Solitude and Harsh Light Photo

Photographer’s Note

The last of my pictures taken from terra firma in Cabanaconde--i took a few more from the bed of the truck in which we traveled to the bottom of the Colca Canyon though.

This was taken in the Cabanaconde Plaza de Armas shortly before the departure of our truck. The sun was a little bit harsh and left me with a really hard shadow, but i don't hate it as much as i used to...

The man's solitary and thoughtful posture appealed to me, as did the contrast of textures and colors behind him. i've never been real thrilled with this picture, although i don't know why, but it seems that anybody that has ever seen it has had some form of strong opinion about it, and that's something that i aspire for in my photography.

So... i'd love to hear what side of the line you fall on.

Also, i'm sorry that many of these early pictures have been very spectatorial in nature. From Cabanaconde we traveled to Choco, the first place that we were actually able to spend significant time in in Peru, and i was able to be a little bit more active in what was happening around me, and as a result i think that the quality of my photography increased.

demneh, parbo, tcht, gerardovolio, singuanti, Floydian, euryan, quantabeh, sabyasachi1212, vincent24, alejandroguzman, arturo, bebep, happypoppeye has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Framboisilla (5402) 2006-11-26 16:35

Hello Sam,

J'aime le côté épuré de la photo, juste cet homme adossé sur ce mur, sans qu'on aperçoive le reste !

Regards,
Stéphanie.

parbo (11054) 2006-11-26 17:01

Hello Sam,

What a strong pose and colors are in your scene. Textures on green wall are creating excellent background. Part of blue door at right is canceling the dull. I like you models natural pose and his shadows too. Congratulations.

Best Regards,

Parbo

tcht (7298) 2006-11-26 17:03

Hi Sam
Very nice high contrasty pic. Love the strong textrual details of the colorful BG. The subject is well placed and his posture appeals to me too. Well seen and taken, tfs!
Regards,
CheukHin

Ruiphotos (53) 2006-11-26 18:40 [Comment]

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bigboroboy (1009) 2006-11-26 20:11 [Comment]

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gerardovolio (267) 2006-11-26 20:16

Hola Sam,
Good capture. It reflects the strong sun of Peru.
Saludos,
Gerardo

singuanti (15240) 2006-11-26 22:53

Hi Sam. This is s a nice change of pace for you. I think the light is pretty cool actually. It creates some strong contrast and makes the details on the wall scream. Nice shot Sam.

Faros (12) 2006-11-27 2:32

Hi Sam,
Strong colors and high contrast.
I like it !

Phil.

Luan (15935) 2006-11-27 8:11

harsh light but excellent contrast and colorful picture. It is well composed, I like this sharp wall shadow.
good shot
Luan

batalay (21422) 2006-11-27 9:26

Hello Sam,

This is an extraordinary photo, composed and exposed beautifully. I've always liked shots of an subject sitting on the lower right or left of a doorway (something I've seen on TE several times now), but each resonates with a different psychological theme. The deep colors and heavy texture in the image adds to the drama. Well done! Greetings from Virginia, Bulent

Floydian (30970) 2006-11-27 16:28

First time i see your gallery Sam and you have some really good ones inside of it.
I like this one because of the high contrast and the deep saturated colors, something i really like.
Good composed with the blue door and green wall and the man sitting on the edge of it...perfect.
Regards, Henk

euryan (8355) 2006-11-28 4:55

Are you kidding me? That harsh shadow is the best part of this photo! The shadow under the brim of his hat, and the shadow behind his hands and between his fingers are all my favorite parts of the photo. The colorful wall and door make for an excellent background. I'd have to say this is one of my favorites photographs from you. How's that for a strong opinion? ;-)
-Ryan

rbcy1974 (20746) 2006-11-29 17:27

Hello Sam
his is great
his relaxed position against the colourful wall, and the contrast between the wall and the door,
very colourful,
regards
Daniel

kensimage (8543) 2006-11-30 10:46

I like this one, Sam, the hard shadows and underexposure fit the high-altitude (but equatorial) location. Nice placement of the man to the right side, so the shadow is featured. For this type of shot we don't need to see his face, in fact there's an air of mystery without it. Well done. Regards, Ken.

quantabeh (5203) 2006-12-03 1:10

hi Sam,
This is a very interesting and good shot. First of all, the contrast of colors works very well, but second of all, I like the strong shadows and how the cap basically hides his eyes from the rest of the world. Another words, it's really hard to see his facial expression as such, and so therefore one has to turn to imagination.
good post!
Behrang

sergio1 (12150) 2006-12-03 16:44

Hi Sam

Lovely calm shot. I love the atmosphere and amazing colours.
PErfect pov and greata daily life moment.
Sergio

sabyasachi1212 (19546) 2006-12-06 23:06

Hi Sam,
Excellent composition, the BG textures are a real stand out. The strong shadow works well.
With Greetings from India
Sabyasachi

sebcz (2345) 2006-12-10 3:38

Hi Sam!
I like the hard light and shadows in here. Of course the composition is superb.
Regards,
Seb

vapours (7957) 2006-12-12 20:52

Great colour and texture here Sam, love the positioning of the person.

Just slightly too dark I feel, wouldn't mind seeing a bit more of the mans face.

scalerman (25787) 2006-12-15 16:19

Sam: it's a compo anyone should be proud of; and, yes, you had to deal with some tough noonday rays. You could try some tricks with the curve dialogue in CS2, but I would select only the man to work with first - to avoid the finer shadows on the textured wall. Good stuff, man, c

mdetay (4362) 2006-12-17 7:32

Hi Sam,
Great shot of the solitude and harsh light.
Very nice colours. Well done.
Congratulations. Great composition.
Cheers from Hong Kong.
Michel

rj2747 (526) 2006-12-17 19:40

The light in Peru (and all of the Andean Highlands) is extremely tricky, the best thing it just to go with it. This perfectly captures the essence of the Cabanaconde Plaza, languid, reflective sobre, its a lovely little village. The dash of blue with the door really enhances this pleasing shot.

P-S-I-G (24482) 2006-12-21 3:16

Hello Sam,
Yes, I like this shot. Excellent contraste and colours.
The man and his shadow are very well situed in the photo. Good work.
Best regards,
Fabrice

Clairedelune (4885) 2006-12-26 15:30

Hi Sam,
I know that it is one of your most commented photo in TE and maybe you would like to receive critiques on your other babes as well. But, I can't help it. I return and return again to this one. Fascinated by the deep shadow, by the vivid color, by the mysterious man sitting there, God knows why.
The detail I prefer: the right sleeve, how the light and shadow are snaking along the arm of the man.
The tiny detail I would corret: the white that we can see just behind his left foot.
A photo that speaks clear and loud!
Claire

ccooper (836) 2006-12-31 17:12

Sam,
I believe that good or great photos should evoke a certain emotion from the viewer. This photo speaks of loneliness to me, of waiting for something to happen, of passing time. The texture and colors of the walls add that something extra special. While I agree that the light is harsh, it is okay for me, as it casts a shadow that adds an air of mystery to this man.

vincent24 (9038) 2007-01-13 15:21

Hi Sam,
Excellent job here!...strong graphic impact and contast of texture between the door and the wall,the mysterious man at the right place...i like the shadow of his cap hidding his eyes,
congrats,
vincent

alejandroguzman (4672) 2007-01-15 22:57

Hi Sam:

This is very well composed photograph.
I liked the contrasts in this picture with (basically) 3 single colors... Besides, the shadow in the man gives more dramatist and life to this picture.

Congratulations !!!

I just wanted to share two pictures with you. I took them in my country, and they have similar compositions:

Abuelita

Old woman

Hope you enjoy them,
regards
Alejandro

tinamunk3 (6390) 2007-01-22 13:48

Hi Sam,

I don't find the light too hash and it doesn't bother me at all.......that green (and blue) background is FANTASTIC. I love your simple composition with the man to the right leaving a lot of free space to enjoy the colourful wall.

:) Tina

maciekda (19599) 2007-01-23 4:28

nice image Sam, very well composed, I like colours here and the light giving this strong shadow, nice shot, shows the atmosphere of the place

arturo (31) 2007-01-31 15:30

Hi Sam,

the compo is spot on and so it this scene, i could not care less about the harsh light nor the strong shadow...reading this and your other note the Colca Canyon sounds like a good adventure...one point: the background, also because of its texture, appears sharper than the main subject...cheers, arturo

bebep (2087) 2007-02-04 20:31

Hi Sam,
looking at your gallery I have noticed that you are really improved with the time, you are passed by simple photos of landscapes to photos much more studied, of people and places, you use a lot of more technique than when you have begun, also this photo with the excellent colours and the really beautiful composition, you continues like that, good

ciao

Giuseppe

smash2707 (2516) 2007-03-14 18:15

I was looking for some pictures of Peru and found this marvellous shot. Great composition. I love the geometrical lines, the colors and the inclusion of the man under the sun. Regards, Yvonne

happypoppeye (4064) 2007-08-01 17:19

Harsh light but you handled very well. Good colors and great composition. Nice catch here. Your note sounds like something I would say with the "but i don't hate it as much as i used to..." ...It's a relly good picture, exposed well for the harsh lighting.

Nice work.
John