Old World Gentlemen

sara505

On my way out the door to do afternoon errands, I came upon, within thirty seconds of each other, two of my neighbors, Leon and Dennis, and was thrilled when each of them graciously allowed me to grab a quick portrait in the gorgeous light of the vestibule of our building, and even happier with the results (are we supposed to be boycotting the internet today? Sorry, I can't keep track of this stuff).


Leon


Dennis

RSL

Good light and good informal portraits, Sara. Good work.

bfjr

feel a bit tight to me, but yes would not pass on the light

sara505

bfjr wrote: »

feel a bit tight to me, but yes would not pass on the light

Thanks for commenting, Ben. I also have slightly wider views that include the hands - I love hands - but these are meant to be all about the faces.

sara505

RSL wrote: »

Good light and good informal portraits, Sara. Good work.

Thanks, Russ - from you, I'll take it :-)

jhefti

Sara, to my eye those are lovely shots: great lighting on the subject and a very subtle editorial hand. I like the simplicity of technique, which allows the richness of the subjects to shine through. Really beautiful!!

Richard

Both are nice shots. I think the light in #2 is better.

jhefti

Sara, I just took a look at your personal website, and love your eye and editorial restraint. You see an interesting subject, capture it very effectively, then let it tell its own story. Really nice work!

sara505

jhefti wrote: »

Sara, to my eye those are lovely shots: great lighting on the subject and a very subtle editorial hand. I like the simplicity of technique, which allows the richness of the subjects to shine through. Really beautiful!!

Thanks, John. Yup, keeping it simple these days, back to basics with just my 5D&50/1.4 slung over the shoulder at all times (thinking I would ever use the G12 in my purse was delusional, for the most part), composing in-camera, no flash, simple BW conversion in LR. Pure drop. Stripping down has changed my photography drastically. So to speak (I still put on clothes when I leave the house).

sara505

Richard wrote: »

Both are nice shots. I think the light in #2 is better.

Thanks, Richard. Amazing, isn't it, what only a slight change of angle will do. Leon had the light coming in from the side, Dennis had the light full-on. I think I like the side light and the drama it adds.

sara505

jhefti wrote: »

Sara, I just took a look at your personal website, and love your eye and editorial restraint. You see an interesting subject, capture it very effectively, then let it tell its own story. Really nice work!

Thanks, John - for looking and for your comment. Much appreciated:D

bdcolen

Very nice, Sara. Very nice indeed.

sara505

bdcolen wrote: »

Very nice, Sara. Very nice indeed.

Thanks, BD. Your opinion means a lot.

Quincy T

You certainly have an eye for quality light, as evidenced in these and the violinist shot I commented on before.

sara505

Quincy T wrote: »

You certainly have an eye for quality light, as evidenced in these and the violinist shot I commented on before.

Ah, Quincy! Much easier - I like it! Great avatar, too.

Thank you very much for your comment. It's true - I have a fondness for light :-) Which is why I am head over heels in love with BW, because the light is what it's all about.

Quincy T

sara505 wrote: »

Ah, Quincy! Much easier - I like it! Great avatar, too.

Thank you very much for your comment. It's true - I have a fondness for light :-) Which is why I am head over heels in love with BW, because the light is what it's all about.

I can only agree with your sentiments. I do love people, down to my core I do. But, if I find great lighting, I honestly don't care who walks into it.

Thanks for the avatar compliment, I was trying impromptu reflectors out, using a big thick piece of white paper. Not sure if it worked out exactly like I wanted, but I still got a good image. You just need to tell the folks over at DPChallenge that it's good, hahaha.

sara505

Quincy T wrote: »

I can only agree with your sentiments. I do love people, down to my core I do. But, if I find great lighting, I honestly don't care who walks into it.

Thanks for the avatar compliment, I was trying impromptu reflectors out, using a big thick piece of white paper. Not sure if it worked out exactly like I wanted, but I still got a good image. You just need to tell the folks over at DPChallenge that it's good, hahaha.

I think that my formative years, with no light-meter (using the guideline on the side of the Tri-X box, which I remember by heart) and shooting everything in manual mode, definitely helped sensitize me to light. I still shoot all-manual-all-the-time, which makes me constantly aware of my surroundings. On some level, I am constantly reading and analyzing the light - direction, quality, brightness, contrast, etc.

Good light is the difference between a snapshot and a photograph in most cases, I believe.

jhefti

Quincy T wrote: »

I can only agree with your sentiments. I do love people, down to my core I do. But, if I find great lighting, I honestly don't care who walks into it.

Glad to hear I am not the only one who finds good light, then waits for a subject to walk into it.

I posted this elsewhere on this forum, but it's an example of light that was waiting for a subject. It's not the richest street shot I have done, but you'd never guess this was a bus stop.

sara505

Quincy T wrote: »

I can only agree with your sentiments. I do love people, down to my core I do. But, if I find great lighting, I honestly don't care who walks into it.

Thanks for the avatar compliment, I was trying impromptu reflectors out, using a big thick piece of white paper. Not sure if it worked out exactly like I wanted, but I still got a good image. You just need to tell the folks over at DPChallenge that it's good, hahaha.

Ha ha - Quincy, I just realized that you have inserted my remark into your profile - you are too funny. Just don't let them put it my tombstone rofl

lensmole

I like the these environmental portraits, Leon is the one that stands out to me the most,although it causes me to wonder about the fashion of the hats that these gentleman wear, and is it something that will disappear in the foreseeable future .

sara505

lensmole wrote: »

I like the these environmental portraits, Leon is the one that stands out to me the most,although it causes me to wonder about the fashion of the hats that these gentleman wear, and is it something that will disappear in the foreseeable future .

Probably not, in this Jewish Orthodox neighborhood, the conventions of which transcend more worldly fashion trends.