Towards a Safer Tomorrow

[The amateur]

This man is one of many Brazilians who come to Portugal in search of safety and employment. I often meet them in shops, cafeterias, other places and while out shopping.
They consistently mention that one of the reasons for their move is the lack of security in their home country, both for themselves and for their families.
Comments welcome ! Thanks

[LenR]

Antonio, a nice portrait. I notice there are 2 dark (vertical) lines under each eye. Perhaps these are reflections in the eyeglass lenses. I wonder if cloning them out would be appropriate...

[The amateur]

Len, I thank you immensely for your most astute observation. And I am in the reflection !
There’s indeed that curious tendency for us to look without truly seeing. In fact, I hadn’t even noticed the reflection you mentioned.

Now, as for disguising it… the matter becomes somewhat more complicated.

Where I stood and therefore ahead of him, there was a pavement of paving stones, either white or very light, which is what appears here.

This photograph is part of a series of about five or six images, all treated uniformly under the title “Calceteiros.”

You might now ask: what are calceteiros ?
They are workers who manually lay paving stones – either in artistic patterns or otherwise – creating sidewalks that are moderately resilient.
These traditional pavements enhance urban spaces with beauty, yet they suffer a serious drawback: the weight of vehicular traffic now that cars can weight 2 tons or more when they brake for example, combined with the dimensions of the stones, causes the pavement to deteriorate rapidly.
This issue does not arise with pedestrian traffic, of course.

Cheers !

[Round Tuit]

This is a nice portrait. It might have been better if you had asked the subject to lift his glasses up so that the frame did not cut his eyes. I also noticed on close examination that the top of his neck is sharp but the lower part is blurry. Likewise, his head is sharp from front to back while his shoulders are not. This indicates to me a lack of precision in applying the blur.

[The amateur]

Hello André, thank you for your comment !

Your suggestion to ask the man to lift his glasses is interesting, but I must admit it does not seem the most appropriate. I believe that his glasses are an integral part of his identity, expression, and removing them would be like taking away the very air by which he presents himself. Moreover, he was at work and had already been very kind in posing for me.

I recognise that when photographing, our aesthetic perception differs from that which we have when observing a still image. To see a photograph on the monitor or printed, allows us to appreciate both the overall composition and the finer details with greater care.

Regarding the blurring, I agree with you. The photo was taken in 2015, and at the time, software tools for blurring were not as advanced as they are now, or perhaps they did not even exist. I checked the RAW image and, unsurprisingly, confirmed that the blur is not present. It was purely a processing error on my part.
Anyway, I have more knowledge today than nine years ago !

I have now taken the opportunity to correct the reflection in his glasses as suggested by Len, and I am pleased with the result. Please see the corrected photo below.

Beyond the technical aspects, what delights me the most about this portrait is the joy and good humour of the Brazilian subject, a trait common to many indeed, always ready with a smile and a pleasant conversation.
The sepia tone of the photo further enhances the sense of delight I experience when viewing it and recalling that brief moment.
Perhaps I am being too personal.

This photo is part of a series of five or six images, all treated uniformly under the title “Calceteiros.”
And now you might ask: what are calceteiros?
Calceteiros are workers who manually lay stones in either artistic or simple patterns, creating pavements that are both traditional and varied in resilience, thereby enhancing the pedestrian urban space.
However, their use pose a significant issue when used on roads for motor vehicles, due to the weight of traffic and the lower profile of the stones now employed, which degrade rapidly and require frequent, costly repairs.

[Round Tuit]

[QUOTE=The amateur;780342]Hello André, thank you for your comment !

Your suggestion to ask the man to lift his glasses is interesting, but I must admit it does not seem the most appropriate. I believe that his glasses are an integral part of his identity, expression, and removing them would be like taking away the very air by which he presents himself. Moreover, he was at work and had already been very kind in posing for me.
...
QUOTE]

I agree with you 100% Antonio. I was not suggesting that he should remove his glasses but rather that he should push them up his nose so that the top frame of the glasses would be above his eyes rather than cut through them. I think that the confusion arose because I am using "Canadian" English and you are probably more familiar with "British" English. You use the word "lift" to mean "remove" which would be normal usage in England but not in Canada.

[The amateur]

Hello André, I have something to confess.
My proficiency in English is only moderate, whereas I can converse quite fluently in French. Naturally, I am more adept in Portuguese since it is my native language.
So why and how do I write such lengthy texts here? I write them in Portuguese, allowing my thoughts to flow freely, and then I use ChatGPT to translate them. Why not ?
Nonetheless, I always review the English version to make any necessary refinements, which usually proves essential. It is hardly surprising, therefore, that my texts sometimes appear in European English.
-
But let us return to the pavement. Today I visited the city centre and photographed the work being carried out on pavement repairs. Just two photographs, which can be seen below.

Thank you.