This Old Man

[Colm Noonan]

<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/colmnoonan/2246160347/" title="Old Man by Olympiad, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2027/2246160347_2d4c84ffd5.jpg" width="397" height="500" alt="Old Man" /></a>
Exposure: 0.017 sec (1/60)
Aperture: f/5.6
Focal Length: 113 mm
ISO Speed: 100
Exposure Bias: 0/10 EV
Exposure Program: Manual
Metering Mode: Spot

Hello there,

I took this today, (very sneakily), its my first candid of a person I don't know so kind of rushed it.
What got me was his face, it was so weathered.
Any suggestion as to how to improve next time would be appreciated. I know I should have tried to get more in front of him but I was a little bit shy and didn't want to get caught.

Thank you.

[oriolhdz]

Hi Colm Noonan:
I like the photo. It's composition and the choice you did it in B&W. Also the mood that this persons express. What I wonder is how it would look if you had take the complete body. Maybe I would add more drama to it.
The DOF is good and the subject is clear and detailed.
Hope we see more of your work. Congratulations!

[Colm Noonan]

Thanks oriolhdz,

I wasn't too sure if I got enough of his face in the shot, but I also wanted to convey the idea that he might have been trying to hide away from the world.

Thank you for words of encouragement.

[siopaopei]

i really love the mood of this photo. i think the composition is alright, him being turned away from the camera adds to the story of the photo.

[ELAY]

I am really taken by your conversion -- great tones and textures.

The subject is turned away, which would be OK -- but for the shadow. With him turned away, and the shadow obscuring the bottom half of the face, this falls just a little short of fantastic. Not your fault obviously, given that you didn't necessarily have a cooperative subject.

EL

[Colm Noonan]

Thanks ELAY

When I first saw this guy, immediately I was drawn to his face, I wanted to capture the moment he was in but I didn't pay attention to other factors which would affect the overall
image (most notably the shadow on his face). Also I was accompanied by my 5 year old daughter who kept asking me "why are you taking a photograph of that old man", nearly getting his attention. Overall I think I'm happy with how the conversion turned out. No doubt there will be many more opportunites to present themselves to which I'll be better prepared.

Thanks again.

[Tafnap]

I see you used spot metering do you happen to remember what you metered? I love the overall feel that you were trying but that left ear just keeps distracting me so close to the dark shadow. Maybe if you darkened the whole image a little that may make the contrast of the ear and face less distracting.

I like it though thanks.

[sunshyn]

I love this picture. The textures and DOF really caught my attention. As a newbie, I'm especially impressed with your ability to notice the opportunity and take the shot! I agree with the comments on the shadow - it's distracting to me. I like the idea of trying to darken the rest of image to match and may try that on some of my own photos with unwanted shadows.