Eating Biscuits Photo

Photographer’s Note

...or "Eating Cookies" if you live across the Atlantic from me.

This girl was standing alone on the street corner nibbling on her snack and watching the world go by. The number of tourists visiting this place is so few that I immediately attracted her attention.

I wanted to photograph her but thought she would be unlikely to agree. Even if she had I would have lost the natural pose. So I just clicked with the camera by my side and hoped for this best.

In this instance I was very lucky with the result - especially to get the blue dome of the mosque in the background as well. I had to crop and rotate a bit from the original and also had to balance brightness and contrast across the frame. I have posted a workshop here with the original so you can compare this with the finished result.

Following some of your comments I've also posted a workshop here with the left hand side cropped for comparison. I'd be interested to know what you think.

Maimana is in the north-west of Afghanistan between Herat and Mazar-e-Sharif. It is 2 days driving from Herat on what one truck driver described as "the worst road in the country".

Balthazar, don_narayan, riclopes, Tue, jjbach, pierreb, Germaine has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

amstel (2298) 2005-12-17 12:23

Hi Jonathan!
The picture and especially the model has something special to offer to the beholder. I ain't quite sure what it is - maybe her attitude what is visible in her expression?
I think you've achieved a good effect and you corrected the picture very nice. One thing is imperfect - the wall. It's visible, particularly on the edge of it, that you worked with it too much.
The composition is spotless!
Cheers!

Balthazar (222) 2005-12-17 12:36

Nice capture.
I like the expression of the girl, you have managed to capture her well.
For me the left hand side of the shot serves no purpose although if is now beginning to grow on me..
I agree with you about having to grab the shot, sometimes its what you have to do.

don_narayan (2014) 2005-12-17 12:36

Cookies, yes, thank you! really nice portrait of this young woman... I like the detail and deep tones. very nice with the top of the blue dome... really excellent addition. great work... especially from the hip! but that is why the wide angle is so handy! but considering it is from the hip, the photo is remarkably straight...

Narayan

riclopes (33135) 2005-12-17 13:05

Hi Jonathan,
I'm impressed with the result of your ws! That's something I couldn't for sure.
I like your description of the shot, to get the natural pose - very well suceeded!
Before I read your note, I thought the biscuits were given by tourists, or by you in order to get the shot - that's a normal thing in poor areas of poor countries.
I like very much the composition and the look of the girl, although, after I read Steve's critic, it make me wonder how would be the result of croping the left side...although I'm not sure...
I also like to see her dirty feet.
Very well done for this spontaneous shot!
Thanks for sharing it,
Cheers,
Ricardo

Tue (25608) 2005-12-17 13:16

Hej Jonathan,
A very good photo of this girl and I think you did a good job in postprocessing the original. The DOF is great, well done!
Hilsner,
Lars

alvaraalto (5303) 2005-12-17 13:17

Hi Jonathan,
A picture of all places. Enjoying some candy. The girl looks a little guilty. Maybe she feels catches or is afraid the become to fat.
Groet Rob

weswang (18223) 2005-12-17 14:25

Hi Jonathan, I agree with you. The title "eating cookies" sound more natural here :D
I think you have very well captured the interesting surprised expression of the girl. A good catch with nice details and rich text.

gebala (0) 2005-12-17 14:47

hello, beauty muslim girl, typical wearing, I like how she pose for you, she is really beauty and u have showed it great, nice one

rgs

jjbach (9111) 2005-12-17 16:14

Hi Jonathan,
This portrait is wonderful. Very well composed and nice framing (lucky you!!). I love it!

Regards John

ballyna (1689) 2005-12-17 16:15

Jonathan,
u captured a good moment for her,able to eat somethings;but some of her friends are not able to find anything to eat at that moment.I like the corner,very near to her but from her glances we see she is not so brave to go ahead and turn that corner,might find better things to eat but possibly might lose that cookies .the colors and PP work here is also very nice.
regards

Gerrit (36313) 2005-12-17 20:45

Hi Jonathaan,

a very intense look you got from this girl.
She's got a very natural elegancy and beauty.
I also like the background of the old wooden pain and the bricks of the wall. They are doing even better in the cropped version.

Thanks and regards, Gerrit

rosaline (0) 2005-12-18 4:50

Jonathan
A good quick shot here. In more traditional societies photographing women can be very difficult. Perhaps a crop to the left had side would have made it more intense, but I like the overall framing anyway. The facial expression looks quite intense to. Good capture.
Aubrey

Mingfang (1415) 2005-12-18 7:50

Hi Janathan!

so thanks for you taking so much time to show us so many different version shot. i think the left side cropped is excellent for in this point it is better to focus on her not the environent. but why didnt you try to take more versions of her?

anyway, good portrait, well done!

crystal69 (309) 2005-12-18 13:12

Hi jonathon you have uploaded another nice shot from afghanistan.very good composition and local living expression. thanks.
muhammad

Cormac (26455) 2005-12-18 16:04

Amazing shot! This is one of the best portraits in your recent series. The off centre composition is great, and the light is wonderful too. The best part is the expression, very interesting in intriging. Excellent work!

banyanman (7739) 2005-12-22 22:49

This is a wonderful candid shot, Jonathan, with excellent sharpness and DOF. Whilst the WS is a good composition in itself, in my opinion the original is better because the inclusion of the street corner and the dome of the distant mosque gives this context and tends to accentuate the candid nature of this shot. I agree that sometimes it is not practical to ask permission to shoot - particularly with Muslim women who will invariably refuse, and where there are language difficulties. I have done it many times myself, and I don't see any problem with this type of photograph if it is not embarassing to the subject (or an invasion of their privacy) and you are not using it for commercial purposes. It is also a way of getting a more natural pose. Some may disagree with that, but some of the best photographs on TE are these types of candid shots. Cheers . . . David

devimeuxbe (56398) 2005-12-25 18:16

Hi Jonathan
I like this picture for the frame, and for the regard of this pround young girl.
Well done
bERTRAND

sergio1 (12150) 2006-01-16 5:32

Hola Jonathan
Muy buena esta captura de la mujer esperando tranquilamente. Su expresion es genial.
Me gusta mucho ver el detaller del desenfoque de atrás.
Saludos
Sergio