nigel_nagarajan

Part of my India

gallery.

Denis,

 

Seeing in B&W is an acquired skill which I'm still learning. But I usually try to look at the range of tonalities in the subject (and the contrast between the subject and the background) and then think about whether it would be better to express this in colour or B&W.

 

You can learn some of this stuff from books, but you can only REALLY learn it by going out and taking photos and learning from your mistakes.

 

Hope this helps,

 

Nigel

Hi Denis,

 

Thanks for taking the time to comment on some of my photos.

 

The reason I didn't convert this one to B&W is that I normally try to think about whether I want a colour or B&W image at the time of exposure (in other words I try to previsualize, but I don't always get it right). This comes from my old habit of carrying two film bodies, one loaded with colour transparency film and the other with B&W transparency film. So most of the B&W images in my photo.net galleries were actually shot using Agfa Scala B&W transparency film.

 

Now that I've moved to digital, I normally decide when I am taking the shot whether I want it to be in colour or whether I'm going to convert it to B&W in Photoshop. With this one, I wanted a colour image. But you are right that it might make a good B&W image as well.

 

Cheers,

 

Nigel

This was an attempt to create a deliberately low-key image. It was taken inside this man's hut and lit by light coming in through the small doorway (and the flame used to light the pipe).

I wanted to respect the delicate lighting conditions and isolate the man from the background. The longest exposure I thought I could get away with was 1 second (otherwise too much risk of subject movement), so once I had my tripod in position I set the exposure for 1s at f/2.8, knowing that this would really underexpose the background. Do you think this exposure is OK?

Note that this was shot on B&W transparency film (Scala), so I have exposed for the highlights and let the shadows go black. Would you have tried to get more detail in the shadows? If so, what would that imply for the man's face?

I would also welcome comments on the rest of my Vietnam folder, which I am gradually adding to. Thank you very much.

This photograph was taken on a small, traditional Vietnamese rowing

boat in Chau Doc in the Mekong Delta. I wanted to create a dynamic

composition involving the different diagonal lines - the oars, the

boat, the horizon and even the girl herself. I used slow-sync flash

to blur her hands as she pulled and pushed the oars. I also used

ambient exposure compensation to darken the sky by 2/3rds of a stop.

Her face is not sharp, but I don't mind as it was not my intention to

take a sharp photo but rather one that conveyed what it was like to

travel on one of these little boats. Your coments would be

appreciated.

 

NB To take this shot, I had to lie down on my back on the bottom of

the boat and point the camera up at the girl. I wanted to shoot at

17mm, but that would have meant including my (bent) knees in the

shot, so I had to settle for 20mm. There was so much water entering

the boat that by the end of one roll of film I was soaking wet!

Thanks to everyone for the comments on this photo.

 

I love moody architectural shots like this. This is definitely like something out of Bladerunner. Even with the black area at top left it still works for me.

This portrait of a Buddhist monk on a pilgrimage to Sarnath (where the Buddha preached his first sermon) was taken inside a temple and lit by window light with the help of fill-flash. Because the light level was so low, I used my fastest lens (50mm f/1.4) and had to shoot with it almost wide open, thus limiting the depth of field. The man was very serene and kind. After I photographed him, he gently placed his hand on my shoulder and said, "Thank you". Please critique this as a travel portrait.

If you are interested, please take a look at my Sacred India folder.

This man's colourful attire is typical of the Rajasthan region of

India. I would welcome your opinions on it as a travel portrait.

Thank you.

I think the blown-out highlight in the window helps to balance the darker tones, particularly the black sleeve of the man in the foreground. Excellent shot, excellent portfolio.

I like the composition as it is. Very beautiful. Mr Dummett is the man!

I don't usually comment on PoWs as I often come into the discussion late and the comments I would like to make have usually already been made. This time I'll make an exception.

 

I've looked through Jim Hancock's portfolio and whilst his style is not my own favourite, I would say his work does have artistic merit and that he demonstrates a high degree of technical expertise. That said, there is something about this particular photograph that doesn't really work for me. The only thing is, I'm not sure exactly why. Perhaps it's a combination of things? I find the frame distracting, but even when I cover it up there's still something . . . I agree with Tony Dummett's about the "great big blob of black", but I don't think that's it either. Maybe it's the fact that the model's head is smack in the middle of the composition? Or maybe not. Perhaps someone else will explain it to me.

 

I don't want to appear too critical. I agree with the elves that the reflection adds an air of mystery and that the fall of the coat is graceful and it may just be that my eyesight/monitor is too poor to appreciate the penetrating look of the model.

Thanks for the explanation, Tony. The fact that you were able to get the effect you wanted without relying on filters or Photoshop (not that there's anything wrong with that approach) makes me admire you even more.

 

If you're ever in Belgium, look me up.

Your colour work is indeed beautiful, and this is another wonderful image. Thank you for sharing it with us.

 

I'm wondering whether any filters were used here or whether anything was done to the image post-exposure? Or is this just another fine example of what happens when you let Velvia do its stuff?

This is a great shot. As one of the other comments above says, the special thing about this photo is the way that the "sweet light" and the fog have combined to create a really atmospheric and moody picture. I also like the fact that there is plenty of foreground, middle ground and background subject interest (e.g. the bright red boat at the lower-left thirds point) which helps to draw the viewer into the scene.

Thanks so much, everyone, for all your comments on this photo.

 

It's been really great to receive the compliments of people who liked it. I also genuinely appreciate hearing from people who take a slightly different view from me (e.g. on composition or film choice). Both types of comments have inspired me to go out and take more photos, and hopefully it won't be too long before my next trip to India.

 

Finally, let me thank Phil and the people at Photo.net for creating this excellent resource.

 

I agree that this isn't a compositionally perfect photo. I spotted this woman from a distance as we were wondering around Jaisalmer, looking for interesting people to photograph. I was attracted by the contrast between her bright red sari and the gold coloured wall behind her. We approached her, and I asked in my beginner's Hindi if she wouldn't mind having her photo taken. We were immediately surrounded by local children. Each of them wanted their own photo taken, and several kept getting in the way as I tried to photograph the woman (obviously the mother of some of the children). As we were about to take her photo, she immediately became self-conscious and raised her arm to cover her face. But she was smiling, and was obviously flattered that we wanted to photograph her in the first place. Maybe if my Hindi had been good enough I would have asked her to move her hand so I could get one shot of her face. But maybe I wouldn't have. Trying to get her to pose might have spoiled the moment. In any event, she would only let me take two photos of her. When I got home and looked at the slide on my light table, I was really pleased because I realized that I'd managed to capture something of her personality (more through luck than any skill on my part). I think a good portait photo should, above all else, reveal something about the subject. If you sometimes have to sacrifice perfect composition to get that, then maybe that's no bad thing.