Jesus at 100

[Jim Galli]

http://tonopahpictures.0catch.com/JesusAt100.jpg
Jesus Martinez, Centinarian

I've been waiting for this occasion. When I first got to Tonopah 25 years ago, Jesus, a young 75 was still collecting a pay check cleaning the Post Office every day. Then the time for retirement came, and Jesus would sit on a grand bench in good weather just outside the post office in the shade. Friends would stop and spend a half hour. My daughter remembers the kids weren't very nice to him as they hawked their newspapers on the Post Office steps on Wednesdays. Jesus would only smile. Finally in the last three years he has been missing. He has to live at the extended care facility now.

I put 4 lenses in the truck with the 8X10 Kodak. I hadn't made up my mind which one to use. I often wait until the moment to decide. It was a noisy dark cave inside the Elks hall where his birthday party was under way. I asked his son if I could set up my antique camera just outside the front doors and when I was ready if we could roll Jesus out for a portrait.

In the end I decided on the 1874 Voigtlander Petzval. I wanted understated dignity. Hope you don't mind me sharing. It's these moments that keep my photo motor running.

[Rider]

Thank you for sharing.

[Ron McElroy]

Great shot Jim. Thanks for sharing it and the story of Jesus with us.

[Jack Flesher]

OUTSTANDING!!!!! (On BOTH counts, your shot and Jesus making 100!) What a great character study and you have captured it brilliantly!

Thanks for sharing,

[Eric Rose]

amazing. Well done Jim.

[Frank Petronio]

Excellent

[sanking]

Great portrait, Jim.

I would be very proud of that one.

Sandy King

[Greg Dejanovic]

Very nice Jim and appropriate( petzval is a bit older though :D ).

Greg

[brook]

Fantastic

[Jorge Gasteazoro]

Great shot Jim, made specially poigniant by the story behind it.....

[Henry Ambrose]

excellent!

[Ken Lee]

Top drawer !

[David Karp]

Just outstanding.

Did you tell him that the lens was older than him (and that the camera was not)? He might have gotten a kick out of that.

[Mark Sawyer]

Yes, a lovely, poignant portrait, Jim. My thanks and admiration as well.

[Jim Galli]

Just outstanding.

Did you tell him that the lens was older than him (and that the camera was not)? He might have gotten a kick out of that.
Thanks all. yes, I told him I brought that lens so something would be older than he was. I wonder if I'll still have my humor if I live to be 100.

[Hugo Zhang]

Jim, this picture really blows me away! So much humanity, shall we say? I have to ask you to wait and take my picture with that lens when I reach that milestone. It's only 44 years away and you can wait, right, Jim?

[Jim Galli]

Jim, this picture really blows me away! So much humanity, shall we say? I have to ask you to wait and take my picture with that lens when I reach that milestone. It's only 44 years away and you can wait, right, Jim?

You got it Hugo. I'll be 98 so that should be quite a sight. Something tells me the Voigtlander will still be prime if we can make it :D

[William Barnett-Lewis]

http://tonopahpictures.0catch.com/JesusAt100.jpg
Jesus Martinez, Centinarian
In the end I decided on the 1874 Voigtlander Petzval. I wanted understated dignity. Hope you don't mind me sharing. It's these moments that keep my photo motor running.

Thank you. With the project I'm planning right now, that was important to see.

William

[David A. Goldfarb]

Well done, Jim.

[Ash]

brilliant shot Jim.

[Scott --]

I wonder how many people would take the time these days, not only to set up and take the picture, but to make arrangements with a son or daughter in the first place. It's a wonderful testament to your humanity, Jim.

Now, how're you printing it for him? :D

[scott_6029]

Super shot. It tells a great story. Imagine what his eyes have seen over the last 100 years...

[GhoSStrider]

Jim,

The more I look at your pictures here and on your webpage, the more I think I need to start collecting old cameras and lenses. Another fabulous shot. Thanks for sharing (both the picture and the story!)

[jnantz]

beautiful jim
it is always great to see your portraits :)

[Amund BLix Aaeng]

Wow, that`s a really beautful portrait Jim!

[darr]

touching!
:)

[Dave Aharonian]

That's a fantastic shot and a touching story. I've always believed in compassion through photography and this speaks volumes towards that.

[Vaughn]

Very nice work!

At first I was put off by the shallow depth of field, but now find it interesting. It demonstrates well the difference between how our eyes see and how our brains actually record what our eyes see. Neat!

Your photo is close to what our eye would see if we covered one eye and stood about a foot away from his face. It is an extremely "photographic" image, as opposed to a photo that more closely approximates how our brains would register this person's face.

Congrats on a fine image!

Vaughn

[Pete Watkins]

You've done it again Jim. You're setting the standards that I'm aiming for. Fantastic.
Best wishes,
Pete.

[Jeffrey Sipress]

Happy birthday, Jesus.

Nice work, and story, Jim.

[JBrunner]

Thanks Jim.

[John Kasaian]

What a beautiful portrait!

[keeds]

Stunning. Absolutely stunning...

[Eric James]

Inspirational, as usual.

[rob]

Jim, that's a beautiful story and pic. thanks for sharing.

[gene LaFord]

Wow... that's a great portrait! Thanks for sharing the photo and the story.

gene

[J Peterson]

WOW...Beautiful portrait.

[Richard Fenner]

I must be wearing my bullet-proof vest today, emboldened as I am by all these positive comments.
I'm sorry, but it just doesn't work for me - and I sent the link to several friends, who all came to exactly the same conclusion when I asked for their view before stating mine.
It's the EARS!!! While the initial impression is good, the ears make him look more and more like a Ferengi from Star Trek (http://images.google.co.uk/images?hl=en&q=ferengi&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&um=1&sa=N&tab=wi). It might partly be his natural attributes that do this, but the focal shift which cuts off the ears clearly exaggerates it and draws attention.
Lovely story though, and I'm glad you're taking images like this (just not this one!).

[Shen45]

Richard haven't you heard that after a certain age we all develop "cloth ears"? :)

[russyoung]

Marvelous image. Captured his dignity and perhaps his sense of resignation as well. And from your side, restraint of treatment.

I can only wish I was anywhere near as good with portraits.

Russ

[Carsten Wolff]

'love yer work, Jim!
Happy Birthday, Jesus!

Carsten

[MIke Sherck]

A sensitive picture made wonderful by the story which goes inextricably with it. Thanks to the both of you.

Mike

[Bob Jones]

Thanks for sharing a great story and a wonderful portrait. I wonder if the people who made that lens ever considered that it might still be making classic portraits over a century later.

[abel]

What I say that hasn't been said. jim.....I LIKE IT!!
Abel

[Jim Galli]

Jesus left us for home on Thursday August 30. He was one of those people that we need so badly in the human race. Always a smile, ever, ever positive. The picture that I made will grace his obituary and perhaps be a comfort to his family.

[Capocheny]

Jim,

WONDERFUL image and the picture conveys so much about the man!

Wish Jesus a happy birthday from the LF gang on this forum. :)

Cheers

PS: I'm in line after Hugo, ok Jim? :)

[Sheldon N]

Sorry to hear about his passing... it sounds like he's in a better place now.

Images like this one give you a sense of having recorded something very temporal. It brings to mind Psalm 39:5

Indeed, You have made my days as handbreadths,
And my age is as nothing before You;
Certainly every man at his best state is but vapor.

I think that's why portraits like this contain the same beauty as Adams "Clearing Winter Storm" - you know that things can never be exactly the same again.

I'm glad you were there to capture that moment, and that you were kind enough to share it with us.

[Mike Castles]

RIP, and Thanks for sharing the info Jim..I wondered about him from time to time.

You gave his family something to remember him by, and my hope is there are 100 years of photographs to tell his story...that is someting I would love to see.

[Muggs]

Jesus left us for home on Thursday August 30.

Jesus, meet Jesus!

Sorry for the families (and your) loss. But the time you took to make this photograph will comfort the family for years to come, I'm sure.

Muggs

[jetcode]

Jesus left us for home on Thursday August 30. He was one of those people that we need so badly in the human race. Always a smile, ever, ever positive. The picture that I made will grace his obituary and perhaps be a comfort to his family.

jesus may have left us for home but one can easily thank the kindness in your heart to remember him and present him to us - that in my book would make you someone in the same league as jesus, a fine human being - inspiring work jim

joe

[nelsonfotodotcom]

You were there on time, Jim. Perfect. What a thing to be able to have made his portrait in his final days. I hope the family cherishes it for many years.

[wentbackward]

Jim, this is such a superb portrait, in fact I was inspired to return to photography after viewing a similar portrait. I hope some day to develop such talent. I'm sure Jesus' family will treasure this image. Thankyou for sharing.

[Murph]

Wonderful, dignified portrait of a man, who probably has stories to keep you enthralled for days.

[Bill_1856]

This is a difficult post for me to write -- I disagree that this is good portrait photography.

[gari beet]

"This is a difficult post for me to write -- I disagree that this is good portrait."

Why am I not surprised!!??

Gari

[kev curry]

You cant help but feel a sense of the mans soul when looking into that photograph... quite extraordinary.

[Mark Sawyer]

This is a difficult post for me to write -- I disagree that this is good portrait photography.

Like all photography/art/everything, there is room for disagreement. But I'd be curious to hear why...

[Bill_1856]

Like all photography/art/everything, there is room for disagreement. But I'd be curious to hear why...

Because it calls attention to the photographic technique, rather than on the subject. The shallow DOF leaving the ears appearing to shimmer in the breeze was a common technique of the often-named "Rembrandt Photo Studio"s which came and went in the low-rent districts of our towns and cities in the 30s, 40s, and 50s. Even the school kids had to laugh when they walked past a window display of these freaks.
It almost seems a snobbish thing to say, but the socio-ecconomic statis of any family could be quickly assertained by a quick peek at the family portraits on the piano or mantle. Middle-class had "Olin Mills" quality which was a considerable step above the "Rembrandt Studios."

[Mike V]

I have to admit its a bit odd (to a newb like me) due to the ears being out of focus, but apart from that its a great capture and I'm sure will make a wonderful print.

Bill- thanks for sharing, your right that art evokes an opinion from everyone good and bad. Thanks for posting the information about different styles of portraits in the 30's, 40's and 50's. I like to think I learned a little something.:)

[Kendrick Pereira]

A splendid portrait of a splendid subject. The humanity in the man's face makes the image quality worthwhile.

I don't know much about the characteristics of Petzval lenses. I take it that the very small area of really sharp focus is due to curvature of field rather than selective focus/wide aperture?

Kendrick Pereira

[Jim Galli]

A splendid portrait of a splendid subject. The humanity in the man's face makes the image quality worthwhile.

I don't know much about the characteristics of Petzval lenses. I take it that the very small area of really sharp focus is due to curvature of field rather than selective focus/wide aperture?

Kendrick Pereira

Thanks. Actually, both are at play. A 300mm lens approaching 1:1 on 8X10 film has paper thin dof and the petzval has the curved field thing happening too.

[JohnJ]

Sorry to resurrect such an old thread. That image of Jesus is stunning. Just stunning. Thanks for sharing.

Kudos.

JJ

[lesmainsrouges]

Humility and humanity. Thanks Jim.

[Bill Burk]

This was worth seeing, I missed it before.

Thanks for sharing the story Jim, and thanks for bumping the thread lesmainrouges.