I find it interesting that I love this one (that has received few comments so far) and thought the previous 'simple portrait' was just OK (that received a lot of 'this is your best work yet' type comments). Evan, I find your portraits so incredibly human (a testament to you). This one particularly strikes me. I think it lacks the obvious structure of many of your shots. I see minimal direction from you here but lots of other interaction. I also love that this could have been taken in 1950 (with the sandals being the only thing that dates this photograph...and only does so in the slightest).
Cant wait to be your subject.
Quick question. We've talked about the zone system. I struggle with zone 9 and 10 in this particular scene. What zone should the white T shirt be here? Or is that something simply beyond the dynamic range of film/digital that we just have to live with and compromise?
And Chuck, that's one of the nicer compliments I've gotten about my portraits.
There really shouldn't be much zone 9 or ten in this scene. The shirt and sign should both have texture and not just tone, so they should clock in around zone XIII.
It is really hard to do effectively control zones and use the zone system on roll film. I'm sure it will print with more detail. So hard to judge those things especially in the shoulder of the film curve on a monitor.
Without the sign, it's just a (good) quick grabshot. The sign tells a story, and you've captured a glimpse of his personality. I see a performer who's happy/surprised that someone asked him to "pose." I love the tech of the image also -- the three gray zones (sidewalk, two shades on the wall; rule of thirds). I'd wish for this to be my signature style. I hope you got a few shots of Jimmy performing.
GoodEgg wrote:
Without the sign, it's just a (good) quick grabshot. The sign tells a story, and you've captured a glimpse of his personality. I see a performer who's happy/surprised that someone asked him to "pose." I love the tech of the image also -- the three gray zones (sidewalk, two shades on the wall; rule of thirds). I'd wish for this to be my signature style. I hope you got a few shots of Jimmy performing.
Its funny you should say that. I met Jimmy one weekend and asked to take his picture after a performance. Shot him in almost the same spot, similar ideas, although the expressions were a bit different. Before I even got the film back I remembered his "magic show bag" and started kicking myself for not including it in the image, and decided the image was much less interesting without it. Indeed, when the images came back they were OK but nothing that I was really excited about.
I was fortunate to bump into him again a week or two later, and he kindly obliged me with a reshoot, this time with the bag. I agree that the bag is absolutely crucial to the shot.
I did get some performance shots too, but the location and lighting wasn't favorable. I enjoyed the show, though!
