Shoe repair man, a photo from Guizhou, Centre

Photographer's Note

Not my usual kind of post I know, but hopefully I'll start posting more people shots from now on after a great day out yesterday!

I caught this shot during a long walk around the deprived outskirts of Guiyang with a Dutch friend of mine who also lives here, and he taught me a thing or two about capturing scenes of daily life and people, so here's to Hans the man! He's not a member here on TE (yet!), but he taught me an invaluable lesson that to capture photos of people all you need to do is talk to them and have a bit of front about you.

This man is one of the many shoe repair men who arrive to their spot in town everyday and repair all kinds of shoes, no matter how unrepairable they may look, they will find a way, and no doubt for about 10Y or less!
They do everything from re-soling, repairing broken stitching, patching holes, replacing heels, cleaning etc. If you can't find shoes that fit you, you can take the biggest pair you could find to them, and they can also elongate you shoes to fit. Quite a service.

To take the photo, I talked to him for a few minutes (me speaking broken Mandarin, and him speaking local dialect - it was a difficult conversation!) and to be honest I'm not sure we understood each other a great deal, but I asked him if I could take his photo and he obliged. I don't think he understood why the hell I would want a photo of him repairing shoes though!

Like I say, this isn't really my normal kind of photography so if you have any advice please share with me! Thanks for looking :)

edytungkal, jorgi, Kielia, AROBN54, bakes888, macondo, Clementi, Vasa, dareco trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

edytungkal (4551) 2008-12-03 23:38

Not your usual but every details are perfect. Colours and lighting are very balance, nothing could be better, really like the shot Lee and thanks for share it.

daniel

jorgi (3810) 2008-12-04 0:08

Hi Lee,

i do not have any expertise on this area but I like this scene for its honesty and motive.
The man with a shoe is a man in his environment with a rich story to tell. Light is most charming and complimenting to him, especially with partially shadowed background that makes his face step out of it.
The only thing I would like to see is what shoes is he wearing. You know...judging the master from his own footwear :)

My best,
Jeri

mauro61 (53411) 2008-12-04 0:22

ciao Lee,
mi piace questo ritratto .
Interessanti gli scatti sui mestieri nelle varie parti del mondo.
C'è una bella luce e dei bei colori e l'inquadratura piena rende al meglio il soggetto.
saluti
maurizio

Kielia (24077) 2008-12-04 9:39

Hi Lee,
I just stopped by this fantastic photo and while studying your gallery I discovered that you became a member of this fantastic site the day before I joined. It is a shame, that I missed your work for such a long time! This capture of the shoe repair man is a very beautiful portrait, it could not be better (except for his shoes…), colors and light are excellent. Most of all I like the expression on his face. My compliments, also for the interesting note!
Warm regards
Harriet

BennyV (34746) 2008-12-04 11:09

Hi Lee,

Not your typical picture, as you write. This would be more like my type of China post, so I'm happy to give some feedback. First of all: yes, I like the result! Now we've got that out of the way, some suggestions on how to improve, imho of course, as I'm not a professional by any stretch of the imagination...

- First (but that has been pointed out before) it is a bit ironic that you cut into the shoemaker's shoes.
- I like that the picture shows this man in his daily working environment, but I would have wanted to see some more of that environment. I suppose there was a lot of small scraps, things and equipment lying about on the ground. This image shows some of it, but I'd put more emphasis on that...with the working man, of course, in the center of it all, probably 'above' all that.
- Don't know if you could have done anything with the background, light seems difficult here.
- The hands and the shoe are great; the face a touch too light, compared to his hands.
- There's your friend's hand in the bottom right corner of the frame. Aargh!

But I like your overall approach (as described in your note). I believe it is very important to strike a chord with the people in the picture, to communicate, to interact. However basic your knowledge of the language (probably better than mine!), it's wonderful to be able to crack a joke, to smile...and then in the portrait it's important to get the balance right: I don't like sneaky snap shots, but the people in the picture shouldn't strike an obvious photography pose either! That balance is spot on in this shot and that's what I like most about the shot.

Taking a good portrait (the way I see it) is not for hasty snappers. So, take your time & enjoy the people!

Benny

[2] +

AROBN54 (11475) 2008-12-04 11:29

Hello, Lee,
my word, this is outstanding! You have SO perfectly handled the light and contrast in that bright sunlight. Marvelous detail, wonderful color and I like the way the BG is dark behind his head. Great job!! Many thanks and kindest regards,
Shelly

ribeiroantonio (22730) 2008-12-04 19:11

More people’s shots, what a great idea. This is one here is terrific with a good view of this man. The portrait is perfect as he was looking at you the moment you clicked the shuter. Well done.
Me too, I have a shoe repairer in my gallery.
Antonio

bakes888 (18499) 2008-12-05 13:10

Hi Lee. Nice portrait. It’s not my forte either so I can’t dish out too much advice. I like that you have him in his natural setting. Good focus and sharpness. Thanks for sharing.
Have a good weekend, Paul.

macondo (20449) 2008-12-05 21:22

Hi Lee.
Very good for not your usual. Not sure whose hands those are in the bottom right corner! Maybe that explains the very tight framing/crop! Anyway, I'm not an expert either, but I would say that the light and colouring is very gentle, which is pleasing, although perhaps his face could be more of a highlight with a little touching up. Maybe I'd have moved back a little and included a little more of that machine with the bobbin showing on the far right (minus the errant hand, though!) and moved the subject a little more to the left in the frame. I think the timing was really good with his looking at you and hands poised for work. I like your comment about whether he understood your wanting a photo of him; I've come across this myself on the few occasions when I've asked for a close-up. I think your friend gave you good advice about talking to people first. It's rude and arrogant to take shots of people in a manner which treats them as mere fodder for one's images. Anyway, you got a good result here, one that I'd be very proud of if it had been one of my few portrait style shots. Well done.
Regards,
Andrew

kschanna (6) 2008-12-06 2:05

Hi Lee,

An excellent shot, looks like you had the sun on your side, nicely lighting up the face of your proud shoe repair man. I am no pro in photography but I think that including his feet may have been another idea, but probably would have compromised catching the expression on his face.

Thanks for sharing
Kamran

Clementi (52514) 2008-12-06 14:56

Ciao Lee,
un fantstico ritratto di questa persona al lavoro. molto bella l' espressione del viso. ho inserito questa foto in un mio tema.
buon week end
Giorgio

Hellas (7123) 2008-12-07 13:36

A really daily life picture! You captured very well the moment, your model as a wage-earner is surely proud of his work!
A practical tradesman, indeed!
We can see the best balance of shadow and highlight details. Self-coloured snap-shot!

Thanks for sharing.
Best regards,
Athanasios.

toto (0) 2008-12-08 8:59

Bonjour,
belle photo de cet artisant qui comme chez nous travaille très dur, fait des réparations de fortune ou de toute beauté suivant le prix que le client veut metre.
Bel homage que vous rendez aux artisants en montrabt cette vue superbe de cet homme en pleine action et souriant.

Amitiés Thomas

leo61 (0) 2008-12-08 21:38

Hi Lee!
A good portrait of this man at work.You managed the strong light well and like his expression.
Regards,leo

Colombiana (2957) 2008-12-09 12:32

Hi Lee,

I really don’t know the basics about photographing people, but I find this portrait very interesting. Not your usual kind of shot as you say, but it is perfectly Ok to adventure with new things and not just settle to just one thing. That being said, this portrait was well captured; the man’s expression and pose is natural, the surrounding elements tell about the daily life. The only thing that distracts me would be the hand in the lower right, but then you would have had to crop a lot and lose the composition. Was it your Dutch friend’s hand?

Regards,

Maryori :)

batalay (41261) 2008-12-09 16:45

Hello Lee,

In this slice of daily life in China, you captured the shoe repairman perfectly. As your Dutch friend suggested, engaging the man and having him participate in your photography is good. However, catching him concentrating on his work, and not interacting with the lens might be just as good, especially since it is not a group with which you are interacting. (In a group picture, you do want them to collaborate with the cameraman.) In any event, colorful, and displaying excellent resolution.

Warm regards,

Bulent

Waylim (25436) 2008-12-10 0:27

Lee,
Thank you and it's such a pleasure to be among your favorite photographers.
I love the daily life shot here, the idea of fixing old shoes and use it until is worn out is such practical way of life there but for us it's as good as recycling old shoes that we throw away just because it's out of style. Great shot of the man with nice details and light. He look a little bit like Tibetan to me.
Thanks

jimkilgallon (0) 2008-12-13 18:53

Hi Lee
Perfect lighting on the subject here, I think the pose I am not a fan of, I would prefer him to be concentrating on his work but I suppose thats a personal preference and have no idea whats what for this situation. Colours and detail are first rate here.
Regards
Jim

Angshu (56760) 2008-12-14 19:50

Hello Lee
A welcome change & wish you'll share with us more 'people posts'. I read with interest the great critique that Benny has written. The cropped shoe is something which immediately struck me. The light is quite harsh, judging by the BG & it would be better (sometimes you don't have a choice) to have light from an angle to create shadows on his face which accentuates the features, otherwise the face might appear a bit flat. You could have toned down the exposure on his face a bit IMO & definitely should have cropped the hand I see in the bottom corner. But a good effort & look fwd. to see more portraits.
Indeed I've started to take portraits only recently & I can only agree with Benny...be personal, talk to the people & make them at ease.
Regards
Angshu

Vasa (515) 2008-12-19 16:20

Hi Lee,

so glad to see you again. This photo is on my way of creative logic. Lovely picture with sympa details and smile of your hero.

Compliments and friendship for you,

Branko

foozi (7101) 2008-12-19 18:56

Hi Lee,
your portrait gives a good explanation of the society and its people. The socio economic status also can be guessed from. Well taken and well represented.
A very good composition. Excellent colour defintion and good use of light.

Regards,
Foozi

kevinos (7517) 2008-12-29 22:16

A nice, sharp image of an interesting person, caught in an interesting position, Lee. Cutting people off is always a difficult ara and I find the cutting off of his feet a little distracting.But a nice, frank portrait. regards kevin

dareco (17136) 2009-05-28 20:23

A very nice portrait of this hard working man. I like the lighting, colors and detail. Good expression as well. TFS