Delicate Touch Photo

Photographer’s Note

This is the third photo posted from the Italian Street Painting Festival held in San Rafael, California last weekend. Dozens of artists were on their knees delicately applying colored chalk to create the most remarkable images. This photo was taken during the first day of the two-day event. The bright blue in the background is part of this design, though the artist is focusing at the moment on the woman's face.

Constructing these designs is quite an art in itself because as you move toward the edge of your design, you effectively lose touch with some parts of the square. Care must be taken to make certain that elements are completed in the right order. Moving across completed work can risk smearing the image.

I was told today by a person who visited the scene late Sunday when all the artists had completed their work that before the evening ended staff of the City of San Rafael washed the images off the pavement and then roughed the surface in preparation for traffic on Monday. Apparently after an early festival in which the images were left in place, a fire engine heading to an emergency slid across the slick chalk and damaged five parked cars. I don't know whether that story is an urban legend, but it is interesting nonetheless.

Enjoy this woman's delicate touch. There will be more to come.

sabyasachi1212, Rinie_Hoff, gelor, Isabelle, dom_inik_m, wilkinsonsg, JonteW has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Rinie_Hoff (9332) 2006-06-14 2:53

Hi Curtis, beautiful light on the hand. That's actually what I noticed in all the pictures, although it seem very bright, the way you handled the light was very nice. Did you underexpose? I know you shoot in RAW, but once details are washed out, there's nothing you can do about it.
I remember that you did a workshop on one of my photos, a little girl that was standing within the safety of her father's arms, and touching his arms with her little fingers, that you cropped the heads and initially I was startled, but now I am used to cropped heads already, and I like it, because it focusses on the hand completely, like you did in that workshop. The light is there, but also that long white sleeve takes our eyes to what is happening there.

(I just re-read the messages at that photo, and there was ONE line of you, that really makes me chuckle now;-))

Furachan (0) 2006-06-14 4:24

Hi Curtis,
I keep following your meanderings around various lenses with great interest in fredmiranda.com, and here is a splendid example of what the 5d/135L combi is capable of. I really like your prcise focus on the hand with everything else falling into various levels of bokeh. Nice work!
Best,
Francis

Isabelle (9014) 2006-06-14 10:02

I certainly prefer this one Curtis. Reminds me of this shot of mine, I like when the core of the image is in the work, not including the worker/artist fully. it gains another dimension.
as Rinie said, the light in the hand is precious, and from the hand we look to the face and to the chalk already in the bokeh area.
very subtle the focus! (oh, syntax!!)
beijinho,
Isabel

erdna (5346) 2006-06-14 10:04

An artist hand at work, terrific shot Curtis! Your showing the extent of his area of work makes it more interesting.

Andre'

dom_inik_m (1707) 2006-06-14 10:12

I've nothing to add to Rinie's comment about the way you control the light, keeping every crease of the shirt sleeve crisp and clear. Back to the great masters, it reminds me of the intricate details of the clothing folds I admire so much in Coysevox' or Coustou's sculptures (among others, adding the requisite relief to a mere bidimensional world...
Echoing my previous comment, I'm quite surprised, not to say shocked, to read that all drawings are washed away and not left to quietly fade away. Such drastic action makes your mandala reference more relevent, though I feel that the whole philosophy behind both destructions is quite different. Beginning and end entwined on one hand and on the other, reflection on the fleeting trends tailored to make room for the next fashion !
Nevertheless (or because of it), this slanted look on the pavement is so expressive...
I wondered what a more extreme and mysterious version would look like. So I gave it a hand.

[workshop] [compare] +

wilkinsonsg (8644) 2006-06-14 14:06

Interesting note and another fine detail of this event :)

karith (11) 2006-06-14 15:07

I just hopped over here from TL after learning from Andre that we apparently went to the same street painting festival in San Rafael last weekend. Small world:) Looks like you got some good shots of the artists at work...wasn't it a great photo op! I like that you zoomed in on the artist's hand here to get a close view of her making a stroke with her pastel. Hmmm...interesting how the face gets to watch the artist at work too:)

Angshu (33215) 2006-06-15 6:07

Hello Curtis
What I like most is the shallow DOF which has enhanced the work of art in progress. You did well to show only the hand of the artist..makes me see the delicate creation. I like it a lot
Regards
Angshu

SophieL (6026) 2006-06-15 18:10

The main thing that comes out of this picture is indeed delicacy. Delicacy in the artist's gesture, in the pressure on the chalk, delicacy in the colors (blues and pink/orange), delicacy in your choice of depth of field...

I'm also shocked that these drawing are washed away voluntarily, so quickly. I guess they were made to disappear anyway, but I would have liked them to fade in time, to be worn away by the daily life constraints, and not by a brutal firetrucks attack... Oh well, I guess this is modern life.

I was about to propose a different framing that would focus on the woman's hand and her drawing, but I see that Dominique has proposed a WS that goes exactly along the same line, I really like that tight crop.