Owen Epstein
September 2023 - Jamaican Man
About the Image(s)
EQUIPMENT:
Nikon Z7 ii , Nikon 50 mm 1.8 , f1.8 , ISO 640, 1/320
IMAGE DESCRIPTION:
I was out shooting at Meridian Hill Park in Washington, DC one day looking for interesting subjects. I hoped to get a portrait but did not have much hope that I would find a willing participant, I saw this man sitting on a park bench at the end by himself. I started a conversation about the beauty of the park and I gently asked him if I could photograph him. He gladly consented to me taking a few shots. He stood up off the bench and I fired away as he started spinning around himself next to the park bench in a very playful manner. This image is taken as he came out of his spin and I caught this profile.
INTENDED EFFECT:
I wanted to capture a portrait and this was totally unexpected. My intended effect was to capture his image just as I saw it.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
4 comments posted
You are to be congratulated for doing steet photography "the right way." The pros tell us you need to engage the subject, rahter than sneak up on the subject and take a shot from far away with a long lens. Good for you! You caught the subject in an interesting pose. I'm trying to decide if this fellow is dressed formally (check out the suit and tie) or casually (the hat!). My only suggestions for improvement would be to lighten up the right eye. It disappears under the hat. Also, I would reduce teh highlights in the background. Posted: 09/08/2023 13:51:18
The choice of subject and the close in nature of the photo certainly makes for a strong image. The effect is to grab the viewer's attention, I found myself wondering about the chap and what his life story is. A sign of a succcessfull shot!
A nicely out-of-focus background isolates the subject well, but as David has suggested, perhaps a darkening of the hgighlights would help the image further. I also note that the subject is looking out of the frame ( he is closer to the left border than the right ) and sometimes this can help to add "tension" to a photo, but in this instance I think that perhaps a crop on the right hand side in order to center ( or even bring the subject closer to the right hand border ) would improve the feel of the shot.
A good off-guard moment captured well. Congratulations.
Posted: 09/10/2023 18:49:26
