Chess and a Chimp Photo

Photographer’s Note

We finally had some nice weather yesterday and I was able to get out shooting for a little bit. Being surprised at the great weather, I didn't have a plan, so went out to capture my favorite subjects; men playing chess. The strangest damn thing happened though; in all my shots a really odd looking guy with a camera wormed his way into the background. I think quite possibly that there was a movie playing in his LCD, he was always looking at it rather than taking photos ;)

kajspice has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

roamermark (1588) 2006-06-12 9:46 [Comment]

Show Comment

linjim3 (856) 2006-06-12 20:28 [Comment]

Show Comment

kajspice (4534) 2006-06-15 11:36

If he is anything like me, he is looking at the pictures, after filling up the memory card and deleting what look like the bad ones. However, I found one today, which was aaaalmost pitch black - If I had seen it, I would have deleted it then. I am so pleased I kept it...

anyhow...I like the arrangement of the numerous figures everywhere, however...I really want to get my tweezermans and pluck out the intruders - yes, that man in the middle is an eyesore - I can imagine how annoying that would have been - he looks so smug as well. Saying this, after reading your note, its quite funny that he is there in all of his smug glory.

I would have been really tempted to move a little to the right, to include the man in the white shirt in the background - he looks like an interesting addition, whereas he is currently just half present. I think this may have allowed a little bit more of the orange hatted man to be included as well. Lastly, being a lover of the low view, I would just have to go there and tilt up to get the stripey man's facial expression.

I like the repetition of the check/square & line patterns all over the place (the floor, board, clothing)...its quite a busy scene, which is well condensed and not too confusing at first glance.

Furachan (0) 2006-06-16 4:45

Well this is a case where I definitely would have applied bokeh, with EXTREME PREJUDICE as they say in "Apocalypse Now". I mean that chap with the camera is, frankly, in the way if your purpose is to highlight the chess game among the old fellas. And you do have them pretty much framed right, pulling us in as well but, oops, our eye escapes into "npthing much" land though that gap that leads to the photog... That would be the weak point in what really had a lot of promise.
Cheers,
Francis

markoci (3917) 2006-07-01 12:46

an eyesore indeed and how smug he is! as francis said i also wish there was more bokeh here :-)... the umbrella makes the shot though... i have many a shots with foreign "intruders" (i also remember a funny one from angkor recently, not sure by who) and one in laos :-) maybe i'll post some later, it'd make a great theme..

aralda (1240) 2006-08-06 7:27

I like your shot. That umbrella in the foreground, out of focus, and the men bent to be able to reach the board. Nice compo. I also like the photographer in the background. Provides a mirror for the photographer who took the pic from the opposite side.
Raluca

Brian (1) 2007-05-27 13:55

Hi Darren,
Im glad to be going thru your photos today. I recently captured some Chinese men playing this game in the park. After searching for awhile, I found out the name. And its just half chess basically..

Anyway, I like your photo. I agree though with Francis about the bokeh. It really would've worked well here to get rid of the LCD viewer in the middle.

Brian