what? quetzal has fallen again???..., a photo from Quiche, Nord

Photographer's Note

-- Quetzal: the local currency of Guatemala

-- Quetzal: a colorful bird of the trogon family

-- Quetzalcoatl: an aztec sky and creator god

-- Quetzalteca Especial: liquor, consumed in copious amounts upon and after the market close

-- Place: Chichicastenango cathedral front

-- Time: noon on the market day, November 20th, 2008

-- Chichi: a treasure chest of characters, life stories, expressions, colors, smells, and, of course, merchandise...

-- "white spots"? it's smoke rising from one of the many bonfires lit on the stairs of the cathedral

belido, ciakgiak, Gerrit, AROBN54, fulvio52, avene, dareco, feather, jorgi, plimrn, archimatica, alexisborel, parbo, jurarafal trouve(nt) cette note utile

Critiques | Translate

Jeppo (17645) 2008-12-05 4:07

ciao Kristaps,

excellent portrait. I love the tired and weary expression of this campesino.
hazed tones makes the compo even more attractive

ciao
silivo

mauro61 (53411) 2008-12-05 4:09

ciao Kristaps,
complimenti un ritratto davvero eccezionale!!
per l'espressione del volto, per l'inquadratura, per l'atmosfera che la leggera foschia porta.
buona giornata
maurizio

BennyV (34748) 2008-12-05 4:13

Hi Kristaps,

What a lovely, moody shot. Through the smokey haze the colours are magic and the pensive expression priceless. I also like the square format. A great portrait!

Benny

yquem46 (38752) 2008-12-05 4:36

Hi Kristaps
Reading the title, with the dust, I first thought that Quetzal was a local hero of rodeo !!!
Excellent portrait well showing the mood of the campesino
Regards
Patrick

kyrneucciu (1390) 2008-12-05 4:44

Hi Kristaps, A fabulous portrait, congratulations. JO

belido (19934) 2008-12-05 4:57

Hello Kristaps,

you are doing very well with the square format for those portraits. The three last ones work very well. I'm not sure if I like the blurred white spots, perhaps they would work better if they had not filled the whole image. What's that? I really like the worry expression on his face. Well done!
Regards,
Carlos

jjcordier (79299) 2008-12-05 5:05

Kristaps
Beau portrait avec cette fumée (?) qui crée une atmosphère particulière et lui donne de l'originalité. Ton modèle a une sacrée "gueule", comme on dit chez nous.
Amicalement
JJ

mesutilgim (0) 2008-12-05 5:44

Hi Kristaps,
Amazing capture ! Good pov and nice compo with it's own story !
Good, usefull notes as well
TFS and best regards
MESUT ILGIM

liviu (600) 2008-12-05 6:23

this is the photo of the day on my opinion!
well done kristaps!
liviu

ciakgiak (30) 2008-12-05 6:27

Hello.
oh la la, beautiful, beautiful indeed.
A magnificent portrait.
Best Regards
Giorgio

Gerrit (62042) 2008-12-05 7:15

Hi Kristaps,
wonderful portrait through the smog.
Quite a character.
Regards, Gerrit

AROBN54 (11475) 2008-12-05 7:30

Hello, Kristaps,
this is a marvelous portrait. Even through the smoke you can see the fine details of his face and hat. Wonderful light and nicely softened colors and a great expression. I love square formats and this worked beautifully. VERY well done! Many thanks and kindest regards,
Shelly

fulvio52 (8314) 2008-12-05 7:39

Hi, Kristaps.
Priceless expression, perfect format once again. This square stuff works very well for me. The exposure is spot on, it makes this portrait moody and very much alive. Well seen and very well presented, COOL shot!
Have a nice weekend, buddy. See ya soon,
Fulvio.

avene (12675) 2008-12-05 8:11

not sure about the black frame, for me it feels a little too heavy for the photo that is almost weightless because of the smoke. the level of details is amazing, and his expression priceless. looks like a shaman contemplating the benefits of modern medicine as opposed to traditional "mushrooms". excellent work.

best,
Kristine

ifanik (21679) 2008-12-05 9:23

Fantastic portrait my friend
Really wonderful photo
congratulation
Best regards
Nick

Wandering_Dan (3449) 2008-12-05 18:31

Hi, Kristaps -

A fabulous portrait, almost a caricature of a portrait, in fact. I can't quite decide what to make of his expression; I suspect that his face normally falls out that way because of the muscles and the folds. Either way, it's powerful, and the positioning is also very good, with the smoke and the background both providing good minimalist elements to fill in the space. The square frame is something you don't want to overdo, but here it does work.

Best,
DAn

dareco (17136) 2008-12-05 22:34

I really do love this one!!! Oh the smoke and this very interesting individual, great expression!!! Fantastic capture! TFS

MarcT (20964) 2008-12-05 23:24

Hi Kristaps,
Very special light filtered trough the smoke. Nice portrait and presentation.
Cheers
Marc

emka (158030) 2008-12-05 23:39

Hi Kristaps

Quetzal, the saint bird is everywhere. On masks, embroidery, jewellery. I have earrings with it, and table cloth. But to see it is very difficult, I had no luck. Splendid portrait of this old man, I can imagine sitting him on the steps of the church with all this smoke. On Sunday there is very interesting procession in the town. Was it also on Thursday?

Warm regards

Malgorzata

feather (51130) 2008-12-06 6:23

There is something about the smoke that makes this a really powerful portrait. It is pin-sharp with excellent detail, yet softened by the smoke. He certainly does look grumpy and this look coupled with your title makes the image very funny. (especially when I was first thinking of the elusive bird called the resplendent quetzal; like it couldn't stay up in the tree. ;D)
Kath

jorgi (3810) 2008-12-07 3:03

Hi Kristaps,

i will have to finish with this one for today.
I think that all what is inside the frame is fantastic.
Dusty atmosphere, his expression...superb. His thoughts seem distant...his look miles away...memories troubling?...
But I absolutely hate the frame. I'm sorry to use that exact words but it is waaay to heavy for me. It frames the dimension that should go beyond...the dimension that travels with the distant look of this captivating man. It should be lighter or without...
Well...my 2 cents...don't lose any sleep over this ;)

Enjoy the sunday,
Jeri

plimrn (21344) 2008-12-07 20:48

Hi kristaps,
The title really matches the expression; "It's really no more than can be expected of that stupid bird!!", he's thinking. The smoke does create a unique atmosphere. The framing of your portrait is perfect with plenmty of space for the fellow to stare glumly off into space. He looks a lot like me after the 2004 election!!
HLJ, Pat

archimatica (20648) 2008-12-08 2:58

Ciao Kristaps,
excellent portrait.
Through the smokey haze the colours are magic.
Interesting note.

Regards,
Renzo

Greg1949 (9011) 2008-12-08 4:42

Kristaps, this is an amazing shot having such crisp focus through the smoke, Fine capture.

Greg

faubry (35447) 2008-12-10 1:05

congratulations for this smoke portrait..like intemporel photo. congratulations
francine

alexisborel (755) 2008-12-13 16:49

Hi Kristaps
thanks for your critic.
So it was there you were hidden last month.
The portrait work well and his face marked by years is expressive.
Dop is also excellent and smoke or dust in foreground made a particular atmosphere
Have a good day

Alexis

parbo (11092) 2008-12-30 17:25

Hello Kristaps,

The smoke helps perfectly for curios scene to watch your very well taken photo more carefully and forces to read all documentations. Enviably caught expression on his face while the eyes targeted to some where. His blue coat, body language, sieve hat not less, not more. Excellent focus in smoky environment. Congratulations.

With my best new year wishes to you and your family.

Friendly Regards,

Ertugrul

jurarafal (265) 2009-02-17 15:19 [Comment]