Tinkerbells

Just wonderfull , Carlos!

take care,

Mário

.

My feeling, off the wall as it may seem, is that it takes a man with a lot of years and experiences under his belt to come up with a shot like this. On the surface it obviously finds a comfortable niche in that collection of seaside/beach pictures that you have given us over the years. But there seems to be a poignancy to the picture that springs from a deeper level of understanding, Maybe it's in the way you have used the light and the nearly classical manner you have captured the three young sprites at play that suggests a man who now finds himself at that time of life where one pauses to reflect upon things a bit more. A picture like this doesn't just happen, it's a gift, a grace bestowed on a life well-lived, observed , appreciatied and gently savored.

Just great Carlos!  Ephemeral, dreamlike, and even a bit magical.

Funny how one can recognize a very good photograph in an instant - this is one for sure.

 

Best, David

Let me chime in to convey how much I love this image.  This----and, come to think of it, MOST of your photos---- immerse the viewer in segments of life.  They are real, warm, and relevant to all of us.  We don't feel so much an observer as a participant. In this particular shot the light in the distance seems somehow a very important component.  This beauty joins so many of your photos in my favorites. ~~~~L

Stunning photograph, a masterpiece!

Fantastic! Earth moment. Goes to my favourites.

Magic moments in the magic castle by the sea.

Nymphs, sirens, among the sea wrack.  This is lovely, but sophisticated (how, I am not sure I can describe) beyond mere "look at the cute kids playing on the beach".  The blond heads (only one partial face do we see) and differing directions of gaze...without being overtly pictorialist or heavy-handed, it is suggestive of Greek myth.

Poetic image that conveys serenity.

I really like the treatment here and the way the subjects are framed by the tree branches. It really does convey a fairy-tale mood for me. I'm not sure about the girls' faces not being seen. Would their expressions add anything? I think if they were interacting with each other at least, I'd find it even more appealing.

For me, part of the mythical or fairy-tale quality of the photo comes from the vignetting. While vignetting can sometimes present a too artificial and imposed viewpoint (has become a bit overused in a lot of unnecessary situations, IMO), here it works perhaps precisely because of its fine-tuned usage toward that mythical/artificial world. It feels created and also feels authentic and in sync with the content of the photo. It's a case where the photographer has imprinted his point of view on an already delightful and innocently genuine scene. The idyllic quality of the original lighting and atmosphere, the cherub-like framing by the tree limbs, the flowing quality of their outfits which adds a touch of grace to an already graceful scene, and the almost strict adherence to the golden mean which provides that classical feel as if this were one for the ages.

Interesting questions by Bill about seeing their expressions and the possibility of them interacting more. Certainly could work but part of why I like this is because it's so expressive without seeing their faces, which may actually universalize or mythologize it a little more than if we could see the faces. It's also a great feat to imbue a photo with such expressiveness, personality, and intimacy without showing a face. Sometimes, a warm or mysterious facial expression is just too easy, and either backing it up or replacing it by other effective photographic means offers something a little different. Children and all of us are often alone together, that is each in our own worlds even while sharing space. I'm reminded of working alone in my room on a photo with a good friend writing poetry clear on the other side of the house. We're each involved in what we're doing, yet there's a sense of shared space and shared endeavor even though our gestures are not as obviously interactive as they might be. I think there's a charm and mystique in their relationship just as shown.

To me, the vignetting does a good job in directing the viewer's attention to the bottom two-thirds of the frame. Certainly the fallen tree branches (perhaps seaweed covered driftwood?), the lovely white sand, the comparatively gentle sea, and the sky add natural beauty to the image and combine to provide a strong sense of place. But it is the children playing that is the key element. We really don't need to see their faces to know that they are experiencing joy.

I agree that their faces, if shown engaging the camera or even each other, might actually take something away from this. At the very least, that self-awareness would completely alter the mood and demand a different treatment. As it is, the girls come across as something more elemental, which is in keeping with the well seen and carefully enhanced atmosphere.

Very Maxfield Parrish in both composition and lighting. Very pleasant to look at.

I'm not seeing any vignetting others are mentioning since I don't see darkened corners.

The scene does look setup and staged like a Maxfield Parrish watercolor scene. I thought the girls were put in a somewhat dangerously precarious position over a raging sea and hoped they knew how to swim when the next wave comes since I first took the foreground white as sea foam until I looked more carefully at the small corners to see that they're on a sandy beach.

Maybe a wider angle or pulled back framing to form a somewhat different composition would drive home they are over a beach and not perched on a fallen tree over breaking waves.

Love the character of lighting! Not overly contrasty but just the right amount of diffusion while still retaining directionality. The lighting gives it a magical feel.

I agree this is not vignetting. It has a "amateur snapshot" look that is very appealing in this instance, but may get old if overdone. The group of three identical looking children is unusual and makes the photo. I suppose if you are the parents of the three (assuming they are related) then this is normal. The idyllic quality of the image is very striking.

I find that most of Carlos' photos are rich in communication, as this one is, which goes beyond the narrative or apparent nature of the subject matter. There is another plane of perception other than the obvious. The diffused quality and central bright zone create an ambience that goes well with the three little girls within their own little world of discovery. The diffused light and prority of the higher light values may be enhanced by filtration, during or after the exposure, and we can see that in the way the bright patch (not apparently directly from the sun, which is more overhead as the shadows indicate) diffuses out towards the edges (giving a false impression of physical vignertting of the lens) and how the detail is softly rendered in the foreground. The addition of light in some areas is reminiscent of how Mario Giacomelli highlighted some sections of his prints by adding light, although his prints are darker toned overall than this one.

thank you all for looking and writing.

Exquisite ephimeral work with your signature about it...

Carlos,  This photograph is a bit of magic and I am fascinated really, not by the construction which is excellent but by the way you use light with its effect on the tonality that create the mood wanted... fairytale, dreamy world, it is very imaginative and there is a lot to appreciate and study. It is real class!