Well I've been out testing out a new camera, took this shot, and started thinking about it. Usually when we think of "portrait" we think about getting someone to be in a certain position and/or location, look a certain way, be subjected to lighting and/or light modification, and actively participate in being photographed. On the other hand, when we think about "street" we think of shooting someone doing what they are doing, even with permission, rather than interacting with the photographer regarding the photograph. So lately I have started asking people if I can take their photograph, but I just photograph them "as is." I'm not sure what to call this, but to me, it's somewhere in between. Thoughts?

-- Jeff Spirer (jeff@spirer.com), March 25, 2000

Answers

I'm not gonna tag it with a silly name; I'm just going to say I think this is the type of image which is the core of "real" photography, the stuff Tomorrow will remember Today as it was, not in a journalistic sense per se, or tainted with the melodrama of war or desire; but more as Heroditus captured Ancient Greece. Nice photograph, Jeff.

-- shawn gibson (SeeInsideForever@yahoo.com), March 25, 2000.

I've been looking at this for a full 15 minutes on the "Post an Answer" page and many thoughts and ideas have raced into my head. The main details drawing my attention away from the keyboard are the subject's face (that's a no brainer), the hair which reminds me of Einstein's, the background that has absolutely nothing to distract me -- not even the highlights above, the subject's hands and what they might be doing -- like rolling a cigarette, the patterned shirt sleeve wrinkles that remind me of the ones on the Mona Lisa, the hat with its astonishing detail, and how all of these items fit beautifully within your frame. The out-of-focus background is perfect, especially the highlights at the top which give tonal balance, help to isolates the hat, and suggest horizontal attitude. If this photograph is cropped to any degree, it was done well, having left only those portions of the man's back, arm, and right hand that are really necessary to elicit my current responses.

Always being of second priority when I enjoy B&W photography, the few technical things I would like to comment on are the plasticity and tonal separation I see, and what looks like an excellent printing job judging by the non-blown-out highlights and the excellent shadow detail. The brilliant plasticity strikes me at the shirt collar, shoulder, and cuff. But viewing .JPGs makes it difficult to truly distinguish these types of characteristics between the various pieces of hardware involved, but I suspect I'm seeing lens character/glow/snappiness here mixed with an ever-so-slight softening due to a slowish shutter speed (maybe 1/130th?). The one question I have is how did you manage to so perfectly isolate the man's face (nose, etc.) from the background when both are of almost identical density? Sorry for being so long winded. Your subject really does pop out of my monitor so I think it's definitely a successful photograph. Have you checked out Tina Manley's photography site? (I'll find and post the link.)

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@alaska.net), March 25, 2000.

My guess above at the "slowish" shutter speed was supposed to be 1/30th, not 1/130th, not that it is important anyway.

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@alaska.net), March 25, 2000.