Old Order Mennonites - St Jacob's Market

[Manfred M]

I spent a very short time at the St Jacob's Market on Saturday to practice my street photography skills, and tried to get a few shots of some of the old order Mennonites who were there selling their products. Historically, they have a similar history to the Amish, but are distinctly different groups. The Amish men have long beards and the Mennonite men are clean shaven. They eschew some aspects of modern life, like electricity and cars and still travel in horse drawn buggies.

A B&W treatment of these subjects seemed appropriate....

These people are notoriously camera shy, so getting a shot in a crowded market is rather extremely challanging...

This man was at his maple syrup stand. We bought some of his horseradish.




This woman was selling baked goods.





I was practicing with the mFT GX7, that my daughter had borrowed for the past couple of weeks.

[bnnrcn]

Very impressive image Manfred, I don't know if you added some grainy effect or it is noise but it suits the image very well. Very nice details on the hat and on the clothes. And the looks in the eyes are lovely. Super image for me

[Kodiak]

The look in those eyes is just as sweet as the product he sells! …must have blue eyes.

Yes, B&W is the right rendition… but there seems to be a lack of micro-contrast
that gives a too sweet —too soft— look to this photograph.

[Manfred M]

Very impressive image Manfred, I don't know if you added some grainy effect or it is noise but it suits the image very well. Very nice details on the hat and on the clothes. And the looks in the eyes are lovely. Super image for me

Cloudy day (part of the reason for my short stay was that it started to rain a few minutes after I took these shots) and they were standing in a very dark area, so the "grain" is high ISO noise.

[Mike Buckley]

I like that both of them show the subject's mood. Excellent!

[bnnrcn]

I also like the second one , I didn't see it ,I think you uploaded it while I was commenting on #1. Is that vignette on the corners ? It seems a bit strong.

[juznobsrvr]

I dig them. I actually like the soft and grainy look that make them appear to have been shot with a medium format film camera. Personally, I think sharpness and micro-contrast are over rated. (Yeah I know - Physician heal thyself ... I'm guilty as charged.) Fab work, Manfred.

[Manfred M]

I also like the second one , I didn't see it ,I think you uploaded it while I was commenting on #1. Is that vignette on the corners ? It seems a bit strong.

Yes, strong vignette on purpose (did a vignette and then duplicated it to make it stronger); trying to give the image a bit of an "old" medium format look.

[Manfred M]

•
The look in those eyes is just as sweet as the product he sells! …must have blue eyes.

Yes, B&W is the right rendition… but there seems to be a lack of micro-contrast
that gives a too sweet —too soft— look to this photograph.

Thanks - I was debating that myself; bit of a back and forth between the high noise and extra sharpening, so I held back on the sharpening a bit more to constrain the digital noise.

[bnnrcn]

I think the vignette looks so strong because I clicked on the image to make it smaller to fit on my laptop screen for a moment and the BG of the website is not gray but black there.

[Shadowman]

1st image nicely captured and would serve well as an advertising shot for the gentleman. Second shot, could have been captured anywhere as we don't see her goods, nice portrait.

[ied]

Beautiful images. You captured their expressions nicely.

Irene

[FootLoose]

I like the first shot, Manfred, and the treatment you have given it. It would have been nice if the guy had arranged the background a little neater but it is what is. However, I might remove the triangle next his left ear.

[truonda]

Great shots, Manfred! You should have told me you were going to be at St. Jacob's Market! I live pretty close by

[John 2]

There's innocence in one face and a lot of living in the other Manfred. Well captured. The noise doesn't bother me but perhaps a little more contrast would be worth a try but I guess that is down to personal preference.

[deetheturk]

Well captured Manfred, B+W was the right choice for p/p!

[IzzieK]

The first thing I notice were his eyes...he must have been a handsome chappy when he was young...The soft touch suits this shot very well...lady in #2 is more like a contemplation shoot. I prefer#1 better..

[gregj1763]

Both wonderful images Manfred but the first one really stands out for me. I love the kind expression on his face and the vignette really works well with this image. The old fashioned Maple syrup tins really suit, maybe the box behind his head could be removed? But that is just personal taste.
Well done mate

[Manfred M]

Thanks for all of the comments; they do help put things into perspective for me.

I really looked at these images as a bit of a learning experience. My wife and I are off to Northern India, Bhutan and Nepal in September, and I did not want to drag the D800 along for that trip for a number of reasons (living out of a backpack, being the main one).

While I've had the GX7 for a few months now, I'm still not confident enough with it for the type of photography I expect to be doing; primarily street photography, landscape work and architecture. Neither am I sure if I am going to stick to a single lens (14-140mm) or am I also going to take the 100-300mm along as well, so the best way to work things out is get out there and practice and test things out.

At this point, my "hit rate" for images that are "keepers" is not quite there yet. I'm still frustrated by the limitations of the camera and the lenses, versus what the D800 does with pro glass in similar shooting situations, but I still have time and will keep on shooting and polishing both my technique and camera work...

[nimitzbenedicto]

Hi Manfred,

The 1st one is spot on . Your timing/selection of subject is truly admirable.

The 2nd? Ouch! Ouch! Just kiddin .
I guess , have to agree with them your technique is tops.
Just that it doesn't seem to have the draw or impact of the 1st.