A Smile From Cambodia

Critiques [Translate]

•  
• dvlazar (4295)
• [2008-04-02 20:00]

Henk,
I like this angled portrait - the angle helping it's fun and carefree tone.
The warm sunlight on the girls face is perfect - well done!

Cheers.
Dave

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• batalay (14381)
• [2008-04-02 20:12]
• [3]

Hello Henk,

In this incisive portrait, you've captured the soul of the young girl. The composition, colors and resolution are flawless. When you chose to position one eye of the subject you were (probably) intuitively using a principle that great portrait painters — from Leonardo to Rembrandt, from van Gogh to Picasso — employed. In 1998 the British-born psychologist Christopher Tyler, practicing in San Francisco, discovered that in all great portraits one eye of the subject (left or right, leading or trailing) is located at or very near the centerline. I wrote this in my book 'Math and the Mona Lisa' (Smithsonian 2004), and it will appear in my new book, "Leonardo's Universe," which will appear this year.

Warm regards,

Bulent

•  
• edytungkal (3347)
• [2008-04-02 20:17]
• [2]

A perfect portrait with very nice smile, its interesting to read how you got this beautiful photo. Well done Henk...tfs

daniel

•  
• jjcordier (14546)
• [2008-04-02 20:43]
• [2]

henk
Quel beau portrait et quel sourire irrésistible!Superbe!
Amicalement
JJ

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• leo61 (30502)
• [2008-04-02 21:37]
• [2]

Good morning Henk!
What a nice smile.
Good portrait of this young girl.I like the angle and the late and warm light at her face.Amazing sharpness at the face and good contrast with the nice blurred background in the light brown tones.
Regards,leo

•  
• Morac (8036)
• [2008-04-02 21:54]
• [2]

Hello Henk,
Thank you for this superb smile to start a new day.
Regards

Marc

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• kleeross (155)
• [2008-04-02 21:55]
• [2]

This is a great portrait. I really like the angle, the sharpness and blurred background. The note regarding the photograph makes it that much better. Great picture.

Regards,
Kevin

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• Dyerco (5324)
• [2008-04-02 22:15]
• [2]

Hi Henk
Great capture with natural light. Good detail in her face with a nice even light. I hope you bought something and paid for that smile :)
Phil

•  
• isabela_sor (32296)
• [2008-04-02 22:27]
•  [Show CommentHide Comment]

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• patdeph (7550)
• [2008-04-02 22:48]
• [2]

hello Henk
this is a very nice portrait.I like the light on the face,and there is a nice brown blurred background that gives a beautiful harmony of colours to the pictyre!I like the smile of this young girl ,full of spontaneity!Superb!
Have a nice day.
Pascale

•  
• kri54 (1353)
• [2008-04-02 22:55]

quel merveilleux sourire
la chaleur est partout , dans les couleurs, le regard, les yeux, la peau
bravo

•  
• cbrman (13066)
• [2008-04-02 22:58]

Hello Henk,

You brought back very beautiful portraits of your trip for us. I find that you collected a very natural expression on this beautiful face full of cheerfulness.
you moreover placed your subject under a very beautiful light highlighting contours of the face.
Bravo.

A+

Dominique

•  
• smarcell (8049)
• [2008-04-02 23:24]

Very beautiful portrait. Her smile is very sweet and spontaneous.
regards Stefano

•  
• robertosalguero (15973)
• [2008-04-03 0:24]
• [2]

Hello Henk,

This is a beautiful portrait. The smile of the gilr is very sincere, candid and full of emotion. She seems very content and happy that she is the focus of attention at the moment. Effective placement of the subject under excellent light. The details on her face are crispy. Very good work Henk. Thanks.

Roberto

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• vincz (17514)
• [2008-04-03 0:39]

Beautiful portrait, beautiful smile, excellent light, great blurr in the back.Another beauty!

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• dareco (9461)
• [2008-04-03 0:42]

A very beautiful and natural smile!! I like this lighting. I have added this to my theme. TFS.

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• Photo65Net (30116)
• [2008-04-03 1:06]

Henk,
What a beautiful smile !
This girl attitude is perfect, and technical parameters are so great... Superb tones, outstanding DOF... Great one !
Regards,
JB.

•  
• PixelTerror (71380)
• [2008-04-03 1:27]

Hi Henk,
A good answer to Andre's one, and you were lucky to get an even better light on the visage, in addition to their ever present smile. Godd you had enough remaining stamina for 14 more shots after this shooting day, man 500 Angkor pictures and we'll only see a few here...
Have a nice day JY

•  
• fabio_ts (12180)
• [2008-04-03 1:49]

Ciao Henk, a nice idea for a serie, this first one is simply lovely ...a full of joy image perfectly composed by you, excellent work!!

have a nice day,
Fabio.

•  
• mesutilgim (23087)
• [2008-04-03 2:17]

Hi Henk,
Wonderfull portrait ! Very nice face, nice warm colors and perfect light management.
Good info's as well.
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

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• trekks (7571)
• [2008-04-03 2:25]

hi Henk

Such a natural smile and expression for you to capture and with bright light falling on the face to give it a good cheerful mood. Well done.

The girl is really of a hardworking breed. For survival.

TFS, bill

•  
• carper (52624)
• [2008-04-03 2:38]

ja het is een beauty Henk.
Ik heb eigenlijk geen kritiek. alleen dat het een fraai plaatje is van een mooi kind, goed fotowerk hier.
groet jaap

•  
• ktanska (11783)
• [2008-04-03 3:07]

Hi Henk,
I love these. Bu again have trouble having new words to say. Especially as I have no personal experience of this culture. Great that you saw sunshine finally, it's on her smile too.
Kari

•  
• jemaflor (29570)
• [2008-04-03 3:17]

Hi Henk,
Well taken this smile, nice face and good focus, perfect bokeh, very well made with a lovely soft light.

•  
• Matthew-Watt (4159)
• [2008-04-03 3:36]

Hello Henk,

Another fine portrait from SE Asia, and yes it has the same feel as Andre's shot. I love how natural the colour is; so earthy and well toned. There is no singular bright colour or other feature to distract in this photo, there is just simplicity and perfection. I think that just a small amount of more room at the top and bottom of the frame would look good to show the subject in a more full way, but without seeing the original there is no way I can better argue the chosen crop (and she was continually moving also, makes the situation substantially more difficult). It shows the smile and expression in eyes exquisitely, which is the crux of this shot. Some salespeople in SE A can be very, very determined; you did well to shoot clearly whilst being haggled. My compliments to you on this great work.

Matt

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• delkoo (23427)
• [2008-04-03 3:45]

bonjour henk,
it is not an academic portrait, i like the position of her head, Slightly turned, her smile,and the beautiful light bathing her face.
one shot that you can proud about .

didier

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• Jeppo (4854)
• [2008-04-03 4:07]

Hi Henk,

thank you for sharing with us a smile!
I also posted a pic sometimes ago called "I need a smile"....because sometimes we need some smile...
we should think about this girl smiling, thus coming from a very poor land that experienced so many tragedies.
sometimes we should learn from other people to smile and not to think too much about silly problems we have

tfs
Silvio

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• steliosk (4121)
• [2008-04-03 4:47]
• [+]

Hello Henk,
this is very powerful image. When you see a girl smiling you're prepared to have a happy mood, same way you're prepared to have a nostalgic feeling when you're looking old photographs.

As a photographer though, I think you should give a better placement of that girl, some air at the top perhaps?

Yes I know the most attractive part is the eyes and the smile of course where you have done an excellent and alive job, but I'd like some air at the top or perhaps to complete this great picture with the best way.

Many Regards
Stelios

•  
• belido (8863)
• [2008-04-03 4:50]

Hi Henk,

nice smile, beautiful capture. I can see it's natural. I love that...the naturality of people. You could get that and it's not easy. Great!
Regards,
Carlos

•  
• Poet (48)
• [2008-04-03 5:55]

Dit soort foto's zien maakt heel gelukkig. Of je wil of niet, het tovert een glimlach op je gezicht.
Wat nog gelukkiger maakt is de beschrijving hoe je de foto gemaakt heb, knippen op goed geluk dus en er nog een fantastische foto uit tevoorschijn toveren ook nog !! Dat is dus heel veel geluk bij elkaar allemaal ... kan het nog erger ?!!!!! :-)))))

•  
• migzal (485)
• [2008-04-03 6:45]

The face and expression is predominant in this portrait, skin tone is very natural and the slight tilting works well here. Excellent portrait

•  
• zeynepe (3134)
• [2008-04-03 6:59]

Hi Henk,
What a perfect and lovely smile ! And your note is also so interesting.
Thank you for sharing,
Best regards,
Zeynep Erek

•  
• pboehringer (18442)
• [2008-04-03 7:17]

Hello neighbour!
A unique constellation to have the honor to have my post of today at your side ...
Despite being a portrait, that isn't something strange in your galery it still has a new element - the tilt. At least I never noticed before in any of your posts. It fits well and provides additional movement to this wonderful smile and laughter. You really must have amused here a lot with your Mark II. I like the surrounding light, the blurr in the background, the moment of capture, but I don't like very much the glare in her face. The yellow glare is something that gives me almost the impression of not balanced WB. Maybe I'm to picky and expecting that an asian skin has to be like the skin of a caucasian :-)
Peter

•  
• fulvio52 (3849)
• [2008-04-03 7:20]

Weer een onvervalste parel, Henk.
That smile is priceless...
Schitterend!
Moab petje af, 6 x maal.
Ik wens U een hele fijne avond, Master.

Fulvio.

•  
• Tobias__Ortmann (1697)
• [2008-04-03 8:36]

Hi henk,
what an magnificent potrait
best moment you captured this picture
good colours perfect sharpness
awesome
very well done
best regards Toba

•  
• jhm (65895)
• [2008-04-03 8:51]

Dag Henk,

De fijne lacht van dit meisje, haar ogen en tanden maken een prachtige samenstelling.
Het licht en haar gelaatstinten vervolledigen het beeld samen met de schuine houding van haar hoofd.
U weet dat ik steeds uw portretten met een argus oog bekijk, niet naar fouten, maar naar het vakmanschap, hier staat de leerschool open!
Bedankt.

Prettige dag verder,
John.

•  
• Wandering_Dan (3075)
• [2008-04-03 9:03]

Hi, Henk -

Much different from the last portrait, and very charming - the more so considering what Cambodia has gone through recently! That smile is so expressive!

Best,
Dan

•  
• saylan-cb (8862)
• [2008-04-03 9:50]

Hi Henk,
Superb portrait with very nice smile.Great light and strong colours.
Excellent
TFS/Regards

•  
• janneman (738)
• [2008-04-03 10:15]

Wat een pracithg portret Henk!
De kleuren: geweldig.
De diagonale lijnen in de achtergrond passen mooi bij het iets schuine standpunt van het hoofd. Goed gezien!

•  
• xavshot (46180)
• [2008-04-03 11:04]

Bonsoir Henk
j'aime beaucoup ce sourire et la lumière qui vient mettre en valeur ce visage. Belle qualité. Bravo
Xavier

•  
• avene (5310)
• [2008-04-03 11:27]

hello Henk,
without the note describing how you made this shot I would have thought for sure it was posed and carefully arranged, everything is exactly as it should be - nicelly blurred background with strong diagonal shadows to add some dynamism, soft light on the face, little sparks in the eyes, sincere expression. simply beautiful :)

with kind regards,
Kristine

•  
• Philippe (8995)
• [2008-04-03 11:31]

Dag, Henk. Ik zie dat je je niet beprkt hebt tot oude mannen en vrouwen in je verzameling van oosterse portretten. Hier heb je een zeer verfrissende glimlach die bovendien zeer spontaan is. Ik denk dat de achtergrond haar gezicht zeer goed in de verf zet. De diagonale lijnen op de grond vind ik ook zeer interessant. Er is ook een soort tilt die het portret zeer levendig maakt.

•  
• UnTrained (12761)
• [2008-04-03 12:40]

Hallo Henk,
I love that smile, so natural, so well done. Thanks for that it really warms my heart.
Lieben Gruss, Ulf

•  
• feather (40121)
• [2008-04-03 12:44]
• [+]

You finished with Vietnam already??
I shouldn't complain as we can see this joyful portrait. She was born after Cambodia's darkest times but she is living with the aftermath still. Nevertheless she has a joy in her that can't be faked. Am I to understand you were shooting from the hip? I never managed to make that work. Your chat with her brought out the best. Well done
Kath
I hope you bought all her postcards. :D

•  
• wishlist (3479)
• [2008-04-03 13:24]

Yes, definetely..the soundtrack for this picture is one of my favourite from Bach: cello suite, especially the n.1 in G major..the prelude. The softness of her expression, the happiness in her eyes, the skin kissed by the sun, the tilt giving a great feeling of movement..everything come along the beauty of that sound and the amazing mood it's capable to create..while you created a stunning piece of work here, something to enjoy with a big smile...amazing!
Thanks Henk for sharing it.
Regards,

Igor

•  
• gilou530 (25440)
• [2008-04-03 13:27]

salut henk
trés beau sourire, une jeunesse qui contraste avec le précédent portrait, une lumière magnifique pour mettre en valeur cette jeune fille
amitiés
gilbert

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• azleader (787)
• [2008-04-03 14:17]

Another fine portraiture. This is so much different from the pictures we saw from this area of the world in the 1960s and 1970s. It is a huge improvement.

•  
• Didier38 (963)
• [2008-04-03 14:25]

Bonsoir Henk,

J'aime bien l'expression et le naturel que tu as capté.
l'exposition et parfaite et la petite fille se détache bien du fond.

Bien vue.

Didier

•  
• Emile (15863)
• [2008-04-03 15:30]

Hola Henk.
I like the way the last sun lights of the day reflects on her face, wonderful portrait of the young girl and her beautiful smile. Very well captured, nice DOF that play very well with the color of her skin, very good details and POV. Well done. TFS.
Best regards.

•  
• gneufeld (9695)
• [2008-04-03 18:09]

Hi Henk,
I love this happy smile! Excellent perspective and very natural and warm colors. Good details and perfectly sharpened. Great shot and TFS. Gerald

•  
• scobert (5321)
• [2008-04-03 20:59]

Hi Henk,
This is my favorite of all of your portraits. Everything about this photograph is outstanding! I love the lighting, her relaxed pose and her wonderful and natural smile. The soft, diagonal shadows in the background are the icing on the cake for me. A true masterpiece!
Stan

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• Prisley (1017)
• [2008-04-03 22:41]

Hi Henk,
That's a beautiful smile, very warm. I like the impression of tilt here (not sure there is actually one) made by the shadows line on the ground. The light is splendid!
Well done,
Pris.

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• everlasting (9487)
• [2008-04-03 23:19]

A smile in the mornign is always welcome and one so sweet as this certainly. Masterfully composed this simple image.

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• bertolucci (11258)
• [2008-04-04 1:30]

Wat een prachig portret en het feit dat ze niet echt poseert en jij de pic on the fly gemaakt heb, draagt bij aan de spontaanheid en authenticiteit van deze plaat - het spat er af. Heel mooi en ondanks je snelheid van werken ook een technisch perfect beeld - de framing het licht op het gezicht, de dynamische schaduwen in de OoF achtergrond... bijzonder goed en aansprekend werk!!
Fijn weekend,
Bert

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• hispic (3783)
• [2008-04-04 2:25]

Hello Henk,
Beautiful smile in the beautiful light!
Yes, so so, when we are seeking eagerly fascinating subjects, sometimes the subjects themselves come to us, and about end of taking pictures.
Cheers for your earnest effort and fortunate chance with large cold beer! Treasure of the earth.
Have a nice day, Hisashi

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• pasternak (11884)
• [2008-04-04 3:54]

Excellent quality for this portrait, Henk, the framing and tilt are fantastic as the result looks very alive...

Cheers
A.

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• zmey (4283)
• [2008-04-04 6:23]

hello henk

lovely, lovely indeed. of course, the portrait is of impeccable quality, but what i find very interesting and pleasing is how the lines of your model's face (eyes and mouth in particular) match the diagonal direction of the background shadows. i feel, it brings extra dynamism to the composition matching her joyful expression.

excellent!

with warm regards,
kristaps

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• Gerrit (24243)
• [2008-04-05 0:34]

Dag Henk,
prachtig portret, het licht is werkelijk subliem. Heel mooi.
Groeten Gerrit

=

•  
• riclopes (26002)
• [2008-04-05 2:52]

Olá Henk, it will be dificult to beat your previous face from Vietnam but such adorable smiles are almost irresistable and we immediately smile with her. I can feel that it's spontaneous and I love the movement: the "not stand still" is here with her leaning back. Love the shadows in FG perpendicular to her pose and movement.
Have a nice weekend,
ricardo

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• MarianneS (6810)
• [2008-04-05 5:19]

Hi Henk,
Everything was already said about this wonderful young person, smiling so naturally.
It is a great shot, congratulations.
Beste wensen,
Marianne

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• stevesaba (2328)
• [2008-04-05 9:19]

Hi Henk!
Wonderful shot! I would be proud if this were mine. Her smile is wonderful, the light perfect, and her face crystal clear! I loved your notes, because it reminds me that other photographers snap many pics, in the hopes for that one magic shot. You sure got it here! Great job as always, cheers,
Steve

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• euryan (7718)
• [2008-04-05 14:21]

Well I don't know a thing about portraits (not one in my gallery) but who can resist a nice photo of a smiling face. The light on her skin is perfect. Thanks for sharing her bright smile with the world.
Regards,
Ryan

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• siolaw (21854)
• [2008-04-05 21:45]
• [+]

Hi Henk,
I have to tell you this post prompted me to post the 'no smile today' picture when I saw it...!
I like the framing and angle here, but particularily, her smile of course is a bright and heart warming one! Of course light colors and sharpness are fine!The DoF and neutral BG make her stand out whithout any disturbances...
I was also in Cambodia at the time (now in Bangkok) and go back there on wednesday... Still around?
Greetings
Laurent

•  
• ahmetgedikli (15065)
• [2008-04-06 0:30]

Hi Henk,
Beautiful smile!... Very nice portrait, good sharpness and DOF! Thanks for sharing.
Have a good sunday.
Ahmet

•  
• devimeuxbe (45792)
• [2008-04-06 7:20]

Hi Henk
Very beautifull portrait with a great light, a great sharpness and a so expressive face.
Thanks for this smile
Bertrand

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• InasiaJones (14734)
• [2008-04-06 23:16]

Hi Henk,

I've missed this one, but surely I like it a lot. No questions ask, a portrait looks better when the head is slightly tilted and it's the case here with this spontaneous kid.

The feeling and communication are good and it's tangible in the result of your image. Warm tones and good light, perfect neutral background, totally bokehed for a stronger presence of your subject.

Ciao!

André

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• ElAprendiz (4265)
• [2008-04-07 9:43]

Hi Henk

Surely that is the best way to present a beautiful portrait.

The willingness of the person are his smiling face, and offers a lot calidéz naturalness. Great sharpness, appropriate tones and a large balance in the approach. Congratulations

John

•      
• stego (13956)
• [2008-04-07 12:24]

Hej Henk,
A beautiful, joyful and open smile, of the kind that makes any portrayer's day, right? I like the diagonal compo, not so usual in portraits, the sunlight on her face and the perfect DOF.
Regards, José.

•  
• gunbud (16886)
• [2008-04-07 20:40]

Hi Henk,
Wow what a wonderful warm smile you have captured here. Great clear crisp color and lovely details. It is so good to see Cambodian children smiling after their recent sorrows.
Regards, Tom

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• JPlumb (3119)
• [2008-04-08 23:02]

Hi Henk, with a smile like that, I hope you bought some postcards or something from her.

This is awesome. She doesn't need a lot of light, it looks like she generates a lot of her own. I like this format, I probably wouldn't have considered a long landscape for this shot, with this crop, but it works extremely well. We still centre on the girl but there's a little room around the photo so she can "breathe". I said before you didn't need a lot of light, but it is very good, and you've produced an excellent warm mood with the colour in the shot. Awesome!

Thanks, John

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• MikiM (1850)
• [2008-04-09 10:21]

HI Henk,
Excellent portrait - her smile the happiness comes through nicely.
BTW The smile is a good start always:)))
Congrats,
Miklós

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• ninaL (15481)
• [2008-04-10 1:53]

Hi, Henk.
Yes, it is a beautiful smile, really beautiful...
This photograph, so simple, is different from all photographs in this way : we have thousands and thousands of photos with smiling girl on TE, and here, there is something of especial : perfect contact beetween photographer and beauty of her soul...
Very good one, indeed.
Best regards. Grazyna.

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• horatiuTT (3656)
• [2008-04-10 6:03]

A very special portrait,great face expression and the quality
of the photo is really impressive.
Horatiu

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• noborders (11162)
• [2008-04-11 10:08]

Such a friendly expression and relaxed attitude ! Great portrait, simple idea but it works perfect,
Compliments,
Greetings from Turkey,
Cath.

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• mvdisco (8170)
• [2008-04-12 12:35]

Hi Henk,
Beautitul portrait of this young Cambodia, Excellent Pov and well presented and composed picture , beautiful smile and clair picture, I love the colors of your picture , great shot my friend,
My compliments
Michel Thanks for pass to my galery

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• faubry (27455)
• [2008-05-02 1:24]

what a wonderful smiling girl.... what beautiful skin details... what light.... perfect portrait, thanks for that.
francine

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• Didi (28468)
• [2008-05-03 3:00]

Bonjour Henk
Capter un portrait avec une expression naturelle c'est tout un art, le cadrage est excellent et la mise au point sélective donne un parfait résultat très appréciable.
Amitiés.

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• scroller (1960)
• [2008-05-10 12:03]

Hi Henk this is truly a great portrait. I started a thread in the forunm yesterday crying out my doubt and fear of taking photos of people. Your gallery shows a lot of them in a very honourly way.
Hälsningar
Stefan