What will I be? Photo

Photographer’s Note

I guess this little guy was not thinking too much about his future :))) but rather trying to figure out which horse was the nicest, maybe the strongest or which cowboy the most courageous. He stood there for quite a while, not moving but watching carefully what was going on.

Another photo taken at the weekly Fruita Rodeo. It takes place each Thursday night during the summer months attracting farmers of the whole valley having a little fun exchanging the latest news, competing with their horses or having a closer look what the marriage market has to offer :)))

xavshot, cherryripe, feather, PixelTerror, Wanda1, plimrn, jimkil, fanni, bema, Sistercosmo, avene, ciakgiak, Cretense, jwmunro, Charo has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

xavshot (62419) 2009-09-24 10:34

Bonsoir Barbara
une photo qui va bien avec celle de Nikki ;o) Un très beau n&b et une très beau choix de POV.
Xavier

yquem46 (7934) 2009-09-24 10:38

hello barbara
superb portrait of this young cowboy, absorbed in his thoughts but probably not yet thinking about his destiny. But who knows after all
I like his posture
pin sharp image especially where it has to be, i.e. on his face andeyes
Very well done, excellent b&w choice
regards
patrick

cherryripe (18973) 2009-09-24 10:44

Ha Ha Barbara
We've got the same theme tonight. I was almost tempted to post a kid too. Did aof them actually ride sheep and calves like at the rodeo we saw ?
I like your B&W as well as your dof on the boy.
Regards
Nikki

stevev1 (999) 2009-09-24 11:04

This reminds me a little bit of the work by Christian Lutz....
He now has an exhibition at the "Biel photodays". You might want to go check it out
Steve

Jeppo (11922) 2009-09-24 11:09

gruezi miteinander Barbara!

der kleine sieht so begeistert sein.....genau...wahrscheinlich denke er ans beste Pferd....oder traeumt schon davon, einen Cowboy ebenfalls zu werden, um wilden Pferden zu reiten und zu meistern!

ade miteinander
silvio

bostankorkulugu (33582) 2009-09-24 11:23

what eyes!... beautiful kid and a beautiful portrait for sure barbara... i am jelaous of his hat also! >:P... all the best dear...

korkut

rossofuoco (6352) 2009-09-24 11:23

Ciao Barbara.
Ottimo ritratto, molto nitido e con una buona composizione.
Ciao Renzo

feather (49860) 2009-09-24 13:29

Excellent portrait of the little guy, He'll be a heartbreaker in 15 years or so; just look at those eyelashes! Superb quality Barbara and a good idea to convert to B&W.
Kath

PixelTerror (86124) 2009-09-24 14:37

Hoi Barbara
LOL vor 40 Jahren sah ich doch nicht so anders aus... hatte aber keinen solchen Hut, schönes Bild, ich würde aber den Schatten link clonen
Schööööönen Abend, Grüsse JY

Wanda1 (10945) 2009-09-25 0:56

Hi Barbara,
His expression is one filled with wonder and concentration.
I like the way he holds on to the bar, and your use of depth of field is good here blurring the pole and the background. Also the pole is a good way to lead our eye to him. Black and white is a nice medium for this sweet portrait.
Regards
Wanda

Greg1949 (8507) 2009-09-25 5:04

Barbara, looks like a shot from the '50s, nice work.

Greg

plimrn (19656) 2009-09-25 11:32

Hi Barbara,
He is adorable and you have captured him perfectly; especially those eyelashes and that great big hat with no BG interference. I LOVE it!!
HLJ, Pat

Dyerco (9078) 2009-09-25 11:55

Hi Barbara
What a lovely shot of the this little cowboy. Crisp and clean with ideal lighting on his hat. I'm not sure what happened with his hand and arm as there is a heavy outline around them. Anyway it is still in wonderful unposed catch.
Phil

jimkil (530) 2009-09-25 17:57

Hello Barbara
I wish I had an eye for this kind of stuff, I don't though so I will enjoy shots like yours. Too many kids these days don't live their childhood, they shouldn't have a care in the world like this fella, God they can worry about that when they're older. The bw always works with portraits and the tonal ranges produced are splendid. Would maybe have cropped or cloned out the bottom left but thats a personal choice. Goes to show you have a great eye, very well done.
All the best
Jim

Waylim (10789) 2009-09-26 13:26

Hi Barbara,
Have a great time on your trip to Italy, I have not been there for years. Maybe it's time to go back next time I'm going to Europe. But then again, there are so many places I haven't not yet been to.

I really love your portrait shot, this bring me back to when I first know you, I remember in your gallery with the little girl in Sankt Gallen. Two very different places, yet the innocent, the curiosity, they are all the same. This is so lovely. The black and white is classic for this shot. Just perfect.
Way

fanni (8737) 2009-09-27 5:54

Hello Barbara,
well well... surely this little boy can't be thinking of such a serious thing as his future while observing the cowboys and horses :) But I will assess the photo from its technical aspects which I find very good. At first I thought that that dark blurred figure on the left is a bit disturbing, but it should be there as a good balance of the composition. I also like the DOF :)
And the 3/4 portrait always looks very well!
You captured an interesting moment :)
Kind regards
and warm greetings from Moscow,
Elena

John_F_Kennedy (31427) 2009-09-28 0:56

Hello Barbara,
Excellent composition and dynamic. Very good is the face and his expression.

Best wishes,
Achim

delpeoples (6068) 2009-09-29 2:33

Hi Barbara, I;ve been away for a week meeting the TE'ers in Melbourne. So have missed your lovely photos and funny comments. This photo is just wonderful. I love the blurred DOF both FG and BG and the little fella is so sharp and so alive. I've been criticised (constructively) before for using B&W on children but I think your choice was excellent. It makes the shot so poignant and timeless. And your subject is perfect too, just like his Dady who no doubt was riding on horseback in one of your previous postings :))) Have a good week and thanks for sharing, Lisa.

amazon (10647) 2009-09-30 11:14

i like little cowboy's looks...cadrage is very good,
regards from istanbul barbara,
iffet

bema (8755) 2009-10-01 0:49

Hallo Barbara,

stöbere gerade ein wenig in deinen schönen Rodeobildern, und bin von diesem hier sehr angetan..
für mich ein perfekt getimtes Porträt, ein ganz starke Aufnahme..

schöne Grüße Bernd

Nicou (44829) 2009-10-02 8:00

Hello Barbara,

Merveilleux portrait de ce jeun homme, un futur cow-boy, le B est parfait et colle à l'image, avec la barrière, loe sûpport en flou, fantastique.

bravo et maitié

Nicou

kensimage (8541) 2009-10-04 22:53

It looks like he's already got the pose mastered, hangin' on the fence watchin' the action. I like the B/W and the shallow DOF, to put the emphasis on his young-and-innocent version of the classic cowboy stance. Nice framing too. Perhaps a bit more contrast would make it more dramatic, I'm not sure. Have a great week, Barbara! Regards, Ken.

burraburra (847) 2009-10-05 0:55

Hi Barbara,
Beautiful B&W composition. DOF & POV perfect.
The sharpness of your subject is something to be admired. What a great achievent in focus.
Wonderful photograph.
Kind regards,
Graham.

Sistercosmo (2573) 2009-10-05 13:44

Meine liebe Barbara,

Was für ein wunderbares Bild!! Diesen jungen Mann hast du perfekt eingefangen. Köstlich! Toll, wie alles drum herum unscharf ist und sein Gesicht so schön heraus ragt. Echt klasse gemacht!

Viele liebe Grüße
Linda

polpo56 (7952) 2009-10-06 14:11

Ciao Barbara,
una foto molto bella, un bellissimo ritratto che emana freschezza. Sembra l'icona di un'America evergreen.
Brava!

Ludo

gunbud (27879) 2009-10-06 20:57

Hi Barbara,
Gotta hang a star on this one.
The young man looks like he is going to be a cowboy for life.
The dreamy expression of youthful wonder is priceless.
The black & white format gives this shot a timeless feel of the old west.
Regards, Tom

avene (11008) 2009-10-08 7:35

hi Barbara,
the title speaks to me :) I was just thinking that I should put in my intro someething about that fact that right now I'm really searching myself and my identity as a photographer. what will I be? landscaper? abstractionist? no idea yet, but I enjoy the process of searching, even if because of the work my camera has been gathering dust lately.
the composition is the strong point here, I like a lot the simplicity of the line leading towards the boy. I cannot decide if I like the half-silhouette in the lower left corner - on the one hand it is a little distracting, but on the other hand is it almost essential for the message in the photo, the message about boys growing up. in any case, interesting shot, I like it.

best,
Kristine

ciakgiak (10698) 2009-10-08 13:35

Hello Barbara,
I don't know what he's thinking, but I see a splendid portrait, very well composed, a great b&w image with a perfect management of the DOF... and the result is under our eyes. Congratulations and TFS.
Warm regards.
Giorgio

Cretense (56136) 2009-10-09 1:42

Hello Barbara!

Fantastic portrait of this beautiful sweet boy!!! What can I say? You leave no space for comments with this perfect shot! Congratulations!

Hercules

Angshu (33645) 2009-10-09 4:53

Dear Barbara
This is not one of your trademark "baba" shots, but what a fine one!!! You're very humble & your experimenting with various types of subjects would definitely bring the best out of you...didn't I say before, you had a great photographic eye?
Pin sharp, superb focus, conversion to B&W just cool. Like Kristine, I'm a bit in two minds about the silhouette to the left...but otherwise, this is superrrrrb!
Best regards
Angshu

jwmunro (6577) 2009-10-14 19:28

Hello Barbara -

Excellent image. Everything is right about the scene and the image. My only comment; just slightly over sharpened, note the halo. If you sharpen on a layer you could add a mask and paint out the halo around the fingers and rail and the hat and right side of the face. It would take one or two passes with a 20% soft brush. Anyway, well seen and present. A top notch image.

Thank you for sharing.

John

Charo (31671) 2009-10-20 16:23

Bonsoir Barbara,
Une photo très américain Ouest. Un beau garçon aux beaux yeux. Excellent portrait avec grands détails et les nuances de gris très bon.
Amitiés,
Charo

ghilain (1714) 2009-10-24 2:26

Hello barbara,

Very kind shot!
Great emotion in the regard. The B&W is a good choice.
TFS fot this moment

Have a nice WE
brigitte