marc.