Indian Chef in Action Photo

Photographer’s Note

In Mumbai, on Chowpatty Beach, there is a famous area with some foodstalls and expert chefs - preparing snacks and meals to be eaten at the beach. This is especially popular at night.

The dish 'bhelpuri' is popular - with crunchy puffed rice, tomatoes, onions and chilis added to the base, chutneys (made mainly of dates and tamarind) and a green spicy chutney made of coriander leaves. Are you hungry yet? I really enjoyed this crunchy, fried snack.

In the photo I'm using the top of a chair as the tripod, and in photoshop I've used a radial blur technique on a new layer and selected 'darken' for that layer. I only selected the area around the man so as not to include him in the movement blur. This hopefully gives a feel of fast movement, and activity which is what it is like to watch these chefs in action.

patshoo, ribeiroantonio, bracasha75, isabela_sor, ChrisJ, fabio_ts, dareco, jusninasirun, imtiyaz, patdeph, samrat_roy1, hispic, MarcT, abulafia, noborders has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

patshoo (944) 2008-06-10 19:24

Intresting POV,Technic that you use had conform to this composition,Interesting also came from action and detail of subject,Well capture of this moment and selection of technic.Excellant work,TFS.

jimkilgallon (0) 2008-06-10 19:44

Hello Dave
Very good motion shot here using the radial blur, I tend not to like this effect but it works in your shot very well, lots going on in this capture, mood, contrasts and colours are all very good.
Well done, Regards
Jim

testmaniac (12262) 2008-06-10 21:46

Hello David, great shot again! Nice colors and composition! Perfect photo job!
TFS and regards,

Philip

isabela_sor (42517) 2008-06-10 22:00 [Comment]

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ChrisJ (70443) 2008-06-10 23:02

Hi David

A superb daily life scene from India. Nice pun on the 'chef' & 'chief' words, in the title, whether intentional or not. Fanatastic array of items to look out, & a good pov, with superb sharpness. Tfs!

fabio_ts (13674) 2008-06-10 23:44

Superb work Dave, with wonderful warm colors palette and nice PP work, EXCELLENT!!!

have a great day,
Fabio.

ribeiroantonio (21983) 2008-06-11 0:32

I like the overall shot which has a good light and colours. Regarding the blur, I have some doubts as it gives a motion feeling on everything that is really static. The man with his cap and a mask is fantastic and he seams very happy.
Antonio

colibriav (1568) 2008-06-11 0:47

Hola:
Preciosa imagen de lo que es la comida rapida a lo largo del planeta.

Un saludo desde España:

Pablo

dareco (17104) 2008-06-11 1:07

WOW! This is one busy looking kitchen!! A really excellent and original image. This appears to be a man who loves his work. Good capture! TFS and have a great week.

jusninasirun (10213) 2008-06-11 1:58

Hello Dave. excellent capture with all the stuff in the foreground. I like the light , the glow and the colorful image. well done. Jusni

BennyV (4921) 2008-06-11 2:45

Mmm...I like this kind of foodie pictures. Food is one of the reasons why I travel and this picture makes me want to discover Mumbai.

I'm not 100% sure about the PP, because it creates too much of a vertigo feeling for me: we're drawn into the scene almost as if we're going to bump into this man and his food (and that would be absolutely dreadful, of course).
The movement is quite unnatural, because everything seems to move, except the cook who is actually the only one moving. This creates the effect of our eyes being drawn into the shot and that vertigo feeling I mentioned above.

I think I'd have gone for a softer blur without that speed effect to suggest the heat of the cooking.

Of course, you don't have to agree her. And...do I still like the shot? You bet!

Mmmm...

Benny

Jeppo (12142) 2008-06-11 3:24

ciao dave,

I could not help addding this shot to my favs.
this is India...an explosion of humanity, colours, flavours and noises.
this pic is so full of dynamic!

well done
Silvio

patdeph (18396) 2008-06-11 3:31

hello David
I like very much the way you have framed this dailylife scene,and how you have blurred around the cooker!Thanks for the good explanation,I have discovered something new today!The colours and the light are superb,and your note make me feel hungry,I like indian food so much!
Regards.
Pascale

SteveH (4001) 2008-06-11 3:35

Hi David, the blur worked well for you and acheives the result you were after, conveying an energetic scene. As he was busy working it adds to this, well done. Cheers, Steve

bracasha75 (22431) 2008-06-11 11:28

Hi David
Him smile say everithing and i supose taht this is very delishes...
Nice PP work
TFs
Cheers,Braca

samrat_roy1 (683) 2008-06-11 21:49

hi david
you brought water to my mouth! mumbai bhelpuri's are famous country wide. its nice to see that the man is wearing a head gear...nice to see that the sense of hygine is improving. the blurry effect is awesome...its drags our eyes towards the centre....can you please let me know what software do you use to create this effect. how do you do it???
regards

hispic (7399) 2008-06-12 3:38

Hi David,
Excellent shot that captured vividly the expression of cook working busily. Great effect like the zooming during a long exposure that is added in the pp, gives wonderfully movement to this shot.
Have a nice day, Hisashi

Waylim (11163) 2008-06-12 17:55

David,
Nice effect on the Ridial blur PP. It feel as if you just pulled the camera away while photgraphing. Nice and sharp on the chef, and clarity is actually very good for a night shot without a tripod. Congratulation on the shot and the experiment works perfectly.
Way

John_F_Kennedy (32080) 2008-06-16 4:25

Such an interesting photo, I like it. The blurred part give the picture a wonderful mood, Well done.
Best wishes,
Achim

Bluejeans (33153) 2008-06-16 11:51

Ola David,
Que bonita foto deste cozinheiro indiano o efeito de movimento a volta dele ficou fantástico , boas cores , bom controle de iluminação , parabéns!!!
Um abraço Gonçalo

MarcT (21103) 2008-06-17 4:50

Hi David,
Excellent POV, superb perspectives and even the blur effect works well.
Cheers
Marc

abulafia (4802) 2008-07-13 1:18

I was wondering how you got that blur:))
Nice idea, it does the trick, I can easily imagine the busy hands and the ingredients flying in the air.
This is a bit like what I have seen from you earlier, your night portraits are wonderful, I like the subtle colors and light.
Harry

noborders (14201) 2008-07-13 13:45

Splendid POV and presentation, I wonder how you did this...

Just love it and will add it to my "India favorites !"
Bravo,
Cath.

vmukherjee (395) 2008-08-17 8:54

Great shot and excellent photoshop work. The low pov works really well here.

marietom (32108) 2008-09-06 1:26

hello David,

Wonderful ! Colors are fantastic.
Jolie scène de vie !
Bonne soirée
Marie

Photo Information

Copyright: David Lazar (dvlazar) (6492)
Genre: People
Medium: Color
Date Taken: 2007-12-19
Categories: Food
Exposure: f/4, 1/125 seconds
More Photo Info: view
Photo Version: Original Version
Theme(s): jeppo's favourites - the second 100 th, ** Noborder's favourite India photos (III) [view contributor(s)]
Date Submitted: 2008-06-10 19:12
Favorites: 2 [view]