The band leader

The suit definitely befits the man, Vincent. Stylish and graceful with that great looking gray hair. He strikes a great pose, especially with those white gloves. It's a good thing that hat has a sweat band because it looks like it could be really hot wearing it. I think the center position puts him in the right place, in the center of attention. Fantastic colors, light and composition. Excellent control of exposure. The aperture presents the performer in all his glory. Best regards, Paul.

Wonderful street scene, Vincent! The leader of the orchestra is very expressively posing for you! Bravo! Sincerely, Tatiana P.S. I would try to muffle three legs.

Bravo Vincent, you have been able to grasp this particular expression of this elderly conductor, proud of his role, who greets you with the hair in his hand, ciao Giangiorgio

The cylinder is reminiscent of times gone by. Kind regards, Sandor

The clothing he is wearing clearly distinguishes the subject from his band members. Better still, tipping his hat to the audience reveals quite effectively that he has the right sort of flair for musical performances and also that he really likes his work. Most of the people in this scene seem to rather intent on listening to the band, except for the woman in the background who's distracted. This is a fine piece of street work, Vincent. I'd love to see more. - - My best always, michael

Hi Paul,

 

thank you for all of these great relevant comments! This band leader is quite a personality, that's why I had no other choice than to put him in the center of the picture. Kind regards, Vincent

Hi Tatiana,

 

thank you for your friendly comments! This guy wasn't shy, to put it mildly. Which legs do you mean I should muffle? Kind regards, Vincent

Hi Giangiorgio,

 

thank you for your friendly comments! I'm proud of having captured the expression of this particular man, who behaved as if he was in his forties, with a lot of flair and totally at ease with being the center of attention. Kind regards, Vincent

Hi Sandor,

 

thank you for your friendly comment! 'Times gone by' is really essential here; the scene in this image is part of the festivities around the yearly bull run in Fontvieille, southern France, which is an event with a very long cultural history. Kind regards, Vincent

Hi Michael,

 

thank you for your wonderful comments! You're quite right about this man's personality and performance, he's a natural leader with a lot of style and flair who really enjoyed what he was doing. I don't think this is his day job, however; he's been doing this for quite some time, there are several YouTube videos with this guy in it performing some kind of dance, always with a high hat. Kind regards, Vincent

Obviously, in this case I forgot to post a first comment that explains what you're seeing in this image. This band leader of la Gardounenque makes his appearance in typical southern French festivities including the bull run event in Fontveille, where I shot this photo. He's the center of attention, that's why I placed him in the middle of the composition. For street photography, I really love a 50 mm lens.

Vincent, I wanted to say about three naked legs. This somewhat distracts the eye from the main character. Sincerely, Tatiana

Don't we all at some point in our lives feel a little bit like this inside?

Hi Tatiana,

 

I see what you mean, but cropping to get these legs out of the picture seemed too rigorous, and it involved cutting the feet of the band members. But I agree with you, the legs are distracting. Thanks for your astute observations! Kind regards, Vincent

Hi Philip,

 

thanks for your friendly comment! I don't know whether we all feel like this inside at some point in our lives, I guess it's possible for the more proud of us, but the pride of this guy about his band was certainly remarkable and evident. Kind regards, Vincent

Vincent, I had no intention of cutting off any legs! It can be hidden. If you want, I can try to do it. Sincerely, Tatiana

Hi Tatiana,

 

I don't think I understand you correctly; you offer to muffle some legs in PS? Do you mean make them less visible, but not cutting them off? Please explain! Kind regards, Vincent

It's unfortunate that a man with such character has to put up with such a bored-looking audience.

That's right, Vincent! For a young lady, you can "sew" a skirt from a blouse. The gentleman’s leg can be partially hidden by jeans and partially hidden by adding a clone of the vertical plank of the table support, ... Sincerely, Tatiana

Great shot Vincent. Makes me smile! Regards, Patrick

Hi Tatiana,

 

I understand what you mean now, but that sounds like some serious editing work! I'd rather look for some alternative copy-paste action with a little adjustment from another photo of the same series. The girl's legs are less distracting than the one 'sticking out' of the band leader in my opinion. P.S. I already cloned out a nasty looking face from behind the subject of the photo. Thanks for your suggestions and interest, Tatiana! Kind regards, Vincent

Hi Jack,

 

you're absolutely right, this man deserves more than this audience. I've seen him in action for quite some time and he was most entertaining and certainly adding to the atmosphere of this event. He had a kind of Don Quixote-like zeal about him, something that is hard to describe but definitely worth a better cause. Thanks for your comment! Kind regards, Vincent

Hi Patrick,

 

thank you for your friendly comment! I'm glad you like it and it's very nice to hear that my photo has made you smile! This guy had a lot of flair and character, which is not so common. Kind regards, Vincent

Vincent,

I think that's the first street shot, which grabbed so much attention on new PN II. Finally some serious discussion!

I'm a big fan of street photography, and this photo is more than interesting. Of course on street shots it's not that easy to choose what's supposed to be showed, or eliminated (PP).

Even if this photo isn't 100% flawless, it's a good example of fine street photography.

Regards,

ZT,

Hi ZT,

 

thank you for your encouraging comments! I don't know if this photo has had more attention than other street shots on PN, I know it's a kind of photo that is pretty rare here. No gritty editing, no cross-colors, but an honest street shot with natural colors and minor editing. Kind regards, Vincent