keeping fit - Kolkata Photo

Photographer’s Note

Men trying to keep fit in Kolkata, a small square near Howrah Bridge.
I came back from India last night, it was already my 5th trip to this fascinating country.

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Critiques | Translate

AnimeshRay (8886) 2007-04-12 18:43

A surreal image, reminiscent of a Daliesque bizzare scene. Two things worry me about this...the legs of the man in pants (I wish you asked him to get out of the way), and the color (I wish this was in b/w).

[workshop] [compare]

Furachan (0) 2007-04-12 21:17

What a shot, Maciej! This one puncjed me in the nose from the thumbnail. You really SAW this one, you know, the precise position of everyone of these young guys in the frame...perfect. Earth tines here, almost monochromatic. You seem to be going for a more undersaturated look these days, is that right?
Anyway artistically and documentary-wise, a sure success.
Best,
Francis

prantik (1134) 2007-04-12 23:02

aah, you were in Kolkata!! You have been silent for some time. Can't wait to see more pictures from my hometown. If you didn't tell us that it was from Kolkata I would have thought you were at the Kumbh-mela with Claude. Unlike Animesh, I like the pair of legs in trouser. The contrast adds to the bizarre feeling of this shot. If I could live without one of these guys it would be the one sitting next to the man doing the leg raise in the middle row. He is not doing much, kinda useless. The foreground is very strong. Looking forward to seeing more pictures.

Best regards
P

ndb1958 (9248) 2007-04-13 1:38

An interesting capture of this fascinating country. Each of them holding such a good pose and your frame (crop) is perfect. I like the decent colours of this shot. It's an eyecatcher. The good thing is that it gets better and even more interesting the longer you look at it. I add this one to my favorits.

kampuchi (370) 2007-04-13 2:15

yes u can never get enough for a place like kolkata.. for that matter any place in india..
nice picture.. everyone is relaxed and not tensed with ur presence there..
cheers
basu

jinju (14265) 2007-04-13 3:20

Nice one Maciek. What really makes this for me are the cropped legs in pants at the top...actually the hands in the pockets to be precise. I wish that you had a bit more of the frame at the top, maybe up to his forearms or even elbows so that those causal hands in pockets could be clearly seen. The rest of the shot is just right.

sohrab (7423) 2007-04-13 5:08

good to see you back in india..
it seems that you were there with arnab.. since he also posted a photograph from the same place today and it's been taken on the same date..

about the photograph..
ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
it doesn't feel very natural to me..
it's as if they've been instructed not to look into the camera. this i'm only speculating because the feeling that it's there is so strong. but obviously... i may be way off it..

the result seems quite emotionless to me especially if they're exercising..
it's a pretty gruelling set of exercises that they go through..
the only emotion that i do really see is of the boy on the left who seems very aware of the camera but at the same time is seemingly holding back a smile of happiness..

i don't know.. can't really feel the energy here..
so i don't know if they're having fun or getting tired or what.
blank..
you've got an interesting composition.. complicated as you like it.. but very bland. without feeling or atmosphere..

here is a photograph that i like from the same place..

take care :)

partha (13657) 2007-04-13 5:22

Hi Maciej,
A lot of activities in same frame. Nice creative composition and a perfectly timed shot.Do you go there with Arnab?
Partha

eleparc (24059) 2007-04-13 6:15

great shot!! they must be saddhus to bathe in dust/ashes like that! LOL This is a very rich and interesting shot Maciek! great compo!

wolf38 (12734) 2007-04-13 7:20

Hello Maciej. A sand place and people, which hold themselves fit. I admire the photo and am astonished at the Scene. A play as on theatres a stage. Unusual colors. Interesting and worth seeing. Best regards, Wolfgang.

Luko (13894) 2007-04-13 15:07

At first I thought that was interesting with great potential but I felt something bothering me... I thought much alike Animesh about these black pants totally out of tune, also some colors that ought not... Then I read Sohrab and went through his link, even more than Raghu Rai's pic, i wondered what would have sohrab done and realized there is a real backbone in that pic which you didn't use at all but is aesthetically essential.

You're trying to make it happen but nothing is although this pic is not about happening but about a certain overall aesthetic. In your mind you didn't realize that the background is the weakest side of the pic, so i tried to dramatize it the Sorhab way if you don't mind.

Check Ws.

designsoul (21394) 2007-04-13 23:39

Happy you have returned to TE, Maciej. This shot is surely one very odd piece, surreal in a way to one's Western sensibilities while surely everyday for these men staying fit. Surely they will, while we sit in front of our computers...
Love that strange pair of legs so incongruous with the naked ones. That IS a Maciej touch again!
sasa