Simanjiro

Photographer's Note

Simanjiro area in Tanzania, a very remote place where Masai people live. A young Masai boy seeing a doctor.

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Critiques | Translate

Homerhomer (4080) 2007-02-02 14:16

if it wasn't for a title I wouldn't even open this shot, thought this would be another kid photo, what a surprise, fantastic photo, everything is here, and I mean everything, even the feeling of seeing whatever pain the doc is getting ready to inflict on it's victim.
Great shot, really.
Peter

rushfan2112 (2965) 2007-02-02 14:51

Excellent and unusual composition. A very tense feeling to the situation. Wonderful lighting and skin tones and I really thike the use of differential focus - which makes the doctor look like a very imposing figure against the smaller - but better defined young boy.

ManuMay (36447) 2007-02-02 15:22

Wonderful pict.
The doctorґs concentration and boyґs eyes, they speak themselves.
TFS
Manuel

ndb1958 (9289) 2007-02-02 15:45

Amazing, Maciej. I like the composition of this portrait with the focus on that beautiful boy and the blury doc in the forground. The facial expression of the boy is so beautiful. The red behind him is very pleasent. Nice job, Nino.

designsoul (17843) 2007-02-02 16:32

Why I love this so much is because of that sense of wonderment in the boy's eyes, Maciek, and the ever subtle bokeh of the doctor's glasses, expertly rendered with shallow dof. The spectacle might be gruesome, we don't know, but the boy's one-focused attention endows the shot with true beauty, magic if you like.
An excellent work!
sasa

fayeulle (27827) 2007-02-02 16:37

Hi Maciej
Stunnong portraity here ! I like very much the progressive brurred background and the alterated hue on the face of the boy
Cheers
JP

noahsark (1092) 2007-02-02 16:44

Hi Maciej,

Great portrait. I can see in his face thoughtful. Very nice light and bacground.

composition*****
subject*****
colors and light*****
sharpness*****
overall aesthetics*****

well done!

Mahmut K.

michel_r (1118) 2007-02-02 17:09

that's really good. It takes some time to realize the blurred face of the doctor, but once you do... Eyes of the boy, together with the scars and the overseeing doctor with the masai blanket.
very good maciej
amicalement, michel

vagabondtravels (6511) 2007-02-02 20:11

Hey Maciej

Great comp and colors. The detail in they boys face is amazing brought out by the red background. Good dof and the doctors face really adds to the comp. Nice documentrary style shot. Well seen and captured.
Ben

mdetay (4929) 2007-02-02 20:18

Hi Maciej,
Nice shot. Very graphic.
Well done. Congratulation.
Cheers from Hong Kong.
Michel

AnimeshRay (9089) 2007-02-02 20:23

What a fabulous technique combined with stunning color! Terrific portrait.

prezntime (3946) 2007-02-02 21:20

Hmm. I don't know about opening this just because the title...this shot grabbed me immediately as I opnened the page in thegallery. I had to study for just a moment to make out the doctors face...that second of hesitation really made the shot very suprising. Like music that sounds just a little off for the first couple of notes...then you realize that there is genius at work...Quite an interesting shot...I do notice a slight green glow on the young mans face, is that light reflecting through some kind of closure?
Chris.

SamB (1948) 2007-02-02 22:47

Hello, Maciej--
i certainly agree with the concensus below that this was a surprising shot, the bokehed doctor suddenly taking form after my mind adjusts to what i'm looking like, the reds of the back cloth contrasting well with their dark skin, also setting forth a bit of an intense mood.
Thanks!
sam

mark88 (2) 2007-02-03 1:06

Co tutaj dużo pisać, portret, kolorystyka i wykonanie, pierwsza liga.
Pozdrawiam.

KevRyan (22956) 2007-02-03 4:45

The calm methodical approach of the doctor secondary to the more intense emotion of the boy......what is going to be the outcome of this encounter.....what expectations of treatment .........I very much like the result of your choices here.....

bw Kev

robiuk (10807) 2007-02-03 5:05

Lovely focusing and bokeh, Maciej!
There's a lot of interraction going on here and the crop/compo is good.
Love how the doctor's nose and lips almost touch the boy's head - quite powerful.
Well done, mate!

Darren (6823) 2007-02-03 6:22

Terrific shot Maciek. Quite an interesting choice of framing/DOF; I guess the obvious would be to have the focus on the doctor, who is closest to the lens. I prefer it your way though. Also, you have left just enough detail in the doctor, although a slightly deeper DOF wouldn't hurt for me either. Personally, I would probably bring the exposure down just a little in PP, but that is just taste. Good one.

Furachan (0) 2007-02-03 6:27

Beautiful POV, Maciej, this is superb, one of those shots that makes you take a breath, you now? Colors are deep and resonant, like that blusih reflection on the boy's smoooth head. There's emotion here and drama and an almost 3-D reality.
Top notch,
Francis

anes_lc (14968) 2007-02-03 9:41

this is a magic world for me
great portreit
good shot
anes

carper (96) 2007-02-03 11:27

nice to see you Maciej
a fantastic photo, realy great pov and an amasing dof, good focus on the boy and the sharpness is realy quality here, fantastic photo job.
gr. jaap

Luko (14000) 2007-02-03 19:25

You've got a gem there Maciek, mostly from the background quality as, otherwise I don't care much about the portrait in itself.

The red tone of the fabrics is out of this world. on the othre hand I concur with Darren about first the general density (I think I may have the same screen calibration as Darren), which I find bright and secondly with the greenish tint on the right side of his face. I think i's worth a little PP.
See WS for density/color tweaking.

[workshop] [compare]

everlasting (19680) 2007-02-04 8:16

Apart from the unique colour-tones here, its the sense of wonderment in the boy's eyes, Maciek, that grab my attention first and then the very subtle appearence of the doctor, expertly rendered in the bokeh. Mesmerizing!!

markoci (3933) 2007-02-04 9:07

i really don't care much for the compo here, looks way too much like a collage... i do like the bg a lot though... i'd also like to see a bit more of the boy's attire... too greenish on my screen too, though luko's ws is a tad too reddish, i guess my screen is maybe calibrated in between, or just a personal preference...

Albrecht (11283) 2007-02-04 13:08

Hi Maciej
Great compo and well placed face in your frame. The way the boy looks tells a lot and I like the blurred background.
greetings from Holland again
Albrecht

pgorod (1019) 2007-02-04 14:40

Maciej, I really like this one, and also Luko's Workshop. I would never see that green cast on the face if he hadn't pointed it out.

But your photo is first-class material! The red cloth really helps, and the compo is great because it tells the story. I love it when a photo tells its own story through its visual elements.

s10001in (0) 2007-02-04 22:43

Stunning...
It is more like portrait..
but nice saturated back ground colors & unique way to shoot.
-Regards,

portojo (235) 2007-02-05 5:16

Very well sawn! With Ryszard Kapuściński in heart...

arnabchat (7233) 2007-02-05 7:40

hats off maciek! just have to be in love with your series. this one is an absolute stunner. wonderful compo, a rare vertical one from you. colors and light just perfetc, with great DOF.
TFS, Arnab

sayat (2949) 2007-02-05 10:34

Amazing shot. Thanks for sharing.
Sayat

MichaelTrezzi (3374) 2007-02-24 21:23

Hi MAciej, very good POV and composition. Like the separation of the curious face of the young Massai from the blurred background as well as doctor's face in the foreground. Well done. Cheers, Michael

eleparc (24063) 2007-03-05 5:24

i did not see this one before! i love the way he looks in a semi re-assured way at what the doctor is doing.. preparing a seringe maybe? the red BG is spot on!
Eric

noborders (1010) 2007-03-08 10:39

super, the gaze of the boy : another of my favorites !

mrbialy (2568) 2007-04-28 21:43

ups, patrze \i patrze na zdjecie i se mysle a gdzie tu doktor, moze gdzies w tle mocno rozmyty i tak patrze i patrze ,,,,,,az tu nagle zajarzylem, k...... ale jaja , chyba jakis zmeczony jestem, swietny pomysl i ta jakosc jak zwykle, spoko zdjecie

jcdurka1 (1950) 2007-05-07 11:28

Great focus and very good DOF. Red background is a must.
Very nice glance of the boy and great point of view.
Very well done,
Regards,
Jean-Claude

Polonaise (5802) 2007-05-28 20:40

Zafascynowalo mnie to zdjecie kompletnie.
Nieprawdopodobna fotografia, Maciek.
Zbudowane na jakichs tam niewzruszonych zasadach tradycyjnego warsztau fotograficznego, ale przecie z domieszka prawdziwego geniuszu.
Ten 'foreground bokeh' !!!
Toz to poezja - jak mnie Bog mily.
Czysta poezja...qurde !
warto bylo wpasc na chwilke.

Czymsie twardo.
Nie daj sie zagryzc.
jurek

alimo3 (6854) 2007-08-31 12:39

Hi Maciej,
this is a very good one,
i love the composition ( like the 1st shoot of a bollywood )
and the focus on the concentrate boy who stays tune to the doctor.
the final touch is the beautiful light and the deep red for background.
Congrat.

Tom

pawelx (11) 2008-01-14 2:29

I love the colours, the texture, the expression on the face of the boy - photo is great both technically and artistically.