Images from Anatolia - 3

Mehmet,
Congratulations on getting you picture selected. Well deserved. Fantastic technical details and wonderful scene. The expression on men face is priceless. Another "moment in time perfectly captured" and what a fantastic moment.

Compliments once again Mehmet for this portrait,this is a place where to be,this portrait is a story of a life,details and colors look excellent.

Dear Mehmet, I saw the image of the week and I was attracted to it immediately and sudenlly I saw your name and the feeling turn into joy!!! I feel the image is amazing very clear and with a perfect composition. The colors are fantastic with color range that is very real. Congratulations my friend. Warm regards from Miami.

I really like the color in this photo. The elderly man makes a perfect subject. I also like his intense expression as he reads his paper. Good use of DOF as well

I'm happy to see one of your many fine portraits is getting an oppurtunity to be seen by all. This one has especially fine detail and good color. I also think you have captured the subjects intensity in his obvious interest of the newspaper, and that is what makes the image work. Take care Mehmet and congratulations.
Sincerely,
Holger

I wouldn't have expected a wide-angle lens to be used for a portrait (it breaks the rules!), and the result is the falling away of some of the background elements. But that is a trivial portion of an excellent portrait. Despite the use of a wide-angle lens, Mehmet was able to achieve a relatively shallow DOF, but the important elements are in focus (including the newspaper). The focus is particularly sharp on the man's face, the dodging and burning are subtle and very effective, and the very nature of an elderly man intent on reading his newspaper amid the goings-on of other people is a great subject. Mehmet has made an excellent photograph, IMO.

Excellent composition, regards.

I too love this photo and, in addition, am in awe of what Mehmet has accomplished with this particular camera and lens (DX sensor, not a particularly fast lens).

Generation interested in reading on papers offset by generation enjoy Twitter and Facebook.
My Congratulations Mehmet Akin, Really expressive and story. Good composition and very nice DOF.

Congratulations Mehmet. I’m really happy to see your photograph as Photo of the Week. This is simply an excellent life shot.

I think Walker Evans would be proud of this photograph because there is such warmth and such a deep respect for the subject. It’s shot in a straight photographic way, available light, no manipulation, no “improvements on reality.” It is the real world that this photographer shows me and it’s candid and story telling. I confess I like it because these are my biases.
The old man’s intelligence and concern for events are so evident by his posture and expression. He cares what is happening in the world and I care about him. There is such interesting detail which we get nowadays because exposure meters are so accurate and automatic which is a luxury Walker Evans didn’t have. Even in the shadows of the black coat there is detail. The texture of his hat, his untrimmed beard and eyebrows, the way he flattens down one page with his right hand and holds up the other pages with his left hand are all details that hold my interest. To me he is foreign but his body language is universal and shows such an engagement in life that makes me like him. All of this is captured by Mehmet with respect and careful attention and the good timing to capture his little smile of recognition which makes the photograph for me. I am intrigued by the mind behind that wizened old face and though I can’t know what he is thinking, I recognize the human condition of it.
This photograph brings up feelings in me and I perceive it through those feelings as much as I do through my eyes. I think Mahmet Alin’s entire portfolio shows the same respect and care for the human condition and there are many wonderful photographs to see there. I especially liked the environmental portraits in Human Landscapes.

Harika kompozisyon olmus Mehmet Bey. Başarınızı kutlarım Tebrikler

My most sincere congratulations. Excellent document, a real mood for knowledge.  All the best. Vicente.

A well deserved prize, my friend ... Congratulations !!

Hello Mehmet,
I cannot identify any weakness / flaw here, and I like / agree to the discussion of Stephen as well - this is a very, very good composition, simply a unique street shot. Hence, its nomination for the POW is absolutely deserved IMO. Great work. Congrats.
Bw, Volker

Hello Mehmet
A well deserved achievement. Your long career and your good do you endorse.
My congratulations, and a hug.

Congrats, Mehmet. One of your very best.

Generally a nice picture, but the unnatural vignetting detracts from the naturalness of the photo. Its as if the viewer suffers from retinitis pigmentosa. Another case where the photographer gets carried away with photoshop effects for the sake of adding an effect and not knowing when to leave well enough alone.

congratulations, Mehmet. This is so worthy. I love the dof in it, and of course, the subject matter. Beautifully done. I do not think it is overworked.

I noticed this one awhile back and didn`t get around to commenting. What`s to say? Beautiful. Mehmet as usual.

Phineas, I don't think the "photoshop effects" of vignetting were done simply for the sake of adding effects. I'll bet that Mehmet had a specific purpose, and that was to help focus one's view on the central figure and lessen the distractions of other people in the background. This is a photo of an elderly man intently reading his newspaper. It's not intended to be a photo of a coffee shop scene. If you're concerned about "unnatural effects," you should also question the shallow DOF and the fact that the people in the background are not sharply defined; the eye would have naturally seen them more clearly. You should also question the slanting of elements in the background (e.g., the doorway); the eye would have naturally seen them standing straight. Photography is not necessarily a straight recording or a mechanical human eye. Mehmet is telling a story, and he has chosen certain "words" to impart that story to us. It's a story, not a recording. Granted, sometimes we photographers don't choose our words well for a particular story, but that's all very subjective, and I think most viewers would appreciate the guidance Mehmet has given for viewing and interpreting this particular photograph.

While I certainly appreciate all Mehmet has accomplished, which has been discussed by many others before me, I do find something lacking in the handling of the background. It does, indeed, look like he found the background a distraction and so used depth of focus to try to rid the photo of the background. That doesn't usually work. For me, it makes the background actually more of a factor here, because it seems to me like the photographer didn't want it there. Actually, story wise, I think we've lost something by not having the background a little more clear. The man directly behind the main man has turned his head toward us and, were it a little more clear, would add a whole dimension and connection to the scene. Blurred as it is, that gesture gets relegated to a photographic netherworld of "I wish you weren't here." But he is there and there's no denying that. The main man is reading intently, concentrating as he is, and standing out as he is due to light, dead centered positioning, perspective, etc. There was nothing to be afraid of by making the background part of the story rather than trying to hide it. Sure, it shows adept use of a shallow DOF, but is that usage needed or appropriate? I think it's a fair question to ponder.

I like the soft light, but I'm not connecting with the subject. I don't know what it needs, maybe the 'decisive moment' of when his eyes came up to meet ours after he hears the shutter go off from the first capture? I think so.

The dark shirt blends in with the background, causing a major merger problem. Some say "it was shot with a wide angle", and "great choice to separate it from the background", but I think not. Sure enough, the folks in the back seem to not be all that far back, and W.A. ALWAYS exaggerate space, so why don't we see the roof of the back of the shop too? So I'm guessing it to be the other focal length on the lens mentioned, the 70mm (18-70). Besides, W.A. is always sharp close to far, at wide open aperture even, another clue to focal length. So I don't think the DOF was used to try to separate the subject from it, I think it just happened, from it being a 'grab shot', that's the sense I get anyway.

Still, it's pleasant Mehmet, but not a WOW in my book, but to each his own.

Hi Mehmet, your portraits are excellent and full of personality.
Congratulations! Your POW is really impressive. Regards.

Yine nefis bir fotograf. Nedir bu sizden cektigimiz Mehmet bey, butun guzel kareleri bulup topluyorsunuz, bize birsey kalmıyor! Tekrar tebrikler...