A Smoking Smile

Critiques [Translate]

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• albertz (338)
• [2008-05-05 0:11]

Nice subject with a typical asian homemade cigar. The tight composition works well here. I know a little about portraits but i think this is a good one.
Thanks for sharing,
Albert

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• InasiaJones (13520)
• [2008-05-05 0:11]
• [+]

Hi Henk,

Without her hat, she would look like one of these caricatural gangster in bad american movies. "I'm gonna make you an offer you can't refuse..."... :-P)

I like this casual portrait where the lady don't seems to be intimidated by your camera. The candid expression is excellent and we can feel her good attitude with the smile in her eyes. I think the cigarette makes this shot more interesting, more singular. And of course, the hat is there for the exotism and the red vest for catching our eyes.

Good bokeh job to neutralized the heavily disturbing background.

Cheers!

André

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• barrufeto_77 (18287)
• [2008-05-05 0:59]

Hi Henk.

Another lovely portrait. Excellent colours and contrasts as usual.

Excellent Andre's note hahahahahahaha.

Rgs, Oscar

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• sothy81 (7636)
• [2008-05-05 1:05]

what a great portrait you have here. Very nice. I like the expression of this lady. Very nice with the cigarett in her mouth. Very well done my friend. Sothy

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• delkoo (21274)
• [2008-05-05 1:24]

bonjour henk,
As always, your portrait job is excellent and shows very well your sensitivity in general and in particular when aproaching people! Perfect framing,


cheers
didier

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• faubry (25805)
• [2008-05-05 1:49]

Hello Henk, again a amazing portrait, good skin details, we cant see the same scene here, cigarette is forgotten...hehe...
have a good day
francine

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• dareco (6088)
• [2008-05-05 2:26]

I like this!! That is one big fat cigarette!!! :) A cute smile too! A very beautiful and natural portrait. TFS

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• delic (5750)
• [2008-05-05 2:27]

Another signature portrait from you, Henk. Fine, fine work. The skin color is perfect with no oversaturated distractions in the periphery. The faintly noticeable smoke is perhaps the only issue. Could have made her an offer to inhale/exhale harder, perhaps. Regards,
Hakan

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• carper (49410)
• [2008-05-05 3:07]
• [2]

have a sigar.
mooie kop Henk, zeer fraai genomen net als de meeste van Uw portretten een fraai stukje fotowerk. prettige dag verder.
groet Jaap

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• PixelTerror (66449)
• [2008-05-05 3:12]

Hi Henk,
Hi hi this is no longer politically correct in our western countries, soon smoking people will be restricted to zoos... but a nice portrait where the cigarette is that detail that catches the eye and gets the attention.
Have a nice day JY

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• cbrman (11684)
• [2008-05-05 3:32]

Hello Henk,

A new portrait and a new atmospher here !
This person with the jovial face takes a very natural form. The placement of the face is ideal and the presence of the cigarette brings a strange environment.
Well done.

A+

Dominique

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• feather (36887)
• [2008-05-05 3:43]

I wonder what she has in the roll-up; more than tobacco I'd guess, which would account for the almost cheeky expression she has on her face. ;D Another wonderful classic daily life portrait with the ¾ positioning and the tight crop. Thanks to the DOF there is nothing in the background to distract and probably the dull light on a rainy day did you a favour. Well done
Kath

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• luisafonso (12561)
• [2008-05-05 5:55]

I like smokers a lot. Don't know why, but they are always very photogenic. It must be a Bogart thing. :) I miss more smoke though... ;) This time you went for a full focused choice and a bigger dof that you usually do for close portraits. The result is that her shirt looks very sharp... Perhaps this time I would prefer a shallow dof to blur her shirt a bit. But I also like it the way it is. Great skin tones.

•  
• Photo65Net (25866)
• [2008-05-05 6:11]

Henk,
Great portrait !
You could have keep it for the "against tobacco day" :o)
Anyway, I like this woman attitude,
Regards,
JB.

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• zmey (3551)
• [2008-05-05 7:05]

hello there, henk

lovely, lovely again, my friend. i like what you eye always seems able to find. clarity: amazing (especially on her cardigan) and the expression is priceless... the pleasure she is getting from that cigarett is unmistakeable. by the way, from looking at here attire, one would think, it was quite cold there... in vietnam?? anwyay, thanks for sharing your eye find with us!

warm regards,
kristaps

ps. in several of your nam photos i have noticed this. their eyes frequently seem kind of dim. and i don't think it's your fault at at all. i've seen the same dimness in the eyes of people who have cataract...

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• Cricri (25275)
• [2008-05-05 8:07]

Hi Henk,
Un petit air acceuillant et amusant a la fois avec sa cigarette serré entre les lévres, un autre beau portrait
Have a nice day for you
cricri

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• UnTrained (11191)
• [2008-05-05 8:15]

Hallo Henk,
advertisement for smoking… ;-)
and a tight framing which let the eye very fast focus this great face but also the cigarette. Even some smoke caught and the lady and her clothing are excellent presented. I will go some steps back to avoid the smoke :-)
Lieben Gruss, Ulf

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• gilou530 (23120)
• [2008-05-05 8:56]

salut henk
fumer c'est mauvais pour la santé, tu lui a dis a cette brave dame, un portrait plein de naturel comme tu sais nous les faire
amitiés
gilbert

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• patdeph (6269)
• [2008-05-05 8:59]

hello Henk
I like very much this woman with her roguish little face!We could think she has this big cigaret in the mouth oly for the photo!Perfect portrait and beautiful colours.Superb!
Regards.
Pascale

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• mark_mk (518)
• [2008-05-05 9:03]

Hi Henk,
I really like your portraits of Vietnam, you really show us this country in a great way. You can take 1000 shots of landscapes, but you will only experience a country through their inhabitants, that`s why I love these portraits.
Your magic eye has once again brought us a wonderful picture, great portrait! Thanks for sharing!

Best regards
Mark

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• brandstaetter (5970)
• [2008-05-05 9:51]

Hi Henk,
I like the vertical format of your portraits, it reduces the portrait to the essentials.
Nice colours, blur as always.
Compliments, Chris
PS Seems that you had cold weather... :)

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• leo61 (27420)
• [2008-05-05 11:50]

Dear Henk!
I would say,the perfect portrait.Colors,contrast,sharpness and the cropping are ...sorry for writing again...just perfect.I like too the nicely blurred background.
Best regards,Leo

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• stevesaba (1992)
• [2008-05-05 11:53]

Hi Henk!
Beautifully clear and humorous all at the same time. Lovely colors, and in spite of the cigarette, a lovely smile. We really enjoyed our time in Vietnam. Hue was really interesting, I loved the market. Ironically, I have a similiar picture of a lady smoking....taken near the market in Hue. Just for fun I will upload it, or add to the theme. cheers,
Steve

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• xavshot (42330)
• [2008-05-05 11:58]

Bonsoir Henk
superbe portrait et une expression de ce visage qui me plait bien. Elle me semble un brin rieuse avec sa cigarette ;o) Beau travail
Xavier

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• avene (3752)
• [2008-05-05 13:41]

heheee, looks like she's having smokin' good time :)
another fantastic portrait, Hank, I just love how the hat is framing her face. and the colour of the cardigan is like a cherry on a cake, it makes the shot so lively, I like it a lot. and again I have to say that in every portrait you post here the person seems at ease while you photograph them, I think that adds a lot to the appeal of the photo :)

with best regards,
Kristine

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• Dyerco (4395)
• [2008-05-05 15:19]

Looks like she rolls her own and has done for many a year. A pleasing portrait with her hat nicely shading her face. It provides good even light to her face with no hot spots although as you say it was raining at the time.
Phil

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• bostankorkulugu (20730)
• [2008-05-05 17:28]

she looks like a lady who is making a cooking show on TV everyday here... very nice portrait with a fine bokeh... as always henk... i like the tight framing also...

all the best

korkut

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• dvlazar (3367)
• [2008-05-05 19:13]

Great portrait! She's a real character, I like the fact that she appears carefree and happy. Classic Vietnam shot!!
Dave

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• Wanda1 (6927)
• [2008-05-05 22:02]

Hoi Henk,
Mooi titel vir dit wonderlijke portret. Sij heeft een prachtige gelaatsuitdrukking en het detail op haar trui en gesig is perfect. Goed kader om ons nabij aan haar te brengen. Prima foto werk!
Groetjes
Wanda

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• siolaw (19526)
• [2008-05-06 0:06]

Hi Henk,
A funny portrait of the smoking lady, she has a friendly expression and the framing gives a good visual impact to the subject. it looks to be quite cold there if i see her clothes!
Good note too
Greetings
Laurent

•  
• jhm (62010)
• [2008-05-06 3:13]

Dag Henk,

U blijft momenteel in de aanbieding van portretten.
Het klinkt wat raar, maar wanneer we een portret zien uit deze landen zijn wij geneigd om dit te bewonderen, waarom weet ik eigenlijk zelf niet.
Niet dat het niet goed is, nee het is weer mooi gedaan, dit staat buiten kijf.
Natuurlijk de sigaret dat deze damen rookt is wel de blikvanger, goed van kwaliteit en scherpte.
Mooi gedaan, bedankt.

Groeten,
John.

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• Evolution (252)
• [2008-05-06 4:21]

Henk,

Very unusual to see a woman smoking in Vietnam. You have captured a real "decisive moment" here !

•  
• belido (6958)
• [2008-05-06 4:55]

Hi Henk,

nothing better to check your portraits once a while. Each one is helping me to the idea to go out anyday and try by myself. But it seems kind of a difficult task (for me). I don't need to say anything about the exposure and the natural lights. You keep this same good technique for all of them...something I need to learn. Great one!
Regards,
Carlos

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• pboehringer (16493)
• [2008-05-06 9:44]
• [+]

Henk,
the perfect balance between the job, smoking and at the same time pleasing this dutch tourist with a smile. Now that is what I call multitasking.
It seems to me that the light conditions were beyond terrible. ISO 200, f/4 and 1/80s speaks a bad language and yet, you did it! The colors are crisp and vivid.
Revisiting to give you the little green devil I see that the popularity of this shot isn't that great. Funny, give the people a landscape and everyone is around the shot like bees around honey, but give them a world class portrait and ....
Peter

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• Wandering_Dan (2520)
• [2008-05-06 10:09]

Hi, Henk -

Another great characterization portrait!

Dan

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• fulvio52 (3308)
• [2008-05-06 11:16]

Hoi, Henk.
Weer een pareltje, he!
Een zeer ontwapenend, sympathieke uitdrukking op haar gezicht, mooie kleuren, peukie daarbij... wat wil je nog meer in een portret!
MOOI!
Ik wens je nog een fijne avond.
Zie je gauw,
Fulvio.

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• Philippe (8227)
• [2008-05-06 14:38]

Dag, Henk. Nog een van die portretten waarvan je het geheim hebt. Een uitstekende scherpte en een korte velddiepte zijn twee belangrijke eigenschappen hier. De glimlach van de vrouw en haar sigaret tussen de lippen maken het portret origineel. Haar rode trui contrasteert goed met haar bleke huid. Haar hoed komt goed uit op de kleurrijke bokeh.

•  
• molla (4101)
• [2008-05-07 0:01]

Hejsan Henk.
Your portraits are all of very high class, and I sometimes wish I had the guts to walk closer to people and try figure something out with MY camera ( instead Im always taking up my sketchbook and do drawings of them and dont know why? but I feel i dont take something of them then)
Any how I hope you keep on getting close to all this beautiful people and let them show there pride for the rest of the world.
this lady looks like she just on her way to cracking up in a huge smile.
Cheers Anders

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• Didier38 (961)
• [2008-05-07 1:57]

Bonjour Henk,

Très expressif le regard avec se petit sourire fuyant.

Beau portrait.

Didier

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• Dpbours (5874)
• [2008-05-07 5:52]

Hoi Henk,

Je zou eens moeten zien wat ik voor een prachtige glimlach op m'n gezicht weet te toveren als ik een sigaretje rook. Dat is zeker een foto waard!!! :-)))
Ja, heerlijk rondbanjeren op zo'n marktje. Dat doe ik ook graag. Ongelofelijk wat je er soms ziet liggen. En de mensen bij die marktjes zijn altijd lekker puur. Mooie plaat. Lekker in de details!

Groeten, Dennis

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• Tobias__Ortmann (1156)
• [2008-05-07 10:04]

Hi henk great potrait of this smokergirl
great moment and perfect sharpness this cigarrete seems to be very big maybe some drugs are also in^^
GREAT one
Toba

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• Kris_Luxenhofer (99)
• [2008-05-07 12:42]

Hello Henk!
This is one of my favorit portraitsin TE! This friendly smile and the traditional vitnamese hats. The technique is just great.
TFS and have a nice day,
Kris

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• imrek (6762)
• [2008-05-07 13:45]

HI Henk,
a nice portrait, i like than thin simile in her face, color handling is high class very natural look...very good work.

regards,

imre

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• everlasting (9426)
• [2008-05-07 13:59]

The skin tones are amazing Henk..I am not even going to mention the framing and bokeh that all goes without saying.
And even as a nonsmoker its the cigerette that gives it the final touch.Another one that I would kije to have in my gallery

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• maximage (8286)
• [2008-05-07 14:11]

Bonjour Henk,
Merci pour ton passage dans ma galerie.
Félicitations pour la qualité impressionnante de ta galerie. Ici,encore un beau portait d'une netteé incomparable.
Amitiés.
max

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• azleader (723)
• [2008-05-07 15:18]

Another incredible environmental portraiture! Well captured, framed and presented.

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• Emile (14766)
• [2008-05-08 16:02]

Hola Henk.
Another excellent portrait this time with the lady and her homemade cigarette, lovely smile and very nice overall expression, very good colors on her vest and hat, good blurred DOF, very well captured.
Well done.
Best regards.

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• zeca (14811)
• [2008-05-08 21:56]

A very nice portrait to encourage me to buy this excellent lens. The perfect details, the nice natural colours, everything very nice.
Regards,
Zeca

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• robertosalguero (13290)
• [2008-05-11 0:33]
• [+]

Hello Henk,

I'm not sure you will get lots of portraits when you visit Canada but landscapes a lot for sure. Excellent composition, though the advertisement made on the cigarrette may not be the best ;-) The tones of the skin look very natural. I guess that is the result of not having a polarizer in use for portraits. Nice tight cropping and details. Thanks Henk.

Roberto