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Hi Scott,

I too love the mood it conveys. The dark, soft look really works here and gives a storytelling shot. One can almost hear the bee saying "enough" while flying away from the shadows.

Very well done.

Best, Fred

Hi Pnina,

I like your creative composition, what "bothers" me a bit is the right foot of the male dancer being a bit too visible on the black of the female dancer.

I think the merge works well on the light colors (skin of the right dancer for instance) but the effect is too obvious on the dark ones. Maybe an opacity adjustment of this layer on the dark area would look more "natural" ?

Regards, Fred

IMHO color photographs, be they from a DSLR or neg, almost always need to have their contrast cranked up when converted to B&W. Of course there're some situations where a picture will work better with all the shades of grey preserved, but I think it's rarely the case with street photography.

My edit is surely a bit strong, you might prefer something more subtle (as I'd do). Keep in mind it was just for illustration's sake.

Regards, Fred.

Hi Debasish,

I think you should play a bit with the contrast, especially in the sky where you've some interesting forms already.

Attached an example of what I've in mind.

Best, Fred.

IMHO it's a very classic composition, almost common, by today standards.

I must admit I'm a bit fed up with those cropped children faces, and think your job on the Phnom Penh dump was more original.

Nice framing and good timing.

Very good PJ shot.

Regards, Fred

FWIW, I like the original better. What I don't really appreciate in the edit is its softness. I'm used to shoot old structures or abandoned places and I think they look best when crisp and contrasty. This is just my personal opinion, so take it with a bit of salt as usual.

Some interestings pictures in your portfolio as well, I'll make sure to check it back.

Regards, Fred.

Nice portrait, the woman in the foreground is a bit static but the second one clearly makes the shot with her suspicious glance. Composition is OK, I can guess that the tilted horizon is because of the lanscape structure itself.

Colors are nicely rendered, I prefer more realistic colors like yours to overly saturated ones. The sky is washed out but I imagine you didn't have much latitude left to work with.

Regards, Fred.

Debasish,

This is by far my favorite shot in your portrait folder, the strong light casting shadows on the face and the boy's expression really make the picture IMHO. Your use of a shallow DOF is interesting but it makes me wonder why you selected his hair on the right as your point of focus ? Wouldn't the right eye be a better point ?

Also I'm a bit reserved on the added grain-like effect, I don't think this is necessary to make the picture looks authentic or genuine, it already works well without it.

Best, Fred.

Have you some more in this serie ? 3 or more would be great to put next to each other. By watching 2 of them in your portfolio I had the feeling this guy was doing some kind of kata or obscure dance in the street ;) You really did well at capturing him.

Regards, Fred.

Hi Paul,

To me it looks either you were too far or too near. I'd have made a far shot to isolate those workers in a dark street, and a second one very close to the people with the street in the background. This is just a matter of personal taste, I think you really succeeded in conveying the mood of this street in the late night. It just gave me some ideas.

John,

I wasn't referring to "snapshot" looking equipment, your comment is right on. The public reacts more to big, pro-looking cameras than it would in front of small digicams.

As a consequence I now happen to shoot public events with my small FM3a and let the F5 & F6 home. This is fine for me who mostly work on documentary projects, but it isn't for PJs working with big DSLRs. They have to deal with people not wanting to be photographed, picture desks not wanting people faces to be recognizable and architectural elements falling under intellectual property rights (i.e. : you can't publish a commercial photograph showing the Eiffel tower unless you pay for to the company exploiting it, or reach a deal with them if you're a press agency). Just imagine how much hassles this is. Not to mention police asking you to stop taking pictures for whatever reasons : public safety, anti-terror laws, public order disturbance, officers not liking your face or look, and so on.

Amateurs are now more and more concerned too, surely not in the most touristic places, but anywhere else. When there's no obvious reason to photograph, then it becomes suspicious, both to citizens and authorities. It makes for an uneasy climate, not sure HCB would have felt very comfortable and prolific these days.

The fact that photographers are not allowed to shoot in the tube or railway stations has nothing to do with the Vigipirate instructions. It has always been so, both for security reasons indeed and for legal rights issues.

Paris has always been one of the most difficult place to photograph - try to put a tripod on the pavewalk and you'll get what I mean. This fact has been further exacerbated recently because of a law on "image right" and its erroneous understanding by a large majority. People use to invoke this right each time they think they're featured on a photograph. This situation has already led to some clashes between photographers and "subjects".

You can figure this out by watching french newspapers, you'll notice how people's faces are now avoided, with the PJs trying to cut or blur heads in demonstrations for example.

All this to say the situation is pretty problematic here, I almost gave up on street style shooting in France for this reason.

Best,

Fred

I think this is my favorite among your - growing ? - infrared collection. The effect is quite subtle yet convincing. Also I like the fact you kept the composition "simple" and effective, it lets the eye focus on this strange opposition between the light foliage and the strong contre-jour.

Well done.

I like this one a lot, even though it's quite a classic shot.

You should definately keep on working on this subject, just for experiment sake. IMHO you might come back with some interesting results in the end.

Regards,

Fred.

Solid composition and crop, good details and a nice light. I too feel your comparison with the portrait of an old woman. Very well done.

Regards,

Fred

Many thanks for your comments and wishes last year, I finally managed to get back to you and just discovered your new series.

I've decided to react to this particular one because it illustrates a fact that's getting common in our societies : western states are more and more relying on private initiatives to address desperate situations like this (as well as others you've witnessed and actively reacted to).

Such an insidious disengagement is unbearable. What will happen when we'll all need some help and support, hence unable to provide it to others ?

There's hope in this serie, as you and your friend took an active stance. But still there's the underlying situation of this woman who was allowed to be left on her own in the street despite her critical state.

Keep it up as long as you can, Hugh. And take care of yourself too.

Best, Fred.

I tend to prefer the second one because it's graphically "cleaner". The first one has some secondary lines (left and bottom) which break the overall balance of the picture IMHO. Nice shot anyway.

Regards,

Fred