Friday, May 05, 2006
The Eyes
Another of my shots where I try to create an air of mystery. I saw this woman looking out of her window. Not at me this time, however. I wondered who she was looking for. A loved one? A debt collector? Such questions fascinate me.
Permalink / posted by and copyright of John Larry : 4:36 PM
Comments:
as always I love to see such shots from foreign cultures. in fact there an air of mystery provided by the darkness behind her and her face in bright sunlight with the shadow. a lucky shot because the shadow didn't cover her eyes. no chance to notice what she was looking at just by a turn left? anyway that doesn't matter in the final image as it leaves a you with the question...
the overall appearance of the image is a bit harsh. but it doesn't distract too much from the content of the image although I would wish it a bit less harsh. thanks for sharing.
Michael - thanks for the comments. Yes the image does appear to be a bit harsh, now you mention it. I think a probably added too much contrast before posting. When I took the picture there was no one coming but she was definitely looking for someone.
John L: it is obviously for you to decide about the contrast, but for me it works the way it is. The bleached out colours and the sudden transition to black gives this picture the air of being from an early colour book. This suits the subject matter well.
I presume it is a relatively recent picture....but the treatment emphasises that it is a timeless scene.
The eyes are the making of this picture. The woman is not just "at" the window. She is doing something.
It's hard to decide whether it is too harsh or whether, as Auspicious says, the bleaching and early colour book look are a plus. A bit of both! The specific nature of the gaze does fascinate and the collection of materials, patterns, colours and shadows lend a strong context. I wasn't sure about the shadow over her face but the ambiguity as to whether it is some sort of ritual marking or a shadow helps the image.
I'm with the too harsh on this one. There is a lot of contrast in the picture - especially the shadow across the face. I'm sure there is a picture in there but it needs another go through your photo software. Composition is fine - everything fits together nicely. However, I'm not a big fan of the shadow across the face - it covers small but significant parts of the eyes.
I think the contrast has the potential to draw you into her eyes. It might be worth playing around with burning down the other highlights or cropping them out to enhance this effect. In my mind, I'm seeing this photo as just barely more than her eyes staring out.
I look at this as being a bit harsh too but like the composition. I don't know if it's just me but my eyes pick up on a lot of softness in the brickwork, almost as if the shot was made on the move. I'm a fan of old wood, especially that which has been worked and well used so I find myself wondering about the door. It's probably seen very long service.
I think the shadow accentuates the mystery of the face.
I don't understand the shadow on the scroll under the window, that troubles me.
An enigmatic capture.
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the overall appearance of the image is a bit harsh. but it doesn't distract too much from the content of the image although I would wish it a bit less harsh. thanks for sharing.
I presume it is a relatively recent picture....but the treatment emphasises that it is a timeless scene.
The eyes are the making of this picture. The woman is not just "at" the window. She is doing something.
I don't understand the shadow on the scroll under the window, that troubles me.
An enigmatic capture.