Quintessential Photo

Photographer’s Note

Knowledge equals wisdom.

Well, that's not exactly true. You don't have to go to school to become wise. Life, itself, is a good teacher. Knowledge is not only gained in school. A conversation with someone is as enriching as attending a whole-month workshop. Reading a good book is another option. A cliche? Well, when was the last time you've read a good book?

I took this picture in Luang Prabang, Laos. I must say it was a stroke of luck to have spotted her. There is something calm about this picture...something quintessential.

ChrisJ, Galeota, carper, eleparc, ale, Proxilva, ma-tibou, elroyie, nwoehnl, summer89, cmartos, dcetegen has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

janwalt (263) 2004-07-24 1:28

Manny, this is a gorgeous photo. I love the subtle colors of the bottom half of the picture, and of course the silhouette is perfect. It might be interesting to see what it would look like with the right side cropped a bit, but it's great as it is.

carper (65622) 2004-07-24 2:58

I like it Manuel,
It's just like such a shadow play, very nice contrast and a good composition. Very good job

Galeota (10334) 2004-07-24 3:06

Of course, you've given us so many excellent photographs that we are always supposed to be waiting for even better from you and your camera. Your standard is very high. But sometimes you manage to put yourself in an even higher one. And that's what you have done with this photograph.

A magnificient work on light and shadows as well as the shapes. I'm not sure about the utility of the green leaves in the composition, but I definitely think the red frame of the window is great..and it had to be closed, don't ask me why!

Very good work.

ChrisJ (70443) 2004-07-24 3:37

I'd crop the green leaves & part of the lower image below the top of the step. Still fantastic silhouettes. The one on the right looks like the profile of a persons head.

[workshop] [compare]

eleparc (24059) 2004-07-24 4:43

it reminds me something... love your note and this picture... a little crop maybe;-)? LOL

[workshop] [compare]

ale (1819) 2004-07-24 4:47

Hello Manuel,
a very graphical and essential shot, I like all these shapes in contrast and the main three colours together. Very well composed!

papagolf21 (56733) 2004-07-24 4:57

La sérénité et l'oubli vont parfois de pair !
J'aime beaucoup cette photo Manny, elle est pleine de sous-entendus philosophiques et la composition est très artistique.
The serenity and the neglect sometimes keep pace!
I like very much this photo Manny, it is full of philosophic allusions and the composition is very artistic.

vsl (47) 2004-07-24 5:10

It's fantastic the way you use the colors to build this wonderfull composition.

Proxilva (2157) 2004-07-24 5:24

as Dickens once said: a smattering of everything, a knowlegde of nothing... :D...

manny this is absolutely great... avery good feel it has... it always looks so simple yet it never is you've done well!!!

ma-tibou (4566) 2004-07-24 5:30

Belle photo, Manny, tout est suggéré par l'effet d'ombre qui donne beaucoup d'intencité avec juste la porte rouge au fond très belle composition. Bravo.

Darren (6819) 2004-07-24 5:38

Hi Manny. I really like the silhouette in this shot, the image of someone reading is certainly calming and somehow reinsuring. Whatever it is to the right of her almost looks like a Buddha silhouette, which is also appealing. For me though, there are a few things in this shot which kinda bother me. First, whatever surface is at the bottom of the photo doesn't fit in for me here. I think it is perhaps because looks ot be a horizontal surface where the rest of the photo shows vertical surfaces, or perhaps it is that it is too indistinct, just a sort of golden space. Whichever, it doesn't quite fit in for me. The other thing I find here is that the leaves at the top don't add for me either. Somehow I don't care for the green in the photo, yet I don't mind the red window in the background. Not much you could do about them I guess, but they do catch my eye. I really like your capture of the woman Manny and I think this is another very high quality shot overall. I really like how you have been able to capture only a silhouette, yet create feeling through that silhouette.

elroyie (2750) 2004-07-24 9:39

Very very special frame with very good composition and very interesting also. I like the soft silhouettes and the very strong red and white colours in the background, you created very good atmosphere in this picture.

nwoehnl (120) 2004-07-24 11:08

Very elegant use of silhouettes, Manny. The woman reading a book is well positioned in the scene, and the red window shutters make a fine background. As far as some of the compositional suggestions by the others, my take would be to keep the foreground and to clone out the green leaves. A beautifully tranquil shot, as always accompanied by a thoughtful note.

avigur_11 (21301) 2004-07-24 15:58

A very strong and powerful silhouette, Manny. It's amazing how silhouettes can be more powerfull than an image of full light. I also like the WS , which makes it even better. Very good shot.

Marcie (345) 2004-07-24 16:58

Red, white and black is one of my favorite mix of colour, so rebellian. Here it is more the sense of the book. The red door is just like the shadow of the book, something really revolutionary. And because the siluette angle, there is some calmness in this picture... but the progress is also there, and it's good, and right.

pridel (233) 2004-07-25 7:05

Hello Manuel, Ce n'est pas un portrait, et pourtant c'est réussi ! j'aime beaucoup la ligne épurée de la silhouette. Très beau rendu de profondeur et une belle atlternance de zone lumineuse et d'obscurité. j'ai lu que tout le monde voulait supprimer la bande verte en bas. Moi j'aurais simplement réhausser le niveau de rouge du reflet de la porte sur le sol. Félicitations pour cette photo d'un genre nouveau.

summer89 (5414) 2004-07-25 7:56

Great photo Manuel.

I like the way you play with silhuettes.

Great composition. Very well done

cgrindahl (6109) 2004-07-26 0:26

Wow! This is a great capture Manny, living proof that if you're going to get unusual images, you better have your camera at hand, since you never know when you will be graced with moments like this one.

I'm pleased you composed the image as you did, with the foreground elements reminding us of the reality of the scene. The image would have become cliched had you cropped those elements to focus on the contrast between the dark room and the woman's figure in profile against the outside light. This feels both real and evocative in precisely the way you suggest with your note. Excellent on every level Manny.

mikhalych (1311) 2004-07-26 5:50

Great note, great photo, but I would crop it just like Chris showed in WS. The leaves and foreground certanly distract (me at least :)) from the quintessense.

Good luck.

cmartos (6086) 2004-07-26 22:40

Amazing, just amazing. Wonderfuly composed, excellent shallow DOF, the play with silhouettes is great, really outstanding, I like this one a lot. Goes to my fewer favorites.

jrzufferey (7249) 2004-07-31 7:43

Fabuleuse composition. Ciao/jr

joseelias (367) 2004-08-02 8:44

Very, very elegant photo. The DOF is very well managed focusing the attention in the person at the end of the corridor. The colors are great also.

Made a WS.

[workshop] [compare]

naxius (16679) 2004-08-08 11:03

I am astonished to see this perfect shadow scene! You have done such a great picture Manuel...Very well managed.

dcetegen (32) 2005-08-21 14:59

Like many others, I enjoyed reading your guidelines as much as enjoying the photo itself...
Best Regards,
Duygu