Alfama: One

Critiques [Translate]

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• Furachan (0)
• [2006-05-26 3:27]

Very smart choice to return to sepia after such a long while. It perfectly fits the mood of the old Mauresque part of Lisboa. Your POV is first rate here, very much in movie style with the "camera" just over the protagonist's shoulder.
I love this kind of scene and absolutely endorse this, J.
BW,
Francis

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• RGatward (19478)
• [2006-05-26 3:34]

Great range of tones here, considering the extreme lighting conditions. Sepia lokos good, expecially since these two seem to have dressed up as though they're participants in a living museum.

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• entrelec (8340)
• [2006-05-26 3:35]

nice, I really feel the mlood of tghis area I like so much! well framed, with empathy.
Have a good day

Joel

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• jinju (14241)
• [2006-05-26 3:45]

Is this a day for deciations Jerzy?

I think we called these shots Dolinades before..do we still? I like the POV because its a sort of quiet yet how romantic shot. The man and woman, connect and we get to feel some of what he feels as we can see her face looking right at us. Great sepia here, the conversion was top notch.

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• Cuba-Junky (2787)
• [2006-05-26 3:46]

Nice nice nice! :)
Great crop here Jerzy and the woman exactly looking through the arm of the man. Love the sepia color as well for this old barrio
An

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• jasmis (40925)
• [2006-05-26 3:46]

Świetna wąska uliczka, ale jeszcze lepsza kompozycja obu rozmawiających osób. Widać, że Autor zanim naciśnie migawkę myśli. Pozdrawiam.

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• riclopes (30260)
• [2006-05-26 3:52]

Yes, thank so much, my friend. A fantastic one in B&W, with an amazing capture of the two persons. The woman, in the back framed by the old man is just perfect. And I also love the slight tiltness of the composition. The lighting is your speciality and it is also great, providing wonderful textures on the façade at left. A magnificent one. Congratulations!
Friendly regards,
Ricardo

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• gaby (19769)
• [2006-05-26 3:55]

Jerzy bonjour - I love your Portugal series, this is really professionnal work - this one is very very great and the perspective wonderful -
superb
Thanks
Rgs
Gaby

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• Paolo (40251)
• [2006-05-26 4:00]

Hi Jerzy, what a fantastic shot!
today is the Tilted Day!
excellent sepia tones, fantastic cotnrast and wonderful subjects!
geat POV too.
i think that i'll come back in Portugal just to take some thousands of pictures!!!
thanks, ciao

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• faubry (29411)
• [2006-05-26 4:17]

ah très belle photo sépia, j'aime beaucoup cette couleur qui donne un caractère "vieillot" à cette photo ainsi que la composition, un grand bravo!!
francine
bonne journée

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• luisafonso (13604)
• [2006-05-26 4:19]
• [+]

Wonderful. It's good to return to Lisboa with your sensitive eyes. The composition is very strong, especially the play between the woman and the man’s shoulder. The hat of the man and his posture are really very Portuguese and that adds a special feel to your scene. But it is the light! The Lisbon light that shines through your photo. That’s the main wow of your picture. See how the shadows spread everywhere, see how the calçada (the typical Portuguese granite floor) is lit, and see how the hair’s woman is swimming in light. This is the real Alfama. Thanks Jerzy.

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• Booz (11425)
• [2006-05-26 4:34]
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• barrufeto_77 (21584)
• [2006-05-26 4:50]

Hi J.

Excellent choice of sepia. The contrasts are lovely. Great.

Well done!

Rgs, Oscar

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• jlynx (10747)
• [2006-05-26 7:59]

Witaj Jurek,
Super sepia! Ach te zau³ki, u nas takich sie nie znajdzie nie wiadomo dlaczego. Potrafisz niezwykle precyzyjnie oddawaæ nastrój miejsca i sceny. ¦wietna fotografia, bardzo dobra jako¶æ, a mocne kolory wymieni³e¶ na ³adne kontrasty w sepii.
Pozdrawiam,
Jurek

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• avigur_11 (21241)
• [2006-05-26 8:37]

Very creative work, Jerzy.
Sepia makes it look like an old photo, and the old style subject supports this feeling.
I also like the tilt and the view of the man from the back, which somehow works very good.
I also like the effective light. Well done.
Regards,
Y.

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• alekpet (4657)
• [2006-05-26 9:42]

Hi Jerzy.
I agree with Francis.
Sepia is great, I use it too for many of the pictures of old houses and narrow streets.
The two people facing each other and the wonderful texture on the left wall are just perfect.

Aleks

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• KevRyan (21115)
• [2006-05-27 5:10]

Lovely shot of the Alfama J - very well taken - beautiful framing of the woman in the guy's body shape - excellent - good choice of tone - this was one of my favourite parts of Lisbon - a good friend worked in a house/museum overlooking the Alfama so this became a bit of a haunt. Very other oldy worldy!!!

best wishes Kev

p.s. I've got a press pass this w/e and am working with a young free lance journalist to cover Glastonbudget - an alternative cover band festival - no real Glastonbury this year.....interesting first night last night!

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• jrj (34325)
• [2006-05-27 6:36]

Interesting cut and compo from the narrow streets of this oldtown in Lisboa. The redish bw version is special and I am not sure I am fully comfortable with that variant..

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• Polonaise (698)
• [2006-05-27 8:46]
• [+]

" Waiting for your next post.
Bet'ya any mony it's going to be a killer!!!! "
That was the conclusion of my previous, shattering critique to your last picture.
And indeed...A killer it is!
Dear Jerzy.
By posting this incredible photograph and dedicating it to me - you put me in uneasy situation. For, it is humanly impossible for me now to criticize your work negatively, and on the other hand - if I praise it - it might look like I'm elevating myself to the heights I absolutely don't belong to and don't deserve.
The magnitude of this photo, its irresistible charm, and the pure, unrestricted form in the way you presented us with the final product - deserves nothing but the deepest respect and admiration.
The real class of this classical photography can be appreciated only by those who ever tried to capture such scene and know that this is almost impossible without 'directorial effort' (arranging). And even then, it looks rather artificially, and not authentic or spontaneous.
They do these tricks on the movie sets - but then there is a dozen of assistants running around and organizing every shot. I know you don't work that way. You hunt alone.
Ending my diatribe I'd like to say the following:
Jerzy, you're not the only one on this site to produce such marvels routinely, but, on the round buttocks of Artemis, I'm not able to come up with more than four or five other names.
Thanks pal .
Jurek G.

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• starbug (6924)
• [2006-05-27 8:47]

czesc Jerzy, rzadko zmieniasz na sepie, ale tym razem byl to wybor doskonaly, ja mam wlasnie takie romantyczne wyobrazenie o Lizbonie, stare uliczki, starsi panowie w roznego rodzaju nakryciach glowy,do ktorego ta tonacja jak najbardziej pasuje, i te lekkie przechylenie- nie zawsze potrafie odczytac intencje fotografujacego dlaczego zdecydowal sie na nie, albo mi sie podoba albo nie, i tu wlasnie mi sie podoba:-)
pozdrawiam
O.

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• vascao (5017)
• [2006-05-28 10:31]
• [+]

Oh, Dear, what a shot, Jerzy, my friend. Seems like a photogram from an old movie picture.
Take care.
Sergio

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• Gregtom (6889)
• [2006-05-29 3:19]

Witaj, Jerzy!
Bardzo naturalnie uchwycony charakter ulicy. Piękne światło, idealna ekspozycja. Podoba mi się tez sepia i to lekkie pochylenie.
pozdrawiam,
Grzesiek

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• cengiz (3543)
• [2006-06-02 11:45]

very smart idea and superb point of view
cengiz

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• AnimeshRay (8834)
• [2006-06-04 3:37]

Absolutely superb framing. Excellent sepia rendition and contrast range. But it is the moment captured that wins me over.

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• PeterC (2242)
• [2006-06-07 21:23]

Jerzy,
Its been a while and im trying to get through alot of photos. This one is quite sublime. The old town perfeclty pictorially expressed. The sepia the old husband and wife the cobbled hilly streets. But whay gets me is the postures of the two. To get the man leaning like that and the lady below looking up at you like that is just brilliant.
look forward to seeing what other gems i have missed
Cheers
Peter

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• mlopes (492)
• [2006-10-24 7:12]

Yesssssss
great compo, the woman just peaking out of the man's shoulder is great! well done.