Old Couple, a photo from Guangdong, South

Photographer's Note

I met the old man at a bread stand. I showed him a slip of paper that asked in Chinese if I could take his photo. He waved his hand no. I ended up paying for his bread anyway. He was so taken aback by my goodwill gesture that he waved me to follow him around the corner and into a small, dark room, about the size of a closet. His wife joined us and brought me a beer and an orange. Neither of us spoke each other's language. He kept giving me a thumbs up sign and I did the same to him. After about 20 minutes, he pointed to my camera and motioned that I could take the photo. It was truly one of my most memorable experiences of my life.

joebatista, spence, hispic, scalerman, shihwei, carmem_busko, Alain, choucas, jmfarace, travellingtales, AnimeshRay, Prisley, thebig_d81, danbachmann, ksoloduc, gwilsonnz, marieaude, futureuniverse, leiju, quantabeh, thaprem, MLINES heeft deze opmerking als nuttig gemarkeerd

Critiques | Translate

Eugene (971) 2004-11-29 15:45

It is a nice and sharp picture. You can see they lived there lives by working hard. I belief you used flash light. This gives more accent on the fases. WEll done, Eugene

joebatista (133) 2004-11-29 16:19

I can’t help but love this picture,
They’re faces glow of age and turbulence,
great lighting and smooth look.
Nice job Jamie

spence (65) 2004-11-29 16:26

Wonderful story, Jamie - this sort of human connection is what we all dream of when we travel. I love your shot - the centered position of your subjects, their direct gazes, the atmospheric setting, I can't really analyze why this shot moves me, but it does. One of my favourites.

michel_r (1118) 2004-11-29 16:32

very good picture Jamie. Thank you. I love these colors and am amazed at the difference in the tone of the skin of the man and the woman. The whole picture feels old. Bravo.
michel.

maciekda (19895) 2004-11-29 19:07

wow, this is beautiful... and the story is beutiful too. but this China doesn't exist anymore I am afraid, at least not in Guangzhou.. very special picture, i will add it to my favorites, i hope more people can see that

scalerman (26900) 2004-11-29 19:44

so many new contributors on TE with such great stuff. Your subjects look a little stiff, but the details in this shot make up for it.

flydragon (0) 2004-11-29 20:03

hello Jamie
this is a beautifull picture
i love it
nice composition
those old people are so cute
a beautifull second shot
welcome to TE
••simon••

arepa (86) 2004-11-29 20:57

Jamie,

Great picture and equally great story. Just goes to show what a little kindness can do. Excellent job.

olli (2091) 2004-11-30 5:12

Perfect – a documentary and very beautiful shot at the same time. Interesting subject and background, natural pose, beautiful dark tones and light.
I think the image needs some adjustments in PS – posted a WS...
Excellent work, Jamie.

rjamin (1169) 2004-11-30 7:29

This is a very intriguing photo.

From your note its obivous the subject pose for the frame, and it does show. It exactly how some people will pose when they have their picture taken. But there is some feel of openness and trust from the couple that somewhat breaks the formality of the pose.
Technically the exposure a bit washed out and sharpness is not optimal. But the composition and atmosphere easilly fills the gap, I can't help giving this full marks.

leschamb (371) 2004-11-30 22:40

I think the stiffness of the subects really fits in with the story- it was a new experience for them, as well as a new experience for you, too.
Having little experience with using flash myself, I'd be interested in learning what flash techniques you used for this great shot.

KUAN (1502) 2004-12-01 3:48

I love this picture... This people look like with another epoch...

Luko (14000) 2004-12-02 11:41

Though this is not very old, it looks like a picture from forgotten times... something with the processing also, muted colors that give a early XX century autochrome feel.

Very interesting characters, she's both strange and cute too, looking like an old baby. The way they look into your lens makes us understand they might have not been photographed very often in their whole lives.

A nice story to go along with.

Belumpi (306) 2004-12-07 8:51

hahaha...no more words....this just puts a smile on your face!!!!!!

nygus (8178) 2005-01-08 6:05

shite. this is one of the best photos here so far. looks like a fairy tale. big up.

Alain (302) 2005-02-05 19:02

This is an excellent photo. I like how stiff they are. They are probably not comfortable. The story is priceless. Thanks for posting.

agnieszqa (976) 2005-03-23 17:57

wow!very good picture!

travellingtales (107) 2005-05-17 6:41

I'm really looking forward to travelling in China, and I'm glad there's people out there taking a real interest in some of the more traditional elements of the culture. Thanks for sharing. Your photo has awakened my imagination :-)
jp

AnimeshRay (9089) 2005-05-22 23:27

A beautiful photo, and a sweet story behind it. I love the expression of the couple. Humble people but big heart.

zmfactor (294) 2005-05-22 23:35

Looks like they just came out of the set of "Once Upon a Time in China". Their expressions carry the day. Your story to go along with this shot is icing on the cake. Commenter maciekda makes a good point: Guangzhou has come a long way since the times of this picture, which was not many years after the convertion of the national socialist economy into a capitalistic one. High-rises, shopping malls and car traffic have taken over the place. This is a very special photo, and truly thanks for sharing!

Prisley (1485) 2005-06-14 13:14

I guess the story makes it all! I love stories behind the scene and this one is very neat. What a strange and beautiful moment. The man's face seems very pale compared to his wife's and their expression are so different...it's a really interesting shot!
Thanks for sharing it Jamie!

Amelia (245) 2005-07-13 4:45

Great picture!
You show theirs true colours.
It's really truly picture from daily life
regards

thebig_d81 (777) 2005-09-09 14:18

Great portrait. Well done. Love the expressions. The note adds to the picture well.

L810th (0) 2005-11-26 9:57

Hi! Jamie,
Everything has been said that needs to be said about this magical encounter you had. I have had few similar experiences in my time and yes, they do stay with you for life. Thank you for sharing this image. I did a WS to neutralize the shadows and sharpen their features.
Mike.
PS. If you should ever return to this part of China you should bring some photos back for these people and their family. (An uplifting experience! believe me.)

fiedziu (1764) 2005-11-27 16:12

yes very special picture, nice story
maybe somwhere there is China like this
thanks for sharing such an old picture
regards

ksoloduc (324) 2006-01-25 11:19

wow, the same warmth and expressiveness is coming from their faces, as if it was one of the Rembrant paintings,
instant favourite
Kasia

marieaude (1196) 2006-03-29 3:33

I like this photo with those two old persons. I understand that the moment was great for you, but I suppose a litlle bit strange too. The background is autentic too I like from an other time. Thanks for dharing this experience.

yang_yt (803) 2006-08-07 11:06

vivid pic!I love it !

MLINES (12516) 2009-10-11 1:09

Hi Jamie, A very fun story about how this image happened. China is certainly full of surprises. The result is a wonderful double portrait. In black and white or sepia, it could well be from a history book. Good work. TFS. Murray.

figenya (2852) 2009-12-09 2:04

Hi Jamie,

Very natural look, I like the colours, cheers

regards

figen