Squared cropped portraits (6)

[Alis]

Welcome back, Antonio! We all missed you. I even asked about you once but nobody seemed to know. Hope you have enjoyed your time off...

These are nice pictures, as always. I have a question about the picture of the monk(?): seems like the vignietting is sort of irregular, the bright area in the middle does not look like a circle. What did you do? Was it intentional?

Cheers,

[Dave Humphries]

Antonio,

You cannot disagree with me
I said it was not the WB too!
Forgive me for not exressing myself clearly; I was talking ambient temperature when I said 'warm', I was rushing for work and although I had a feeling you might mis-understand, I had no time to say it better.

Anyway, so what's the story with the monk?

Is that as shot, or did you "dodge" the monk to give a little more brightness where he is?

Do tell,

[Antonio Correia]

Welcome back, Antonio! We all missed you. I even asked about you once but nobody seemed to know. Hope you have enjoyed your time off... These are nice pictures, as always. I have a question about the picture of the monk(?): seems like the vignietting is sort of irregular, the bright area in the middle does not look like a circle. What did you do? Was it intentional?Cheers,

Sedali, thank you for the compliment. I feel great to be so important
I have been away because... because I didn't feel like shooting that much. But I am coming back to my usual addicted way
The circle around the monk not being perfect is not intentional - the vignette is intentional - and it's irregularity doesn't bother me at all. To me, that halo emphasizes the character of the young man, whose story you will be able to read bellow.
The vignetting was done in LR in post crop in spite of this procedure not being a good one concerning the maintenance of colors...

Antonio, You cannot disagree with me I said it was not the WB too! Forgive me for not expressing myself clearly; I was talking ambient temperature when I said 'warm', I was rushing for work and although I had a feeling you might mis-understand, I had no time to say it better. Anyway, so what's the story with the monk? Is that as shot, or did you "dodge" the monk to give a little more brightness where he is? Do tell,

Dave, I was quite provocative wasn't I ?
I have nothing to forgive you in terms of language because here you are the one who is native English spoken. If there are misunderstoods - and there are sometimes - it is only my fault as Portuguese language is the one I have been learning from the cradle.
And here I go with the story of the monk.
At the entrance of a temple - Bhutan - I saw a monk and what he was holding called my attention: a rosary with big, large, round pieces. I can't even remember of seeing his face before I pointed at that "instrument" and asking to take a close up.
The guide came at that moment and told me Not here, not here.
We were outside of the temple and I could get a piece of the inside of it which I was not supposed to.
Then, while I was saying to the guy and to the guide that no, I was not shooting the inside but a detail of his hands, the monk went away and set on a bench, posing for the photography.
Then, he took from inside his robe a weep which he was proudly exhibiting.
I made 6 or seven shots and I came to this one which - tell me if you agree with me - emphasizes his power.
After the shots he wanted to chimp. He also wanted. I can't remember how it happened then but at a certain moment the guide was writting down his address for me to send the photo.
I said I would send it and I am going to. Sure.
Meanwhile, to illustrate the book I am going to make about this travel, I intend to use as cover the first image bellow.

Oh boy, I was almost forgetting to tell you that he was the "vice-president" of the monastery.
Now, we can understand his posture and his well fed healthy look.
Need less to say what he uses his weep to. Or do I also have to tell you about that ?

And a bonus

[Davey]

I like the one of the monk the most even if technically it's not the best, the reason is I can't stop wishing to see more past the edges of the frame, particularly to see the throne and the Thangka painting behind. It intrigues me more than the others and has something to it I can't put my finger on. As for the whip I guess he has to keep order somehow but looking at that I don't think you'd catch me misbehaving.

[Antonio Correia]

I like the one of the monk the most even if technically it's not the best, the reason is I can't stop wishing to see more past the edges of the frame, particularly to see the throne and the Thangka painting behind. It intrigues me more than the others and has something to it I can't put my finger on. As for the whip I guess he has to keep order somehow but looking at that I don't think you'd catch me misbehaving.

Thank you for commenting

[anchi]

Wow.. great portraits, number 2 and 6.. I love everything about them.. I wish I can learn from you.. thanks for sharing..

[Colin Southern]

Personally, I'm of the opinion that the square fomat is somewhat under-ultilised in photography. I used it myself just the other day for a landscape photo, and it worked very well for me (although everyone seems to be absolutely polarised as to whether or not they like it! - although I do, so that's all that matters to me!)

[Antonio Correia]

Wow.. great portraits, number 2 and 6.. I love everything about them.. I wish I can learn from you.. thanks for sharing..

Thank anchi.
I think you wouldn't learn very much from me, but we would discuss the use of lenses, apertures, focusing problems, whatever...

[Antonio Correia]

Personally, I'm of the opinion that the square fomat is somewhat under-ultilised in photography. I used it myself just the other day for a landscape photo, and it worked very well for me (although everyone seems to be absolutely polarised as to whether or not they like it! - although I do, so that's all that matters to me!)

Colin, the thing is that I do shoot for pleasure, for fun.
So, I crop the way I feel like and feel.
I am not compelled to this or that format, appearance, etc.

I like to make square crops sometimes.
I like the canvas and my copyright. Some people just say they don't like the canvas. OK. Theirs opinion and they are entitled to it.

As I said before I crop the way I like best, regardless the subject.
Thank you for commenting.

[peterb533]

Not up to Antonio's standard but this is my attempt at a square protrait

[Antonio Correia]

Hello Peter.
Thank you for being so flattering to me. I am sure you can also make Square Cropped Portraits (SCP) as well as I do. Or better. Why not ?
Just try it again and again.
If I have done it why not you ?

I dared to make a crop of your picture and I have worked on it a little bit. I hope you don't mind and if you do, please let me know and I immediately erase the picture from the site and I will not use it in any way.

Do you shoot raw ? You should...

My concept of SCP (Square Cropped Portrait) is with a tighter crop not exactly targeting on an action but on the person herself. It doesn't mean however that I am "chained" to this. No. I crop the way I feel, as simple as that.
A SCP may have one or two persons. And they must not have canvas either...
Oh well, my concept is so vague ...

Now, I would like everybody to post here his/her SCP, like a mug of SCPs.
If the Administrator think this it is not correct, it's OK. I have no problems at all.

[peterb533]

Antonio,

Your crop works better as a portrait, myoriginal was really to show the activity but now it is a portrait too.

Seeing some of your earlier posts reminded me of the Poladroid application stting on my hard drive. So I utilised it for this.



Peter

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Antonio,

I'm sure we mods and admins will have no problem, excepting that I think it would be nicer to start a fresh thread for the SCPs with your new title and some of the text from post #31.
If you'd like to do that, I can move Peter's first response into the new thread.

Or if you'd rather I did it, that's fine, I'd take the paragraph starting "My concept~" and the first line of bold text from your post #31.

If you feel you'd like to leave it as it is, no worries from me.

Regards,

[Antonio Correia]

Antonio,
Your crop works better as a portrait, myoriginal was really to show the activity but now it is a portrait too. Seeing some of your earlier posts reminded me of the Poladroid application stting on my hard drive. So I utilised it for this. Peter

But Peter it's all about it: SCPs Square cropped portraits remember ?
Yes. The idea began precisely by that: pictures like Polaroid.
I like you portrait but I am sure you can try to do something more exquisite.

[Wirefox]

I have to confess I am not the worlds biggest fan of posed portraiture but I am drawn to these images. This is probably because they are so well done. My favourite is the bonus shot in the 9:43 post. I suspect it is posed but it conveys a natural curiosity form the subject to the photographer. The square crop works really well but I am not struck with the polaroid borders. Given the quality of your work it seems like presenting caviar on a plastic picnic plate...just my opinion.

[Antonio Correia]

I have to confess I am not the worlds biggest fan of posed portraiture but I am drawn to these images. This is probably because they are so well done. My favourite is the bonus shot in the 9:43 post. I suspect it is posed but it conveys a natural curiosity form the subject to the photographer. The square crop works really well but I am not struck with the polaroid borders. Given the quality of your work it seems like presenting caviar on a plastic picnic plate...just my opinion.

Thank you for commenting
Some pictures of this serie are not posed, while some are indeed.
My mother was reading while I was around playing with the flash. It was a coincidence that the newspaper had that title...
The bonus shot was a posed picture. When we came to that place the young boy was in that position. As we were approaching he stopped beeing like that and then I told him with gestures to behave the way he was.
I looked like a little monkey making the pose he was few moments before.
He did it and I shot two or three pictures.
It was indeed a premeditated portrait because I thought of it the moment I saw the boy hanging the door handle (the sound of hanging the door handle doesn't sound very nice but OK OK I am not English).
I accept - do I have any choice ? - that you don't like the polaroid style. I myself consider for some time not to do it. But I decided the other way adding then my name.
I like the pictures with a canvas, a white one. It makes the image pop.
Look how the same bonus picture looks so "different" with and without canvas.
One thing is sure: files with canvas are longer to make and heavier

I had not compared two pictures like this before but I can see that one is "slightly larger" than the other... and this was not a posed portrait.

-:-

[Wirefox]

I like the way you have mounted the image on the right. It was the 'polaroid' format that did not do justice to your excellent work.

Whoops I stuck my size 12 in it with the assumption that your portraits were all posed...apologies

[Antonio Correia]

I like the way you have mounted the image on the right. It was the 'polaroid' format that did not do justice to your excellent work. Whoops I stuck my size 12 in it with the assumption that your portraits were all posed...apologies

Thank you, thank you !
Apologies ? For what ?
Have a nice week end.
A posed one: With gestures: "Wait, wait, picture ? Thank you ! ... "

[Wirefox]

Talk about saving the best until last. That image could sit proudly in any copy of the National Geographic.....I have to get some practice in

[Alis]

Here is mine; looks like she is posed but she is only 6 months old

And sorry about the extrahand...