Indian Woman

-- Travis koh (teckyy@hotmail.com), March 31, 2002

Answers

same problem as several of your other shots posted recently -- the backgound is too busy, and adds nothing to the power of the portrait. in fact, in this case, the ugly background -- pole, etc. -- really ruins the shot. based on seeing several of your photos now, i believe you need to be much more attuned to the total pic. it is not enough to spot an interesting face, and then to just grab the shot any way you can. be patient, think about background and context, and when the perfect combination of factors appears in your viewfinder (or mental viewfinder), pull the trigger. patience will be rewarded in this endeavor.

-- roger michel (michel@tcn.org), March 31, 2002.

Thx Roger, im still learning..;)

-- travis (teckyy@hotmail.com), March 31, 2002.

we all are!!! and i admire your bravery in putting your work up for critique. remember, when you ask for a critique, people will invariably tell you much more about what's WRONG than all the things that are RITE in your photos. all i will add is that there is some old saw, which unfortunately i can't quite remember, to the effect that a photog sometimes learns more from the photos he doesn't take than from those he actually commits to film/chip. if you see a potentially great shot that isn't quite there, stop and think about why it falls short rather than simply grabbing the nice but flawed shot and walking away. this will help you develop your sense for the, dare i say it, decisive moment.

-- roger michel (michel@tcn.org), March 31, 2002.

It's great to see you posting your pictures for critique Travis. It shows us you are keen to learn and improve. And it is true that there is no improvement without learning, and no learning without desire. You have it all and your attempts are indicated by your pictures.

This picture to me shows that you are lacking confidence with the photographic process, not the equipment. Photographing people is not an easy task, but extremly rewarding when you have achieved your goals.

It looks as if you have seen this person and thought "Wow, she would make a great photographic subject" , and then you shot at an angle where she couldn't notice you, but you got enough of her face to be satisfied at that time.

Obviously from the result, you can see that satisfaction at that time can differ greatly. So how do you overcome this? 1. See the subject, think of framing and compostion as well as PERSPECTIVE. 2. Once decided choose the appropriate lens (if possible) 3. Taking into account subject distance and chosen lens, select an aperture that will portray the image the way you desire.

Then how do you go about getting the shot? Consider: * getting the person's permission, either by asking directly or breaking the ice by starting a conversation and then asking later. * Taking the picture inconspicuously * If not possible, just take the shot anyway (only if you feel it is ethically ok and safe). * offer money, especially in 3rd world countries (and yes you do have to pay sometimes).

These ar my options and the ones I use dependent on the environment and subject. Hope this helps.

-- Kristian (leicashot@hotmail.com), March 31, 2002.

It's great to see you posting your pictures for critique Travis. It shows us you are keen to learn and improve. And it is true that there is no improvement without learning, and no learning without desire. You have it all and your attempts are indicated by your pictures.

This picture to me shows that you are lacking confidence with the photographic process, not the equipment. Photographing people is not an easy task, but extremly rewarding when you have achieved your goals.

It looks as if you have seen this person and thought "Wow, she would make a great photographic subject" , and then you shot at an angle where she couldn't notice you, but you got enough of her face to be satisfied at that time.

Obviously from the result, you can see that satisfaction at that time can differ greatly. So how do you overcome this? 1. See the subject, think of framing and compostion as well as PERSPECTIVE. 2. Once decided choose the appropriate lens (if possible) 3. Taking into account subject distance and chosen lens, select an aperture that will portray the image the way you desire.

Then how do you go about getting the shot? Consider: * getting the person's permission, either by asking directly or breaking the ice by starting a conversation and then asking later. * Taking the picture inconspicuously * If not possible, just take the shot anyway (only if you feel it is ethically ok and safe). * offer money, especially in 3rd world countries (and yes you do have to pay sometimes).

These are my options and the ones I use dependent on the environment and subject. Hope this helps.

-- Kristian (leicashot@hotmail.com), March 31, 2002.

Totally agree with Roger! I've learnt more from the photos I missed out on or chose not to shoot. Cause no matter what technique yo have, sometimes you just can't get the shot....like the "BLOODY" times I left my camera at home **James's grin** :)

-- Kristian (leicashot@hotmail.com), March 31, 2002.

Thx Kristian, I really need to learn to get CLOSE to people ..;) Im not really a portrait person..as u can see..

now where is my 90 2.8??

-- Travis koh (teckyy@hotmail.com), March 31, 2002.

Travis, half the difficulty with photographing people is the fact that you need to capture an expression that best describes what you 'as a photographer' want to say about the person.

Two people who have done very well with this are: Henri Cartier Bresson and Steve McCurry. Steve McCurry is often bagged by people because he photographs mainly in clour and uses colour (although he says he doesn't) to the greatest advantage. But if you see his book "portraits" he has the great ability to capture a unique look in all his subjects. I call this skill! No matter how commercial he is he does capture the true "essence" of his subjects. Mainly through the eyes (hint hint).

And can anyone argue that his portrait of the Afgan girl in 85' has the most overwhelming effect on you. It is absolutely spectacular and if I could take one shot in my life that has that much effect I'll be very happy. Maybe he was in the right place at the right time, but he made the most of it and that is what counts.

-- Kristian (leicashot@hotmail.com), March 31, 2002.

Kristian, thx for sharing. Im a long way off being good at portraits. But i'll try.

As a matter of fact, HCB has influenced me quite a bit by his pics. I m trying to develop my own style, and i think Leica can help me do that.

I need to travel more...but maybe not Afghanistan!;)

-- Travis koh (teckyy@hotmail.com), March 31, 2002.

Hi, Travis:

Don't even think about the 90mm. Just get closer to your subject so that you can frame the person in a more convenient way, mainly meaning that the background doesn't interfere. It could take just a slight change of the angle your lens aims at her/him, the closer the easier.

How to do it ? No easy way that I know but practice and practice and . . .

Once it works for you for the first time, you will be in your way to improve it faster and faster.

And stick to the 50mm. 35mm often said to be better because of the wider coverage will demand to get even closer to the subject. At least, in my case it haven't been of much help for street shooting when dealing with people.

Regards

-Iván

-- Iván Barrientos M (ingenieria@simltda.tie.cl), March 31, 2002.

Thx Ivan...the 50 has been great...but I do feel the 35 asph f2 is much sharper overall..

I will try to get closer...to people..

-- Travis koh (teckyy@hotmail.com), April 01, 2002.