in the dark : the guard and the gardener Photo

Photographer’s Note

(NB : these photos are difficult to PP as I am still a débutante, but I enjoy doing this a lot ! Your advice is always welcome of course - personally, I don't mind here noise or grains = my own taste !)

This is the second photo "in the dark", of the same old guard : apart from him, sitting quietly in his shelter in the beautiful garden when the rain was pouring, there were also the constant comings and goings of the young assistant cum gardener who was collecting oranges in an unusually high tree nearby - he had just entered again with 2 splendid, large and shiny green oranges, offering me one of them ; I asked him to sit down and not to move as I had already been taking some photos at 100 ISO in the dark, leaning the edge of my small IXUS firmly on the wall on the right. Fortunately, he remained still for a while...

Here I like the expression of the 2 men, specially the old guard whose gaze seems a bit ambiguous, always distant - like detached, plus sometimes, according to my mood, I see the start of a faint smile (I have other photos where he is really smiling). His cat is sleeping behind him on the bench.

There are in Morocco a good proportion of the population of black African descent and they seem perfectly integrated in the society, I do not sense racism there ; everyone is called "khouïa", or "brother" (or sister), no segregation at all, they are part of the same society - I regret not to have enquired more about this and probably there is not much intermarrying ; this will be for my next travel there...

ChrisJ, japiey, delic, PierreMorel, Partha_c, adelune trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

faubry (32405) 2007-12-04 0:40

bonjour Catherine, voici notre même monsieur, sans le chat mais avec un ami cette fois, j aime bien cette ambiance sereine qui ressort de cette photo, un petit côté intimiste;
bonne continuation
à+++ francine

pablominto (41148) 2007-12-04 1:21

Hello Catherine,
I like the composition and the atmosphere!
The grain however may bother some, on the other side it may add to the mood also...
The light is low but it also adds interest value!
Greetings,
Pablo -

ninaL (19556) 2007-12-04 1:35

Bonjour, Catherine.
J'aime beaucoup cette scène dans le pénombre, avec un peu de lumière venant de gauche.
Le bruit ajoute encore un peu de charme à l'ambiance de l'ensemble.
Amitiés, Grazyna

delkoo (34588) 2007-12-04 2:17

bonjour catherine
condition de prise de vue difficile certes, mais tu as reussi a sortir la quintescence de cette scene, l'atmosphere est bien rendue et cette penombre accentue la delicatesse de cette photo.

didier

ChrisJ (70419) 2007-12-04 3:03

Salut Catherine

The minimalist colour would lend itself well to a 'n&b' conversion here. Superb shadow detail & nice symmetry between the 2 figures. Perhaps a bit grainy but thats easily fixed in photoshop. Also a personal taste. Many people prefer the grain. Bon travail, et merci pour ce partage. C'est tres bon!

japiey (9497) 2007-12-04 3:07

Hi Cath,

Excellent shot !!
The grains add the feel, moods..
Interesting concept.
Take care, dear friend.

jean paul

dilane (10289) 2007-12-04 3:47

Bonjour Catherine,
Oui, du grain...et bien ça ajoute au côté vieillot de la photo renforcé par les couleurs sombres de leurs habits, la lumière est exquise. l'ambiance est là,je dirais même plus, l'atmosphère est là - j'aime beaucoup - mes amitiés
daniel

delic (6735) 2007-12-04 5:02

Never mind the scanning quality, Cath. That can always be fixed by rescanning. But the mood in this picture is exceptional. It's the looks in the dark room, esp. the one on the left. Enjoyed the note. Regards,
Hakan

PierreMorel (1168) 2007-12-04 5:06

Bonjour Catherine,
Ca reste encore un peu sombre dans l'ensemble mais l'atmosphère est bien là, perceptible. Il faudrait évidemment l'usage d'un trépied pour obtenir de très bons résultats dans ces conditions de lumière.
J'ai personnellement un faible pour la version précédente et l'homme seul avec son chat que j'avais d'ailleurs raté.
Amitiés,
Pierre

jackart (5604) 2007-12-04 10:20

Hello Catherine!

Great scene very well captured. This amazing light looks like on Carravaggio paintings. Very impressive shot! Superb!

Regards
Jacek

Partha_c (1985) 2007-12-04 10:29

Hi Cath. Noisy or grainy apart - the shot tells much more than what could be seen in the dark. As usual your note always unfolds a new route to a thinking process. There was a cat earlier -- a gardener now -- giving company to the guard. To know someone here or there with whom you can feel there is understanding in spite of distances or thoughts expressed that can make life a garden. And more so with a gardener.Your shot tells that.Regards.
Partha

adelune (2) 2007-12-04 13:19

Un très bel éclairage... il fallait oser... mais l'essai est "transformé"! Merci Catherine pour ce très beau portrait! Cordialement, alain

Silvio1953 (42579) 2007-12-05 6:17

Ciao Caterina, hai fatto bene a lasciare la grana forte, aggiunge fascino a quest'altro grande dipinto, splendida come nell'altra foto la luce, brava,con Amicizia, Silvio

Polonaise (5638) 2007-12-05 20:16

Not as much powerful as the previous one - still...

A mile ahead of many, many others of the same genre...

g.

--------------
Don't push it, girl !
(:-))))))

Have a wonderful day, dear

***************

Stepan (27175) 2007-12-06 11:18

C'est toujours aussi sympa, même si je préfère la précédente, peut être un peu moins sombre.
Hormis cela, l'ambiance est vraiment forte, et j'imagine que le moment l'était aussi...
Stéphane

bwiti (402) 2007-12-08 3:27

Elle est belle celle-ci Catherine, un peu à la manière d'un tableau... J'aime le grain dur et sombre qui apporte une atmosphère étrange à ta composition...
A plus...

Angshu (33995) 2007-12-10 1:02

Hi Cath
And I thought the earlier picture could not be followed up! Though not as captivating & dramatic as the other one, this one's excellent in it's own right. The noise to me fits in perfectly here...I can't think of plain walls in such a rustic environment. Excellent work yet again Cath!
Best Regards
Angshu