Walking Shadows Photo

Photographer’s Note

Quiet morning, quite streets and suddenly like two quiet shadows appeared in front of my camera.
This lone man and his shadow reflected on the ground seemed to have guess my thoughts when I was about to take a photo at the street, as I was thinking "an interesting character is missing here" and bang!!! there he was. He's appearance was so sudden that I had only the time to settle the settings of the camera and shoot.
The second after he was gone of the street so I had no second chance, this is street shooting right? one chance if you miss you're out!

ymrk, pelin, Gerrit, macondo, riclopes, AiresSantos, broglia, Photo65Net, josepmarin, adores, Cretense, Scharan has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

mesutilgim (36615) 2009-02-15 11:35

Hi Paulo,
Very good pov and perfect backlit capture. Nice light management and many nice elements like the oldfashioned streetlamp at right wall.
Congs and TFS
Best regards
MESUT ILGIM

Hunkar (4641) 2009-02-15 11:37

A nice image with the old man and his shadow..
Good capture..

pelin (2765) 2009-02-15 11:37

Hello Paulo!
Perfect composition with that old man walking down the narrow street. I like the light behind him, looks like following his way,hehe. Great catch!
Thanks

Aviller (3090) 2009-02-15 11:39

What a great shot. The backlighting really works well here since the shadow of the man takes such a prominent place within the picture. I really love how the old man stands out against the backdrop of the old architecture. He's also in a good spot (slightly off center, walking towards the far end of the picture).

devimeuxbe (55853) 2009-02-15 11:50

Hi Paulo
the vertical cropping work very well here for the lane. The shadow of this old man is very nice on the pavement. Excellent picture
Bertrand

jasmis (50142) 2009-02-15 12:04

Poignant presentation. I like this silhouette of the old man... Superb lights/shadows games.
Regards.

il_corsaro_nero (1361) 2009-02-15 12:14

Hi Paulo,
for shure the presence of the man and his shadow were essential to the success of this picture.And also the one time shot gives a sense of instant capture. The contrast has been managed very well.
Benedetto

Gerrit (35593) 2009-02-15 13:05

Hi Paulo,
wonderful counterlight photo of this charming old man in the old street. Great atmosphere.
Regards, Gerrit

delkoo (34158) 2009-02-15 13:18

hi paulo
ypu were there at the right moment to get this beautiful scene of this old man walking in the street, great one
didier

totoamoto (2260) 2009-02-15 13:44

Salut Paulo..
Une superbe image.. Une ruelle pleine de charme.. Et ce monsieur.... Le soleil dans le dos..
Bravo elle es très belle..

Cyril

jonathan_hart (22570) 2009-02-15 16:08

the light is excellent, it makes the shoot very good
well composed
jc

danyy (68492) 2009-02-15 23:20

Bonjour Paulo,
des lumières difficiles au fond cette ruelle étroite. Belle ambiance, calme. Dommage que tu ais coupé la tête dans cette ombre qu'on aurait préféré complère.
Bets regards.
Daniel

macondo (13071) 2009-02-16 1:13

Greetings Paulo.
A very atmospheric photo of this tiny cobbled street with an elderly local making his way carefully along with walking stick and shopping bag. You have done a great job with the exposure to capture the bright light and shadowed detail so well. Stong perspective and great timing! Superb shot and good little note.
Regards,
Andrew

riclopes (32957) 2009-02-16 1:42

Perfeita, Paulo. Eu diria que é um grande momento decisivo, um milimésimo de segundo antes de ele pousar a bengala e o pé no chão. Gosto imenso da(s) silhueta(s) tão bem definida(s), braços bem abertos, luz lindíssima a bater por trás, o candeeiro 'aceso' lá em cima. Ok, a sombra está um pouco cortada aqui à frente, mas isso é um detalhe mínimo. Venham mais destas fotos de rua de momentos decisivos.
um abraço,
ricardo
p.s.- ainda é tudo muito novo com a minha máquina nova. Há coisas que sinto falta nomeadamente lente única em vez de duas e um LCD mais prático (se tiver muito sol não consigo ver o resultado do que acabei de tirar o que me chateia). Também sinto falta do disparo silencioso. Claro que vou gozando de todas as coisas que uma reflex oferece. Ainda assim tenho sentido alguma falta de foco/sharpness em muitas imagens, mas sei que ainda tenho muito para descobrir na multiplicidade de funções que a máquina oferece.

AiresSantos (41866) 2009-02-16 2:26

Ola Paulo
Apesar da contra-luz conseguiste bons detalhes no rosto do velhote. Um excelente jogo de luzes. Interessante tambem as sombras
Um abraco Amigo
Aires

broglia (3341) 2009-02-16 2:43

"His appearance was so sudden" that did make me laugh! What with his walking stick as well! "The second after he was gone" - now I'm starting to roll around on the floor, and my ribs are aching.

Joking aside Paulo, this is a charming shot, the quality & purity of the light is fantastic.

Best regards, Roberto

bantonbuju (48514) 2009-02-16 2:56

he looks as if he were flying there, or jumping...
winter light is always wonderful, approached against - helps to draw marvelous things...

bw, j.

Photo65Net (43084) 2009-02-16 3:38

Hello Paulo,
Superb light management here !
I like a lot the way you composed it too.
Nice job,
Have a nice day,
JB.

josepmarin (33785) 2009-02-16 4:51

Olá Paulo,
debo confesar mi sana envidia por tu maestría en estas perfectas tomas en las callejuelas estrechas, y por cómo sabes jugar con la luz y las sombras, aprovechando siempre buenos momentos de luminosidad, por la mañana o por la tarde.
En esta escena con el anciano caminando por la callejuela con su bastón y su bolsa, en un fuerte contraluz y con unas elegantes sombras, has conseguido un resultado fotográfico muy bueno, en una composición llena de vida, espontánea y muy rica en elementos gráficos.
Excelente trabajo, mi amigo.
Un abrazo,
Josep

sacavem (8223) 2009-02-16 7:50

Olá Paulo,

Bonita captura neste jogo de luz e sombra.Estou a imaginar-te escondido numa esquina à espera de uma presa :)
E esta foi "fácil" porque a velocidade...já era.Pelos visto o Sr. não necessita de tripé o monopé é suficiente.Um tiro no milésimo certo.
Um abraço,
Filipe

adores (15463) 2009-02-16 14:51

Olá Paulo!
Esta está excelente! Gosto muito da composição e da luz, a sombra do senhor ficou perfeita.

Cretense (55690) 2009-02-17 3:17

Ola Paulo!

Beautiful backlit photo, excellent daily life scene, great composition and framing, very interesting architectonic elements, but the most impressive is the light managment, also excellent timing to catch this old gentleman with one foot in the air! Congratulations!

Hercules

marietom (31796) 2009-02-24 13:13

hello Paulo,

Une ombre bien captée, une belle attitude du personnage, bref, belle composition !
Bonne soirée
Marie

tober (3944) 2009-02-27 4:13

Hello Paulo, despite being an immediate capture as you mentioned in your note, the result is quite succesful. I liked the view of the sunlight coming through the street lamp towards the cobble-stones which creates an amazing shadow of the old man on the road.

Best regards, Tolga

Angshu (33551) 2009-03-08 21:09

Ola Paulo
I like that you're posting regularly again! Good to see you in your earlier zest. This one's not a typical Vato_Law shot, but fine use of backlight here & positioning of the man stepping into light from the shadows. Like the light on the lampshades as well. Good work!
Best Regards
Angshu

Scharan (13951) 2009-03-10 12:46

Olá Paulo, quanto tempo...

Acho linda esta foto, a composição é especial;
gosto da iluminação, da sombra da pessoa que passa por este corredor. O detalhe da lanterna no alto é bem bonita também.
Parabéns
GA
Vera

ninaL (19450) 2009-05-23 20:43

Intresting and very tender photograph about this old man and his attitude. His silhouette is very well composed in the old town street.
Best regards. Grazyna.

Photo Information

Copyright: Paulo Mendonca (Vato_Law) (11660)
Genre: People
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2009-02-15
Categories: Daily Life
Camera: Olympus E-500, ZUIKO DIGITAL 40-150mm 1:3.5-4.5
Exposure: f/9.0, 1/100 seconds
More Photo Info: view
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): My favorite photos, Ney's favorite pictures of Portugal! [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2009-02-15 11:29