Wednesday, April 25, 2007

Lost In........

Lost in .......

For someone who's as friendly as moi, I am so painfully shy to capture strangers on my camera. That explains the perennial lack of "human images" on my blog. I will not approach them for a shot and I'll not encroach upon their privacy : that leaves me highly discontented coz nothing enchants moi more than human expressions....Lately, I have been able to muster enough courage (fleetingly though) to click people in an engaging moment and yet not reveal them (more often than not) as identifiable individuals. Have a very modest collection of such images. Hope to share them in ensuing weeks.....

This one was shot at a church in Brussels, a few months back as a motley crowd of young artists sat there sketching the interiors.

41 comments:

Nikon said...

Very nice shot - nice warm colors of artificial light.
What kind of camera is that in your avatar? Am SLR?

Cris said...

Hey Moi, thought you'd be the one to guess the fruit... what most people drink in the morning? :-) They were really working there, the person measuring with a pencil.. such nice picture. Take care!

Anna said...

I love this shot. I think that you just have to be choosy in what you snap when you are seeing others. Most of the time I do not do it (unless it is my kids) but every now and then you can capture something that is unique...

This is a noce one....good job.

isa said...

That's why I stick to alligators ;-)

rauf said...

i have never been abroad, i can't say anything about encroaching privacy. You are taking picture of the church, humans become a part of your composition. i wouldn't call that encroaching. People who know me or heard of me want to get photographed by me. That is a different matter. i love taking pictures of people. This is India and there are people only people. Every inch of India screams and begs you to be photographed. There are hundred photo oppertunities every minute.
I walk, stop for a second, take a picture and move, no eye contact, no hesitation, i am already twenty feet away taking another picture.
Hesitation makes them aware. i never had a bad experience, they all seem to like being photographed. In villages i always show the picture i took of them on the small screen. i love villages, i am very comfortable there. In the cities it is nearly the same, but i choose people, one look, you know that they are snobs and avoid, but in India you hardly find snobs. I don't know where to find them, good for me. i belong to the streets. some times i want them to look into the camera and they always oblige, always.
Just throw the hesitation out of the window Moi, and shoot, Keep moving, pointing the camera somewhere else.

rauf said...

Isabella, i said hi to my crocodile, can i take your picture ? He said i am not intersted in your camera, its hard to digest. But he gave me some tips
how to put on some weight and add some flesh to my bones, Go eat well, come back next month, pour some ketchup on your self, I'll give you some real good close ups.
i think i should do that.

Anonymous said...

love the softness and atmosphere :)

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

nikon: welcome here and thanx .....no it's not an SLR...it's a kodak z740 :)

cris: cocoa???? wow!!! coffee is my everyday drink and brazil...i should have guessed!!!..shame on moi!!!..and yes they were really engrossed in their work......good for moi!! :)

Anna : thanx and u r right :)

isabella: dont they have a right to privacy??? :DDD

rauf: it's easier said than done, for moi..i have tried several times to overcome the hesitation and i cud not..not eve in India where as u said, the opportunity provides itself at every step...but i sure shall try :) and lol @ ur comment for Isabella...:)

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

Hey Mia...long long time...and thanx for stopping by..:)

Nikon said...

Thanks for stopping by Hemingway, I appreciate it :)

Zeekat said...

I know the feeling!! lol
And I also like to caputure people, but I don't do it as much as I like also.

It's a great shot!!

Keep up the good "people" work

greetzzz

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

nikon: i am glad i discovered it through you :)

zeekat : thanx :)

Oya said...

I like to photograph people , but I am shy to ask also..So, I understand you:) This one is very good .

bluemountainmama said...

lovely image...i like the somewhat muted feel....

i'm the same way about capturing people. there are some interesting "characters" in our town and i would so like to document them....respectfully, of course. one of these days maybe. people and their stories fascinate me....especially some of the old timers, as they are called.

hope moi has a great weekend!

JAM said...

I really like this photo. The dreaminess.

I am exactly the same way about taking photos of other people. That's why 98% of mine have none. I regret it, but haven't been able to overcome the fear. Well, I guess it's fear.

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

oya : thanx :)

BMM: thank u. hoping to meet them thro' ur blog soon...and u too have a great weekend .

JAM : thanx ........guess, we have similar fears ..

Anonymous said...

A superb coloured ambience in this church. i like how you have captured your subject!

Chad Oneil Myers said...

Very nice, Moi.

I tried photographing a guy with his son looking at a classic vehicle on Saturday night at Old Town, but I wasn't fast enough to catch it :(

Annie said...

Often people love to be photographed. Just ask them.

Love to see you trying new stuff.

Seda said...

Very nice shot...colors look surreal...

I liked it...
Seda
Istanbul Photo

Nazzareno said...

A delightful photograph, it is breathed us the delight, the caution and the spontaneity of the children. ;)

Anonymous said...

You are doing a splendid job already. It might change but why? I saw your shot of the rain. It is very similar to mine.

Abraham Lincoln
Brookville Daily Photo

Megster said...

Lovely pic! I like the soft effect..very appropriate for a church pic:)

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

still : thank u , ur appreciation means a lot to moi....i love ur work on ur blog.

chad : thanx......and sorry abt missing that. I once saw this man and his li'l son admiring Arnold Schwarzenegger's poster together..i so badly wanted to capture it .....but was too hesitant to and hence never did!!! :(

annie : maybe i shud ..thanx :)

seda : thank u ..and welcome here :)

nazzareno: thank u

Abraham Lincoln : thank u and welcome here....i shall hop over to ur blog soon to have a ppek at ur rain shot and others :)

megster : thanx and welcome here :)

suramya said...

enchanting photo swati :), call me frivilous but I love the rich red top the girl is wearing, it has a very classy feel to it.

Ash said...

Love this image!

Sarad said...

The pic has a mystic quality that I can't describe.

diyadear said...

moi,
thats a serene thought n the shot has come out very well too.. u r truelly a great photographer :) keep up the gud work..

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

Su : i wont call u frivolous at any cost..., i like it too. i also love the way her hair softly falls around her face and yet u can see that she's concentrating hard to get it right....:)

ash : thanx :)

sarad: :)

diyadear:thank u :D

nasten'ka said...

people walking alone, peolpe just having a seat, people lost in some thoughts, people laughing. The most beautiful show in the worl. For free.

Mr. J said...

I know what you mean. Many a times i'm tempted to click people's backside while walking.

One of these days i'll muster the courage to do just that.

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

Natsen'ka : beautifully expressed...:)

Mr J: haha...you watch my back, i'll watch yours....

Waldo Oiseau said...

Moi, these are all lovely pics. I have just recently started taking photos as well. I can really identify with your feelings about wanting to capture people but feeling shy, etc. I agree that if you can't "see" the people's faces etc. maybe you don't need to ask, but if people can be identified, it is proper to ask. Does that mean you might miss some great photo ops? Probably. But, maybe knowing that we're about to lose a great shot will encourage us to throw off our shyness and just walk up to people! :)

I know that professional photographers and journalists get permission from their subjects (if they can be identified). We should expect no less from our peers on the DP community.

Again, lovely photos!

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

waldo: welcome here and i agree abt the whole ppl issue...my sentiments exactly ..:)

Perpetual Procrastinator said...

I like this photo. And, I have the same problem. I'm too shy to ask strangers for permission or to take an obvious photograph of strangers, even though I often desperately want to. I take masses of landscape shots but am always thinking of that 'portrait that got away', simply because I was too shy to go for it.

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

PP : thank u and welcome here......guess most of us have same issue with snapping people...:)

Kerri said...

I really love this one too!

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

I am glad u do, Kerri :)

Waldo Oiseau said...

Hi, there! I don't have your email address, but I thought you'd find this article about photographing people to be insightful:

http://digital-photography-school.com/blog/asking-permission-to-photography-people/

Chica, Cienna, and Cali said...

Waldo: thanx a ton....i really liked what he had to say....:)

Sandrine said...

Bonjour :)
First, what a great capture! Love it! Love your blog! Do you mind if I use some of your quotes?
Second, I too do not have many 'people pictures'. I am slowly finding the courage to take more. (had a bad exprience once!) Mother nature is so much more gracious than its human habitants sometimes.
Third, I took a lot of my pictures with a little konika minolta z3 before I got a Conon XTi.