morocco Baker of Asilah, Morocco

Truly a great street photo. Without the water bottle it could have been shot in the 1800's! Love the colors, the texture, even the old mans strangely courious smile...It really tells a story, as it should... Congrats

This is very nice, Michael. The tones and colors are really warm, and the composition is just about perfect. I can smell that bread. . . .

Extraordinary travel shot - the scene is controlled so well that there is not too much but none the less includes essential elements to show the environment. The subject is clear and the background is self-explanatory. I can smell the bread also :)

Yes, this is the one: Classic Oil Paint on Film!

the unfortunate thing about the bottle, the whitish accoutrements between the bottle and baker, and the baker's demeanor is that he appears to be on a break, perhaps munching on a meal? (okay, that's reality too, but so would normal distracting bits of discarded items strewn about a scene, no?)... so the moment does not ring quite richly to this viewer and thereby dissipates the impact of this image to a considerable extent. and the impact factor is what it's about, or no? (hint: a discussion point!)

that said, I would enjoy this more as a vertical, cropping off 40-45% of the right. to me the height of the oven and the dangling aprons to the left have impact, as well as the tray of bisquits and the baker next to the hearth, but not really the rest of the mostly messy and humdrum detail on the right. I could care less about the breadth of the oven (if you'll pardon the pun). but then I'm an impact sort of photographer, and compositional impact doesn't always trump documentary style, or at least for many photographers on this site.

The second i saw this photo, before reading anything, i thought Rembrandt.

 

The colors, the space, the figure, very Rembrandt.

Priceless... classic... It does what an outstanding picture should do--puts me

there and brings me as close to the experience as possible.

A slice of this man's life beautifully taken. Congrats on POW. This is one of the best of POW

First of all Congrats with the POW! The only pick i have here..and its not a huge, but not a minor either... is the breads. They are quite dominant in this dark atmosphere and the positioning gives a reverse lead..from the baker and down to the left bottom. In Documentary shots like this there are often a lot to look at..so its here, but my eyes are spending a bit to much time with the breads.... i might be hungry ;-) Regards!

I like the excellents texture and color. The baker seem to be arrived from a fairy tale.

Good work. The Rembrandt-ness comes (I believe) from the rich warm earth colours and from the use of chiaroscuro. Mike says he wanted to get more shadow-detail, but that's exactly what Rembrandt would not do. About the plastic bottle, which people seem to find offensive and modern and un-Rembrandt: Mr Van Rijn was a modernist himself, at least in matters of technique, and well up on the latest fashions out of Italy. I think he would have approved of the bottle.

It's about time, Michael! Or is this your second? Well, anyway, I believe this one is worth it, although I agree with Shahab about the bottle, and Atle about the bread. While the bottle does bring place the loacation in an arabic speaking country, it also brings the time: This could not have been photographed more than ten, or so, years ago, so there's a timeless quality that is lost. Cloning, airbrushing, if you're in to that sort of thing, would fix that right up, and this could be today, as easily as 1850, (1850 except for the color!). The bread does create a very strong presence with its pattern, and being light, creating strong competition for my attention away from the baker, and the rest of the environment. I can imagine a stronger portrait without them, or perhaps if they had been burned a little darker, (by the baker, not the photographer). Still, a shot to be very proud of, no question about it.

Nicely done, the colour, tonality and placement of the elements all work together to support a timeless and exotic mood.

 

I think the bottle is actually a positive element rather than a distraction. It saves the photograph from becoming too sentimental and overly romanticized (running quite contrary to the prevailing currents on photo.net I might add).

 

In terms of graphic structure I think the tray of bread is nicely balanced by the angled pieces of wood both of which conspire (along with a number of other subtle featues in the two upper corners) to pull attention in to the black hole where one discovers the nicely lit baker.

Let me first say that you have captured something very beautiful and rare in this photograph. Congratulations! However, when I look at it I want to see more of the baker and the question that comes to mind is whether it could have been possible to be much closer to him while still capturing the environment, color, lighting, and mood that you were so successfully able to. If this were possible the photo would be less of a document of a time and place, as intriguing as it is, and more about the baker?s story set in the context of his place of work. I personally find that kind of image more engaging. It could also help the somewhat obvious composition. I?m only pointing out other possibilities. You have created a great photograph!

I have no evidence that the baker was eating, but what's clear to me is that his expression is somehow very connected to the camera. He's very camera-conscious, and seems to pose, but at the same time tries to hold back half way some sort of amused smile... I think that's just great.

Rembrandt colors and light, etc - yes indeed... But I'd tend to agree half way with Atle about the bread bottom left... How about just burning in that corner a little - including the table around...? Small matter, but perhaps worth mentionning.

Composition is ok - works fine for me. Perhaps just very mildly unbalanced (a tad heavier to the left), but that's not a real issue either.

Now, 3 things I'm curious about...

1. Why expose for 1s at f16 with such a camera and lens...? I guess I'd have picked 1/2s at f11 or perhaps even 1/4s at f8... The point being that a 1s exposure seems to be a bit risky (risks of mild blur) for no reason - since maximal DOF would be achieved at f11 or even f8... On top of that, image quality is generally better at f8 and 11 on most lenses - this one included, I guess...

2. This image was cropped, wasn'it ? And if so, I'm curious whether the cropped bits could not have been retained... I'd like to see this POW full frame, out of curiosity, because I suspect a bit more space around might even add to the existing magic - well, depending on what was around, of course...

3. I found very interesting to read Michael's post on the original photo page... He wrote: "All items were found, not arranged, but I could not have arranged it better if I'd tried - all was perfect." I'm not absolutely certain that all was really perfect, but I do agree it was great... Then I'd simply ask: why would a shotlike this need to be really perfect anyway ?

"I never arrange any of my found scenes..." Another interesting statement. Pretty much the same with me - although I have tried to "make things go my way" sometimes. But I don't think it's necessarily bad or wrong, or silly, to "arrange" things as and when it can help telling more truths than reality itself.

Disclaimer: just in case all the above appears like loads of nasty criticism, I'll conclude saying I really love this shot and rated it an A6/O7. I just wish to understand or perhaps discuss a couple of things... Regards.

"This could not have been photographed more than ten, or so, years ago, so there's a timeless quality that is lost. Cloning, airbrushing, if you're in to that sort of thing, would fix that right up, and this could be today, as easily as 1850" - Doug Burgess.

Yes, a timeless quality is indeed lost, but to me, the bottle adds something else: it adds FUN ! To me, the man's expression and the bottle contribute to make this a comedy...

Congratulations on POW.Very atmospheric shot--I can almost smell the bread.Got to agree about the frame though,it distracts.Regards Pete.

As always, you have made some unique and unconventional choices with this composition. In general, I agree with the concept of not manipulating what naturally passes before our eyes and cameras. This photograph is in sharp contrast to last weeks POW, which was a good example of trying too hard to improve on reality. Who knows, in twenty years plastic water bottles may be remembered with as much affection and nostalgia as clay pots are now. When I was last in Europe I thought the water bottles (with foreign writing) were interesting enough to bring one home to show to the kids.

 

In addition to the leading lines in the foreground there is a nice compliment of circular shapes and elliptical lines that lead us around the different elements in the photograph. As you said, the lighting is very nice as are the complimentary colors. I am sure a thousand cropping suggestions will be offered but to me this photograph is well composed showing both subject and context. It has been suggested that this photograph lacks knockdown force but I think that sort of presentation should be reserved for movie posters and billboards.

 

After reading the other posts, I have to agree that there is a certain element of comedy here. Who would turn down a nice refreshing bottle of pure mountain spring water after standing in front of an oven for twelve hours?

Exceptional photo! So hard to believe it s a photo and not a painting as it certainly looks like one. The frame is a little disturbing; a simple black frame would do, I think. I must give u my first 7/7 on PN. Thanks 4 sharing!

I like the symmetry of this composition and can't imagine cropping it. All the other comments about expression and comfort in front of the camera, earth tones, and humor in a bottle have already been covered, so I won't mention them . . . . . .

 

Michael, I appreciate the lack of the heavy hand in your post processing and am glad you've managed to get a fair amount of exposure on this site.

Michael, I commented on this photo when it was originally posted, but let me say in addition that the oven and the converging lines in the foreground work very well to direct one's attention to the baker himself. The entire scene has very rich tonal qualities. It is warm-looking but still very natural.

 

Congratulations on finally getting the kind of recognition that you have long deserved!

I like the dark tones in the composition - forces you to look more closely for details. The plastic bottle can go either way - on one hand, it doesn't "fit" the scene, but on the other hand, it makes it "real". Congratulations on POW.

Bruegel the Elder.

Congratulations. You have a very good eye.

 

What's the big deal about the bottle? Its the 21st century, and the baker needs his drinking water handy. I'm a bit mystified by the desire to get this picture to look as if it were from earlier centuries, before the 20th, that is (an impossibility anyway, color travel photographs are so post 1950.)

A good photograph like this tells a story of real but may be unseen life. It is having many layers. Some are seen clearly and understood. Some are seen partially and half known. Our imagination starts there, tries to follow many lanes and by-lanes of our thought in order to guess the depth and total size of the object in front.It storms and occupies the mind at least for some time. Subject, lighting and colour all are excellent. To me, it is like a classical photograph inspite of the bottle.