Opera Society, Sorrento, Italy 1986

Beautiful scene. My only complaint with this image (if you could call it that) is its small size. I wish, Bill, that you had uploaded something going on 950 pixels high or thereabouts.

I agree re Kodachrome 64. For both archiving purposes and its rich and natural colors it is the best emulsion around.

An evocative shot with gorgeous light, Bill. Thanks.

 

Could you please describe how you metered it?

Is this a photo ..or a painting...thats how good it is.

Well done!!

Adrian

I've been revisiting this photo again and again. It's absolutely beautiful. Congratulations on POW. Bill, in which town is this picture taken? Have a nice week. Rienk

It has been some time since I first had the pleasure of viewing this photograph. And, like so many before me have noted, I, too, had to "blink" to make sure my eyes were not deceiving me and that this was indeed a photograph and not a photograph of a painting. Truly amazing...the colors are gorgeous...I think this photo would fair very well as a discussion piece on a wall...anywhere. I, too, was somewhat distracted by the "sweater man". I am partial to the slight changes that Mr. Mottershead made above...it tones him down just enough. Again, the photo is wonderful...congratulations!

Yes, it's a good shot, but there are two things that are bothering me a little. The man in the foreground is mentioned already. He just doesn't seem to belong there considering his clothes. Maybe it would have been better if a his face was at least partialy visible. The second thing is the table in the foreground. Unfortunately cropping it off is not really a possibility, because that way you would cut off the feet of the man in the foreground, which would make him even more a stranger in the picture.

I wonder what was the exposure time of this picture... I see only a couple of people moving and still the photo is really dynamic. I suppose the light is natural coming from a window. It´s great that there are no artificial lights that could have coloured the picture and also spoiled the old-fashioned feeling in it. (In the hall there seems to be some artificial green lightning.) How is it possible to have depth sharpness of this good with so big a hole. The background really completens the foreground, though they are both quite strong. It would be interesting to see same kind of a picture with some 18-year-old youngsters in it! Really sensitive, dynamic picture that tells us an interesting story.

Bill, beautiful image with a painterly quality. I do prefer the darkened sweater on the guy in the foreground. Congrats

As wonderful as this picture is I am bothered by one detail - that patch of light on the floor in the bottom right of the picture. Eliminating that takes the eye straight to the central figure in this picture and keeps it there. Yes, reminiscent of the Dutch masters - that timelessness, composition and the play of light.

Thats perfect,smart,beautifull.10/10.Congratulations.

This is somewhat expressive, I really love this picture! Not only perfectly exposed and composed it simply expresses freshness. 9/8!

All I can say, I understand that this photo was taken to be a POW on the photo.net. Congratulations...

Looks like a Rembrandt painting. Excellent! WJ

One look, and i'm back in the Via San Cesareo, watching the old men sitting in the shade at their tables. Just wonderful.

 

Don

To say 'Rembrandt-like' would be an insult to a master of a photographer who saw and catched this scene. This picture is awsome! Have this from one who seldom, if ever, comment pictures at all...

I'm ordering some Kodachrome but with no expectation of producing images as good as this.

I like the dark part of the upper left corner, that leads me to the center of the picture. And therefore I prefer it much more than the later revised version in your folder.

This I a nice photo. Its inspiring to see nicely captured situations. As is I think it works well. I actually enjoy the sweatered man as is, for it grounds the photo as a great photo. A painting is a painting. This is great as it is a great photo.

Look. This is photo.net. Not oilpainting.net. Yes, it's a lovely oil painting, capturing subtle details, but you can see the texture of the paint, and the glow from the pigment. Sorry, no way is this a photograph.

Unless, of course, it's one hell of a beautiful, sublime photograph...

C'mon everyone - this is supposed to be an opportunity for serious criticism and analysis - (not to mention the occasional bloodbath) - there's way too much blubbering and gushing. My sincere thanks anyway.

 

This photo seems to need some technical elaboration. It is an unusual photo for me - being of a group "in action" - and the light characteristics have always stood out even among all the efforts I've made at photographing interesting lighting situations. It is a photo in which luck outweighs skill 99 to 1. I'm embarrassed to say that I don't remember where it was taken but it does fit in with others taken while traveling up the coast from Naples. It is not an interior room but rather a deep enclosed porch with one complete side behind my right shoulder open to the street. How the light fell into the space was probably a function of buildings and skylight across the street and it was just by chance that brightest area of light fell on the center of attention of the room. The exposure I also don't remember, though I would guess that my limits were being pushed here - f2.8 at perhaps 1/8th of a second (although the one almost invisible figure might argue for an even longer exposure). My arms are propped on the table in the foreground - but it is still a miracle that there is no camera movement and that most of the people in this complex scene (including the central speaker) were motionless.

 

Again my thanks.

If this was the only good photo in your portfolio, Bill, I'd agree with you on the "luck" angle. But it isn't.

I hate to use a cliche here (especially on some else's picture... dammit!) but the explanations offered above about resting your arms on the table to prevent camera shake, the "miracle" of everyone being still (well, almost everyone), the right light, perfect exposure, choice of lens etc. and so on, all add up to one thing: "the decisive moment".

I'll try to explain...

You've woven the scene and action together very well indeed. You've portrayed a continuity between the Past (via the frescos) and the Present (the figures, the furniture), anchoring it with the strength and authority of the maestro's figure in the middle. From there we start looking around, taking in the scene, piece by piece, noticing a little more each time we revisit. The infamous cardigan or light colored jacket in the foreground leads us in to this scenario, offering a continuity between outside and inside (perhaps a smidgin darker, but that's a quibble; you've offered us an alternative in your second version). You've photographed the image from just close enough to make out individual faces and expressions, but have kept a far enough distance away (the lens helped here too) to associate them all together within the framework of the old Italian palace. The picture could have been taken any time within the last fifty years (or the next fifty). As such, it conveys a timelessness that rivals the paintings on the walls that form such an essential part of the scene itself.

You see? It's difficult to describe this picture in mere words. It is truly a pictorial document. That is its success and (I'm sure) why it was chosen as this week's POW.

It's easy to imagine that if I quietly cleared my throat they might all stop and look towards me, to see what I had to contribute to the discussion. The scene, as you have captured it, is that real.

In short, yes it is probably luck you came upon all this in one place, but that's where the odds turned for the better (for all of us) and your photographer's eye took over.

I'm seated at a table at the other side of the room. At times losing the path of discussion as I stare at the ceiling. The overwhelming sensation that I'm there, to the point of being creepy. This is truly an amazing photograph. To imply that this looks like a painting is an insult. A painting could only aspire to capture an image like this. You have stopped time for an instant, something that few photos actually do.

Bill--

 

I appreciate the technicals here, using ambient light and the "poor man's tripod." BTW, given the movement and the light I bet your exposure was even longer, 1/4 second, say or even 1/2. This is technically well done.

 

While this pic has many qualities I like, such as the painterly feel, the saturated soft color, and especially the light balance, I wish you had sneaked up a couple of tables to get further in the discussion and shoot the emotional involvement of the members.

 

Congratulations on PoW and bask in the fact that nobody has accused you of being aligned with some enemy, real or imagined. --Best, KEP

Hey wait a minute! I ran a few tests and it turns out that this really IS a painting!

http://www.grady.org/images/painting.jpg

Seriously though ... I havent taken the time to comment on any of the POWs lately, but this one really caught my attention. I always take the time to look at the POW and formulate my own opinion before reading what the elves had to say (and everyone else for that matter). This time the photo.net elves reason for choosing the POW mirrored my feelings exactly. So as far as my general thoughs on this image ... [insert elves comments here].

Im not a professional photographer but one of my favorite uses of the camera is to capture life, as it happens, with existing lighting so this image naturally appealed to me. The lighting, exposure, framing and timing is dead on ... at least to my tastes.

As far as Bills comment "It is a photo in which luck outweighs skill 99 to 1", well ... Im glad to see that another photographers experiences mirror mine in that respect :-)

There are a couple of comments about the gentleman in the tan sweater being too much of a focal point. Personally, I think he is critical to the overall picture. I felt as if it were me sitting there listening intently on the outskirts of the meeting. Also, given the positioning of the camera at the table just behind him, I can also imagine myself at that table as well.

This is a picture of everyday life captured perfectly. It's exactly the type of photography I personally find most engaging.

I really feel as if Im there. Congrats (and thanks) Bill!

Hahah! It's really a painting on the wall! This lowers my ratings! Sorry.