THE ORGANIST

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I like the photo and the tones in black and white. However, the message is somewhat ambiguous, and that disturbs me. I would love to know what statement this situation has made to you and then have you try to emphasize it somehow.

Interesting question you bring to mind. I think you may be hinting at something that I cannot well respond to. This was taken in the Mormon Tabernacle in Paris, Idaho. The gentleman was telling us about the organ and demonstrating one thing or another, which explains the one hand doing nothing. My intent was twofold. I wanted to get a good human portrait, as this is something I have been trying to improve upon for the last year or so. The other purpose was to attempt to show the quite impressive structure. All of the images I took were quite difficult to process. That is due as much to my lack of PS knowledge as it is to the somewhat difficult exposure. So the situation that I see is the desire to capture a rather interesting face and figure and the surrounds.

i think it is a wonderful image, it is amazing as to where peoples minds will go, and i will leave that there, good work, i think you did a wonderful job of capturing what you intended to.

Thank you for the most kind comments. I have no problem with folks challenging me a bit. It makes us better. Of course, being at least fifty percent human, I also soak up praise like a drunk does booze. :) Cheers

David, you know how I love gray scale tones. This one has them all. Beautiful on that alone and original. I kind of do not like that the piano bench runs out the bottom of the picture or maybe just add a little more foreground.

Larry, I agree with your comment on black and white tones. About the rest of your comment, ....one might say the same about the Mona Lisa. Also the phrase "somewhat ambiguous" is somewhat ambigous.....P.S. I enjoyed your folio.

I like the composition here, because the man and piano are creating a triangle " touching" the two corners of the room, and as a matter of fact, are leading the eye inside.Even without the story he looks immersed in what he is doing. the B/W conversion here looks good, I would have tuned down atiny bit selectively his head ( as his hair are a bit too bright. other than that I think it is a very nice addition to your trip and people you have met.

David, you have captured "interesting face and figure and the surrounds" very well. The gentleman, the organ and the surroundings have a classical touch, something of bygone eras.

I like the shades of gray and the quaint church is beautifully depicted. The whole image comes together well...Marjorie

I like the composition and the whole image, the man and his scenery. Great portrait, Dave.

David, it looks like you are overcoming your reluctance to ask people if you may photograph them. beautiful job on both of these portraits

Thank you for your thoughts on the image. I think you know that I appreciate your people images about as much as any on pnet. If it works for you, then I figure I've done pretty well.

Thanks for the comment. The backlighting was a killer here, so I had to do a lot of work with it. I actually used the omnidirectional lighting found in the Render filter, that Fred Goldsmith told me about on the man's head to bring out his face and silvery hair, and thought I had done not too badly with it. But I can see your point.

Thanks. This is a type of photography I've tried to improve upon lately.

Thank you. Much appreciated.

Thank you for taking the time to look and comment.

I've tried to be a little more aggressive in asking to take images. I've still a long way to go.

Sad that I can't give you a 7 since you so foolishly overrated one of my pictures in the last 14 days, because this picture, a tur de force of lighting, depth of field, and compositional excellence, certainly desrves it.

Your comment is far more valuable than any seven. Thank you.

Wow, David!!!! I'm totally in awe in front of this one. Man, what a powerful shot! Everything's damn fine there. The angle, the composition, the setting and the man, all fabulous, the atmosphere, and that helluva post-processing job you achieved on this one. It is so full of light and clarity, and the tones are incredibly gorgeous. I also like what I see as a contrast between the formal, almost austere environment of the church and the relaxed attitude of the man at the organ. His posture, and the fan on the instrument evoke the mood of some Jazz club, which creates tension and interest in the solemn environment of the church. A 7/7 in my book and more if I could and I'll have to come back as soon as I can.

Thank you very much. As I said, this one took quite a bit of work, and presented me with some real challenges. I'm not as happy with the outcome as with the fact I think I've been learning some stuff and I'm hoping that the stuff I'm learning is improving my work. The biggest difficulty I had here was to imbue it with some sort inspirational and clarifying light. But in doing that I created a lot of noise. So I gave up some sharpness for noise reduction. This is where the more technically advanced guys like Fred and Ton, Dennis, and others have left their mark with the great knowledge they have shared. Without their technical help I don't think I could have made this one work on any level, and without guys like you and quite a few others, I would not have the artistic inspiration.

It is a very classic, and a good "portrait on location". I like the light and the BW conversion very much. Of course, Paris always brings the classic guy inside out. Like "we will always have Paris". Oh god it's Paris, Idaho! Well, it's a good photo, indeed. Regards

Yes, this is definitely the lesser known Paris. Thanks for the visit.

This is a great, great photo. It captures the man in his environment so well. There's a bit of Escher here. The graphics of the keys tie in with the lines of the pews and balconies. It is very crisp and clean. The lighting is superb, although it doesn't isolate or emphasize the man, so it makes him very much part of (maybe a bit lost in) his environment. His hair being bright could begin to act as a halo if you wanted that. Taken more traditionally, Pnina's point is a good one...the light on his hair is taking us a bit away from his face.

 

I compare this favorably in terms of your post-processing to the Montpelier portrait. It is a richer and more textured and layered photo. It draws me in more and there is more nuance to the lighting, shading, and highlights. It has more depth and dimension. (The Montpelier portrait has this potential.)

 

I agree with Larry's comment to an extent and I think your response in some ways acknowledges that. You know I don't mind "ambiguous" messages, so I'm not sure that's the word I'd use. The interpretation, what exactly you want us to get from this can all be effectively ambiguous, but visual "commitment" is another story and that may be worth thinking about. You talk about your twofold intent but is it clear whether this photo is a portrait, or architectural, or how the combination of the two works? How do man and place relate?

 

For a specific example, look at the back wall. (This is more to show you my thought process rather than suggesting this would be the only way to go, because it's not.) The lighting below is brighter than the lighting above, so that means less contrast between the lower wall and the man's face all the way in the foreground. That actually flattens out your photo a bit, so we are not as tempted to stay with the face as we are for our eyes to bring that lower part of the wall forward in a bit of competition. Note the difference if the back wall were to stay more subdued below and got brighter as it goes up. It would lead our eyes upward (not a bad thing in a church), provide a darker backdrop for the face, and have that lower wall reced from the face instead of being pulled toward it. It would also make it clear that he is being illuminated by a light source of his own, in the foreground, rather than it almost seeming as if that lower back light were reaching his face somehow.

 

This really is a stunning piece of work, in composition, lighting, subject matter, from the smallest details (the fan and the shadow of his arm on the keys) to the bigger picture which is so compelling. Overall, though, everything has pretty equal weight. There is such a great visual story here to be told through dyamic highs and lows, main characters and supporting characters, being led around and through the church, this man's world in this photograph.