the stare Photo | TrekEarth

Photographer’s Note

there was a cast on my previous photograph which got created when i got the negative scanned . i didnt know how to remove it at that time. also the size was small and i know that in site size does matter lol. so anyway this photograph is somewhat closer to the handprint that i got from the negative. hope this makes some difference

as i was walking down the alleys of one of the slums on the outskirts of delhi,there was some commotion a little ahead.i tried to work my way up above the crowd to figure out what was going on.as i was doing this i noticed 2 really small boys who were almost reaching my knees.they seemed to be as fascinated by me as i was with them."who is this person with the weird mechanical contraption" seemed to be what they were thinking .but when i looked through the lens i was captured by the boy on the left.while the other kid was more than happy to be in the frame,the one on the left kind of made me feel guilty.the way he stared at me made me feel very uneasy.these kids dont go to school,they have to start earning an income for the family by the time they are about 7-8.basically they lead a life which most of us can't even imagine and here i was happily roaming around trying to catch moments. think about it.

Enia, Burnham, Proxilva, Porteplume, touristdidi, Riz has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Burnham (2426) 2004-05-17 11:28

I just finished moving my parents lawn (housesitting for them, while they are in Tuscany, Italy) and sat down to see if you'd posted anything, and here it is. Another really good postpro improvement, and since I wasn't there to comment on your original, here goes: The contrast of the boys happy pose for the photographer and the other kids almost angry frown is fantastic. His face resembles what any western kid would put on if they didn't get the candy they wanted, but I believe this one has quite a lot more reason for giving you this face. He looks like he has grown up way to fast - a shame - and I can understand why you would feel guilty, but it's not any use, atleast you documented their existence. Thanks for sharing Sohrab.
By the way i know I spend quite som time comparing you to other photographers but you really show your own style in a shot like this, i don't even need to look below the thumbnail to know who's shot it is.

Enia (365) 2004-05-17 11:37

What a look from the boy in the left! I don't have much to say for your photo apart that it is really amazing! Congratulations!

pridel (233) 2004-05-17 11:41

Hello Sohrab, cette photo est toujours aussi extraordinaire que la première fois. Elle est plus grande et c'est très bien également.

jonick33 (77) 2004-05-17 11:46

It's just a wonderful emotion that you captured there... I love the B/W tone range that it has!! Well done!

edit:
It would be nice if you would inform us about the equipment that you had in each photo!
:o)

gringofil (0) 2004-05-17 12:04

Cool shot, better than the original you posted before. These expressions are truly magical and make the image happen in more ways than one. Excellent composition and, I might add, thought provoking photography. Good one.

torben (3084) 2004-05-17 15:35

That's a very intense look there, but it's your good use of perspective, sharpness and light that it makes it an intense photo too. And I love the use of "real" black and white, the tonal range is rich.
If you felt guilty when you took the photo, what made you post it then. Not that I would call it wrong, I think the photo resprect the childs integrity, but it sounds like you had some doubts to overcome.

eleparc (24059) 2004-05-17 19:48

nicely done sohrab.. howeve, by increasing the size you lost in sharpness especially on the first kid, IMO;-) still a great shot anyway!

Proxilva (2157) 2004-05-18 16:22

and i'm looking in my favourite photo's and see somethings missing... but i'm glad to see it's back online... so back in fav's it goes...

Porteplume (3257) 2004-08-03 16:34

Very well done! A wonderful capture. I'm always fascinated by the eyes of children. (I started a theme and this one oughts to be there, I'll add it)
The size is more attractive indeed, but I think I miss the light of the first version.

flydragon (0) 2004-09-05 15:39

Hello Sohrab
u know your are really good with children
this one is sooo good
the diagonal with head the dof
give them more ,o)
a real pleasure to watch your pics
take care
Simon

pts tmrw

touristdidi (8561) 2004-10-21 9:24 [Comment]

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michel_r (1114) 2004-10-30 15:57

This is excellent sohrab. So different looks in the 2 boys eyes. Only disturbance when nto quickly looking at the picture is the shoe on the left. It is very good to have the story behind the picture. Thank you.

colinbrenchley (6133) 2004-11-05 18:20

Burnham comments just say it all! The use of differential focusing with the front boy being soft focus and the rear boy with the stare plus the high view point all adds impact. Your B&W photo-journalism approach to these subjects is just right.