Quiet men Photo | TrekEarth

Photographer’s Note

They may look unwilling to pose for a photo, but it was actually these four men themselves who asked me to take their picture. Why they wanted to be photographed I never understood, since they didn't ask for a copy, but I was happy to oblige.
This is from a tea-stall on Tuti, a small island situated at the confluence of the White Nile and the Blue Nile, between the large cities of Khartoum, Omdurman and Khartoum North.
Scanned from a Kodachrome slide.

tomji, fanni, molla, noborders, cyrrhus, giugo has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

mikolaj_kawa (29755) 2008-08-19 1:02

Hello Gert! Wonderful scene. Very interesting men. Nice POV, very nice capture. Original shot. Good luck!

nirvana73 (8614) 2008-08-19 1:03

Hello Gert!
Very interesting men
good colors and presentation
thanks for sharing and explnations
regards
Ozhan

izmirli (3001) 2008-08-19 2:09

merhaba dear gert
wonderful double double portrait picture and composition.excellent interesting men and colours.well done.
best regards.
gürkan akçakır.

saxo042 (15448) 2008-08-19 3:36

Hej Gert,
They don´t really look very happy! But this photo is good anyway, fine colours and an excellent scan as always!
Hälsningar
Gunnar

tomji (112) 2008-08-19 4:31

Hello Gert!
I love the blueish shades in this picture. Great composition and a well captured moment. The note added a lot, and helped understand the general atmosphere of the pic.
TFS
Tom G.

fanni (8733) 2008-08-19 5:52

Hello Gert,
the note explains the men's mood, but even in this case, it's a nice starter of a short story, if I had the time to write. Quite intriguing. Each of the men looks different and is sitting in a different posture and even looking at a different direction.
Well, the colours, shades and contrast are very good, let alone the composition, as usual :)
There's something appealing in the whole photo and its colours despite the sullen/unhappy look of the men.
Best regards,
Elena

Waylim (10741) 2008-08-19 18:34

Gert,
A wonderful group shot of these guys. Their facial express though not a happy one that make a viewer feels good, but it depic real life. Not all is happy and joyful. Especially in this part of the world. Good detail and clarity and a good scanned image. Thanks
Way

noborders (14199) 2008-08-22 1:50

Hi Gert, each of your photos is so interesting ! I only have the problem of choice and I was today attracted to this one : the expressions of each of those guys is really great, they are a nice quartet, too bad for the OE wall but who cares ? Me not, at least !
Compliments and best regards,
Cath.

ben4321 (9781) 2008-08-24 3:10

With the benefit of hindsight, I'm sure you'd agree that it would have been better to shift position slightly to get rid of that bright patch of light in the corner.
It doesn't matter too much though, because what I really like here are the poses of the men and their expressions - full of attitude, a certain pride.
The faded textures of the wall make a great backdrop, just that patch of light bothers me.
Good work though Gert - I enjoy seeing these old photographs of yours amongst the plethora of plasticy digital images.

Cheers,
Ben

woladorsky (804) 2008-08-26 2:01

Paminner mig om Eritrea!

Fantastisk bild!

Halsningar

Rolando

kschanna (2634) 2008-08-28 19:58

Hello Gert,

It actually does seem like a collage of very interesting portraits. Their turbans are very impressive and you chose a nice PoV.

Cheers
Kamran

pastadog (12821) 2008-08-29 2:08

Hi Gert - interesting expressions and clothes of this "quartet" of local men... I like the inclusion of the glass on the table, enriching the shot, also giving more depth... regards, Daniel

kensimage (8539) 2008-09-01 12:11

There 's a certain richness here that only film can provide. The folds of their clothing look like they're taken from a painting, as does the texture in the wall. The eyes of the second man from left are so penetrating and intense...there's character everywhere in this image! Regards, Ken.

bantonbuju (48490) 2008-09-01 23:35

no compromises - just approaching men and photographing their life!... and just imagine how many men perform their key activity - just sitting...
a plethora of different expressions...
lovely...
bw, j.

cyrrhus (2878) 2008-09-03 7:38

Hi Gert
I like this photo... not especially because it is a great photo, but because it does remind me of similar situations.
It is a nice testimony of daily life in Soudan
regards
eric /.

giugo (47) 2008-09-19 8:47

wonderful portrait. i love the perspective that captures the four men in a photojournalistic style. the folds of the turbans and jalabiya are fascinating, but what really make this special are their somewhat sad expressions. i guess they were never used to taking photos, so decided to get it their best shot by looking all serious....i've seen this happen before!