Joy Reflected! Photo

Photographer’s Note

Daman or Damao, a Union Territory of India (which was a Portuguese enclave for four centuries and a half till 1961) is sandwiched within the ‘Prohibition State’ of Gujarat. No wonder Daman attracts a lot of tourists by virtue of being a ‘Watering Hole’ & the low cost of liquor there also helps.

Historically, a Portuguese ship Captain Diogo de Mello, while on his way to Ormuz, met with a violent cyclone and when all hopes were lost, suddenly found himself at the Daman coast. Daman had been a melting pot where races and cultures met and mixed to bring forth a multicoloured identity.

This paradise of peace, solitude and contentment with its coastline about 12.5 km along the Arabian sea (the Gulf of Khambhat) was once known as Kalana Pavri or Lotus of Marshlands. A laid back little town, Daman is divided by the Damanganga river. Nani Daman (or Little Daman) in the north and Moti Daman (or Big Daman) in the south which retains something of the Portuguese atmosphere in its Government buildings and churches of colonial origins enclosed within an imposing wall.

The beaches of Daman are not spectacular....in fact far from it, with black sands & rocky beaches. But what’s interesting is the distance to which the sea receeds during low tide creating a vast amount of hard sand tidal flat. Jampore beach located at the Southern end of Moti Daman, is one such beach, where one communes with nature in sublime solitude. This beach is most suited to swimming as it is danger-free, During low-tide, when the sea recedes to quite a distance, one can walk on the hard-ish wet sand right in to the sea.

I took my daughter’s Kodak camera to Daman & was actually surprised with the results...after all it's not quite a highbrow camera!

This is the original coloured version & this is the sepia version, and I could not decide till the last moment which one to post. However, I have to admit that the centred subject is a flaw in this picture, but to be honest this was a hastened shot & I couldn't help the framing. That's not an excuse though, and after having tried various ways of cropping & I was not happy with any one of them, ending up posting the picture as it was originally taken!

Title suggested by Korkut...thanks again...this is much better than the title 'Seaward ho!'

bostankorkulugu, avishek_khan, feather, dareco, mikolaj_kawa, danos, patdeph, pierrefonds, ChrisJ, Kielia, bukitgolfb301, Bluejeans, avene, JanD, plimrn has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

wolf38 (13107) 2009-07-22 1:21

Hello Angshuman. Black-and-white. Everything is reduced to few picture elements. The person works nearly as silhouette. The movement and the reflection are perfectly shown. Altogether protruding. Regards, Wolfgang.

scalerman (25787) 2009-07-22 1:23

A: very cool and transportive - great BW treatment. c

pastadog (12821) 2009-07-22 1:31

Glad to see you are trying this style, Angshu. You caught him in good action, with legs in perfect dynamic position. Moody one, thanks for sharing. Regards, Daniel.

Bartleby (5138) 2009-07-22 1:32

Hi Angshu,
nice one! the reflection of the character is what takes the cake here! I also like the B&W treatment. Very summary.

Philippe

yquem46 (8449) 2009-07-22 1:36

Namaste angshu
You told me you were on your way to daman for holidays ! There you are !
Nice B&W action shot
Best
Patrick

sevy (13952) 2009-07-22 1:54

Hi,

Nice B&W going very well with this lightning against light and the mirror effect given by the water on the beach.
You caught the movement at the right time.
The only minor concern is about the centered composition which can be questionnable, but it is minor in comparision to the fun shared.

Yves.

aadilj (17950) 2009-07-22 1:56

So you're getting closer to the sea Angshuman and I soon hope to see Mumbai through your lens. Lovely snapshot with verve and life and superlative composition

bostankorkulugu (33976) 2009-07-22 3:59

splendid...

"running away from your own shadow"?... too depressive i think...

"joy reflected"?... sounds stupid?...

"ocean of joy"?... i dont know... it is a hard task indeed angshuman... but a great shot for sure...

feather (50144) 2009-07-22 4:14

You have already done a good job critiquing your own photo. The first thing that came to my mind was the central composition, but I can see your dilemma considering a crop, as he is looking to the right, yet facing slightly to the left. Of the three you posted I think I prefer the slight sepia one; it has a pinkish tone, which I like. A tint of blue might work well too.
Sorry I can't think of a better title!
Kath

MarianneS (14408) 2009-07-22 11:58

Hi Angshu,
You did a very nice work with this photo! You caught a nice moment.
My preference goes to the sepia one, for the sweetness of the treatment, combined with the dynamism of the movement of this boy.
I understand your regret about the subject in the centre. Perhaps a square format would have worked?
have a good evening,
Marianne

dareco (17104) 2009-07-22 22:13

Nice mood!! Good timing and excellent reflections. Lovely tones. TFS

dip (12844) 2009-07-22 22:55

Hi Angshu,
beautiful composition,good capture of the scene,
greetings,
Dimitris.

emka (22285) 2009-07-22 23:54

Hello Angshuman,

I think I prefer this b&W version, because the colours are not so attractive and here we can concentrate on the theme - the nice reflection of the running man on the wet sand. I would like also to run like he and then swim in the ocean. I remember my joy on Goa beaches.

regards

Malgorzata

Graal (58714) 2009-07-23 0:08

Hi Angshuman,
simple theme and fine finaly effect. Good idea and shot. I like it.
Gr., Aleksander

mikolaj_kawa (31161) 2009-07-23 0:38

Hello Angshuman! Wonderful scene, dynamic scene. Very interesting minimal composition. Perfect capture and exposure. Original work. Well done!

danos (33240) 2009-07-23 1:16

Hi Angshu,
nice the snapshot of this running-flying young boy,over the water.I can say that not mind me the centre position of the main subject in the shot and that i like more the colourful edition.Well done.

Regards,danos

patdeph (18324) 2009-07-23 2:08

namaste Angshuman
we are not used to see this kind of picture in your gallery,but this is a very good try!Yes,the subject is too centered,but this is not so easy when we have to do fast,and like you,I don't think there is a good crop possible!Anyway,I like the idea very much,and I like the reflection in the wet sand!I prefer the sepia version with its soft pinkinsh tones!
Regards
Pascale

pierrefonds (26625) 2009-07-23 4:46

Hi Angshuman,

The reflections on the wet sand are assets to the composition. The good capture of the swimmer running toward the which is giving depth to the composition. The use of the black and white has a good effect on the different types of lines of the picture. Well done, have a nice day.

Pierre

papagolf21 (56733) 2009-07-23 5:07

Bonjour, mon ami Angshu,
La photographie n'a plus beaucoup de mystères pour vous. De ce fait, vous jouez avec intelligence et douceur avec votre regard.
Ici, une belle photo simple mais d'une grande efficacité.
Bravo !
Amitiés.
Philippe

ChrisJ (70443) 2009-07-23 7:56

Hi Angshuman

A superb symmetrical reflection of the jean clad runner, in the wet sand, on the beach. Good tonal range & adequate sharpness. Tfs!

John_F_Kennedy (31994) 2009-07-24 0:34

Beautiful place with the reflections indeed! And you made an excellent b/w composition for this.
Best wishes,
Achim

marietom (32076) 2009-07-24 1:45

hello Angshu,

Magnifique ce reflet. Je trouve que le noir et blanc est bien choisi pour cette image.
Bonne journée
Marie

Kielia (8729) 2009-07-24 11:00

Hi Angshuman,
excellently composed impression of this beach! Very well working POV on this dynamic person and an amazing light. B&W works also very well and the reflection is the icing on the cake. TFS!
Warm regards
Harriet

Waylim (11153) 2009-07-24 21:40

Hello Angshuman,
I think I would have put him more to the left even though it may seem like he is running out of the picture but he is looking back into it. I do like the color version better because it give me a better impression of the place though black and white is always a classic. Sharpness and clarity is not really the best here, but I like the energy and joy that I get from the image. Thanks
Way

AiresSantos (42844) 2009-07-24 23:30

Hi Angshu
Fine composition in black and white
Beautiful POV and shadow of the kid. I also like the silhouette
TFS and have a nice weekend
Aires

jafadabret (40315) 2009-07-24 23:36

Hi Angshu.
Cette photo est d'une beauté à couper le souffle. J'aime le mouvement de ce garçon et du reflet sur le sable mouillé. Le B&W convient parfaitement pour dépouiller la prise jusqu'à l'essentiel.
Bon week end !
Jacques

bukitgolfb301 (4957) 2009-07-25 0:09

Hello my dear Prof. Angshuman

I overlooked your another masterpiece.
Unique approach and concept as your usual style.
Good framework and well composition as usual.
Congratulation on your good job !
Thanks for sharing and best regards,
Have a nice weekend !

Takero

Bluejeans (33049) 2009-07-25 2:07

Ola Angshuman ,
Prefeito a versão a preto e branco o reflexo e o rapaz a correr ficou magnifico os nossos olhos vão para ele, parabéns!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

avene (11136) 2009-07-26 19:29

hello Angshuman,
as far as I'm concerned centered composition in some occations is exactly what you need to make an image more powerful. and I think this is one of those occasions when symmetry works very well, feels like the person is right in the middle of that joyful moment, so I wouldn't change the crop. I also like the B&W treatment, there's something cinematographic about it.

best,
Kristine

JanD (15043) 2009-07-27 3:30

Howdy Angshu!
Wonderful black and white art work. Amazing scene. Good dynamic composition. Ideal capture and perfect frame.
Regards.

jonathan_hart (22623) 2009-07-27 13:06

minimalist scenery and the running character, simple and efficient
jc

azizbilgili (1714) 2009-07-28 1:28

Hi Angshu,
The reflection of the character is what takes the cake here! I also like the B&W treatment.

TFS

Urs (3238) 2009-07-29 4:49

Dear Angshuman

Very nice capture of the runner at the beach and well written note about the destination. Well done, also by going for B&W, as the beach is nothing special. The runner and his reflection are very sharp and are the focal point of your shot. Good work

best regards
Urs

plimrn (19694) 2009-07-31 12:07

Hi Angshu,
The B&W version is much more dramatic than the softly colored version. I don't have a problem with the centered figure; however, a vertical crop might work. Sounds like an interesting place. So was your daughter using your camera? Can we expect her on TE soon?
HLJ, Pat

batalay (21193) 2009-08-02 4:59

What an extraordinary capture, Mr. B, the young boy hovering above the mirror-like survace of the wet sand. Fabulous!

The note, as always is informative, and pedagogically useful.

Warm regards,

Bulent