The Gentle Giant, a photo from Ontario, Central

Photographer's Note

St. Patrick's Night, Ottawa, ByWard Market.
I spotted this absolutely overtowering, giant Irish elf with a glittering necklace and matching green top hat walking down the snow-covered street with some revellers at least half a meter smaller than he was. Looking very gentle, I couldn't restrain myself from taking a shot. (Having no tripod with myself nor a fast lens, the result is not the best quality...)
I am uploading the colour version in the Workshop.

pgorod, coco, a_i_ren, tcht, bantonbuju, kdialyna, AnimeshRay, luisafonso, eleparc heeft deze opmerking als nuttig gemarkeerd

Critiques | Translate

kozak (711) 2007-03-18 14:13

you know Sarolta your pics are wonderful. That's all I can say. I mean this one is great, quite a steady hand for 1/10th of a second. Good job.

Nick

xavshot (69835) 2007-03-18 14:22

Hello Sarolta
un n&b excellent et une prise de géant ! j'aime bien l'effet immobile de ce personnage comparé aux autres autour de lui qui semblent courir. Beau travail
Xavier

pgorod (1019) 2007-03-18 14:31

I like the color version better, it has warmer tones, and these fit better with the image of gentleness intended. I like the green in his hat and green is a very positive color... Anyway, it's a good picture whatever the treatment you give it.

I wonder what it would look like if it had occurred to you to duck before clicking. This guy would look even taller if shot from a low standpoint...

mesutilgim (0) 2007-03-18 14:39

Hi Sarolta,
Great job ! Wonderfull work and great technique.
TFS
MESUT ILGIM

Ioan (49) 2007-03-18 15:27

Oh, but this is a wonderful picture! How could you make the photo so clear using 1/10 sec and no tripod?? Very nice the effect of the other persons passing by.. Regards
Ioan

coco (30439) 2007-03-18 15:39

Hi Sasa.

I like this daily life scene and how mixes movement and "froozen" people. Also I like the diagonal made by the street and the man (or woman) who appears at the end and looks at us.

Nice work.

a_i_ren (1315) 2007-03-18 15:46

Pure delight to see the world through Your eyes, Sasa! Unusual formation, ferry tail’s magic side you wore capable to extract from the scene. Gentle giant’s sparkling necklace winks to us from the screen, impossible to miss, and his gently self-dissolving surrounding shying away allowing entire place to Your main subject. Love it!
inna

tcht (7565) 2007-03-18 16:13

Hi Sasa
yea the BW's definitely better choice. sharpness of the man's pretty gd actually, considering the 1/10 shutter, you've got steady hands. and the blurs r simply but very effective. great street scene.
Cheers
CheukHin

faubry (35447) 2007-03-18 17:38

hello Sasa, very nice blur effect on others people.. and give a lot dynamism here with this man... i prefer BW choice.
good day
framcime

Furachan (0) 2007-03-18 20:27

Great shot, Sasa, more Holloweenish than St Patricks in a way ;o) Soooky really, him satnding still long enough to give you the shot, everyone else a motion blur ghost.
You know in this instancwe (and THIS instance only, I might just prefer the color vesrion, which has that all important GREEN!)
Superb framing and timing. Love it!
bw,
Francis

MiguelP (14470) 2007-03-19 5:16

I remember St.Patrick night in Los Ángeles years ago, with Sunset Boulevard full of drunk people like the most european night in the States (and I say european because this celebration reminds me to some other german, spanish or italian celebrations).
It´s a strange photo, you tell about a certain lack of quality but the point is that I like the effect of this man figure, like over the rest, like a chroma-key effect (as we do in TV). Beside he has the kind of typical face of "life-is-wonderful" we all wear while getting drunk.
Take Care.
PS: No internet conection at home at the present, so not very active. Take care.

brevbrev14 (140) 2007-03-19 6:16

Dear Sasa, i like a lot this composition!
i like the "giant" stopped and the other persones in movement under the wall.
Very good diagonal and perspective!
i like also the expression of this man!
ciao!
take care!
valeria

jinju (14265) 2007-03-19 7:33

Damn thats a great b/w. Your b/w shots have a shine to them, as if Im looking at a print Sasa. That comes from the fantastic contrast and tonal range. The compo is great, nice static and dynamic juxtaposition.

bantonbuju (51815) 2007-03-19 9:14

the gentle giant looks terrific, sasa!
it must have been quite a night there in ottawa, it was here in warsaw definitely, at least for me :-)))
love this work, so funny, so party-like, so refreshing...
hope you had a good time....
bw, j.

cbrman (21685) 2007-03-19 11:35

Hello Sarolta,

Quel portrait ! Le filé isolent le sujet et permettent de se concentrer sur lui ! J'aime bien l'éclairage des pieds qui donne encore plus de grandeur à cette personne !
Bien vu !

A+

Dominique

kdialyna (3148) 2007-03-19 13:11

Good evening Sarolta.
I like the "fast decision" photos.
In these you can see the talent and the real character from the photographer.
This is a real "fast decision" photo and it is very good. The expression from the guy, the moving "shadows" behind of him, the grafitis, everything gives perfect the atmosphere from street life and of course the...good heart of the giant.
Bravo!
My best regards
Kostas

michel_r (1118) 2007-03-19 14:48

Hi Sasa, I guess i prefer the color one for the sake of the green hat which relates then to St Patrick. However, the B&W version stands pretty well by itself and does he look like a giant! These blurry people passing by while he's standing still convey the perception of huge force you would expect from a giant. Very well done again.
amicalement, michel.

vapours (8264) 2007-03-19 15:04

I actually do like the quality here Sarolta. We've had so many bright green photos of celebration, that its a nice twist to have something thats completely opposite.

AnimeshRay (9089) 2007-03-19 21:23

Very nice blur effect, with stunning detail on the stationary objects and man. Seems like a street scene shimmering in the moonlight.

luisafonso (862) 2007-03-20 6:53

Definitely the b&w version. Just to confuse you a bit more ;) I don't want to die before taking a similar approach on one (or several) of my photos. Being able to shoot a place where one guy stands while the rest passes by fast is one of my favorite themes. Great diagonals here. Probably he is a bit too centered for my taste, but it doesn't bug me at all. I would like to see him stand on the right empty area but I guess you can't always direct our subjects. I mean, in the street, we can never direct our subjects. It is we that have to move.

eleparc (24063) 2007-03-20 14:54

i'll be very honest, the color version does it better for me than the b&w this time! You have been so lucky to have this man standing still while his friends were moving, making a great blur! i find it a good quality shot!
Eric

thericerocket26 (467) 2007-03-21 19:58