boring landscapes and stuff... Indian lady shouting at riotcop, Davos

I like it

I like it too - would make a good newspaper cover shot - if the newspapers were run by people with brains and/or a conscience.

This shot is great. I also work for the press and I am jelous for this image. The Ilford HP5 is a great film isn't it? I used it a lot, and it is very good also when pushed to ISO800. A good choise for any photographer

This is a beautiful image. What more can I say!!

I believe the woman shown is the noted environmentalist Vandana Shiva.

You can feel the tension in this one. The picture is a bit dark in areas but maybe that is just the Web (or my computer). I'd like to see more detail in the gun and and the police person's outfit. I'd like to see the same in the woman. If the shot were a bit wider we might see more body language adding to the mood of the picture, but then we might loose the facial expressions. It looks like the front page photo for the LA Times.

The "Indian Lady" sure looks like Vandana Shiva.

Check out her profile at

 

http://www.inmotionmagazine.com/shiva.html

 

My reactions is as above. I think this may be one of those instances where the photographer is indeed too close for the composition to attain perfection.

 

 

But this is a minor quibble, because the shot works very well, regardless.

 

A sharper face on the copy would have been good, but again this is not necessarily within the photographer's control.

 

Terrific shot, if one has any idea of the limitations present in these kinds of situations. This is street reportage not large format landscape photography...

...but I dont like the overexposed patch of snow in the middle, very distracting for me... Also I would like more blur behind the lady, she is not adequately separated against the background... The overall look becomes a confusing one with to much contrast for my taste. And as Richard pointed out she does not look very upset. It looks more like shes about to ask for directions... If that makes the picture more or less good I will leave unsaid, but its a poor reason from the elves!!

I agree that this is a very nice shot and you have to appreciate the difficulty of shooting in this weather and getting this close to the front to get the shot.

Not to disparage the shot or to say that it is not worthy of being POW, but I disagree with the comments as to the reasons for its selection as POW. The two main subjects seem detached, and the tension is not evident, the lady's expression is just too mellow to be considered intense. The cop also seems to be looking at something and not struggling to avoid eye contact or trying to remain stoic and detached, he just seems distracted from the lady. The cropping brings the attention down to two people who do not seem really engaged with one another, and their lack of interraction lets my attention drift to a non-contributory background. A wider angle, or waiting until the lady had her attention on the cop, or until she was closer to him may have added intensity. As stated previously, a softer tone to bring out the gun a bit more and dampen the whitness of the snow may help also.

 

There are many, many, many really top quality shots in this portfolio that show your exceptional compositional skills, so please accept my comments as regards this picture only, and not apply it in any way to your photographic talent which is superior to most. I understand that you take what you can get for a shot like this. I prefer the picture of the cop with the woven shield, I think that is a more emotional and unique shot, though it's journalistic value is obviously less than this one's.

 

I think this is the first time I've felt saddened(as many people apparently did last week), that an opportunity to select a better photo to showcase from a really high quality portfolio was missed.

 

dear rienk jiskoot

Excellent shot

jim

This is indeed a photo of Ms. Shiva. I was at Davos for the conference and photographed her a few times. She is a great spirt and one of the few to have the courage to join the protests.

The black uniform on the cop and the dark shawl on the lady, both snow-encrusted -- a perfect venue for nice contrasty HP5. His weapon is in shadow and held somewhat out of view; while he's not threatening anyone with it, we know it's there, and it adds to the tension. Razor-sharp image, except for her moving, gesturing hand -- we can tell she's punctuating her words. What's he holding her back from? We can't tell, but we want to know. This looks a miserable day, and most of us would be inside watching tv by the fire -- but these two are grimly outside, doing their respective jobs.

I agree with Richard that the lady is not shouting (she may not even be speaking); is certainly not shouting at the cop; and the cop doesn't look like he "trying" to do anything.

 

I would also note that the elves' description of the shouting lady as "adding necessary tension" is completely incoherent. As the subject of the photo, the woman is not "adding" anything and certainly not the central element--"necessary tension."

 

Also, the woman is the only individual in the photo. In reading photos like this, the riotcop, although really a person, loses that individuality and becomes a symbol, and a token of a larger type.

 

However, that leads to why the photo is worthwhile and would make a good news photo whether you have heard of Vandana Shiva or not. If you do not know who she is, you may first notice that she lacks the usual rioter's appearance. This will tell you that something unusual is afoot and that you may want to learn more. If you do know who she is, it tells you that she's still there on the front lines, etc. It may also be comforting to see immediately that the "riot" does not appear to be out of control, and Shiva appears to be in no danger.

 

The snow adds to the drama, representing struggle against adversity, the arbitrariness, and endlessness of it all, or something like that. All in all, good photo.

Now, what we've got here is one of the most important photo in POWs, couse not too many can dare to shot this kind of people photos, No fliying bird, No motorcycle framing, No red ball, No landscapes...only a summary of people living that fact there, this may be too much for you.

Some photographers Captures a Moment especially the biggest ones like Bresson, Salgado, Cappa, Ara Güler... May be this is not a perfect photo but do diserve to be the POW after all that human defective POWs. finally the elves got the right!

I hope no poster come out of here as a POW again.

A sensitive nice shot, congrats..

What photo are you looking at? I see no breath. Look at her eyes. She is not speaking. The eyes show reaction, not action. She is looking at something and receiving and processing information. The eyes of someone who is speaking -- who is drawing from her thoughts and directing them outward, expending energy -- look very different. Her mouth may be open in reaction to something, or she may be preparing to speak. At the moment this photo was taken, she was not speaking.

She looks like she is asking for directions. The photo is well composed, I agree, but it has little emotional value.

I didn't really notice where she was directing her comments (I do see that she is upset and shouting at someone) but what distracts me now that I have read the comments and looked at the photo more closely is that she is shouting not at that cop but at apparently another one out of the frame. I agree that this is a fantastic moment captured and could easily be on the cover of most major newspapers in the country. It tells a very powerful story and only when you stop to be very critical do you begin to see that maybe there is more of a story than the photo contains.

This picture seems rather distracting to me. I've looked at it several times and on each occasion my eyes have focused on different parts of the image. I can't seem to decide to focus on the woman, the cop or the white snow in the middle. Too distracting and not much focus IMO. I really like some of the other images in his portfolio though.

I hate this photo. There is too much empty space in the middle, the interesting stuff is all at the edges. The cropping is lousy, the top of the cop's helmeted head is cut off as is the lady's arm. Plus, no detail in the snow. Bo-ring!!!!

I find it quite interesting, although I agree that cropping might be a little too much. I also agree that there are stronger works in this folder but this one is chosen by this group of elves, right? I don't think choosing POW is a very very objective thing, unless the picture has some very obvious weaknesses. Nor it is supposed to be.

As for the point Eren brings, I do not agree that any picture should be considered strong just because it has people in it. He might not have much interest in nature, sports, etc. but there are others who have. I think they are doing a fair job in keeping the variety of subjects.

What about the idea of choosing different POW's like street POW, nauture POW, etc??? Not that many elves?

Darron Spohn thinks sports photography isnt taken seriously on Photonet, I think that portraiture isnt given enough emphasis, many others want to see more good landscapes, more wildlife photography, more digital "photography", etc, etc. Maybe were actually getting a pretty decent cross-section of what Photonetters are interested in?

 

When I first saw this image I loved it. For me, the depth of field is perfect, showing the ambient surrounding to good effect. The glint of light on the policemans visor is a little touch of beauty in a harsh setting. His upturned weapon, obviously not needed, the soft snow lying on everything... the image is exquisite and slightly fantastical in itself, while at the same time retaining a hard-hitting edge of telling a story. But sadly, it doesnt hold up to further study. As Richard Sintchak and Paul Rootare have mentioned, the woman is probably not even speaking, and there is simply zero "tension" in her face. Her eyes may as well be contemplating the next move in a chess game (put your hand over her lower face and see what you think). But some people just dont have very expressive eyes, while others eyes can communicate intense suffering, authority, defeat, joy, or whatever. Of course that is no excuse in this situation... But you have to use your imagination here to fill in what that particular split-second in time didnt contain.

 

Did no one think (at first glance) that the woman was holding a weapon of some sort, maybe a bat, in her right hand over her right shoulder, ready to strike the riot police officer? I cant get that image out of my head now, even though it obviously isnt whats happening (and now that Ive told you, you probably cant!). And is that someones ID card with a photo on it (just under her index finger) in her left hand, pointed towards the officer? I hate computer screens, JPEG, 56K modems, everything that isnt a real print in front of me! Because I view this more as an intrinsically pleasing shot, as opposed to pure photojournalism, I would really like to see it represented better, without the blown-out snow, etc. But a nice attempt for all that. Just dont pretend its hardcore photojournalism.

 

And honestly now, dont you prefer gazing at this rather than a painfully fast motorcyclist?

Well, folks. Here we are. Another controversial POW.

 

Personally, I see a great picture there, due to the conditions it was taken. THERE IS tension there. Just not as perfect as we want, since they are not actors in a theather, but real people in real life. The Lady's left hand shows action, and the cop is not happy being there (no asking or showing directions at all). The snow helps removing any warm feelings.

 

Now, I really like the idea of having TWO POWs. One chosen by the editors (so they can happily keep their "controversy pow" journey), and another chosen by us, which could be the best voted last two weeks (as already mentioned above).

 

This could calm down the nerves, and re-encourage beginners like me.

 

Abraços,

I figure that writing comments for this picture is a cliche now, but it's great! How do you like the contax G2 for journalism? I use it all the time. Oh, and it's about time we have a picture here besides lifeless landscapes. Well done.

 

It is a very good shot, and draws the viewer in for a closer study. I wouldn't want it hanging on my wall, though. Too bad about the processing. It looks underexposed and overdeveloped, or maybe just a poor job of printing, as both the shadows are blocked up and the highlights blown.

If only this photograph had the tension these POW postings have, it would be truly exceptional. As for making it on the cover of a national or major newspaper ... uh ... no. Maybe if there were no AP photogs at the event and it represented a special twinkle of human interest to a news agency. (especially because of the fact that apparently she is well known) IMO - This photo does not contain the necessary elements to constitute an "excellent photojournalism shot." As other users have explained in many postings before, there are too many things missing. But WOW, I just love what the snow does to the pic. Wish I could have been there.