S M O K E, a photo from Chian Rai, North

Photographer's Note

The time: around 5:00 PM. Overcast sky, warm afternoon sun rays. This was in an open grassfield. The air was so thick and so with the smoke. He puffed and puffed. I clicked and clicked.

I must say that the bokeh of 70-200 Nikkor lens is showing off its grandeur here. I must say that I like this picture a lot. I am sure there would be a lot of comments on how to make the cropping better (and I would be very thankful if you post a workshop).

Just like the smoke....this picture will vanish in the thick of the fog but the memory around this picture will linger a bit longer in my mind. And that's a memory of this old man who candidly went around with his simple pleasures depite our camera pointed towards him.

markoci, alford, arnabchat, Xalkida, naxius, Fixfocus, bantonbuju, ngythanh, KUAN, avis2avis, jhm, carper, robiuk, Michael_Gan, avigur_11, Rinie_Hoff, ChrisJ, papagolf21, nwoehnl, sn00zie, erdna, Galmeida, Hanso2, Paolo, Mansi, aminhas, gelor, nibspics, MLINES, mateosite, in-sanity, steveryan2006, marcinc, seb36, jonathan_hart, jabber has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

markoci (3933) 2005-01-28 0:20

wow, this is awesome manny! the bokeh is indeed amazing. good subject in a well caught pose, great colours, shadows and of course that smoke.... really can't think of a better way to crop. (could be just my crappy monitor at work but the eyes look a bit weird though, no whites)

alford (4063) 2005-01-28 0:28

Very nice! The smoke was captured very well, Manny! Good timing! I agree, the cropping is excellent! I also like the sharpness of the subject and the blurred background! Another masterpiece! rgds!

arnabchat (7233) 2005-01-28 1:45

fantastic photo to start my day with. colors and sharpness dupreme as always from you. the composition is perfect.

jiekuan (332) 2005-01-28 2:08

wow, nice capture on the smoke. Good composition as well!

DOF is good and most important, you capture the smoker expression and smoke very well.!

PLB (233) 2005-01-28 2:15

Do not touch this picture, it is perfect.

KevinRL (835) 2005-01-28 2:18

Well done, even if the poor guy will be choking on too much smoke, for a week.
Perfect compositiom, lighting on the right side of his face, and the light on the smoke is to die for. To say nothing about the blurred background.
Thanks for posting.

Darren (6823) 2005-01-28 2:19

This is really nice Manny. Excellent capture of the smoke and I think you have done very well in the exposure as well. I think although it was late afternoon light, it was still quite contrasty, but it doesn't hinder the photo. The only suggestion about crop I might have is that since you have a very slight crop on the left, I would consider a crop to the top of his hat, just for balance. You are right about the bokeh of the 70-200, it looks great here. Nice shot.

Xalkida (11744) 2005-01-28 2:43

Wow! Excellen portrait Manuel! One of your best.

I like the lighting, the dark colors and the green background. But the clue of this photo is the smoke in the air! Brilliant photo!

cgrindahl (6113) 2005-01-28 2:54

I wouldn't change a thing Manny. This is perfect! As you note, the bokeh is very fine, working especially well as a backdrop to this finely textured smoke. Your skill, both behind the camera and at the computer, coupled with the excellent tools with which you work, insure we're given wonderful images to enjoy. Fine work, as always Manny.

mark88 (2) 2005-01-28 3:18 [Comment]

Show Comment

Fixfocus (9385) 2005-01-28 3:45

Nothin磘o complain about the cropping,for me it磗 perfect with the guy on the left and the rest of pic for the smoke and the bokeh!

bantonbuju (51815) 2005-01-28 3:49

me being a heavy smoker i find the procedure you shot awefully disgusting; as for the pic - its really a contradiction to this - the pic is an artistic approach, and the smoke, together with the model are perfectly cut off by the dof you selected; indeed, very artistic (still i must quit soon)

olli (2091) 2005-01-28 3:56

Very interesting person in the image.And very sharp dressed, too � he looks a bit like an artist...
I like his very "smoking" expression of his face. Great composition/framing and DOF as usual. And yes, you磛e captured the smoke very-very well...

RGatward (20108) 2005-01-28 4:05

No advice on the cropping, I think this is perfect. The smoke filling the right frame beautifully. Well nothing to add to all that's been said.

eleparc (24063) 2005-01-28 4:28

the smoke makes the shot here. i also like the green BG.. could be slightly sharper on the smoker though, but i don't think it matters too much for this moody shot...

wilche (415) 2005-01-28 5:17

Eventhough smmoking is unhealthy, the smoke makes makes a great picture, therefore the crop is just fine.

olopez (4959) 2005-01-28 5:43

I'm really impressed with your gallery.
Excellent work.
Directly to my favorites members.

Praetzer (209) 2005-01-28 5:52

Brilliant.
The framing to the left is risky but worked out quite well. The smoke is very well captured.
No; I don't think this picture can be improved by an alternative crop; it's perfect this way

ngythanh (8458) 2005-01-28 6:08

Shame on you, Manuel: you left nothing for us to workshop, just our admiration and respect to your talent.

Cheers!

PS: I will be in BKK 3 days during first week of March. Let me know how to locate you, since our friends in LP advised me to have local contact if I wish to find the "good" floating market. Thanks.

Maru (0) 2005-01-28 6:12

great shot Manny! the contrast between the smoke, the background and the warm light trough it.
And his expression.. far away from that place..
The hole composition makes a great impact
Congrats

Mafo (1339) 2005-01-28 6:43

Beautiful picture. Great shot,good sharpnes,nice composition.Excellent!!!

avis2avis (4264) 2005-01-28 7:17

I hardly get to spend much time on TE these days and I comment on your pics even less these days coz almost all your pics are just so good in terms of content, composition, colors, light and technique. Here is another example of that. As you rightly note, the bokeh is excellent and so is the warm light. I like the clothes this man is wearing which adds to the photo. As far as the crop goes, IMO just a little bit more of the cap and shoulder should have stayed within but then I guess you were trying to keep as much of the smoke too inside the frame. But over all a great shot.

jhm (211736) 2005-01-28 7:29

A excellent portrait Manuel, the man and are smoke, splendid image, the sharpness and the clarity are very beautiful, great job here!
My compliments,
John.

tongapup (0) 2005-01-28 8:38

Not much to add to what's already been said. The planets and starts aligned for you when you took this. Excellent.

jrj (34843) 2005-01-28 9:00

Hi Manny
Good shot even if I am afraid that the health aspect of this one is not too good. Great light making it possible to have the smoke captured as here.

carper (96) 2005-01-28 10:16

very nnice shot Manuel,
Very good composing shot, the point of view is great, and the details are realy nice, very good colours, very good job

naret (826) 2005-01-28 10:43

Hi Manuel,
Nice one but smoke is not good for help.
Naret

robiuk (10807) 2005-01-28 13:44

I am so passionate smoker that I don't believe smoking is unhealthy! But I like the way non-smokers swear on smoking being unhealthy. Yep, it smells bad if you're not used to it - I agree. Anyway... ;-D
I won't repeat how marvelous your photo is (cause IT IS and that's the fact!) but stg. else... I've notice a slight dose of graininess in it. How come?

Michael_Gan (2776) 2005-01-28 17:17

Manny, this is absolutely marvellous work. Looking at this picture I almost feel like having a cigarette myself (although I don't smoke at all...). The man looks extremely comfortable and the smoke is just... well, beautiful. No advices for improvement, just admiration.

avigur_11 (22553) 2005-01-28 18:03

In my opinion the cropping is excellent, Manny. The cloud of smoke creates a very interesting shapes, and the green background emphasizes it nicely. I like the play of light on his brown barrette. Very good shot.

Rinie_Hoff (9340) 2005-01-28 19:10

Hi Manny, this is excellent! Like Michael says, makes you wanna smoke again, and I have done that for 20 years, I know what it is like! Excellent crop, fine details, and beautiful light.
Great work, Manny

ChrisJ (171884) 2005-01-29 3:29

Hi Manuel

Superb dof & backlighting (especially on the smoke, & mans shoulder, hat & hand). Excellent color & sharpness.

naxius (16685) 2005-01-29 3:59

Breatheless Manny! The DOF is extermely well chosen and rendered. That's really good.
The smoke in the air well catched.
Indeed, a very good one.
Alexandre

PixelTerror (0) 2005-01-29 5:47

Hi Manuel,
very nice photo, I like your excellent DOF control and the smoke moving towards the right end, that creates movement, amplified by the light playing nicely with the smoke.
Have a nice week end,
jean-Yves

papagolf21 (152607) 2005-01-29 7:26

Cher Manny,
Il y a un dicton qui dit "Le mieux est l'ennemi du bien". Pourquoi vouloir faire un atelier quand la photo est tr鑣 bonne. Il existera toujours des esprits chagrins pour dire, j'aurais coup� l� ou ici, etc.
La composition est parfaite pour moi.
Un portrait hautement r閡ssi.
Bravo Manny.
Philippe

Ah_Thong (466) 2005-01-29 8:43

another excellent photo, mannY! the smokes is very well captured.. and i think the composition is very gooD!

kency (2352) 2005-01-29 10:12

Great shot,i love how the smoke is captured
that what makes the photo complete,well done.

nwoehnl (122) 2005-01-29 13:04

Well, Manny, I don't think there is any need to crop or change anything else here - the photo is perfect as it is with the placement of the man in the frame, and the clouds of cigarette smoke going towards the upper right corner of the frame. Also like the shallow DOF with the well-contrasting and non-intrusive green background. Very well done.

Kenny10pin (19301) 2005-01-29 19:41

very nice work Manny, I like the smoke and the details of it too, very good close up and the person posing is very nicely dressed too, well done

kikvel (4784) 2005-01-29 20:06

hi Manuel!

surely the bokeh of the Nikkor is impressive!

And so it is your talent as well!

Very nice subject you have here, I like the smoke flowing free creating a thoughtful atmosphere,
very nice!

K.

sn00zie (2384) 2005-01-30 5:23

wow Manuel!

this is truely amazing.. i like the colors and the depth in the picture..

the hat the man is wearing is quite nice.. and i also like his clothes..

the cloud of cigarette smoke is quite entertaining and this picture is definitely a hit cause of that.. great job done

ishai (4097) 2005-01-30 15:46

Great shot Manuel
I ask my self is it the smoke I like?
Is it the man?
Or is it composition?
I guess it all of the above
Well done again.
Ps
In gray mode its beautiful 2, as you know for sure,


jayita (191) 2005-01-31 2:15

Smoke is so real in your shot as if I feel suffocation.
very sharp shot.
BG color is very soothing.

ma-tibou (4568) 2005-01-31 8:52

bonjour Manuel, le fait de fumer n'est peut-阾re pas une bonne chose mais le r閟ultat est une bien belle image avec ces volutes de fum閑, tr鑣 joli r閟ultat.
amiti�/ martine.

erdna (5713) 2005-01-31 17:25 [Comment]

Show Comment

maphoto (8082) 2005-01-31 23:06

Great capture Manuel, the effect is incredible, everything is well placed, excellent portarait, DOF and framing, very good work.

commenta (0) 2005-02-01 1:52

Vous faites pas les choses � moiti� ! Et l�, c'est vraiment du tr鑣 haut niveau de qualit� aussi bien dans les couleurs que dans les contrastes que dans l'intensit� de ce qu'elle repr閟ente.
claude

Galmeida (12559) 2005-02-01 8:27

Don't smoke, but I do.!
Excelent quality of photo with two good portraits in the composition. First the man very well captured and second the portrait of the smoke dancing and disappearing in the air.
Very good work and also a message for those that smoke.
Congratulations Manuel!

faubry (35447) 2005-02-02 19:48 [Comment]

Show Comment

pridel (233) 2005-02-06 6:08

Manuel
fantastic photograph
I like much the smoke which gives all dimension to the composition.
I like much the colors of the background and the light in smoke
as for the man he seems so proud !
Pascal

Hanso2 (633) 2005-02-17 15:48

Pfff Manny your pictures are endless, WOW, superb, the smoke is ... well it is superb.

webtweakers (64) 2005-02-21 13:25

This is one of my favs. you'll have to explain us noobs how you did the wonderful DOF effect with the backgound and get the front to stand out clean and sharp. Is that due to the Nikkor lens you mention in the comment? Respect!

maciekda (19895) 2005-02-23 15:36

let me make it a 100 shot ;) it is a very nice portrait, i like the composition a lot, beautiful bokeh and this smoke is so cool. really nice work

strangiato (10) 2005-03-04 11:58

No comments on the cropping, this is just excellent. The man, the background and the smoke...they all make a perfect contribution to the composition.

Paolo (41258) 2005-03-07 8:23 [Comment]

Show Comment

Teten (582) 2005-03-07 8:23

Wonderful picture, i though you got the man soul. Really amazing.
Very well done

archanabhimasen (270) 2005-03-07 8:38

Hi,
I liked the movement created by the smoke here very attractive!!!

Enia (365) 2005-03-10 8:07

Sorry no much to say...everything has been said before...I am just looking and admiring the photo...speechless...!
regards
Eugenia

danielswalsh (13597) 2005-03-14 23:37

Nicely captured shot Manny;

Well spotted moment of daily life. Kind of makes me crave a cigarette right now... hahaha
The whisps of smoke int he calm air make for an interesting co-subject in this shot. I quite like the cropping, and think it works fine.

Well done Manny!
- Dan

coco (30439) 2005-06-08 18:52

Only a word: fantastic.
Seeing that man I only can think that he is an old and clever man who sees how the time pass away... fantastic.

lucinka (9976) 2005-06-09 17:00

Manuel, another great shot from your fantastic gallery. You go to my favourite straight away even I am more ladscape person. L.

Mansi (543) 2005-10-26 3:36

wonderful capture Manuel.. wouldnt change a thing.. bang on composition and wonderfully exposed.. the bokeh is absoloutely sweet...
love the smoke!
thanks for sharing
mansi

Albrecht (11283) 2006-01-26 1:48

Hi Manual
Great shot!!!Wonderful timing and POV and colours.
Greetings Albrrcht

dHitman (0) 2006-01-31 5:24

Hi Manuel,

I first 'discovered' you in PBase.com and you work has never failed to impress me, especially all the people shots. You are such a gifted photographer. Keep up the good work and thanks for sharing!

Regards, Jino.

TomekWalkiewicz (233) 2006-01-31 6:33

well done!
great shoot and colors!
fantastic

ndb1958 (9289) 2006-02-12 12:58

I love this portrait. Great composition and amazing colours. Nino

gelor (3233) 2006-03-08 12:10

Tout simplement S U P E R B E. F閘icitations. Inutile de rappeler tout ce qui a d閖� 閠� dit.
Merci. G閞ard

asival (5307) 2006-03-08 12:38

Hi Manuel

marvelous portrait and good lighting make it complete

Assi

mmdon573 (512) 2006-03-28 14:15

How should I grade your all pics..those all rae superb...excellent..
thanks for being in TE.
DON

PogoStick (510) 2006-05-09 21:21

this shot makes me want to smoke. you have a great talent for seeing things that others would not see manny. the subtle qualities of the smoke takes on a life of itself in this composition. great capture.

nibspics (358) 2006-05-17 23:51

This shot is incredible. I wouldn't change a thing to the cropping. The green background sets the calm mood perfectly. The smoke is so well captured - so sharp. A timeless moment caught in time.

andreineamtu (466) 2006-10-04 21:09

beautiful, too bad you cut his head. the smoke is like a writing, very nice. good focus and light capture. good job

mateosite (610) 2007-02-02 20:10