Mervyn Hurwitz
January 2025 - Drummers
About the Image(s)
Happy New Year to all our group.
This was taken in Rwanda in the Mountain village of Vurunga on our way to visit the mountain gorillas.
Sony 35mm. ISO 250, f11, 1/80 secs. I wanted a slow shutter speed to capture the movement of the drum sticks. Converted to b&w in photoshop and then I added light into their faces using screen in the History Brush Tool.
6 comments posted
Happy New Year, Mervyn! I think that you really have captured the joy, the rhythm and the energy of the drummers. The expression of the guy in front is precious. I think that black-and-white is a perfect choice. Posted: 01/06/2025 20:00:02
Excellent. Positioning,, the expression, and choosing very dark tones for the rest all work together. Posted: 01/06/2025 21:35:36
Great capture of the moment, expressions and joy. The B&W treatment works very well on this scene, the contrast making it pop. I feel the image is leaning to the left. I feel that the drums should be vertical although a case can be made that the original is a better look for street photography. And may be a more dynamic presentation ?? Posted: 01/06/2025 22:06:49
I like the scene that you captured, and how you "posed" the drummers, diagonally from the bottom right. I also like the smiles on their faces. Converting to B&W was a good idea, since it helps the viewer concentrate on the action. I would have preferred to see a little more movement in the sticks, making the image more dynamic. Maybe 1/30 or 1/15 of a second would have achieved that without affecting the sharpness of the drummers. Any chance to add movement in post-processing? Posted: 01/09/2025 23:30:25
A lovely image. I am attracted by the positions of the drum sticks and the smile on the face of the drummers. The dark background leads my eye to concentrate on the subjects. I don't mind the drums being inclined at an angle but I do feel Terry's image provides more space on the right, so as to reduce tension on the first drummer. Posted: 01/20/2025 15:50:52
Happy New Year to everyone in this group as well!
I agree with adding some space on the right of the image as well, so there is not so much tension there. I like the BW conversion very much! I do like the diagonal composition but find it a shame as well that one of the drummer's face is obstructed by the arms of the others. Maybe a bit to the left or another moment (continuous shutter) could have helped. I know that is not always in our minds at the time though, ;) Posted: 01/22/2025 04:33:51
I agree with adding some space on the right of the image as well, so there is not so much tension there. I like the BW conversion very much! I do like the diagonal composition but find it a shame as well that one of the drummer's face is obstructed by the arms of the others. Maybe a bit to the left or another moment (continuous shutter) could have helped. I know that is not always in our minds at the time though, ;) Posted: 01/22/2025 04:33:51