'Life's Harsh' (Best viewed 'large')

For some with money, life is mostly a bed of roses, but for those who must

scrounge for a coin or a crust of bread and a warm place to sleep, life's

harshness begins to show on their faces at an early age. Your ratings,

critiques and observations are invited and most welcome. If you rate or critique

harshly or 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

I like the tight crop of this piece, it brings us up close and personal, I just like the texture of this work, from his clothing to his beard to the wrinkles on his face. Nice out of focus background as to allow no distraction when viewing this piece.

You explain the attributes of this photo very well, so I won't add more, except to note I posted it 'dark' which doesn't show so well in 'thumbnail' and may deter more idle browsers, but I think when one actually sees the photo full size, I hope it's worth the effort.

 

Thanks for the informed comment. Best wishes.

 

john

 

John (Crosley)

Very strong work, John, not so much a portrait as a geographic mapping of the terrain. I like the close up composition and the man's direct though not really confrontational look.

Nine Frames, all different

 

Five Seconds

 

Then the man moved on - maybe not even realizing he'd been photographed I was so far away.

 

I realized what I had, and thanked my stars I had a lens with zoom (240 mm) capability.

 

The color version is really, really good too, and quite different, with very special colors that work together, even the bokeh, but it's too 'pretty' almost.

 

Thanks for the excellent comment.

 

john

 

John (Crosley)

Although I have very little to add to the above excellent comments, I found this image so compelling I just had to come back and leave my small contribution. 

I love the clarity and natural expression.

Although life has been harsh for this man, there seems to remain a gentleness in his eyes that is very touching.

One of your very best I think! 

 

Alf 

I can repeat what I wrote above -- five seconds, nine different images, and I'm not sure he was aware I was taking his image as opposed to WANTING to take his image and waiting for me to 'make a move' . . . but he moved on when I did not approach.

I already had my images.

 

This goes to show how important it is to be well-equipped for everything; my other camera had a 12~24 mm f 4 on it.  I was prepared for most eventualities and a 17~55 in my pocket (I find three cameras is just too much unless there's an assistant).

 

I was lamenting the day I took this how many tens or even hundreds of captures I had that were good enough even to work up for possible posting, but none I felt that were prize-worthy or simply really, really good, then at the end of the day, I stumbled across this man directly in front of a Metro entrance as I prepared to board and end the day's shooting.  I called to him in Russian 'Mister, Portrait?' and he stopped and looked.

 

I aimed and fired from a great distance.

 

That's the way it often goes; it's either the first of the day, or the last, and the day had NOT been a good one, then nine wonderful frames in a row -- any one of which could be posted here as a 'contenduh! -- all similar but each nuanced and different significantly.

 

Thanks for your very nice compliments; I treasure them, especially coming from you.

 

john

 

John (Crosley)

This is definitely a Crosley portrait. Your style is distinctive, especially with your portrait work. A soulful rendering.

 

Amy

I do believe I caught the man asking me a question mostly with his eyes, aided by the rest of his face -- and that accounts for the 'soulfulness' of his look you describe.  He was seeking to make a connection, just for a split second, and although I had nine frames, all of them very, very good, this is the one I edited as it was clearly the best for showing him not as a beggar or bum but as a man.  Other frames showed him a little more destitute, which was not my purpose -- he has his dignity, and I chose the most dignified frame -- no crooked or missing teeth, no vacant stare, etc.  He's connected directly with me (and thus the viewers).

 

I think that's why this is a successful 'street' portrait -- it isn't the time to set it up and take it (that was over in mere seconds), but it was the 'connection' and the lighting --- it was the early summer (summer in Ukraine begins May 1) long evening, northern latitude evenly spread light in shadow, which makes for fantastic outdoor illumination (this is an example, and the color version is another great example which some day I may post here or elsewhere.)

 

You write a very nice compliment; I take 1,000 photos just to get one good one and 10,000 to 50,000 just to get something excellent where everything 'meshes'.  I try to push the odds by always being prepared with cameras preset, lenses ready, knowing my controls, ISO set for the lighting, and aperture and shutter speed set to fire instantly.  

 

Here it definitely paid off.

 

I just raised my camera after exiting a restaurant, having reset my controls, and after seeing him a ways away, calling to him (mister, portrait?) and fired instantaneously.

 

If I had to fiddle with anything, this and the other eight shots never would have materialized -- those were five precious seconds that might have been spent fiddling with controls or lens covers (I never use them), and instead I just fired away without any other thought than framing/composition/focus.

 

Darkroom workers write about their workflow; I also write about my 'street'workflow' in hopes of sharing tips and tricks with the vast PN membership.

 

Best to you, and thanks for such a nicely thought out critique.

 

john

John (Crosley)

 

wonderful portrait picture.

Thank you.

 

Now for another 49,999 blah photos before I get another really good one; no kidding.

 

Maybe more.

 

john

 

John (Crosley)

Expressive street portrait  !

He would have been so easy to pass; you may have passed him, and I may have passed him a dozen times, but it only takes once!

 

Thank you for the compliment.

 

john

 

John (Crosley)

Very intense, perfect composition, very good use of bw colors. I like your contact with the person.

Tommy

Clear and concise.

 

You said it all.

 

The contact with the person, oh so brief, I think is the key -- just a fleeting moment so rarely captured, and just this once, I got it.

 

The other eight photos were really good, but this one, especially with the lips just so and the eyes so quizzical were what set this capture apart.  I knew when I reviewed it, it was one of the best I'd taken recently, and the others were contenders, even if they didn't match this one exactly.

 

Thanks for the welcome critique.

 

john

 

John (Crosley)