'The Man and the Wall'

The Man's face is bearded with whiskers of black and white, and the

face is furrowed -- almost cracked. The wall is made of stone,

probably marble, translucent, with stress fractures amid its marbling

almost everywhere, and to my mind the two aged subjects made an

interesting complement. Your ratings, critiques and observations are

invited and most welcome. If you rate harshly, very critically, or you

wish to make a remark, please submit a helpful and constructive

comment; please share your photographic knowledge to help

improve my photography. Thanks! Enjoy! John

Without viewing or peering at EXIF data, how much do you think it costs to get Image Quality like this?

What lens and camera combination?

And, for that matter, how much do you think the whole thing might set you back if bought today?

I've decided to review some cameras/lenses and put them through their paces, and I'm interested in your guesses first.

john

John (Crosley)

I view this wall and man almost as an 'organic whole' with the two almost seeming to merge.

Do you see why?  Do you have a different point of view; ways to improve?

john

John (Crosley)

This one made me think about your other photo, which is quite similiar...http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=2108630

I like the composition...somebody might say that the guy is in the middle of the frame..but it seems to work this way with those tiles in the background.

This is a posed photo, whereas the one you linked to was a passerby caught dead in his tracks as he moved by a marble wall -- an absolute candid.  I am entirely honest about the circumstances of each of my photos.  In essence, this is a reprise of that, and intentionally so.

I spied this guy and he looked so 'organic' with the lines of his face and beard, even the roundness of his coat collar, seeming to blend with the erratic but somehow rounded stress fractures in what I suppose is marble behind him.

He was 'game' for a few moments, but was squirrly after a few moments at being posed, but I told him I was an artist, and please be steady, then showed him the result (he was a street artist), and when he saw the result he was very pleased.

This was taken with very elementary equipment, too, or actually no longer elementary but not expensive at all -- less than $500 before shipping for the whole outfit, and it has the same photo engine as the D300, but just less bells and whistles -- also the same as the D90, and actually produces better quality shots than either due to upgraded firmware (camera software instructions built-in).

I'm rather pleased, though it is a little harder to 'work around' in the field, but I'm up to it.

And the lens, a $100 lens, produces pretty stunning results for a zoom, at least when stopped down a bit.

Timo, thanks for the comment.

I don't really think I can do much better than this; I'd place it very near the one you posted as a link as being among my best, despite the ratings which were lukewarm in my book so far for a photo of this quality.  (my temporary absence was caused by an Internet outage in my usual Internet supplier).

john

John (Crosley)

John,

Great image. It is always hard to convey an emotion without capturing the eyes but your image has managed to do it very well. I really like the symmetry of this image - the grid effect of the lines and the way you have lined up the brow of his hat to follow and integrate with that grid, while at the same time providing the angles and curves that break in the downward slant (the hat, the coller, the beard, the eyes) all combined to create a very unified image. Really, really well done and knowing how hard it is to capture such a crisp image when shooting in the street - I am impressed - very well done!

Sometimes people praise my photos, but I see not so much in them.

This time I think you're spot on, and I'm surprised by so few comments on this one; I feel it's one of my all-time best, no exceptions, but then I'm not a rater. 

Maybe there are reasons; and that's why I'm not a rater.

Thanks for an enjoyable comment.

john

John (Crosley)

An interesting combination of the  lines of the portrait and lines of the wall!

Lukyanovka.

Who would guess?

Front of the Metro; right in front.

john

John (Crosley)

Bought it in the Ukraine? Soviets could never grow wheat or make cameras.

You misunderstand. Taken in Ukraine. At a place well known to the previous commenter.

That's all.

They grew huge amounts of what in Ukraine. It was known as the bread basket of the Soviet Union.  Not up to USA standards, but most of the world never has been, though that all is changing and when farm land ownership in Ukraine gets settled, legions of ag experts who have been traversing Europe's largest country (land mass) and one of its most fertile, will be granting credits and selling their wares more than before.

They also grow huge amounts of sunflowers (those yellow giant things that turn to face the sun) and most of the oil sold in the country for cooking is sunflower oil.

Most of Europe is rapeseed oil which the US grows too, in great big yellow fields, but US residents are too dainty to call it what it is so they call it 'canola' oil unless I miss my bet.  They've even expurgated the name of cooking oil in the USA.  Imagine that.  Can't have a seed named 'rapeseed'. 

Goodness, that word might offend American Baptists and Pentecostals but then Ukraine has plenty of those -- in fact Russia and Ukraine I think both believe they originated Pentacostalism . . . . and would  be surprised I think that it originated in Atlanta with a black minister.

There are plenty of Jews too, especially around Dnipropetrovsk, despite past pogroms and the near success of the Nazi extermination program.)

Mazeltov!

john

John (Crosley)