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Toy Soldiers, The Album

In screening someone mentioned noise... that's the silver halide in the film. Called grain. And the distortion - well that is a typical Chinese building. ;-)

Forgive me if I don't reply straight away - I have =really= bad RSI now and can barely type - let alone click with mouse too much.

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Andre du Plessis 2 years ago

Spontaneous, posed..who cares. This image WORKS!
A pleasure to view and an open-ended story to satisfy our own deductions.

Lev Tsimring 2 years ago

excellent composition Richard! the front guy is just about to leave the frame, and the other one does not want him to... actually, the first one does not want to leave himself... it's a love story.

Richard Ford Thanks Lev.

The original intent when I raised the camera to my face was to capture a shot of the two guards and how they looked looked like twins. Then that started to 'act' so it came out better so to speak as they reacted. I was just walking from the car park to pick up some mail. Lesson is - always have a camera with you and ready. So I do. ;-)

Willem de Vlaming 2 years ago

Great sense of suspence. And great composition, very stron image. I like it very much

Magnus Fröderberg 3 years ago

Interesting. There is something happening and the composition is also exiting.

Richard Ford Thanks Magnus, glad you like it. Never say never with street. This shot was taken at the most unlikely of places and times... I just always have a camera in my hand ready to go.

David Sotosek 3 years ago

I just love this picture-story, composition and framing, the captured moment and grain are so nice. It is really one of my favorite photos.

Richard Ford Glad you like it David. ;-)

photobig 3 years ago

nicely composition and story.

Richard Ford Thanks Mate.

Richard Messenger 3 years ago

Sorry to hear you are not on best form Richard.

Another (ho, ho) 'lucky' photo. I'm having none of it! You show a great eye and capture magic moments.

I do think it is falling slightly right, if there was any more on the left in the original I'd rotate it a degree or two. I would also take a tiny trim off the right edge to remove the distracting object at the bottom.

A magic photo though.

Richard Ford Thanks Richard. I did trim the right a bit already - but I am conscious of keeping some negative space in the image too, to balance. I aligned the image to the railing and pavement down the bottom - you will be surprised how shoddy some builders in China can be....

Vinh Pham 3 years ago

I like the position of the soldiers, relative to each other. I like how they're looking at each other, but there doesn't seem to be direct eye contact (because we can't see the foreground soldier's face, and the background soldier is looking down). This creates a bit of mystery, which the viewer can fill in for themselves. Does the background soldier feel shame? Or maybe he's lower his gaze in front of a superior officer, out of trained respect?

The background soldier is also stuck in a corner. The grate above him reminds me of prison bars.

Nice photo :_)

Richard Ford Thanks Vinh. For me the photo was all about their awkward stances in relation to each other - and the sense that they were "trapped" by my presence. ;-)

Vinh Pham Thanks for your interpretation. They're definitely trapped in your photo ;_)

Anna Hurtig 3 years ago

Great shoot!

Richard Ford Thank you Anna!

tomaz crnej 3 years ago

great

Richard Ford Thanks Tomaz.

soroush 3 years ago

very creative

Richard Ford Thanks Mate.

Angela Bacon-Kidwell 3 years ago

Strong shot and story.

Richard Ford Thank you Angela.

Rudi Kokic 3 years ago

clap-clap...:)

Richard Ford Thank you Rudi - though it was all very serendipitous..

Timor Tom 3 years ago

Interesting composition, however I am still thinking of symbolism of this photo.
Pushing TMAX400 so much up will have a cost in grain. But why did you use yellow filter for this shot ? It did slow you down of 1.5 f-stops. Without it pushing maybe will be not necessary ?

Richard Ford TMAX works quite well up to 1600... I think maybe TRI-X does a little better at 1600 - certainly so at 3200 where TMAX is terrible.

K2 filter is a must because TMAX, like HP5 and TRIX is not very contrasty as well (As opposed to say APX 100). And if you add the contrast later in post - apart from effort and time - it also removes detail. Seeing through the yellow also helps the mind compose and concentrate on the shapes.

So in conclusion - going to 1600 does not bother me and I like the grain. ;-)

Timor Tom When comes to grain I am thinking in relation to enlargement at least 11x14. Whit this magnification grain may become a bit to pronounced, no matter how much I like it. On the end we have to show it to the people. Sample of reaction you've got above.

Richard Ford True. In this shot though I have messed with the definition a bit. Also when printing the sharpness needs to be changed too... etc. Point is - you can't always directly compare a digital representation to a printed one. Also digitally printing versus wet printing has an effect - as does view distance...

Timor Tom This is well said: digital representation. Here you are totaly right. A month ago I ask my friend to print (11x14) a shot he made with his D60 and I made shot from 24x36 APX 100 (rodinal 1:100 25' 20C). In effect my friend become quite sad, now he is investing in better lenses. But I am not sure if he grasped the concept of DOF.

JBA 3 years ago

Great shot. Human and abstract at the same time. Intriguing in a worrying kind of way too. A good, subtle bit of observation.

Richard Ford Thanks. Yes - I shot it for the placement of the people and the corners and lines.

Martin Gremm 3 years ago

Great interaction placed in the frame very elegantly. This is great stuff!

Richard Ford Thanks Martin - I cut off a tincy bit on the right - but they were stunned like deers in head lights - so I had time to frame. ;-)

Andrei Paul Nutu 3 years ago

Interesting story!

Richard Ford Thanks Andrei

Piet Flour 3 years ago

I don't know to story, but one can invent - fill in - each one with his own imagination. anyway, a strong impact picture with very fine finish.
Piet

Richard Ford Very True Piet. I see VERY different things in this than it seems everyone else.

Piet Flour Hi richard, I visited your gallery once again; I'm very fond of your very pure and clean style. Great is to see the documantary caracter your pictures have in plus of the artistic value, and I want to thank you for the extra you want to share with the visitors of your photography. and indeed, even if everybody sometimes sees a very different story in your pictures than yourself, you sure can be proud to present all your photo's with the deeper dimention of a real (or possible) story.
Interesting and very valuable moments I spent, and I want to thank you for this.
Piet

Richard Ford Glad you like it. I worry sometimes that I over look an image in my archives. Just tonight after seeing the feedback to this shot I went and reviewed again and found another one to upload - in screening now....

GABphotos 3 years ago

Awesome Richard... Well done!

Glen

Richard Ford Ta Glen. Get that CoolScan 5000 yet?

GABphotos It is on order and will be delivered on saturday!
Thanks for the advice!

Mal Smart 3 years ago

too noisy and the buildings bent!....;-)))

Well, whether it is tension or symbolic balance and attitude, you certainly have given us an image full of human mood. good work. mal

Richard Ford Buffet style here Mal. Self serve and take what you like. ;-)

Helmut Schadt 3 years ago

Outstanding, very strong and almost surreal phototography.
The feelings of tension and discomfiture are touching the mind.

Richard Ford Thanks. I hope that maybe someone WILL want it for their new CD cover art! ;-)

Remo Rufer 3 years ago

i just love this one Richard!

Richard Ford Glad you like it Remo.

Laurent Roch 3 years ago

Very interesting shot !

Richard Ford Thanks Laurent!

Geraint 3 years ago

The expression of the man in the background is so sombre; it really does make you wonder what has been said by the one in the foreground. As has been said by others, the tension is so apparent here. A very powerful photo. Congratulations.

Richard Ford Read below my comment to KoPi. ;-)

philippe long 3 years ago

Very good and strong !! I like it

Richard Ford Thank you Philippe

Darek Smoczynski 3 years ago

what a shot !

Richard Ford Thanks Darek. As mentioned below - it wasn't the one that I went in for - but if it works it works...

Adrian Donoghue 3 years ago

Love the tension here Richard. Also love your notes, the comments you refer to are an unfortunate consequence of the new 'perfect' digital world.

Richard Ford Sigh, true. It is those little beads of silver and the way they capture tones that does it for me. I find them so beautiful and their absence would be a crime against photography.

Kevin Ng 3 years ago

Excellent shot Richard - see what happens without the Rollei - :))))
The expression is wonderful!

Richard Ford Yes - but camera elbow will mean a few more weeks or maybe months of Rollei 35 yet. Today was sunny and I had some HP5 loaded, so I was shooting at F/16 and F/22 at 1/500 sec - so I should get all sharp ones for sure. ;-)

KoPi 3 years ago

very good work Richard. beautifully contra composition (trying to sound intelligent here). the glimpse of the face of the man in the fg just showing (and showing that he isn't looking in front of him) is so important to make this work. Their resemblance in outfits also helps. all together makes for a lot of mood, and evokes a strong feeling of tension.

Richard Ford Truth be told, I was walking by this building underground car park exit (I chopped about 1 inch off the right that shows a bit of the driveway and a witches hat) and as I passed, at the last moment, I noticed the two guards positioning in relation to each other and the corner and the side wall to the left and out of frame.

I forget exactly, but I seem to recall the positioning being quite surreal and almost posed. I raised my camera to shoot and then the guard who's back is in the shot turned away from me to hide. He did that and literally just froze for a few moments. The other guard looked up at me - then the first guard and I guess he thought he had two options as well if he wanted to avoid a photo. Turn and face the wall like an idiot or look down and away. Click.

Jeremy Russell 3 years ago

Nice one.

A touch Surreal and disturbing.

Richard Ford Everyone is saying it is disturbing... guess I am just totally socially screwed! ;-)

patsweeney 3 years ago

real good.... street.

Richard Ford Thanks a lot. This shot was literally taken as I walked past with about 2 seconds of time between realisation that there is a shot and then shutter release. Never say never when out and about - there will always be something.