Look Closer and Meet My Eyes (low res) Photo

Photographer’s Note

See workshop for image 2

The Dangs is a hilly forested area in south east Gujarat – home to four/five main tribes the most prominent of which are the Bhils. The man in the picture was brought to meet with me and I filmed part of a 2 hour ceremony which he showed me around death rites - I also interviewed him. That night I spent nursing my daughter through a high fever - from which I thought she might die. I sponged her down until the morning came and she stabilised. That morning began the outward process of an illness which so very nearly led to my death, which, at the critical moment, was accepted with equanimity. Was I ‘called back’? My wife sent a fax to the place where I was – out of the blue from England – at that very moment.

Now when I look at this man's eyes it has a profound effect . It instantly reminds me of mortality. I am not sure strictly whether to call him a bhagat or bhavo but from my current understanding, my interview with him and the things that he showed me I think I have used the term correctly. His eyes tell me.

Below is an extract based on the work of Dr D H Koppar on the arts of the Dangs Tribes.

The Bhagat

The bhagat, as in so many tribal societies, occupies a key role as priest and medicine man, the shaman of the tribe, the human link between the mundane and the profound, everyday life and the supernatural. He, (and they are always male), acts as a guide, healer, friend and philosopher of the people, he seeks to protect them from evil and the wrath of the gods.

His role has been and in some cases still is of supreme importance in a social milieu where superstition and magic and dread of supernatural powers maintains the people round ‘the magic circle of prayers, rituals, offerings and sacrifices’. He is a man of god, the ‘broker’ between the adivasis and their gods. To become a bhagat is not an easy thing and it is not a role for anyone in the tribe. There is rigorous training and the aspirant must dedicate themselves to a godly life. This is a man who must know well the beliefs, expectations and psychology of his people.

The faith of people in the bhagat is equally as vital. He is the averter of evil, the namer of the witch, the exorcist and the one who will heal both body and soul. Even the impact of modern medicines and doctors in the villages have not seen the loss of this role. He is still the one who invokes the intervention of gods in the affairs of the people. The anthropomorphic images of gods, wherever they are seen, in wood, clay or stone and the variety of wall drawings are all his creations.

As the possessors of the wealth of knowledge of their forefathers many bhagats are conservative in their belief that things were better in past times and that the tribal ancestors were closer to the spirits and the gods than the current population. They would like to re-capture the spirit of those days.

bantonbuju, Paolo, Fixfocus, thebecky, AnimeshRay, nerve, mrbialy, lotis has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

gaby (19793) 2005-04-27 4:16

Hi Kev,
wonderful serie - low res is a pity -
great portrait
Thanks
Gaby

bantonbuju (48796) 2005-04-27 4:20

hey key, and slowly but surely i fing the low res being an advantage here: noone else posts these days this type of shots from india, plus - and this is the key to the success (imho) - this low res makes the series look like a ducument; i can imagine seeing the pics exhibited on the walls in delicate pastel (or b&w?) frames...
good stuff,
have a nice day, jerzy

Paolo (40755) 2005-04-27 4:25

Despite the low quality is a nice picture, with a wonderful portrait.
thanks, ciao

Fixfocus (9377) 2005-04-27 5:04

Hi Kev!
On the thumbnail it looked really great...
Anyway good capture of his asking and whondering expression,good portrait work with tight framing.B/W works perfect here.
regards!
hermann

srabbe (1424) 2005-04-27 5:11

Very nice portrait, good framing, I am discovering thanks to TE that cutting a little of the top of the head give more impact, perhaps to concentrate on the eyes of the people.
You captured a very nice expression of the face. Congratulations !
Sophie

thebecky (686) 2005-04-27 6:23

What a wonderful strong portrait. I find the low res here works well with the feel of the image.

Regards,
Becky

puciu (498) 2005-04-27 10:59

Very good portrait Kev, interesting face.

AnimeshRay (8886) 2005-04-28 1:31

Kev,
Very interesting portraiture, but equally intriguing is your note.
Animesh

ash_parikh (2266) 2005-04-28 5:09

Nice portrait, wish was sharper.

nerve (10212) 2005-04-28 6:14

these eyes make me a bit afraid really Kev!lol!
too deep and too penetrating.. (should be so!
he's a medicine man.)
Very documentary feeling in this shot. Well done Kev..

bullabulla (3488) 2005-04-28 8:58

good portrait and thanks for the note as well I would love to go in India so I learn a lot!!!
good framing
Laetitia!!

RGatward (19751) 2005-05-01 20:30

Very nicely realised portrait, and fascinating complimentary note.

mrbialy (2568) 2005-05-07 15:37

Good portrait. This old man have a really strong look. His eyes is like bore. He have a realistic face. Interesting picture and note. Black and white colors- i like it (like real live). good luck

Misdemeana (73) 2005-07-13 9:37

Hi KevR,
a man's eyes lead directly to his soul. with this image you let me feel the hardships and hostility he has endured - there's no greater art to photography than exposing the truth.
bests,
missy

lotis (132) 2006-05-03 12:25

Hi Kev,
I will have to disagree with most people that have commented this photo. I don't think the low resolution works well here. It does not necessarly add anything to this photo I think. I find that it is hard to find the right context for a low res photo. Maybe it is because of the color tone, which I also don't think works well enough.
What I don't like about the low resolution is that in my opinion, it takes too much away from the background. I actually think that the background is quite important in this shot, even though it probably has nothing to do with the man. It is just a point of reference, but I think that point is very important in portraits. If I compare to your Guijarati Farmer, the background makes quite a difference. In Guijarati Farmer, there is only black for a background, but it leaves a place for imagination. It looks like the man is alone in his world. It puits a lot of emphasis on the man's face. Also, the contrast with the man and the colors of his clothes is very good.
When I look at this photo, I know that the background is actually leaves and branches, but because of the low resolution, it rather looks like nothing in particular or anything. And because of the color tone, there is not much contrast to enjoy, only the focus on the man's face and the lack of focus on the background, which is actually good.
As for the color tone, I don't know what to tell you. Maybe you have tried other tones, but I don't think this one works well enough. I would have probably tried a sepia tone, or even a soft sepia. The tone you used, to me at least, is too "newspaperlike".
As for the man himself, he was definately worth a shot, and you caught him well. What you attempted with the resolution and tone is interesting, but it doesn't appeal to me.

I have saved the photo on my computer and will try different things with it, and hopefully I will come up with something interesting that I can post to workshop. I think it is a very interesting photo to work with. I think there are only a couple of things to work on.

Well done nonetheless Kev.
Best wishes
Louis