God Said... (open up the image) Photo

Photographer’s Note

If you send me 9.99€, I could tell you what God said about YOU. Yes, you read me : YOU.
Paypal and Visa cards accepted.

... I don't know what God said. Why would you expect me, a long term atheist, to know what God said.

Perhaps this saddhu, begging at the entrance of Trichy temple, knows.. or probably that's what he was trying convince the guy he was sermoning (more appropriate than "talking to", considering his body language).

He looked like an ancient jewish prophet (I suppose he looked like, I have never seen jewish prophets either). More exactly he looked like a Cecil B. DeMille jewish prophet, with rolling white eyes.

I was passing by the scene when he pointed his finger, instinctively, I aimed my camera in his direction and clicked.

rigoletto, thea0211, luisafonso, eleparc, fixed, michiels, Galeota, happypoppeye has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

caballl (17) 2007-05-22 18:37

bonjour luko

cette photo a quelque chose du film "300"

superbe

AnimeshRay (8886) 2007-05-22 19:22

Hilarious note to a strong image! Your 'jewish prophet' label is just perfect! Bravo!
Animesh

nicoz (1963) 2007-05-22 19:39

Salut Luko,
Alors t'as croise Moise en Inde... Ca c'est une preuve que le christianisme c'est pas une blague!
C'est pas super net, je cherche desesperement un point d'encrage. En meme temps, toute cette histoire de prophete n'est pas tres nette non plus...
Un sacre personnage!
Nicolas

kinginexile (2440) 2007-05-22 23:05 [Comment]

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bantonbuju (48796) 2007-05-23 3:01

"... I don't know what God said. Why would you expect me, a long term atheist, to know what God said"...
i'll give you the answer (9.99€), mastercard only...:-))
here it goes: "if there is NOTHING after death i'll lose nothing, said a believer, but if there is SOMETHING, you, nonbeliever, you'll loose everything..."
----------
anyhow, this image is sort of scary, is seriously indicating that the saddhu "deals" with god on the daily basis...:-)))
surprisingly - the blur adds some "irrational" flavor to this image, the man seems to be beyond approach by any mortal...
best wishes, j.

thea0211 (1355) 2007-05-23 3:30

bonjour luko,

... ok, this one is somehow easier to look at, since he is not starring straight through me (like the one in a 'momentary lapse of reason') - yet, very strong image - can't watch it too long in one go.
... those not very functional looking almost completely white eyes might see/sense a lot more then what we'd call the obvious surrounding reality ... or not - he certainly has the look of a prophet ... and the pointing finger makes him a very judging one.

very well chosen visual softness as the whole subject/story lacks clarity anyway or at least what we generally accept as clarity with bare human knowledge.
... all in all - very, very good one - makes most of the images we're surfing through around here look like kiddie sketches.

i believe the note is some form of self-protection (which is ok :), or something to balance the drama of the image ... still you have to work harder on the paying part :) ... you're not convincing enough :)

dora

later edit: love the darkness which he rises from

rigoletto (26846) 2007-05-23 3:30

I think he looks like "Lord Hidetora gone mad" in Kurosawa's magnificent Ran, and this may explain how he can hear extraterrastrial sounds.
Blur works, as he looks in a blurred state of mind. The hand somehow resembles the pointing-up hands of da Vinci.
Cheers,
Deniz

Furachan (0) 2007-05-23 4:06

No one seems to have mentioned it, but the refernce here is Blakian more than anything (I am referring to Blake as painter) a mixture of devotion and sheer horro in equal doses. This one does NOT, funnily enough remind me of Martin Sheen emerging from the ooze in Apocalypse... I mean, how many times can I use THAT image in one day, ha ha.
Also...film quality and feel to that - you coulda written, Leica M6, 50mm summicron, no one the wiser ;o)
Best,
-F

partha (13667) 2007-05-23 4:09

Hi Luko,
It looks like that you have extracted the shot from a drame. The B&W gives the real essence here,A little grain helps to givethe mood here.
Regards.
Partha

luisafonso (858) 2007-05-23 4:36

God said a lot of things but the good news is that He still does it. But you have to have a very special pair of ears... ;)

Well, if you are a hopeless dreamer and like to invent a myriad of stories to cover a failed exposure you could well love this shot. If you are one of those ultra-modern-contemporary-motion -blur-lover you will go crazy about this one either. If you are one of those guys who click the button instead of taking a photograph and like to see what the LCD shows and think "this looks good" you will go mad about this one. Lomo lovers, dope lovers, sixties lovers, Kerouac lovers, The Clash lovers, Ramble Fish lovers... all of them will be in trance seeing this one.

But I am not one of them. I am simple Luis, born in the 70s, culturally grown in the 80s who look at these photos just like the way they are. I like and search the essence of things, and this one is just a result of quick snap triggered by an emotional response. I was with you when you reacted to the moment. I am not with on your decision of posting it. These kind of photos are seated on my 'failed moments' folder at home. Sometimes I feel really urged to post one, but then there is someone on my head that speaks "no Luis, it's not focused, it's not properly composed, this is not you... don't try to be someone you don't want to be"...

But you decided to post it and that means you like it. Have nothing against it. I like the moment, it really goes with your Cecil B. DeMille prophet vision... But this time, the moment didn't win over the flaws of the photograph. Sorry.

[3] +

devimeuxbe (56398) 2007-05-23 6:21

Salut Luko
Je m'arrête sur cette image faite avec la même configuration que moi en ce moment.
Bien sûr la lumière est très belle.
Le Sadhu ressemble effectivement à Jean Marais.
L'intensité de la scène est faite par ce regard intense qui interpelle. J'aime aussi le geste.
Par contre cela manque de netteté et je pense que c'est dû ausi à un sérieux recadrage.
Belle ambiance
Amicalement
Bertrand

eleparc (24059) 2007-05-23 6:35

tout est bon ici, le gel de l'instant avec ce doigt acusateur ou vengeur ou intimidant, ta note mais alors ce flou n'est pas digne de Luko... allez rendez nous le vrai luko... je soupçonne ce vieux sadduh d'avoir lancé un sort à cette photo...;-) sans rancune

vapours (7913) 2007-05-23 7:26

I hardly noticed the blur on this at all to be honest, with the old man, black and white, and just the warm antique feel to the image its as if to me it wouldn't work if it were technically perfect..much like the attraction with older black and white films. Its one I like.

fixed (3831) 2007-05-23 9:04

salut Luko
belle photale et interprétation libre (néanmoins, j'adore ta vision et ton humour ... : "Je ne tente pas de décrire, au contraire, je transforme la réalité d'un saddhu à un prophète menaçant de l'époque du cinéma muet".
une photo évasive comme j'aime.
même si, le 5d gère visiblement bcp mieux les flous, que les petits capteurs ... je reste convaincu que le film sur ce sujet produit des flous bcp plus fluides et "dessinés".
les films s'expriment tandis que les algorithmes calculent ...
jolie photo
nono

ALSOM (6616) 2007-05-23 9:52

Le moment saisi et l'expressivité sidérante de cet homme l'emporte largement à côté de qui semble être une imperfection: le flou. Ici la force obscure domine ... le flou ;o) !

Le personnage est biblique (comme un certain fervent militant de la NRA, son plus mauvais role), avec son geste on peut aussi le rapprocherai aussi d'une partie de fameuse peinture "La creation de l'homme" en plus sombre ...

Cette partie en bas à droite m'intrique car on ne sait pas ce que c'est, tu l'as laissé pour marquer le dialoque ? Très enigmatique en effet. Sinon sans cette partie, c'est plutot le côté aliénation qui aurait été mis en avant ;o) !

Pour le flou, j'aurai été encore plus loin! J'ai Ackerman en tête ...

michiels (4170) 2007-05-23 15:17

hello Luko,

How much was is for the photo ??? :D
He really means it ! I like the little blur and the b&w, it has to be like this !!
greetings, inn

Galeota (10334) 2007-05-23 16:32

! C'est incroyable, tu photographies un homme souffrant très probablement d'hallucinations psychotiques (et de pauvreté, par ailleurs), et le peuple crie: - C'est Jean Marais! - Non, non, Charlton Heston, je le reconnais!! - Mais enfin, Moïse, c'est une évidence. Combien tu prendrais pour faire mon portrait? Je suis prêt à mettre le prix si le Monde se met à penser que je suis Louis XIV.

Je ne l'aime pas autant que tes autres dans le même genre, même si je peux admettre la dimension instinctive et sensitive à l'origine de la prise de vue. Théoriquement je m'en fous pas mal des flous, bien que je ne pense pas qu'il s'agisse ici d'un flou de bougé mais d'un flou de mise au point qui ne résulte pas dans la dimension mystique qui avait si bien pris le pli dans Happiness is a Moving Hair. Peut-être parce que ses yeux sont trop brillants, et on n'y retrouve pas le voile si familier de la folie mais seulement son exhubérance.

D'autre part je trouve la compo bancale. Dieu parle du haut vers le bas. Comme les PDG, d'ailleurs. Pour qui tu te prends, à regarder du haut de ton piédestal les ordres divines qui te sont données? Est-ce un petit côté syndicaliste, genre SNCF en grève 6 mois par année?

faubry (32429) 2007-05-24 4:15

bonsoir luko, tres impressionnant ce portrait, ce doigt pointe comme un avertissement..... comme le dit Deniz, le doigt de la creation... bravo pour ta capacite a trouver de telles scenes.
a bientot
francine

mpdre (1587) 2007-05-26 7:07

Hi Luko,
This photo is superb. You have captured here a prophetic moment ;) Very nice angle, and B&W makes the image more powerful. I have not noticed any blur or at least any annoying blur in the picture :) for me the photo is great like it is. And you captured the moment, that I think it was decisive here ... the same man in other attitude may not have been so interesting... Great shot!
Andre

brevbrev14 (372) 2007-05-29 3:49

Hi Luko, great image as usual!
his eyes are stunning!
and i like the blur...and the moment!
This man is incredible!!!
ciao!
Valeria

Flavia (10202) 2007-05-29 9:33

Hi Luko,

This picture and its subject made me think about the film the 10 Commandements. He really looks like a prophet, at least the image I had of one...

Flavia

yanseiler (20) 2007-06-16 6:11

Superbe expression et magnifique traitement NB, tu gardes la recette dans un coffre-fort? J'ai tout d'abord crû au Leica, magnifique...

ayansadhu (1499) 2008-02-21 9:41

Well the image may be soft
full of pixels
but it has the element of interest rightly plucked...
well done, candid shot
& I like the composition too...