2005-02-18: Another portrait shot, a candid taken outside of Union Station, and yup, another black and white. I really feel like I'm making strides with my photography at the moment, that I've opened several doors previously closed to me. Though I've yet to walk through them all, I'm enjoying a sense of freedom that comes from not banging my head against those closed doors. Thanks for all the recent feedback, public and private, including the criticisms.
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Comments
kenny
Another great black & white!
2005-02-18
Marina
Brilliant!
2005-02-18
Andy (SensorChip)
I'm so glad that doors are now opening for you. You really deserve all the praise you get, especially for these fantastic portraits which for me are amongst some of the best I've ever seen and this is no exception.
2005-02-18
darragh
a superb series of portraits.. i like the intent look in his eyes and the tones in this one. to my eye you're definately getting better and better. keep up the great work.
2005-02-18
estan
just beautiful.
2005-02-18
Ryan
Che?
2005-02-18
Greg.Osimowicz
So powerful, so beautiful...
2005-02-18
Zishaan
Your B/W portraits are very nice. As for this photo, somehow STRONG is the word that comes to my mind repeatedly.
Btw, what action do you use to convert them to B/W?
2005-02-18
Thomas Pindelski
A powerful portrait of a very confident subject.
2005-02-18
jyoseph
Dude your shots are seriously solid. This reminds me of the thought project (http://www.simonhoegsberg.com/)
2005-02-18
abel
this shot is great... im very shy when it comes to photographin people etc. how did u approach him, was he a complete stranger etc. btw, what lens did u use?
2005-02-18
abel
just noticed this was shot with a 50mm, is it a canon f1.8 or f1.4? and what aperture was used on this shot?
2005-02-18
Wonderful work again!
2005-02-18
Blaine
I'm like abel...shy to approach someone on the street to take a portrait. even taking photos with any people in the shot. have you had any bad experiences?
2005-02-18
miles
Thanks all. This guy, whose name I forget to get again dammit, definitely has that 30s south american guerilla thing about him.
Abel, the lens was the 50mm f1.8 and this was shot at f2. I like to 50mm f1.8, I haven't really been spoiled by USM and full-time manual focus yet so I don't miss it. Rather than spending $300 more on the f1.4 I'd rather get the 85mm f1.8.
Blaine, I used to be totally shy of asking anyone but I forced myself to and it's really not a big deal, I think the mind just builds it up and creates a fear out of it. You have to be considerate of course, asking people rushing around at lunch hour for example isn't a good idea, look for people who are doing nothing, hanging out, watching something, etc, people who don't seem like they would be bothered. So far no one's said no.
2005-02-18
twb
your portraits have been so compelling - well done!
2005-02-18
Andy
Another great head shot and excellent BW conversion as usual. I second what miles said about asking people ... just ask and you will be pleasantly surprise how many people will say yes. Before this year I too was kind of shy to ask people but I wanted to take more "people" picture this year and so far I’ve taken a guy at the gym, a girl at a smoothie store, a former NFL player, etc... I have not had anyone said no yet (knock on wood).
Miles just wondering what were your channel settings for this shot during BW conversion?
2005-02-18
Cindy
Well at least you're enjoying yourself.
2005-02-18
Matt
Miles, I agree that these recent portraits of yours are exposing a deeper range. Your closeness to your subjects exudes a sense of appreciation for humanity on your part. This one in particular captures a strong sense of character, and your subject is elevated well beyond "stanger" status. Great shots.
2005-02-18
Ted
This is very sharp, I like it! But surely with a 50mm lens you would have to be very close to your subject? I think that would feel quite odd if I were photographing a stranger.
2005-02-18
miles
Ted, on the 20d the effective length of a 50mm lens is 80mm because the sensor is smaller than 35mm film, you're cropping the light coming in and effectively increasing the focal length of the lens.
2005-02-18
Maxx
This is one top class portrait.
2005-02-19
Massimo
Miles, you are definitely into something with your recent portraits. They have the feel of the documentary portraiture in the sense of capturing more than just the facial feature of the subjects. This is the hard part but you have been very successful (I am thinking of this one and the policemen, for example).
2005-02-19
Abhi
Miles, this is another fantastic portrait. But I'm wondering if it possibly would have benefitted from being just a touch more stopped down. A couple of the areas around the nose seem a bit soft. But a fantastic shot regardless.
2005-02-19
KevinG
Miles, you certainly have opened some doors. There is a naturalness or at least an expressiveness about the portraits. That's hard thing to capture. Congratulations.
2005-02-19
henning
Nice series of portraits! Very nice.
2005-02-19
Alex
This is wonderful stuff. I was wondering about the grain that is in the shot; how did you get that (digital noise)? It adds a grittiness that completely matches the subject.
2005-02-19
bob
Great shot, Miles -- to me, he doesn't seem like a stranger -- more like a friend who's trusted you to take his image ... nicely done...
2005-02-20
miles
Thanks all.
Alex, the noise is from shooting at 1600 ISO because it was dark in the station.
Abhi, I kinda like that :)
2005-02-20
Kathleen
Miles, you're right, you're making strides! This is remarkable work. I love seeing what inspiration does for you. :)
2005-02-21
btezra
~you are a strong fotag, and getting stronger...~
2005-02-22
ViSuaLLyMiNDeD
this is excellent. I can just stare at his expression forever trying to figue out what he's thinking; it's very intimate and there's so much to see in this portrait.
2005-02-23
Cam
Hi Miles, I'm really loving your black and white portraits. A few more and you will have a great body of work for a very strong exhibition. Keep it up.
2005-02-28