smile for the camera IV, a photo from Cusco, South

Photographer's Note

to continue with my "smiles for the camera" (the previous three photos are here and here and here), gold tooth and all. I had met this lady on a narrow stone street of the town of Chinchero (around 4000m above sea level), famous for its crafts and continuous practice of Inca-time rituals.

also, I wanted to illustrate what I mentioned in the note to this photo - centered composition lets the person dominate the frame, makes it larger than life, and nobody could avoid feeling the strength of character coming from this lady.

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RAW, ISO 200, spot metring.

brech, brech, BennyV, hispic, sevy, delpeoples, Nolme has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Ricx (13435) 2011-02-24 6:44

Hi Kristine-- a lovely close uo of this young ladies face- a lovely title.. well done on the sharpness and detail..

good point about the image dominating the frame-- it works more often than not.. maybe the thirds is good for landscapes.. Have a great day Rich

Bartleby (12741) 2011-02-24 7:17

Hi Kristine,
super sharp portrait. Love the expression and the colors.

philippe

yquem46 (32263) 2011-02-24 8:07

Hi Kristine
A nice expressive portrait of this old woman showing us not only her smile but her golden tooth by the way !
very colorful, clear and sharp, on a neutral BG
have a nice evening
Best
Patrick

vagabondtravels (6505) 2011-02-24 8:16

Hi Kristine

Nice portrait full of expression. Very sharp with good detail. Great focus on those green eyes. Well done.
Ben

BennyV (12767) 2011-02-24 8:44

Great continuation of your smiling series of portraits, Kristine. Here again the uniform backdrop is a definite plus. I also really like how it matches with the clothes. A bold, central positioning of the character...and she deserves it. Strange hat, though...but then again, I'm not familiar with the territory here.

All the best & thanks for sharing.

Benny

LOOOK13 (19022) 2011-02-24 11:26

Salut Kristine.
Wonderfull smile!!!!
Splendid capture with a good result.
Great cheer.

leo61 (0) 2011-02-24 12:08

Hi Kristine!
A wonderful and perfect sharp portrait of this friendly looking old lady.I like a lot her facial expression and the contrast with the blurred wall in the background.
Regards,Leo

saxo042 (31800) 2011-02-24 12:31

Hi Kristine,
A very good portrait with sharpness and very good harmony between the colours. Excellent, I hope this lady will see her picture here!
Kind regards
Gunnar

papera (13760) 2011-02-24 14:42

hi kristine,
your "smile for the camera" series is really interesting.
people often underestimate this kind of portraits, thinking it's easy to capture such expressions. it takes a certain degree of interaction between the photographer and the subject in order to get an interesting shot.
I agree with you on the topic of the centered composition - not necessarily an off-centre subject makes for a more interesting composition...
Apart from her lovely smile, I like very much the light and the tones here, which the different textures translate perfectly into a great palette.
love the details :)
c.

hispic (9619) 2011-02-24 19:18

Hi Kristine
Very nice portrait making good use of a fast lens with the full opening. Light is also very suitable for portrait. Shallow depth of field works to make her stand out. Beautiful work.
Have a nice day, Hisashi

kiasari (2631) 2011-02-24 21:24

Hello Kristine,

Old people are always good subjects for portrait photography. An impressive portrait shot in which we can see every detail of the face. Good sharpness and DOF management. Well done!

Regards,
Abbas

sevy (13273) 2011-02-25 0:35

Hello Kristine,

Unusual composition choice, as you described in your note: horizontal frame, centred composition. Why not. To discuss such things is secondary, the most important is what is shared by the portrait, and it is nicely working on this shot.

Yves.

jjcordier (62328) 2011-02-25 10:37

Kristine
Tu continues ta série de fort belle façon avec ce portrait réussi où on admire la lumière, la netteté et le visage expressif de la femme.
Amicalement
JJ

Waylim (22355) 2011-02-25 19:21

Hi Kristine,
You're getting very good with these portrait shot, I thought I was pretty comfortable taking picture of people. I just realize I'm not on my last trip to China. Anyway, so I really enjoy looking at shots like this and some of Patricks. This is a perfectly composed portrait, everything is in good details and sharpness and her smile is just perfectly genuinly confident, proud and happy. Thanks.
Way

mesutilgim (67960) 2011-02-26 16:43

Hi Kristine,
Perfect portrait from Peru.
Nice colors and very good compo. Perfect sharpness.
TFS and have a nice weekend
Best regards
MESUT ILGIM

wolf38 (28180) 2011-02-26 23:53

Hi Kristine. Old woman in traditional dress. A beautiful and worth seeing portrait. The woman has an open and honest face. Overall a good shot. compliment. Rgds, Wolfgang.

daddo (18517) 2011-02-27 3:03

Hi Kristine.A resilient people that have survived the European rapine of their land and culture. the face reminds me of ancient parchment paper where every line is a word that combines with others to write a story of hardship and toil, underlined here and there with humour and warmth. A visage that speaks volumes. Regards. Klaudio.

emka (58140) 2011-02-27 23:35

Hi Kristine,
beautiful portrait of the Kechua woman from Chinchero. Indeed, she shows strong character here. And she smiles so lovely. I also see some gray hair. I wondered if the native people from S.America have ever grey hair - even when they are old it is seldom seen.

have a nice week

Malgo
P.S. I just saw in your profile you are living in NYC. I will be there in the end of March. Woudn't you like a small photowalk together?

Urs (11804) 2011-03-01 21:36

Hi Kristine

What an impressive portrait of this woman! You really feel that she has stories to tell. She watches the viewer with high interest. Very lively and intimate shot. Well done

Warm regards
urs

delpeoples (44904) 2011-03-02 2:37

Hello dear Kristine

Es vēlos es varētu teikt, es runāju latviski, bet tas ir Google tulkotājs dara to visu par mani. Tas ir tik skaisti, lai redzētu jūsu valodā norakstīta un cerams, ka es varu mācīties dažus vārdus. TE ir pārsteidzošs skolotāju man gan fotogrāfijas cieņu un uzlabot savu valodu - it īpaši mana itāļu (mans tēvs ir itāļu valoda). Tagad, lai jūsu foto. Kas dzīvē šī dāma ir bijis. smaidu, uz viņas ādas saskaras ar visa stāsta par dzīves labi dzīvojuši. labas attiecības starp Jums kā fotogrāfs un priekšmets ir acīmredzama. Tas aizņem daudz drosmes darīt to, ko jūs esat darījuši. Superb portrets, viens no maniem favorites for sure.

Ir skaista diena tur First Avenue
Lisa

Nolme (6813) 2011-03-03 10:42

Bonsoir Kristine
J'aime l'expression de cette vieille femme qui respire la joie de vivre
Elle est sereine

Marie

serp2000 (29188) 2011-03-08 22:55

Hi, Kristine,
Excellent portrait of the old Indian lady! My compliments!
Impressive face, nice colours and perfect sharpness.
Well done!
Serghei

tsopasonam (73) 2011-03-12 6:12

Hi Christine:)
I like the golden teeth and her smile ...Grandma is happy:) nice photo, best wishes to grandma for her health..and thanks for sharing regard`s Tsopa