December 14, 2009

Candid Photos from India #11

As I was walking down the street, I noticed this man. Two things stood-out to me about him: how he seemed totally alone even though he was among lots of people and his pose (it just did not seem a very natural pose).

I wanted the photo to be only about him. I waited for the background to clear, but after ten minutes, I concluded that it would never be very clear, so I changed my plan. I tried to use the smallest depth of field (and still keep him totally in focus).

Enjoy.

Camera settings: Nikon D200, Nikon 28-70mm f/2.8 at 65mm shot at ISO 200, f/4 and 1/100th of a second.

Post Processing:

Lightroom—Set white and black points, added mid-tone contrast, added clarity.

Photoshop—used nik Color Efex tonal contrast filter to add contrast to highlight, mi-tones and shadows to the man’s clothing and then added a layer to de-saturate the colors of the background.

6 comments:

  1. For some reason or another it doesn't bother me that he's on the wrong side of the frame looking out. It's almost like you wonder what he's either looking at or thinking at the moment.

    I love the exposure and processing, especially the skin tones. Busy background does not bother me either. That may be the result of you toning it down with the B&W layer.

    Nice job.

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  2. I agree with Doug. I think in this image the busy and modern-day background is a good contrast to the dress of the man which seems to come from another time. And the fact that he is so alone and looks to be ill while the people are ignoring him adds to the impact of this shot.

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  3. This photo has a lot of things going for it: good example of street photography, isolated subject in the middle of everything, good contrast and interesting main subject but a background that holds your interest. Nice job.
    The Professor

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  4. Great job of managing a background that could take away from your subject. The more I look at this one, the more I wonder what he is looking at.
    Mel

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  5. I think the composition makes you think about the photo. Good work.
    Sid

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  6. A photo that makes you want to take a second look.
    Debbie

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