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Observing the observed

Resubmission with a squarer crop to loose the brighter strip on the left side.

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suliman almawash 3 months ago

Excellent portrait

gerard sexton Thank you Suliman I appreciate the time you took to stop by to view my work & to leave a comment. Thank you.

Rui Palha 3 months ago

Excellent.

gerard sexton Hi Rui gives me a good feeling to know that you are back. You are an inspiration to me which makes seeing you have stopped to comment even more memorable & rewarding. Thank you.

Rui Palha All of us search for inspiration in the photographic work of other members. I am not an exception. I am and I will be an ethernal apprentice.
Thank you for your simpathy, Gerard.

Francesca Bosco 3 months ago

This woman looks at you with an expression between serious and fun ... Very nice background blur that highlights only the main subject ... I love the texture of the coat. Congratulations. Frà

gerard sexton Hey Fra nice to see your name appear next to a comment on one of my images! I appreciate it that you took the time to stop & comment. Hope you are keeping well!

Corrado Chiozzi 3 months ago

Impressive street !!

gerard sexton Glad you like this Corrado looking forward to meet you on Saturday. Thank you.

Corrado Chiozzi Me too, Gerard :)))

Richard Spurdens 3 months ago

Well seen her Gerard, the expression says it all really

gerard sexton Cheers Richard appreciate your stopping by.

Angéla Vicedomini 3 months ago

A striking portrait, wonderful colors.
Chapeau Gerry !

gerard sexton Ha Ha thanks Angela appreciate your words have a great time in Sacremento!

Phyllis Clarke 3 months ago

Gerry..this is so good I can't believe it is a street shot!! In addition to your comment about observing the observed...I find that the toning you used here was a very good choice because it sets it apart...At first I thought it was snowing! The guy in background I love it..good eyes you have...Congrats. Phyllis PS what lens took this picture?

gerard sexton The big one. I visit the park with 3 lenses a wide a a shorter telephoto & the 400mm. I happened to have this set last one on the camera. I hand hold it its more manageable believe it or not. This is a pathway that encapsulates the ornamental lake lined with Plane tress my nemesis (my hay fever is already started). The toning came naturally I rarely play with this but here it just sort of called for it. Fortunately my eyes though not 20/20 still perform at distance I hope for long to come! Thanks as always Phyl good stuff in Mood!

Phyllis Clarke I think that helped me to understand more the background blur and how she looks so so so close..What great lens this is ..i has to be heavy and you must have big hands..to hold his steady...Yes...I find this photos special..Phyl Thanks..

gerard sexton ...just 5ft 10 & a cigarette paper! Little creative hands! But years of rugby hardened me & its my small contribution to continued fitness as I get nearer the big 60. Its heavy but its about technique breath in lift compose hit shutter. Have a great week Phyl we have a mini 1x meet to look forward to on Sat 25th!

Waqas Shah 3 months ago

Excellent portrait

gerard sexton Waqas thank you.

Monica 3 months ago

Wonderful!
I love it.

gerard sexton Thank you Monika.

Liesbeth van der Werf 3 months ago

great portrait

gerard sexton Thank Liesbeth much appreciate you stopping by & leaving a comment.

Codrin Lupei 3 months ago

I don't know about the crop Gerard but what I know for sure is that for me this is one of those rare portraits where everything is melting perfectly, the light, the gaze, the gesture...almost like her thoughts are palpable. Thanks for sharing this piece! Wishing you a beautiful Sunday!

gerard sexton Mr Codrin you are always a welcome visitor to my images you see that moment too & yes as I watched her standing there I felt the same there was a triangle from her to the bird man to me a connection. I spoke with the bird man after who knew I was taking photos but he didn't feature in any that I kept! I must tell you though I was the lead role in a short film made by a British film student! When I get the link I will send it to you. I had so much fun. Its is funnily enough a beautiful Sunday I hope your is too.

Wolfgang 3 months ago

Hi Gerard, from the small details of your personality which I could derive based on your postings at 1x, this shot has quite some features of a "selfreflection". Really great capture, congratulations

gerard sexton An interesting observation that if I read between your lines suggests a myriad of personality defects that I choose not to own up to! For one I have not yet perfected the archetypical half smile that this lady so comfortably wears & the folded arms present a look of indignation a resignation but yes also of caressing & closeness almost defensiveness to suggest that I am any of these is a remarkable underestimation of my openness & willingness to share. But if you are referring to my willingness to self reflect to learn from within through observation then totally yes. I am an observer of life & I love the connection that my photography presents me in both the human connection & the natural world. I get great joy from these moments as they allow me the privilege of reenacting these moments in a nano second each time I stare into this face in to the eyes of the life I see from behind my lens. And yes they are a story of my life that I could wax lyrical about forever but then I am no different from you. I truly appreciate your feedback. Thank you.

Wolfgang Hi, please do not take my comment "offensive" by any means - I'd relate my observation more with the critical and observational view, which this lady expresses. Maybe also some type of initial distance - again, based on a very small part of what I can see here from you through postings. But definitely not her "half smile" which may indicate "personality defects" - I even did not realize this when looking at the picture. I am really sorry if the comment came across quite mixed... Wolfgang

gerard sexton Wolfgang I did not at all I sense sometimes the humour I use is not so translatable I used to have (past) German girlfriends perhaps that's why I used to have! My reply was supposed to be tongue in cheek & was a result of you not elaborating beyond a few words that allowed me to read into them in my own way. It takes a great deal to offend me Wolfgang & you certainly have not. Excuse my poor attempt at humour.

Wim Puts 3 months ago

Very good.

gerard sexton Thank you Wim I am grateful for your words.

Ben Goossens 3 months ago

And with this crop a much stronger Gerard:-)

gerard sexton Ben it is the most difficult part of photography for me the post production since ideally I would leave the image untouched. My first thoughts about the bright side was it was balanced the light was coming from photo left & I also love the creamy colours you get shooting wide open but I use a white background in PS & so often forget to switch to black to check the final cut in both black & white environments. It does work better with the crop as you say I guess I will always struggle to butcher my own creations! Your words are always welcome Ben thank you for stopping by & sharing them.

KPK 3 months ago

Excellent image!

gerard sexton Thank you Peter I appreciate your feedback.

Roman Lipinski © czeladnik 3 months ago

very good !!!

gerard sexton Thank you Roman.

Suresh Menon 3 months ago

Superb!

gerard sexton Thank you Suresh

Henry Trust 3 months ago

Great street shot..

gerard sexton Thank you Henry.

Jacob Tuinenga 3 months ago

Excellent portrait.

gerard sexton Thank you Jacob much appreciated.

Dragan M. Babovic 3 months ago

Excellent street portrait.

gerard sexton Thank you Dragan

MagnusPhotos 3 months ago

Excellent color harmony between the out of focus background and the richly textured subject. Only thing I might have done different is to bump the catchlights in her eyes just a bit, to make her look more engaged.

gerard sexton Magnus thank you for your comments I did in fact do some work on the eyes & perhaps I could do more I will go & check out. I am though a reluctant PS exponent simply because I don't want to overdo it. Its always good to get feedback like this as it helps to push by boundaries. It will be interesting to see if I can get more out. Thanks.

Allan Wallberg 3 months ago

Great and exciting portrait.

gerard sexton Cheers Allan.

Peter Svoboda 3 months ago

Great portrait Gerard,congr.

gerard sexton Thank you Peter I am happy you like this.

Kim Ayres 3 months ago

Great shot! Really strong :)

gerard sexton Thanks Kim much appreciated.

Guido Brandt 3 months ago

Great capture Gerry - her facial expression is fantastic! Might be the next cast of Grumpy Old Women.....congratulations!

gerard sexton Sure Guido she has that demeanour I talked to my wife about this stance a very closed defensive pose though I am not so sure she would be grumpy as I measured her as inquisitive & noticing since most walk past these sometimes noisy little scenes its hard to imagine people don't notice. This lady was there for a good 5 mins ( along time).

Charlie Packard 3 months ago

A wonderfully determined stare and an excellent coat and bg. I hope you rewarded your model well :)
On black it looks even better!

gerard sexton Thank you Charlie. I took this from a distance & she had melted into the background before I got up & wondered over tto the man feeding the birds which was the focus of her attention. The reward I guess was her noticing she was being framed! There is a hint almost of a half smile.

Colmar Wocke 3 months ago

I have to agree with Johan here - the toning just rounds out the mood of winter so well. Not only does her dress let us know it is cold, but also her stoic attitude, coupled with the cold tone. Bravo!

gerard sexton Yes Colmar thanks my friend it was bitterly cold that day I so wish though that I could get more herons on the front page. I will continue to work on it!

Johan Meintjes 3 months ago

Great shot, Gerard! The toning is lovely.

gerard sexton Thanks Johan altered in DPP with adjustments to white balance & the picture style that Canon use with a few mods to saturation.

Gerard Jonkman 3 months ago

Wonderful portait......

gerard sexton Thank you Gerard I liked the way this woman was dressed but also how she had stayed in the same spot for so long just watching this man feed the birds.

Chris Dixon 3 months ago

Now why do I know where this shot was taken. Love it

gerard sexton Well Chris thank you my friend but it wasn't in St James Park rather Regents Park the current source of my photographic attention though the pile of rejections can only witness that! This was one of those days started out like an invitation to treat sunny so I mustered myself for the prospect of a card full of herons in flight the 20 mins between my house & the park soon crushed that idea so I had to check out alternatives. At the time I took this I was aimlessly shooting one of the many feeders as I call them who visit the park. They come with bags of goodies from bread to raw liver to feed the birds including the herons John this particular guy feeds the herons with frankfurter pieces! I noticed as I was trying to frame my shots that this woman was transfixed (it can be bizarre seeing upwards of 20 herons gathering occasionally squabbling & fighting for the scraps of food amongst a melee of pigeons & sea birds & crows) by the whole episode planted in the middle of the pathway by the bench that the man was sitting on as his base. The rest was easy well getting her to look my was difficult but a few frames & voila! Hence the title Observing the Observed.

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