Labour in a Sugar (Gur) Factory

After having accumulated five "below average" ratings and no comment

for this photo I have deleted it and post it here again with some

additional information.

I have to admit, that I post my photos on PN because I want them to

be seen and I hope to get some feedback which help me to progress as

a photographer. The rating system brings the high rated photos up in

the lists of top rated photos and these are the photos which are

seen most. Some low ratings deprive the photos from being visible.

Now to this photo: I shot it today in a small sugar factory outside

Peshawar. The room was quite dark. The background is a mud wall. The

boy was working there together with some other workers. When I turnd

the camera towards him, he just looked at me, without "posing" for

the photo. I took some shots of him. This is one of them.

The technical details are: Tv 1/80, Av 4.0, ISO 1600, Focal Lenght

88 mm, handheld, no flash. Postprocessing: Some level adjustement

and 0.3 pixel, 150% sharpening in photoshop. That's it.

For me this photo depicts poverty in a subtle way. There are some

highly praised glamour photos about poverty with heavy make-up and

costumes top-rated in PN. They are masterly done and deserve the

high ratings. But what do people see when they rate this photo with

3/3? This is what I wanted to know. Perhaps some explanation would

help to improve my work.

This boy is a worker in a small factory in Pakistan. When I see him,

there are some questions which go through my mind. Does he go to

school? How old is he? Is he happy to have a job or does he cry in

the night because he has to work too hard? What about his parents?

What about his future?

Thanks for reading this and for having a thorough look at the photo

before rating. Your comments are highly appreciated. Even your low

ratings are appreciated when provided with some explanation. Thanks.

Karl

It's not a bad shot. I like the colors. It might work better as a vertical crop. That way, you could put the top of his head back on. Perhaps what other don't like is that it's a straight up face-forward-to-the-lens portrait. That's just dull. You said he worked in a factory. Why not shoot him while he doing something?

Hi Karl,

 

Disclaimer: What I am going to say is what I feel why this pic got a below-average rating. And I am no Ansel Adams. However, if I were to analyse the rating say 3/3, then this is how it would be. But before I start dissecting the image, let me tell you that personally, I dont think its a 3/3 pic. Its much more. While we do have many fantastic photographers who comment and they are genuine, I am sorry to say that I have seen many-a viewers who simply give any low rating simply because they could not understand the pic and just that it looks amateurish.

 

The rating here is based on aesthetics and originality! So, lets first look at the Aesthetics. This image falls short of contrast. The light is diffused and flat on the face (with just a litttle shadow). Anybody would look at this photo as a portrait and for a portrait, this light is simply not great! The factory settings that moved you and motivated you to take the pic are not visibe in the photograph for a viewer to see and understand. So, naturally the viewers wont be able to understand the feelings that got generated in you. I would say if you included some factory settings, etc. instead of the dull background, the photo would increase in value (ofcourse, after improving the lighting for better face lift and contrast). Deppicting poverty is not a problem. just that the lighting needs to be good to make a great pic.

 

Another factor is originality. Originality in composition, lighting, view-angle, technique, etc. Which is less visible here. Flat face-on portraits of kids is common. So, maybe you could try some different view angle or some dramatic light such that one side of the face is well lit (that can be done by placing the boy near a window!), while the other side is dark (just a suggestion).

 

I hope I am not leaving you more confused than you were :)

 

But I would like to add: I see a great effort to show emotions!

 

regards

 

Bhairav

Thats why I am CO, the ratings are just meaningless. Dont care, what counts is a helpful comment, positive or negative.

This portrait is very expressive, but I would have no idea of the aspects you mention in the about text from the photo itself. As mentioned, there is no visible hint to his social background. Not that this is bad, this is just an interesting en face portrait of an adolescent. This is a general issue, a photographer with all those facts behind the shot in mind, with all his emotions, has to dissociate from this and give the viewer relevant signs and hints in the photograph to allow the viewr to follow his ideas. BTW, To put more emphasis on his expression I would go B&W.

 

Cheers

Carsten

Ok Karl, not a bad portrait. Firstly it is right that you resubmitted this photo. If you get what you honestly believe too many low ratings, then put it back on again, sometimes I do. Most PN folk will be honest, but the rating system is subjective and one persons honest opinion differs from another, and even the most stunning pics can be rated a bit too low. Oftentimes they are just newcomers who rate low for kicks just to get you upset, just a wind up. Don't worry it's not you it's them. I say a good image will always get noticed, so don't worry too much about ratings, we ALL get them, but do your best. Like you said it is better to have a genuine comment either good or bad than an invisible 3/3. Also high ratings don't always mean it's a great picture.

In my opinion Karl, the only adjustment I would make here is for a different crop, other than that it's solid. His eyes tell a secret story here, and I think that is captured very well.

 

Best regards Michael. (see, some people have noticed)!! All the best.

Karl, I looked through your portfolio, its great. I think this is a wonderful portrait. I see that I have a way to go. One thing I learned recently, maybe you already know is in PS inhance, go to levels and you can perk up the contrast. This is something I have found helps my portraits. Roy

His liquid eyes speak volumes and his open calm expression with a hint of a smile makes me think he is a gentle soul. I think it is an excellent portrait for these reasons, and don't mind the low contrast (I think it helps here) full face shot, or cut off hair one bit. I agree that it would be nice to see it him at work if you want to convey that aspect of his life, but I'm sure you got some of that in other shots. I would love to see one of your slide shows!

 

Blow off those double 3 raters. They hit many great shots on photo.net. I wonder what is up with them - seems like a feeble, stupid waste of time way to get their jollies. Do they give double 6s to very poor shots?

The emptyness of the background plays a role in the shot... indeed, there is nothing there. Another subtle depiction of poverty.

 

A vertical shot would not have given you enough background to realise it.

 

I might stay in colours, the dullness of everything but eyes helps giving subtle messages.

 

For sure, no 3/3 rater has tried to shoot people in rural central asia, without behaving as in a zoo.

 

Actually, Karl, it was a while I wanted to tell you that what I like from your portraits from Peshawar and surroundings, is that you obviously do not behave like the photo-safari-zoo types one can often see when traveling to remote -and poor- regions. You know their attitude, it needs not be discussed here.

 

There is soul in your shots. For sure in this one.

It's an amazing picture. All attempts to explain why are absolutely useless. It just has "IT". It's a whole world...

Thank you.

Good portrait!

First class portrait!

There are many kinds of good light, and this is a subtley beautiful light that illuminates that wonderful face and the life behind it, and what makes it great light is whatever strong light source that is making those eyes shine like that.

 

You really got 3/3s for this? Inexplicable. I truly don't understand some of the raters here.