Birds, a photo from Guangdong, South

Photographer's Note

Guangzhou, China.
Two guys in a back street having lunch. Each time I look at them it brings to my mind two birds on a branch...
And Chinese in Mainland China really like uniforms. Those two guys were guards or policemen... I was a bit affraid that they may see me, so when I saw them in a small, dark, back street I didn't want to startle them, I quickly snapped a picture from the hip without any preparations and walked away pretending nothing has happened...
...and of course the picture was tilted and a bit out of focus, so I rotated it, sharpened and adjusted contrast and brightness in PS.

rabani, Izobretenik, kala_way, tiobibi, richwm, KateinDenmark has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

ninadev (5377) 2003-10-28 17:58

This is so cute with this title. You are right they look like birds on a branch. But that is not all, the composition is really good, I like that we see the environment and from the angle of your shot, the two "birds" make a nice diagonal line. Maybe a little overexposure on the first man's shirt but considering that this shot was taken with not much preparation and at waist level, it's A+.

[5]

bodinux (363) 2003-10-28 18:11

I lived for 3 months in China and I always wanted to take a picture of Chinese sitting like this (a very common posture). I never managed it... and I think it would have been very hard to achieve a better result.
The perspective is great.
This is a great shot.

[3]

dopiro (926) 2003-10-28 18:58

Yeah...well done Maciej. The title is perfect, the image is very interesting with many elements to balance in the frame. You discreetly (secretly?)managed to take a brilliant photo!

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gringofil (0) 2003-10-28 19:22

This is good. Framing is perfect, background fits this scene perfectly, just wish they were looking a bit more in your direction as I like to see faces. The thing that sticks out here, and good of you to include it, is the yellow box thingy hanging on the wall...adds a nice splash of color in the almost mono scene. Well done!

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dovi (1068) 2003-10-28 20:45

Very nice shot, besides the 2 guys, I like the details shapes and colors of on the wall behind!

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mtolloczko (201) 2003-10-28 21:20

Great shot and a good note. Yes, a bird like quality to the way of sitting, or squatting, and the way that the food is eaten. Picking up food with chopsticks is similar to picking it up with a beak. Hmm... two birds with one stone... uniformity of style and habits...

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orme (7219) 2003-10-28 22:35

An excellent daily life shot of China. You captured so much in this photo. The background details are as interesting as the two guys squatting in their uniforms.

kourosh (2346) 2003-10-28 22:53

good catch maciek. interesting contrast between uniforms, polished shoes and the way they squat and eat noodles.
i wondered if black and white could work here too so here you go.

[2] [workshop] [compare]

olli (2091) 2003-10-28 22:58

Great subject and framing. The gray wall is an excellent background for those two policemen in blue shirts. Very well seen and done.

[2]

snsk (796) 2003-10-28 23:16

excellent shot with many details,this style of sitting is very common in Asia.

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clodreno (0) 2003-10-29 0:47

It shows really well how people live in China. I like this picture.

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henrye (3500) 2003-10-29 0:57

This is very interesting, and your note is very informative. This is what TE is all about!
Good composition. I like the dark saturated colors and all the details and textures in the shot. You did well to capture this!

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padam (186) 2003-10-29 2:18

Very pleasant picture. Nice symmetry of the two guys in the perspective. Well done.

mortijo (12828) 2003-10-29 2:22

Perfect title ! Perfect shot ! Perfect note ! What more can be said?

touristdidi (8583) 2003-10-29 7:31

very nice picture...... I like life..... I had a real problem with police twice in india and my camera........... so beware....

iamxa (3103) 2003-10-30 0:01

Perfect view of the moment. Title perfect. I like very much because the two men are "focus". Difficult technically all the perspective will be "focus"

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Aegean (2571) 2003-10-30 4:09

This is an excellent street shot...Framing and colors are great as the scene itself...The title fits perfect :-)Very well done.

avigur_11 (22535) 2003-11-01 2:43

A great great job, Maciej. What more can I add?

You got it in a perfect moment. Very well done.

Didi (61587) 2003-11-01 4:01

En France on surnomme les policiers "Les poulets". Mais cette image est vraiment plaisante, digne d'un reportage, car vous avez pris un grand risque de photographier ces gardiens de la paix.
Le cadrage est parfait et votre descriptif est bien expliqué.

In France one calls the police officers "the chickens". But this image is really pleasant, worthy of a report, because you took a great risk to photograph these policemen. Framing is perfect and your description is well explained.

[3]

jrj (34843) 2003-11-03 3:02

Surely a special way to have lunch. A very good daily life composition.

smael (2878) 2003-11-10 16:32

This one attracted me very much. Interesting comp, and the original colorversion is the one I prefer. I wonder why these guys don't sit together and eat. It's a scene that makes you interested in what happened before and after your 1/60 part of a sec...
Good quality to have in a pic!

Terje

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rob_erto (0) 2003-11-30 8:50

Now I see what you meaned in a critique to one of my photos.

Wonderful moment, really.

[2]

roconnell (327) 2003-12-04 0:26

A great candid and a perfect title. So many of the these everyday events go unnoticed. Well done, especially from the waist.

Eagle (522) 2003-12-15 11:35

Great picture, nice seen! Good thing you overcome your afraidness and took the picture.

zuena (0) 2004-01-06 16:32

belle photo et naturelle, un instantane superbe..

eelliott305 (776) 2004-01-10 21:09

Maciej, I`m glad I discovered your photos. You have such vision. This is one of my favourites. Perfectly titled too.

cloverstar (0) 2004-01-20 11:04

Well done. Your private detective work paid off. Love the plants growing out of the pipe. Great job, nice and sharp, considering your conditions.

Porteplume (4032) 2004-01-24 6:14

It's a fantastic shot!
The composition is really good as you had shown the two "birds" personnally where to sit down, like a regisseur on a movie set...
And the sharpness and the many details are adding much depth to it.

lukasfoto (3078) 2004-01-24 7:39

Genialna fota! Moze troche inaczej bym kadrowal... Nie wiem, moze przesunalbym sie lekko w lewo zeby postacie sie do siebie zblizyly... kwestia momentu i czasu na wykonanie zdjecia. W kazdym razie fota MAX!!! Pozdrawiam

rabani (9645) 2004-11-07 18:39

The best photo is when they don't know it. I guess when you ask for their permission, either you don't get it or it wouldn't be as good as this.

chappy77 (306) 2004-12-24 21:45

I'm quite impressed how well the photo came out with you doing it on the sly! Congrats on having the nerve to take it as well, great POV and description of them!

kolesn (591) 2005-02-08 8:54

Bardzo dobra! You were brave!

Kando (142) 2005-03-17 10:37

na Twoim miejscu zrobi³bym to samo - strzelil fotê pocichu i poszed³ dalej po tajniacku ;) Dobry tytu³. Pozycja tych panów i tytu³ przypominaj± mi film pt. "Ptasiek", o ile dobrze pamiêtam to oryginalny tytu³ filmu jest "Bird", je¶li ogl±da³e¶ to zapewne wiesz sk±d moje skojarzenie. Bardzo ciekawa fota, zw³aszcza gdy we¼mie sie pod uwagêtytu³. Pozdrawiam.

Izobretenik (1268) 2005-07-06 4:35

This picture is just fabulous. I love the humour with the title.

Izo

jsec (2154) 2005-07-14 21:35

Great picture!

Teten (582) 2005-11-17 10:12

Wonderful shoot Maciej, you got a perfect moment while they have lunch, and of course the technical is perfect.
well done!
teten

kency (2352) 2008-03-08 7:58

Lunch time,good catch Maciej what I like is how they both having the same sitting pose.
very nice.

KateinDenmark (1634) 2008-04-19 5:57

Bravo! Great story besides. Way to capture a moment. Thanks for posting this!

Kate

sta (170) 2009-10-04 6:25

Very interesting...
good snapshot!!!

regards,
-sulistyo-

dale54 (16760) 2011-08-05 3:19

maciej great pic. like the title too

tenretin (3131) 2014-05-04 5:29

Bonjour Maciej,
Voici une photo interessante et inhabituelle dans nos contrées. C'est un beau coup d'oeil que vous avez là.
Bien vu !.
Cordialement,
JP