Not All 'Old Salt' Fishermen are Grizzled

This fisherman, at rest from working on his salmon fishing boat,

looks more like a popular movie star than some grizzled old veteran

of the seas to me. Do you agree? Your ratings and critiques are

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

please submit a helpful and constructive comment/Please honor me by

sharing your superior knowledge to improve my photograph.) Thanks!

Enjoy! John

Nice shot !

It's a pity that I can't see any fish in the picture (as he is a fisherman), or else, I reckon you can even use this for advertising poster on fish market...

 

Something titled like this: "We deliver fresh fish for you everyday"

With a smile like that and some fish in the background, Im quite sure the ad. will work.

 

Albert.

Thanks for the nice comment. I was taking photos of him and his partner, who was quite interesting himself with a headdress, as they worked on their boat(s), but something about this guy was 'magnetic' he seemed very, very photogenic.

 

When I looked at the download, I discovered that the magnetism really seemed to carry through to the finished print. Isn't he handsome or at least very good looking?

 

He really reminded me of a movie star -- someone from Hollywood masquerading as a fisherman -- maybe a younger Robert Redford (Redford's in his '70s, and when he plays the lead, he's covered with makeup).

 

Raters, does this anonymous fisherman remind you of a star, and, if so, somebody in particular? I'd like to hear your answers.

 

Ladies in particular, how do you feel about this man's looks?

 

John

Thank you for rating. I particularly like your 'Dressing' photo. John

Something about this photograph -- the colors of the man and his clothing, his smile, the framing, the pose, the background, or something, I don't know exactly what -- makes this subject appear to me to be almost 'luminous', which is to say, that somehow it seems on close viewing almost as though this man were viewed in 'three dimensions', he stands out so well. Am I alone in that feeling, raters, or do you feel the same? (Musing about why I posted this particular photo--jc)

and welcome to my portfolio, Tero Leponiemi,

Chuck Nabinger, and tan yang beng .

I really like this photo. He looks like a very interesting person who has had lots of exciting experiences. The background of his boat is great, as is the depth of field.

I like this man! Nice look about him. I'd get some more photos of him. He looks interesting. I may crop this photo closer....seems everyone is getting a good feeling about him. A very natural looking portrait.

I was interested enough in this photo which was posted about 10:30 p.m. last night (and I stayed up overnight working on a web site) to drive by his boatyard where he has his boat in drydock and recently met with him to show him this photo -- and tell him he looks a bit like Robert Redford, to my eye.)

 

He's Aussie, (married regrettably), a salmon fisherman, and not quite so good looking in person as he photographs -- he's incredibly photogenic. I do have a number of photographs of him already, with his boat with its old paint job -- the green boat with the reddish hull in the background, which he fishes with his wife -- whom he says is a commercial fishing enthusiast. It's already been scraped and by the time you read this, it'll probably have been painted and soon will be back in the water -- no grass grows under this guy's feet.

 

He's also a commercial aircraft mechanic in times past (propeller certified), and has had other occupations. He's born on a ranch/farm in Australia and tells tales of 'roos and dingos, so 'yes', he's had that very interesting life his looks hint at. (and probably has a 'bad boy' relative in his past, as almost all Australians are descended from English prisoners -- its having started as an English penal colony, and prisoners were given their freedom (and no passage back) in Australia, to the best of my recollection.

 

(I have his name and address, if any model agencies want to hire him -- I'll be his rep.)

 

Here's winking at 'ya mate, he says.

 

John

I appreciate your cropping suggestion, but frankly I wouldn't crop a millimeter from this photo, even though there is room to the right. I took it to emphasize the curvature of the hull, left, and the reverse form of his body from his hat/head through his left shoudler (right side as you look at it). The blackness/darkness of the hull, right, serves to make his figure 'pop' and when I look at this image, it almost appears 'three dimensional' to me, he stands out so well.

 

(Also, I have taken just about every other type of portrait and view of a human face/upper torso from just about every angle, and need this view to fill out my portfolio/folder.)

 

Thank you for your comments about depth of field--I had to boost my camera shutter speed sky-high to be able to stop down my lens to keep the boat, background, from coming into focus, so I could isolate him as a subject since the light was pretty bright. (I often shoot in very low light, so this is seldom a problem for me, and thank the Lord for modern cameras with their 1/8000th second max. shutter speeds which allow for opening up apertures to the max, even on most sunny days.

 

This genial guy is just as gentle and kindly in person as depicted here -- he's not like some movie star who depicts one character on screen, then turn out to be a monster off screen -- this photo depicts him exactly as he is -- I captured his essence.

 

And, for that, I think I have done a very successful job (if I do say so myself), and he agrees.

 

Sorry that he's married. I usually can't understand what women see in men (many beautiful women have been atracted to ME for instance, and God only knows why, since I have none of his good looks or natural charm or charisma), but in this instance, his magnetic attraction to women is readily apparent even to this male dullard.

 

Thanks for your comment.

 

John

the hat is jed clampet, the look and moustache is the guy who played Mr. Adams in the adams family. Forgive me but that's right where my mind took me.

 

He does come across as handsome especially with the twinkle in his eye (which you have captured again). This man and another which I know are prime examples why some gals find older men that much more attractive. the glint in the eye of something to come, something thats been, mystery.

Nice portrait, I like this picture a lot, the guy is in the center of the phootograph every line has something to do with him. Also your description of the boat makes it a part of him.

 

Nice portrait. B. B.

What an interesting comment -- yes, this guy certainly was 'open' -- what you see is what you get, and regrettably for the big game hunter in me, 'capturing' his essence was not so very difficult -- but I am enthralled by his photo -- it has a certain 'magic' I think.

 

Thanks for the comment (and a look into the feminine mystique). John

When you have 30 seconds to a minute to take 12 photos, and you're snapping away, (and 'chatting up' the guy so he won't get too irritated that essentially he's serving your needs as a stranger/photographer) as a photographer one has to take what 'looks right' and this one just 'looked right' in the viewfinder -- and it was this one I looked forward to reviewing -- I had framed his light head, hat, body, and shirt against the darkness of the out of focus hull.

 

And I had hoped to make his shirt, neckline and open shirt an extension of the line of the circular stern (rear, also out of focus), and although it's slightly 'off' maybe that actually 'helps' to make his image stand out more. (Notice the flesh of his face and chest repeat the reddish color of the rudder)

 

I wouldn't change a thing about this photo except one small thing unrelated to its taking --in thumbnail it shows the upper part of the hull as blue and thus the blue upper hull appears to break the photo's rectangular appearance, so the frame, in thumbnail, appears not to be rectilinear.

 

So, if anything I would break a rule and add a frame. I don't presently even know how to make a frame, since I am somewhat of a purist and figure each photo should stand on its own, and feel that after Brian added gray as a photo background, I didn't have to worry about the background blending into my photo's tones, and that was attractive and good enough for me.

 

(I'm really pretty pleased with Brian and his many changes overall). Also, I'm a minimalist, and I figure I want people judging my photographs, not my frames -- others make elaborate frames and put much effort into choosing and framing their photographs, and sometimes I'm confused into thinking their photographs are actually better than they are (that's the effect of marketing I'm afraid).

 

I don't 'market' my photos -- I just post them and hope for the best, acknowledge their faults, defend them sometimes when people denigrate them for wrong reason, explicate them for people who don't understand them (see for instance my lengthy comment to Rebecca Hunt on portrait of a Parisian merchant, gray-haired with a white-haired mannequin behind him, in my single folder portfolio), and try to carry on an educated colloquy with my viewers about my photos, and anything else that's on their mind that might tangentially be related -- whether it's politics, economics, philosophy, (a jest), a poem, or just general banter -- the idea is to make this a genial place for people to express themselves.

 

Sometimes people 'hold back' their critical comments that might help me, just as a customer who snaps 'it was good' when asked about his meal by the server while the same customer mutters obscenities under his breath, to the waitress/waiter who brought him a wrongly cooked piece of meat, far too late, left off half his order, confused the rest of the order, and then mis-added the check in the restaurant's favor.

 

Sometimes people just say what's expected to 'get rid' of an annoyance because they don't want to 'make a fuss' and thus they become 'genial liars' and they 'buy peace'.

 

On the other hand, I seldom am such a 'genial liar', tell such people the truth when asked direct questions (generally), and expect my viewers to tell me the truth also -- and one way is not to be judgmental -- not to throw 'bombs' or flame viewers, members, or moderators with invective. One won't find the words 'thin-skinned idiots' issue from my pen or keyboard -- I want everyone to feel free to comment, and part of that is to take well thought out criticism well.

 

(and I don't bitch about the ratings or other members or contributors -- I'm almost never to be found in 'site feedback forum', and I often get 'low ratings', sometimes undeservedly so, but so what?)

 

A critique called my 'comments' column a place to 'come in, sit down and kick off your shoes . . . ' and she was very apt (haven't seen her a while and she's missed).

 

How else are you going to get valuable advice -- and have friendly people (such as yourself) say simply "I don't get this photo" as you have recently, without making them feel that they are not inviting the 'wrath of John', or that somehow I'm going to make them feel 'inferior'.

 

Photograpy is very much an 'art' and there are many styles and tastes. I don't 'get' much of what is posted as 'art' in the 'art' world, and sometimes also in the 'art' photography world.

 

Maybe that makes me simple/Maybe that makes me wise.

 

Each is entilted to his view of which, and I'm perfectly happy to be judged by my work and my comments (and by the company I keep, such as by you, B.B.).

 

I always appreciate your visits, B.B.

 

John

This is about as good a use of DOF and telephoto perspective as I've seen in quite some time. Yes, I agree that the "not" old salt has a very open countenance and an attractive face, but the 3 dimensional affect is what makes this photograph something special.

I have spent some time studying what makes this photo successful, for I hope to be able to replicate -- even teach -- why it is successful. It has lots to do with the difference in light levels between the subject and the dark hull (in shadow) behind him.

 

I'm always pleased when you drop by -- why aren't you in Paris where you were doing the town so well -- becoming a new master, it seems?

 

Respectfully, John

I'm saving up for Paris as we speak, although the "inflation" of the Euro is making headway a bit slow. Your absolutely right on when you say the dark background and its contrasting elements "pop" your fisherman into another dimension. Let me know when your classes start, I'd make the trip to pick your brain.

photography. I think it would be something to lead expeditions down a street, into a boatyard, up a slough, or one-on-one, with instruction before hand and critique afterward -- it would keep me fresh and I think I could easily help make others better photographers in a thrice -- after all you can purchase a good camera (35 mm and three lenses) for $50 -- I know -- last month I bought a metered Pentax and three lenses for just that -- also with a tele-extender, all in spotless condition -- so equipment should be no object for 'students' if they can wean themselvs away from their ultrasmall digicams with their 'lack of control over settings', for the essence of good photography I think is in controlling the settings (or letting the camera do that when it's appropriate, but knowing when to do which).

 

I'm disqualified from teaching at a Univ or college level I'm told -- no fine arts degree.

 

Go figure.

 

Those who can do; those who can't teach.

 

Except in law, there is high respect for the professor who also practices -- perhaps it should be the same in photography.

 

And I'd also make the trip to learn from you -- for your technique is ten times that of mine.

 

(A tip of the Hatlo hat to you.)

 

John