The Lonely Guitarman Photo

Photographer’s Note

I saw him in a narrow bend a road leading to a church in Seville. He has a soulful voice and face. I took 2 pictures of him, dropped some coins in his guitarcase and walked away. After a few steps, I looked back. I liked the way the light played on him. I knew that if I take a picture of him from this angle, it wouldn't come out clear because I was against the light. But I took my chance. I think this picture brought out the soul of this lonely guitarman more than my 2 other pictures of him.
(Grayscale, contrast/brightness, unsharp)

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Critiques | Translate

ninadev (5225) 2003-11-04 18:14

You are so right. This light which technically could be considered as too bright, seems to be coming out of the musician. He is radiant. Together with this softness it really makes a very special image. Composition is great and the black frame does work well her on this B&W picture. I really love it, too bad I can't hear the music.
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Closed the photo, look again at the thumbnail, came back in, and made it a favorite of mine.

papagolf21 (57029) 2003-11-24 5:04

Cette photo a été oubliée et c'est bien dommage. La prise de vue exprime très bien la concentration du guitariste lisant sa partition. Les mouvements des mains et la position du pied démontrent un guitariste jouant de la musique classique. Très belle image pleine d'émotion.
This photo was forgotten and it is indeed pity. The recording expresses very well the concentration of the guitarist reading its partition. The movements of hands and the position of the foot demonstrate a guitarist playing the classical music. Very beautiful image full of emotion.

ReynardTheFox (260) 2003-12-01 11:04

Yes this is a very atmospheric photo - its well composed and you've caught the man at a moment when he has quite a "soulful" expression. The bright burned out highlights could be considered a technical mistake but photography is more than just a technical exerice and to me they add to the mood. I like this a lot - an interesting photo of one of my favourite countries!

lemon_logix (1054) 2004-01-31 8:44

Though not so sharp but the angle is good and the mood is greatly enhanced by the lighting. Good shot.

amitai (867) 2004-04-11 14:33

I can't understand how people don't notice your more sophisticated pictures. I mean all your frames are extremely clean and composed right, but some of them have more than just an appealing look. This is one of the better ones, I like it a lot.

adind (738) 2004-11-10 9:34

I like this image ...because it depicts the
gloomy state of the man( I feel so..)..
the B/W adds something extra to the picture.

best,
atis

hztrekearth (0) 2004-12-22 5:01

I cannot believe you started out only two years ago! Every one of your portraits looks appealing and could be hung in a gallery or printed on a magazine in my opinion.
This is one of my favorate, however. The choice of B&W as supposed to color is exactly right. The technical imperfection of the image - its softness and the extremely bright backlight - are exactly what make the picture perfect artistically. It did bring out "the soul" of the guitarman bathed in light and immersed in his music. Serene and moving. Understated, yet it has an enduring quality.

verde (957) 2006-02-10 16:04

I love this shot.
Very soulful. The enjoyment in his face is great. I love the B&W, but then again it is my favorite. I actually really like the high contrast of this shot. It gives it a very ethiral feel.
Funny enough I have a similar shot taken in
Malaga just down the road from Sevilla. ALthough mine is not a very good quality shot.

thanks for sharing
b