June Image - Man of Chinatown NYC

How I did it - A few weeks ago, I decided to do my street photography thing and went down to Chinatown in New York City on a Sunday morning to photograph the people doing their Tai-Chi and playing Chinese chess and whatever. Chinese people are probably used to tourists photographing them and while this photo seems posed, it actually was not. I just planted myself in front of the man and kept shooting until something I liked came up. He simply stayed impassive, which seems almost amazing but then again so did the chess players and Tai-Chi practitioners. These are a patient people. The image had to have a lot of work done because of the sun which made for very contrasty lighting, so I had to burn in the table on the lower left, and his arm and hand. He was sitting on a bench which had a back which intruded on the image, so I cloned in areas from the sky behind him, eliminating the bench, also softened the sky so as not to over-power the man. When all was said and done, I had a portrait that I like, the only one to come out of the day. Next month, back to women.

COMMENTS:
 

Bill Buchanan	I like the natural lighting of this portrait. The background is soft and diffused and the composition is nicely handled. Here is a case where I would like to have seen a before image to appreciate the Photoshop work necessary in creating such a dynamic image.
Joe Hearst	Well you certainly did a good job making it look like flat lighting. I might have put a bit more contrast in the face, but OTOH the way you have it makes him look impassive indeed.
Guy Davies	I’m full of admiration for folks like you who can produce pictures like this from just going walk-about in the street. This is a superb study of this gentleman both technically and aesthetically. It is sharp and well exposed, and your photoshop work is very well done. The lighting on the face is subdued and brings out all the details. You have also caught his character very well and I like especially the cigarette just hanging casually in his fingers. I do feel though, that the bright piece of silvery-white clothing just below his chin looks too much like the blade of a knife, and I would be inclined to tone it down quite a lot. I think a spot of lightening to the left and darkening to the right of his face (as we look at it) would be quite nice– see thumbnail
Rex Morey	An interesting portrait. The brightest thing in the portrait of the face is the word on his hat, where my eye lands and I then temporarily read the word, distracting me from your subject. Words in photographs that are not contributing should be removed. Otherwise a good rendition, except for the sunlight on his jacket near his ear lobe.
Erik Rosengren	An interesting offering Jerry. To me, the facial expression is projecting "things are not good and I accept my plight. You give new meaning too "no pain, no gain" with your expertise and patience in PS as a means to reach the end product. Good job.
Alex Lane	This is the type of Image that I really enjoy. It is very well done - good color and composition and is also sharp. The background seems to go well with this man. If anything, a little smoke drifting up from the cigarette would have added some interest ( like take a puff and the 'pose' the same way)!

Member Bio

Jerry Appel - Biography I have been involved with photography for more years (45) than I care to contemplate, over the past several years moving actively into digital imaging. My work has had some pretty decent exposure -- appearing in solo and group exhibits within the United States and abroad, in travel advertisements, in various photographic yearbooks and in four books of which I have been either author or co-author. The most recent is "Far Away Faces -- A Guide to Better Travel Portraits" (1998). I have been awarded a number of medals in the Austrian Super Circuit Competitions over the past few years, two during year 2001. At this time, my images are carried by four galleries in the New York area. All are invited to visit my website to see other examples of what I do. My email is gappel6 at optonline.net