October 2014 Portraits

[Ari]

Ross Petzval
Ebony 4x5
HP5, D-76

Good pose, great look; I like this!
Un portrait qui a de la gueule! as they say in France.

[Pali K]

Ross Petzval
Ebony 4x5
HP5, D-76

Really nice portrait.

[Peter Yeti]

My Dad and I get a photo done each time he visits, which is about every three months.
Here's last week's effort, sharpening courtesy of Flickr:


Papa by Ari4000, on Flickr

Toyo 810M, SS 150 XL, HP5+

Ari,

That's a great example of environmental portraiture and excellent use of wide-angle for this subject. In case he is vain, though he doesn't look like it, the image could be cropped in the middle, making it landscape and not showing a belly that's pronounced slightly by the short focal length. I wish I had started taking pictures of my dad earlier because he passed away soon after I started. I hope you will have many more opportunities and you should go for it.

Peter

[Ari]

Thank you, Peter; I make an effort to get a shot of him every time he visits.
He's 73, but following him around for a day would tire out a guy half his age.
And he's used to that belly, they've been friends for years.

[Peter Yeti]

You are smart to use every opportunity, one never knows which is the last one. I'm friends with my belly as well, it's nick name is Oyster Graveyard. Unfortunately, many people have a less relaxed relationship to their "friends" when shown in pictures.

Peter

[axs810]

My Dad and I get a photo done each time he visits, which is about every three months.
Here's last week's effort, sharpening courtesy of Flickr:


Papa by Ari4000, on Flickr

Toyo 810M, SS 150 XL, HP5+

This is a great portrait of your dad Ari! The lighting, location, and subtle details in the background and his clothing project a real sense of character/personality in this image for me.

Not to be taken the wrong way (because I rarely watch the show) but I feel like this could be a still of a character from the show "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" or something.

[Sheldon N]

He asked me for a portrait, I think he was stalling to stay up past his bedtime.



Kodak 2D 8x10, 12" Dagor, Arista EDU Ultra 100, Rodinal 1:50

[Ari]

You are smart to use every opportunity, one never knows which is the last one. I'm friends with my belly as well, it's nick name is Oyster Graveyard. Unfortunately, many people have a less relaxed relationship to their "friends" when shown in pictures.

Peter

Thanks again, Peter; what you said about your father is always in the back of my mind, so that's my motivation. There's a similar dynamic at play wrt photos of my daughter, though the reasons are slightly different.

This is a great portrait of your dad Ari! The lighting, location, and subtle details in the background and his clothing project a real sense of character/personality in this image for me.

Not to be taken the wrong way (because I rarely watch the show) but I feel like this could be a still of a character from the show "It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia" or something.

Thank you, Eric; I am unfamiliar with the show, but compliment taken, nonetheless.

[Peter Lewin]

Heck, Ari, I've been fighting dumping more praise on you! The portrait of your Dad caught my eye as soon as you posted it. What I'm most impressed by, though, is your consistency with really eye-catching (I'm trying to find some other adjective for things that stand out) portraiture. For a while you were posting wonderful pictures of your wife, then you had a nice series about a relative recovering from cancer (it might have been an Aunt, I'm too lazy to hunt right now.) Given the recent NY Times publication of Nicholas Nixon's "sisters" series, I think your "family" series fits into a certain type of documentary portraiture at a very high level. OK, I'm done gushing, I'm really not turning into an "Ari groupie!"

[Peter Lewin]

Sheldon, given that I just complimented Ari, I must compliment you as well, a beautiful portrait of your son. Looking at the catchlights in his eyes, studio lighting, or "just" really good use of window light?