immagini 2016 Mas Pobre

It's an honest document of a sad reality. I especially appreciate the respectful approach of not disclosing the entity of the individual. As for the image, it looks a bit overexposed in the lower part of the composition but in a certain way that reinforces the sense of aridity that serves the subject.

Regards,

ricardo

molto bel scatto

the little dog's paw on the man's foot is precious and intimate, Gianni.... it looks as though the man might be reaching for the paw/foot. luv the image, but wish we were a bit closer to them to appreciate their bond... wonderful picture ;-} dp 

Ricardo with this I tried to grasp the condition of a person among many. Thanks for your comment. 

Mehmet, grazie per aver apprezzato questa foto! 

Donna, i really appreciate your comment on the photos; portrait man lives alone with the only company of the dog; it is inevitable that between the two there are strong links! 

Un saluto Gianni

This feels very real to me. At home. No attempt by the photographer to contrive some whipped-up melodrama, thank goodness. Just everything in repose. I've even gotten used to the harsh handling of tones; it fits the subject without feeling like it's imposed as commentary.

I agree, Julie. There is no contrived story line in this image. If there is one, it is so subtle as to be hardly noticeable. The title literally translates as "More Poor." That's what I see in the image: a person seated in front of a stone hut, which possibly has no doors or windows, bent over while eating a very modest meal. His dog sits next to him, looking uninterested in its surroundings or possibly being too old to care. The story simply has to do with poverty.

As to the tones, I don't get what you mean by "harsh" in this context. To me, the tonal contrasts are rather subdued, except for the black doorway and the area on the right side. Regardless of these technical details, I think the tonality and contrasts fit the image rather well.

One item I am loath to mention, given part of the discussion of last week's POTW, is originality. There probably is a huge population of photographs of poor people in Latin America. So, being a bit familiar with Salgado's work, I raise the question: what is it about this image that makes it stand out among the rest?

I'd like to see the person's face, as without it it lacks a strong connection to the viewer. The full sun does the picture no real favors either, although the shadow detail is quite good; so, if their face and eyes were more visible, we would be able to discern them, despite the shadows.

Salgado: the Spielberg of still photography.

One of the main things I like about this picture is that it hasn't been Spielberged.

I'm not immediately drawn towards this shot. It is surely documentary and informs the viewer of series of elements of physical context of dwellings of the "mas pobre" (if I understand well) as it also show a number of artifact that deserve an story about functionalities for those who are interest, like me. The central figure the elderly man caught eating a midday meal from a bowl seem almost by chance to be their and the only really present individual is his dog half asleep.
The shot is obviously shot just before r after midday with the sun high in the sky carsting short shadows, which do not really help the scene to raise interest.
All very much a non-photography, that does not pretend to go beyond just being there in-front of the eyes of the viewer without excuses. No interpretation, no story telling, no messages to the viewer - but understatements.
But I like it, because of its non pretentious presentation. After all, refreshing photo compared to so many other more pompous ones on the same sort of subject matters.

One might be tempted to categorize this image as a documentary, but it is so much more than that. (My apologies to Anders.) There is a clear and powerful element of craft that takes this image beyond documentary, and combines elements of both street and art photography. The composition is well considered and executed, feeling nicely balanced with a hint of dynamic. The viewer's eyes go immediately to the old man, but then are drawn to explore other details of the scene. The nearly high-key feel enhances the sense of a noon-day environment in a setting without air conditioning, while the subject eats his lunch. The dark doorway behind the subject reminds us that, while we see so much evidence of poverty on the outside, we don't and can't know what is inside. Hence, we should neither assume nor judge how this individual might feel about himself and his circumstances. The sun angle also nicely enhances the textures and materiality of the stone wall, and the shadow cast by the roof overhang tells us it is likely of thatch. While one might take issue with this or that technical esoterica, the image is successful and powerful in its expression of the human condition, while asking us to consider our own perspective on that condition. At the risk of projecting more than is given, I am reminded of so many people I knew in South America who lived in not dissimilar circumstances, but were happy, useful, and dignified despite poverty, much like the old fisherman in Hemingway's The Old Man and the Sea.

Fine, Julie; "it hasn't been Spielberged." Can you please define "Spielberged?"

Excellent comparison with Hemingway, David.

Salgado and Spielberg = famous and successful. For some this makes just makes them bad. A "true expert" loathes what's popular.

??

Spielberg is a great director.

Robin, thanks for the clarification. For Julie's benefit, I would point out that, although most of Spielberg's films are "popular," he was responsible for "The Last Days." See the following imdb page: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0174852/plotsummary?ref_=tt_ov_pl.

I have no problem with the composition or the theme, but the flat processing surely could have been improved upon.

--Lannie

Lannie, what if the processing and presentation are intentional? How does that inform your understanding or feelings about the image?

Dave, it looks washed out on my laptop. If that was intentional, I can't quite see the point. I do believe that deliberate acts of processing and presentation can "inform" my feelings about photos, but in this case I really don't think that that is the case.

I will check it out on a better monitor. Perhaps I am missing something.

--Lannie

A good single shot insight into the life of a man and his dog. I looked at Gianni's other human interest photos (one of the advantages of POW) and found that many were shot under overcast or non direct sunlight conditions, to some additional advantage (see his stark sunlit portrait of the man with hat beside others under more even lighting). In the present image the contrast is so great that a lot is washed out, or nearly so, or is in textureless deep shade, and so much information about the subject is lost. it would be a plus I think if he could have chosen (or benefited from) softer lighting conditions. Of course, single photos like this do not always allow that opportunity and perhaps he did the best he could have.

Thank you very much for your comments, comments which I found very interesting. On them back to express my views. Meanwhile no posted the portrait of another poor Peruvian. Gianni