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12/23/2002 03:54:05 PM · #1 |
Have a glance at this shot:
If you know the source and story of this photo, please do not post it here until everyone has had a chance to comment. I do have permission from the owner to scan and post this photo for discussion here.
John Setzler
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12/23/2002 04:43:52 PM · #2 |
Guess I'll go first.
Critique Club critique:
Composition/Content: The point of focus is centered on the two people, their hard and unpretentious looks, their clothing, their humbleness. The image captures a feeling of poverty and of a hard life. There appears to be the makings of firewood laying around the cold ground partially covered by snow. B&W enhances the impact of the scene and the wood surrounding the two gives the impression that the wood itself might be an important part of their life.
Lighting: The lighting looks natural with no shadows.
Background: The background appears to be a barn or possibly part of their house. It adds to who they are.
Camera Work/Technical: Exposure is right, with blacks in the shadows, white snow, and many grays inbetween. The camera angle being above the two people creates a down-to-earth feeling.
Digital Processing: if it was processed, the contrast and brightness are also right on.
My Opinion: Great subject and great photograph. Makes me want to know more about these people, who they are, and what lives they have led. I wouldn't change a thing and would rate the image a 10.
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12/23/2002 04:51:42 PM · #3 |
Two words: "Russian Gothic."
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12/23/2002 06:00:26 PM · #4 |
The only thing I'd change is to get rid of whatever that white thing is in the guy's pocket. My eyes keep being drawn to it.
Shawn
PS How do I get in the critique Club? |
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12/23/2002 07:23:40 PM · #5 |
This looks almost like a movie set.
The depth of field is good, maybe too good. Nothing is really pulled from the picture for emphasis. Looks like something you would find in National Geo. I keep getting drawn to the black void of the doorway. What lies beyond? What secrets lie hidden there? The woman stands slightly behind the man. Not a full partner in his life?
Overall, I see a picture where the people were pretty much placed there. It doesn't seem to be a couple showing pride in their business/home/place. More like strangers brought there for decoration. (Fortunately John does know the story and hopefully will tell all.)
Message edited by author 2002-12-23 19:24:19. |
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12/23/2002 07:45:17 PM · #6 |
This is my "I'm watching 5 kids under the age of 6" critique so it will be pretty brief. This is one of the best pictures I've seen that says "Money can't buy happiness". They seem pretty happy judging by their content expressions. They have no gloves, the man's hat is about 3 sizes too small, yet they have a glow to them. The kind of woodcutter that goes out and finds a baby in the woods for he and his wife to care for like the fairy tale. Like they deserve to have all that happiness of a baby since they've toiled hard all their lives to live in poverty. All they have is each other, and that is enough. Patella said "Russian Gothic" and I think that really sums it all up.
This picture tells a story to everyone. It isn't necessarily always the same story to every viewer, but it sure makes my mind go shooting off in the direction of the woodcutter finding the baby. This is poignant, emotive, realistic... Times up, someone's crying!! Great find John. I could go on forever if you let me.
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12/23/2002 08:21:18 PM · #7 |
It's a great photo. How old is it?? It reminds me of some old photos my grandfather took in the early 1900's for some reason.
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12/23/2002 09:17:59 PM · #8 |
I don't see them as happy at all but rather more like surviving. The set of his shoulders and the way she is holding her hands tell me that it is more like "We don't need your help, we do just fine." I too am drawn to the black doorway and feel like it portrays the "black hole" that their lives are. The DOF and lighting are fantastic and I really like the shot.
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12/23/2002 09:24:21 PM · #9 |
John, before doing a critique... Can you tell us the title of the photo or the purpose it was made for? I mean if it was... say for the "Motion" challenge I would critique the non-technical part a bit differently ;-)
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12/23/2002 09:43:35 PM · #10 |
Technically, this photo is alright...wait...no...it's near perfect. Some could argue that the that subject is too centered, but I think that is part of the idea here. Lighting is great, dof is great, blah blah...
This photo tells a thousand stories, though, and that's where the beauty of it lies. They are all very well shown here.
These two remind me of my great-grandparents back in Europe. In fact, I can probably find a photo similar to this one at my parents house.
This is a couple that's lived a hard life in the country. They have no money but have always had food and a roof over their head...and I'm sure the man has told that same thing to a lot of people who have pointed out their lifestyle. His is a dominant man, knows everything and doesn't take no s*@t from nobody. His wife is one of the nicest ladies you could ever meet, and she bakes the best bread in town. She loves her husband, but deep inside wishes he was a bit nicer to her. You can tell this by how she is standing slightly behind him and leaning away from him (as if he told her before the photo was taken that she needed to move over so the camera could get a nice shot of HIM).
They have stuck together all these years cause of the trust they have on each other. She trusts that he can work enough for her to get the basics things for the house, and he trusts that she can take care of his house like a good housewife should.
The centering of the man also shows how he is DA MAN, but like people always say: behind a great man there's a great woman...and that's why she "completes" the photo.
This is not a photo to be analyzed technically, this is an emotional photo...one that can mean alot of things to a lot of people. The above is my interpretation.
bye for now
Message edited by author 2002-12-24 00:01:02. |
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12/23/2002 11:08:08 PM · #11 |
This photo was taken in the year 2000.
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12/23/2002 11:14:25 PM · #12 |
I haven't got long, so ...
Simply, the composition of this picture is simple, yet effective. Perhaps because I can identify with these kind of people and their surroundings (I live in the Appalachian Mountains, and though they are not common, I know some dwellings and people very similar to this). Technically, I like the coloring of it, because it removes the "time" element of it, giving it a more universal appeal. I think the pose of the people is reflective of their feelings towards outsiders (uneasy and almost defensive), but would be a great "series" if they ever warmed up to the photographer.
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12/23/2002 11:44:59 PM · #13 |
| I see this as a character study possibly for an article on the daily hardships of a woodcutter and his wife. I dont think I would change anything except that white patch, on the man's chest. Technically it is very good. |
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12/23/2002 11:53:30 PM · #14 |
They live in a harsh country, with very little except the barest of essentials. They both have to work just to make it. She is a loving and devoted wife, this is why she stands a little behind him. She is always pointing out how wonderful he is. She is not afraid of hard work and he would do anything for her. The look on their faces is determination...determination to make it no matter what comes their way. They will survive and they will die together; but they will be together. The place no value on material things. The love they share is what counts. I can't tell if they have a family or not, but feel they are satisfied with life as it is. I think the big thing I see is the determination of staying together always.
The look on the woman here may look hard but I believe it is the result of a hard life. She reminds me of my grandmother who was a Jew who fled from Tombsk Siberia during the killing of the Jews in WWI. She had this look but was the sweetest and gentlest woman you could ever ask to meet. The leathered look to the skin is from working outside in harsh weather.
The photo is perfect as far as I'm concerned. It speaks volumns of emotion. I love it.
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12/24/2002 09:22:51 AM · #15 |
Originally posted by sulamk:
I see this as a character study possibly for an article on the daily hardships of a woodcutter and his wife. I dont think I would change anything except that white patch, on the man's chest. Technically it is very good. |
I find this very brief, Sulamk, and don't quite understand what it is you like/dislike. What is it about the photo that you would not change it? What makes it technically very good? Where do you 'read' the daily hardships in this photo? What elements give you that impression?
I have also read through some of your other critiques on photos and find them a bit brief and they read more like a comment then a critique :) I tend to say 'Very good' alot as well, but I also explain why I think it's 'Very good'....or very bad ;)
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12/24/2002 10:04:20 AM · #16 |
There is a little dischord in this picture though. The pitchfork and rake look like ancient antiques, while the wood pile was obviously cut and trimmed by a modern chainsaw. The man seems to be wearing a pair of rubber boots also, which places him in the year 2000 instead of the late 1800's or early 1900's as the setting and colors dictate. As for the photographic qualities, I see no flaws (other than not liking that white spot I mentioned earlier).
Shawn |
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12/24/2002 10:47:52 AM · #17 |
| Looking at this photo I imagine Siberia, Romania or Germany. The open dark door is probably where the animals live and the couple live in the upstairs. Very interesting scene, please share the locale and the circa of this shot. |
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12/24/2002 12:07:35 PM · #18 |
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12/24/2002 07:16:57 PM · #19 |
John, you tease!
My grandfather's family was from Romania, but he was born in Brooklyn... |
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12/24/2002 07:37:41 PM · #20 |
Originally posted by jmsetzler:
Romania 2000 :) |
So.... as Paul Harvey would say... "The rest of the story?" |
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12/24/2002 10:32:39 PM · #21 |
This photo is on the cover of the Dec/Jan issue of LensWork magazine...
I saw this photo and sent the owner an email asking if I could use it for discussion here and she happily agreed... Her name is Kathleen Laraia McLaughlin. She is 34 years old and is from Chicago. This photo is titled: "Palaguta and Vasile Borodi, Budesti, Romania, 2000".
This photograph in itself doesn't really have a story, as it is part of a series in the LensWork magazine. Here is the Foreward from the series of photos in the magazine:
"Born in 1968 in Oak Park, Illinois (a suburb of Chicago), Kathleen Laraia McLaughlin grew up in an Italian/Irish/Catholic household; a background that keenly rooted her interest in family traditions.
Earning a B.S. in Psychology in 1990, she returned to Virginia Commonwealth University (Richmond, VA) to complete her MFA in photography in 2001. Her thesis had grown out of a year spent living with a peasant family in a village in Maramures, in northern Romania during 1999/2000.
To continue her work, she and her husband Henry returned to Romania in August 2002, where she is currently on a Fullbright Senior Scholorship as well as an NEH funded IREX grant. Living in the city of Clug-Napoca, in the heart of Transylvania, she is expanding her earlier work by documenting both rural and modern culture in Romania.
McLaughlin teaches a half course load at the Andreescu ARt Academy in 'Cluj,' which permits her time to travel to villages for week long januts to photograph. She has begun by comparing Hungarian traditions to those of the majority Romanians, and is starting to photograph the Roma (gypsy) traditions as well.
When not workin abroad, she and Henry make their home in Richond, Virginia."
Check out her website at //www.leafpile.com
John Setzler
This photo struck me right away as some sort of takeoff on "American Gothic" as someone mentioned earlier here.
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