FRANK--GHOST TOWN CARETAKER

This man lives mostly alone until winter when he descends from the

mountain to winter in Las Vegas. Cerro Gordo is a silver mine, and the

town adjoining once had 4,000 people living in it. Much remains to be

seen and Frank will give a personal tour for ten bucks a head. Here he

is in the old general store.

very good image ,great tones and story about this man . best regards .

Thanks so much for viewing and commenting.

I appreciate this not only as a document of a fast disappearing slice of Americana (of course we'll always have Disneyland!) but also for the absolute clarity of tone. I struggle getting the tones right and this is instructive as to what a master of the technique can do, Into my favorites it goes.

I just bumble along. Sometimes I get close to good, and sometimes not. I'm reminded of your fishing story. I fish a lot.

I like the story attached to the photo, but it is really a nice scene.His gesture, face /expression, BG and the doll, (his only usual company... ;-)) .You know how to create a surrounding. Again good light and tonal pallete.

A fabulous image, in composition, tone, and detail. Artfully presented and the story is dessert. Excellent... Mike

 

 

excellent portrait. wonderful light and details. i'll bet this guy has some stories to tell!

Thanks. I struggle with black and white conversions, but I was pretty content with this one. The composition could have been better but there was an old cash register which appeared as a dark unfocused blob on the right side that forced me to crop more severely than I would have liked because above the mannequin there was a lovely old time painting and more stuff that I felt would have added. But we take what we can, eh amiga?

Thanks for your praise. I'm honored.

Thanks. And you are right, this guy could talk a storm up.

Frank looks like an interesting old codger. I like his bottle collection, I wonder if he digs them up himself? I like the expressive hand movement. It looks as if he is telling you a story here. I really like this one. Well done.

Very nice lighting which really makes his eyes come alive. Though you don't do many people photos, this one maintains your personal vision and seems to fit right into your work, especially given the mannequin in the background. As is often the case with your work, you tell a story. It's interesting to hear you talk about having cropped this, because I did feel like there was something off about the composition, like I wanted just a little bit more. Despite that, you have given us plenty. Love the bottle in the lower left corner which sets up a nice perspective.

Thanks. It's always nice to have a compliment from someone who is as skilled as you.

I'm glad you found this one reasonably good. You know from our previous discussions (particularly on b & w people pictures) how much I struggle with first the taking, and then the processing. I thought long and hard about that bottle and ultimately decided it added more than it detracted.

An excellent portrait in environnement....I like the expression, it feels very natural and that's what's strike me most..glad you're patiently pursuing this ghost town serie beacuse I am really looking at them with interest...

Thanks a bunch.

read all the previous comments with interest... much of what i felt has already been said... even if it's an echo let me say i find this an excellent photograph... the man's eyes, the lines, his gesture... they all speak... the assortment of evident survivors from an abundant past lining the shelves speak... your chosen perspective looking up to this long-seeing caretaker speaks... the rakish hat of the perky doll summarizes

I think the fact that he stands there with roughly the same shape as the empty bottles behind him says a lot. Like your other series, I see the world evaporating behind him. That leathery hand, almost glove-like, holds a lot of the personality of the photo.

A very fine portrait, David. You can immediately tell the guy has some stories to share. Very nice indeed.

Fascinating character study Dave, as I said earlier on "The Player", you have a great way with these type of shots. Kudos.

A fine portrait, David. I think you really have a way with people and I wish you presented us with more of your portraiture work. Wonderful tones as everybody stressed out. I found Fred's remark about your style and the inclusion of the manequin in the bottom right-hand corner very apt.

The BW toning is perfect. You caught a nice expression. Thanks for giving this!

A big thanks to all of you who took the time to look and leave a comment. That's a big boost to me.