Cigarette vendor.

jirojiro Registered Users Posts: 1,865 Major grins
edited June 18, 2012 in Street and Documentary
An image of a cigarette vendor taken in Quiapo, Manila. Thank you very much for viewing.

7371307248_a0f9aaa2ec_b.jpg

Nikon D70, Nikon 18-70mm lens, ISO 200, f/4 at 1/100 second.
Sitting quietly, doing nothing. Spring comes and the grass grows by itself.

http://imagesbyjirobau.blogspot.com/
http://500px.com/williebau

Comments

  • bdcolenbdcolen Registered Users Posts: 3,804 Major grins
    edited June 14, 2012
    Sorry, Jiro, but I would have no idea what this guy was without the title.
    bd@bdcolenphoto.com
    "He not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Dylan

    "The more ambiguous the photograph is, the better it is..." Leonard Freed
  • TonyCooperTonyCooper Registered Users Posts: 2,276 Major grins
    edited June 14, 2012
    While I wouldn't recognize the man as a cigarette vendor, that doesn't
    stop me from appreciating the scene itself and the sharp processing.

    I like the look on the face of the man just to our left of the seated
    vendor, and the rather disapproving look of the woman more to the
    left.
    Tony Cooper - Orlando, Florida
    http://tonycooper.smugmug.com/
  • jirojiro Registered Users Posts: 1,865 Major grins
    edited June 14, 2012
    bdcolen wrote: »
    Sorry, Jiro, but I would have no idea what this guy was without the title.

    You're fine, bdcolen. I am from the Philippines and seeing a cigarette vendor is as raw as you can experience living in the congested Metro Manila. I am keeping the titles of my images as simple as possible. No harm done, Sir. Thanks for viewing. thumb.gif:D
    Sitting quietly, doing nothing. Spring comes and the grass grows by itself.

    http://imagesbyjirobau.blogspot.com/
    http://500px.com/williebau
  • jirojiro Registered Users Posts: 1,865 Major grins
    edited June 14, 2012
    TonyCooper wrote: »
    While I wouldn't recognize the man as a cigarette vendor, that doesn't
    stop me from appreciating the scene itself and the sharp processing.

    I like the look on the face of the man just to our left of the seated
    vendor, and the rather disapproving look of the woman more to the
    left.

    Thanks for appreciating this, Tony. thumb.gif:D
    Sitting quietly, doing nothing. Spring comes and the grass grows by itself.

    http://imagesbyjirobau.blogspot.com/
    http://500px.com/williebau
  • RichardRichard Administrators, Vanilla Admin Posts: 19,952 moderator
    edited June 15, 2012
    While it's true that we don't see anything that tells us he's selling cigarettes, his white clothing sets him apart and makes him the focus. The image itself is interesting, well composed and beautifully processed. Nice market scene that works for me. thumb.gif
    My Pics
  • jirojiro Registered Users Posts: 1,865 Major grins
    edited June 15, 2012
    Richard wrote: »
    While it's true that we don't see anything that tells us he's selling cigarettes, his white clothing sets him apart and makes him the focus. The image itself is interesting, well composed and beautifully processed. Nice market scene that works for me. thumb.gif

    Thank you very much for your comments, Richard. thumb.gif:D
    Sitting quietly, doing nothing. Spring comes and the grass grows by itself.

    http://imagesbyjirobau.blogspot.com/
    http://500px.com/williebau
  • black mambablack mamba Registered Users Posts: 8,323 Major grins
    edited June 15, 2012
    As usual, this is a beautifully presented image. Your PP work is outstanding.

    I'm really enjoying seeing the " slice of life " pictures of your home country. One thing I've observed in many of your street scenes arouses my interest....no one seems to be smiling. Aside from the children that are depicted, you see a lot of dour looks on the people's faces. I realize, of course, that the same observation could be made in just about any street scene anywhere in the world....what with circumstances around the world being what they are. But, overall, is the mood in the Philippines as wary as it seems to me?

    Take care, my friend,

    Tom
    I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.
  • jirojiro Registered Users Posts: 1,865 Major grins
    edited June 15, 2012
    black mamba wrote: »
    As usual, this is a beautifully presented image. Your PP work is outstanding.

    I'm really enjoying seeing the " slice of life " pictures of your home country. One thing I've observed in many of your street scenes arouses my interest....no one seems to be smiling. Aside from the children that are depicted, you see a lot of dour looks on the people's faces. I realize, of course, that the same observation could be made in just about any street scene anywhere in the world....what with circumstances around the world being what they are. But, overall, is the mood in the Philippines as wary as it seems to me?

    Take care, my friend,

    Tom

    Thanks for visiting my work here at the Documentary section, my dear friend Tom. So nice of you to always find the time to view my images and give your honest opinion about it.

    I think all things are relative, even the seriousness of people when photographed in the streets. My idea is that most are simply minding their own business hence their incapacity to notice that somebody is actually taking a picture of them. If one is aware of the photographer, he can get angry for violating his privacy or he can simply smile and appreciate the idea that someone is interested to take a picture of him/her. Using my personal experience as an example, there is a higher percentage that the people I chose to photograph smiled at me and even took the time to know more about me and why am I photographing them. This, of course is in relation to my experience here in the Philippines. My frequent alibi (which I have no idea why it always works most of the time) is to tell them that I am studying photography and I am practicing my shots on the streets. I really want to post some more images that I took at the same location wherein my subject is actually looking direct at my camera and even smiles for me. However, the "rules" of street photography does not seem to agree well about having the subjects become aware that they are being photographed. I only have a simple mind, and for me, whether the subject is aware or not, looking or not looking at the camera, if the shot is taken in the streets, I will consider it as a genuine street photograph. Kindly ignore the idea if you find it disagreeable. Considering your interesting point of view, I hope that it's alright for the people here at the Documentary Section if I post some of my images where my subject is interacting directly with me and my camera.

    Thanks, Tom. It is always a pleasure exchanging ideas with you. thumb.gif:D
    Sitting quietly, doing nothing. Spring comes and the grass grows by itself.

    http://imagesbyjirobau.blogspot.com/
    http://500px.com/williebau
  • PhotogbikerPhotogbiker Registered Users Posts: 351 Major grins
    edited June 15, 2012
    nice work
    I really love the processing work and overall feel to the photo. The white shirt, the expressions as have been mentioned are great. The tones here are rich and full, contrast pushed right to the limit without overdoing it. Would love to see this on some old fiber base Ilford!

    That being said I think it is a very near miss....keying off of BD's comment. It is just an interesting slice of life as it is, while the title lets us know there is something important we are missing. A bit of something on the vendor that said "cigarettes for sale" or an angle that allowed us to see into his tray would have made a solid double into a home run. Then again, without the title we would not know we were missing something and may have filled in our own story which is fun too. Titles....no right answer.

    And definitely include pictures with direct interaction. All photos have some interaction(unless you're a spy with a long tele), these folks knew you were there they just chose to interact differently. I would love to see them, and more of your work. thumb.gif
  • jirojiro Registered Users Posts: 1,865 Major grins
    edited June 15, 2012
    Photogbiker wrote: »
    I really love the processing work and overall feel to the photo. The white shirt, the expressions as have been mentioned are great. The tones here are rich and full, contrast pushed right to the limit without overdoing it. Would love to see this on some old fiber base Ilford!

    That being said I think it is a very near miss....keying off of BD's comment. It is just an interesting slice of life as it is, while the title lets us know there is something important we are missing. A bit of something on the vendor that said "cigarettes for sale" or an angle that allowed us to see into his tray would have made a solid double into a home run. Then again, without the title we would not know we were missing something and may have filled in our own story which is fun too. Titles....no right answer.

    And definitely include pictures with direct interaction. All photos have some interaction(unless you're a spy with a long tele), these folks knew you were there they just chose to interact differently. I would love to see them, and more of your work. thumb.gif

    Thank you very much for viewing and for your comments, Photogbiker. I now understand what you and bdcolen are saying. I will try to do better next time. Thank you again. thumb.gif:D
    Sitting quietly, doing nothing. Spring comes and the grass grows by itself.

    http://imagesbyjirobau.blogspot.com/
    http://500px.com/williebau
  • rainbowrainbow Registered Users Posts: 2,765 Major grins
    edited June 18, 2012
    I like it. It is unimportant to me what he is selling and the title would have been better if different (per B. D.'s comments).

    Your tones in processing are always excellent. However, something always strikes me as disconcerting. I think it might be that they are "oversharpened" as the facial and skin details always seem slightly harsh.
  • jirojiro Registered Users Posts: 1,865 Major grins
    edited June 18, 2012
    rainbow wrote: »
    I like it. It is unimportant to me what he is selling and the title would have been better if different (per B. D.'s comments).

    Your tones in processing are always excellent. However, something always strikes me as disconcerting. I think it might be that they are "oversharpened" as the facial and skin details always seem slightly harsh.

    Thank you very much, Rainbow. Try to hit the full size button to get a better resolution. If you perceive that the sharpening is still somewhat aggressive I'll adjust it and then try to do better next time. Usually, my sharpening for a jpeg image for web posting is 150 - 0.3 - 0 setting in Photoshop. Thank you. thumb.gif:D
    Sitting quietly, doing nothing. Spring comes and the grass grows by itself.

    http://imagesbyjirobau.blogspot.com/
    http://500px.com/williebau
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