Crewman on the Bluenose II.

[John 2]

The crew on the boat were mainly youngsters (by my standards ) except for the Captain and this gentleman. Not sure what his role was. He stood in the cuddy (entrance to below decks) for most of the cruise because being above the galley, it was the warmest place on the deck (his description). He was happy to have me photograph him and as I did so I spotted the lady in the BG. I thought she helped the composition so I included her but your thoughts welcome. I've deliberately given this a slightly gritty finish just because I like that for working environment portraits. C&C welcome as always.

Fuji X plus 14mm WA.

[madcrow]

Nicely done, I like the image.

[Shadowman]

Very crisp capture.

[Sergio M.]

John, a very fine image. The composition with parts of the ship and the woman in the background create layers which add context and interest to the shot. The man looks at home and content with himself. There is very good contrast between the foreground and background. The only thing I'm not fond of, and this is purely personal taste, is the processing. As I said, this is subjective, and does not diminish what I like about the photograph.

Sergio

[Wandjina]

I think this is a great photo John. This fellow has such a contented look on his face ... and I agree with you, the lady in the background adds some interest to what would otherwise be a "dead" area in the photo. Well done

[bnnrcn]

Excellent image John , good idea to have the lady in the BG That is a very lucky man to have such an image of himself

[bje07]

Very good expression and treatment of his face/portrait but but i'm not fan of the too smooth (noiselesss) BG

[LePetomane]

He looks very comfortable with his surroundings. I like it.

[John 2]

Thanks all for the comments.

Sergio, I can understand your preference. I sometimes just like a portrait of a character like this to be slightly gritty and so I have added a bit of structure overall in Nik Vivesa. I think it would work equally well as a straight shot.

Jean, there's been no difference in processing for the BG. The settings were 1000th sec @ f4 ISO 200. The Fuji has a particularly good noise performance but at ISO 200, I wouldn't have thought it any better than most cameras these days. Maybe the fact that the BG is slightly out of focus is producing that effect. Not sure.

[davidedric]

Excellent image, John.

The name of the boat caught my eye, too. If you Google "bluenose houghton weavers" you'll find a YouTube recording of the boys singing about the original Bluenose (I guess being from the north west you'll have come across the Houghton Weavers).

Dave

[Manfred M]

John - I've been looking at your image for a couple of days now and have finally figured out what this image reminds me of. It reminds me of the art of a well known Canadian painter, Alex Colville, who spent most of his life in Nova Scotia. Somehow it brings this image to my mind.


http://www.alexcolville.ca/gallery/a...edward_island/

[John 2]

Thanks Dave, thanks Manfred.

Manfred, I see from your link that there are Alex Colville exhibits in the Art Gallery of Toronto and the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax. We spent quite a lot of time in both and perhaps something rubbed off. I seem to remember the piece of the young woman set against the top of the red lighthouse. He certainly seems to have had a sense of humour and on occasion, a slightly racy outlook but perhaps that's just me.

[IzzieK]

I like the picture of the gentleman itself...very nice. Good composition...

[terrib]

It's a great portrait of the man. I like the composition a lot and I think it would have been a fine image with or without the woman. I like the processing. It seems to work here, especially with the B&W.

[Craigie]

What a wonderful image John.

[kdoc856]

Love the portrait, John.

Am torn over the inclusion of the woman in the BG: impossible not to look and wonder who she is- is the wife of the portrait subject, or of the shooter? Does she play a part in either of their stories, or does she tell another?

I guess I'm leaning toward her inclusion if she has a part in the lives of either you or the main subject and exclusion if not. I'll revisit and reconsider. I do like the touch of "grit".

[John 2]

Thanks Izzie, Terri, Gary and Kevin for the added comment.

Kevin, My only thought at the time was that given the angle (governed by where I was sat), she filled a bit of the negative space on the LHS and that was helped by the fact that I waited until she was looking into the frame. She has no other connection that I know of.

[FootLoose]

Great portrait, John. I see him as a man in the prime of his life, self-satisfied and in control. And the woman seems to be looking on in approval or admiration. At first glance I though the processing was a bit severe but after viewing in Lytebox and considering the environment I think it complements the subject well.

[John 2]

Thanks Greg. He was certainly at one with life.