[Leica] Edit, II

[afirkin at afirkin.com (afirkin at afirkin.com)]

> PESO:
>
> And to further drive you (and me) crazy, here is another one that Maggie
> absolutely loved:
>
> http://upload.pbase.com/image/121982186
>
> <http://upload.pbase.com/image/121982186>Someday I'll show all 136, but
> they
> do have to be rescanned and spotted.
>
> What do you think about this one?

I would like to comment on both images. Firstly, I have always thought you
have an eye for b/w, and both these images are good examples.

As most of you know, I don't really go for cluttered/busy images usually, 
but although the first shot is "busy", I don't think anything is wasted.
In fact although I would trim a little off the bottom, which makes it feel
a bit unbalanced, the cropping is very tight. Its just that there is a lot
going on.  The woman's look is one of longing, and by looking away from
everything in her life and out of the photo, it gives the image tremendous
poignancy. The child reaching out to her is also very strong. I find the
image a little contrasty and dark as well, but you would have to see it
otherwise to know if slight softening would improve it. The lighting is
classic Tina. For me there is clutter, but not distraction. Here is an
example of a busy image, which really does explain the "genius of
photography". You could NEVER see this in real life. Without the camera
this moment would be lost. When we "live" in a scene, we may have a sense
of detail, but only the captured image can allow us to really stare and
take it all in. Busy yes, but there is still a very definite and strong
central subject here.

The second one is so different. Despite harsh lighting, the tones are
beautiful. Centering on one girl has given this portrait wonderful
strength, and the additional eyes of her sisters allow the image to have
some movement where centering the face would usually make it static.
Simple background, and concentration on the subject make it even more
powerful, and I don't believe I need to see more to get a very strong
feeling from this portrait.

I would happily have taken both images. Wonderful examples of why the
world is worse off with you doing colour. Classic photography. May not
pay, but I am very honored to have seen this work. Inspires me to work
hard in Cuba.

Cheers

Alastair