the Friday Night Project pt I, a photo from London, England

Photographer's Note

I am verging on a new series (one that I will be fleeting in and out of!) I will call it "Falling Apart" I am reflecting the sadness that I see amongst people who are caught up in a (presumable) 9-5 routine, which seems to be combatted by a binge-drinking weekend. Too much disposable income, relaxed laws on crime, almost absent family values...all these lead to a society which I am witnessing "falling apart"...

(this is one of the first pictures I took with my 350D) ISO 1600

postvikram, delnaja, macondo, bishansamaddar, AnimeshRay has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

postvikram (1199) 2006-07-17 5:37

Hey there Kaj,
Nice one. Good tonal changes and darks in the picture. The guy sitting away in the background seems to be reflecting a lot of light though.
Falling apart. Yes looks like its becoming true.

Thanks for showing. Hope you are keeping well.
Vikram

delnaja (2056) 2006-07-17 7:15

Hi Kajal,
again those warm tones... I really like them...
What id interesting here, it the contrast with the white light on the man in the background...
Interesting work on light.
Fred

macondo (20449) 2006-07-17 7:35

At first I thought the contrast between the harshly overexposed figure and the foreground subject was too great, but I'm beginning to like it - darkness and light, or perhaps the harsh glare of reality, or something. Anyway, there is JUST enough definition of the foreground guy to make this work, and the outline created by the back light is effective. You've captured the feeling - resignation, wistfulness, regret? - very subtly. You could do a theme on 'Hands', too, with what we've seen recently. And there's that rich brownish tint, too. Where is this? Looks like some sort of roadside diner or caf, some place with plastic tumblers.
Regards,
Andrew

prantik (1136) 2006-07-17 7:57

Quite a series you have started Kajal. A great start. The bald man is reflecting too much light, but that's okay. I like the composition a lot, and good capture of the expression of lonelines on the subject in the foreground.
Good work. Looking forward to seeing more.

Prantik

BrianGraney (1740) 2006-07-17 14:10

Hi Kaj,

I'm looking forward to this series. I see the same things - people just trying to fill the emptiness by drinking or shopping.

I'm not sure if it's my monitor but the right hand side of the photo is dark - I'd like to see a little more of his face.
Andrew's critique is spot on.
Keep 'em coming!
Cheers
Brian

Furachan (0) 2006-07-17 19:14

Beautiful image and quite daring from a dynamic range point of view - all the way from near darkness to bright light... I think you managed OK under the circumstances - the mood is powerfully evocative and emotion passes through.
Best,
Francis

s10001in (0) 2006-07-17 20:46

Kajal.
Nice dyanamic shot.
Nice touch created of your theam (9-5)
From dark to lights...Well taken shot in such a light conditions. Well done Kajal.
Infact, great start of new series. Looking forward to see more.
Keepit up- Shailendra

bishansamaddar (868) 2006-07-18 6:11

hey...
really nice photo. nice capture of mood. once again, you score with the exposure. and it doesn't look grainy at all. what ISO is this?
i like the idea of the series a lot. will hope to see more of it. metropolitan sadness is quite an addictive thing, and it's catching up here too, especially in cities like bombay.
"Ek akela is shahar mein
Raat mein aur dopahar mein
Aab-o-danaa dhoondta hai
Ashiyana dhoondta hai..." (Gulzar)

RGatward (20108) 2006-07-18 6:40

Hi Kaj, so your another 'new puritan' :-) Seems to be quite the thing at the moment. Maybe your right, or maybe this is just enjoying a quiet drink afterwork, interesting how much an image can be coloured by the notes we make here.

For the compo, I like the dark treatment of the main subject, but not sure about the OE bald guy, though I see some see a value in it. I'll have to think more about that.

rozy975 (3047) 2006-07-18 7:31

I have to say that pubs, bars and coffee shops are the best place to feel the sadness of loneliness.
Colors and mood are perfect here.
Thanks and well done!

verde (957) 2006-07-18 21:17

Very nice contrast here. I love the very bright and the very dark people here. It does say quite a lot.

The dark seems so sad and with a drink, and the light person seems much "lighter"
great composition.

well done
b

AnimeshRay (9089) 2006-07-20 18:49

This one is quite a courageous shot. I like the idea. Very good form in the compositional sense. I do think, however, that the foreground is too dark while the background guy is overexposed. Perhaps you can recover this with a bit of careful dodging/burning. GOod comment, and I await more on this series.

Clairedelune (4923) 2006-07-31 16:28

Hello Kajal!
Mixed feeling for this one. In fact, I like a lot the feeling of the photo. And I guess I understand what you wanted. But, not so sure I would have understand it without your note.
It does not bother me that the foreground man is on the dark side. I like how the light is outlining his profile. The overexposed one do bother me though. He his just a bit to overexposed to my taste. The other thing I would try would be a square format. The guy is too centered, in my opinion.
But I love the colors!
Claire