Discussion in an alley, a photo from Shaanxi, Central

Photographer's Note

As I was walking in the Shuayanmen area, I heard quite some loud shouting coming from an alley. So I took a peek and took this photo. Unfortunately, my grasp of Mandarin is not well developed so I did not understand what the discussion was all about.

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Note: In the original photo, the top middle part (the trees and the banners) was quite overexposed because of the dark counter sides on the right and left. I spent quite a long time to adjust the curves, contrast and brightness to balance the middle part (with light) and both sides (darker). I hope it works...

etiennejr, Kenny10pin, cmartos, Steely, nwoehnl, ChrisJ, rosie oznaczył to zdjęcie jeko użyteczne

Critiques | Translate

sohrab (7439) 2004-05-03 4:30

well youve certainly got soft light and rich colours here.infact the banners and all are very rich in colours. quite an attractive photograph. nice work

elihesamian (26149) 2004-05-03 4:35

Excellent,Tai !
I like it for nice light that you skilfully captured,for great contrast in shot,For lively colors,For darkness in around & lightness in center,And for great composition.
Well done!

etiennejr (1022) 2004-05-03 4:44

This one work for me. I can imagine the sounds to the picture. I like the traditional red banners. Well done!

Kenny10pin (19301) 2004-05-03 5:16

Very common sight in China, great capture, you got the red in it iswell, well done indeed

Great moment

Steely (895) 2004-05-03 8:02

wow, the adjustments and framing makes this a little sinister looking, they look like a couple of GoodFellas in negotiations

Good capture!

gringofil (0) 2004-05-03 8:59

This is super cool. I've myself have spent many days walking the backstreets of Chinese cities trying to capture moments such as this. To tell you the truth: it's damn hard sometimes, but here you managed to find and capture the perfect moment. Nothing really to nic pick apart from the fact that some cropping (from the top and sides) would make the image better IMO. Anyway, this is wonderful. Well done.

nwoehnl (122) 2004-05-03 13:12

I would absolutely say it works, Tai. A most interesting colorful scene here, with lots of details to explore and let the eye wander. Great combination of patterns - the banners, the bicycles, the bricks, the wires ... Very well captured.

ChrisJ (152546) 2004-05-04 5:18

Good lighting & pov

ianmcall (1213) 2004-05-04 5:19

Nice blend of colours and shadows. Il ike this view of a typical alley, and know how hard it is to get the lighting right when it only comes from the top or one end. Nicely done.

I agree with Fil that a little cropping might enhance the main subject area.

omritoppol (826) 2004-05-04 8:54

Tai, i like the balance & the game of light & dark. A scene well captured with a good note. I also like the fact that the well lite center is taking me to the end of the shot. Well done.

rosie (119) 2004-05-18 10:38

This is wonderful back street photo. I like the gathering of men and the red banner fit nicely into the photo. Very nice work!

cmartos (242) 2004-08-19 4:45

Just browsing your portfolio. Nice daily-life scene, excellent PP indeed! It's colorful, well croped, and the light balance between foreground and the busy background is very good. A very fine catch Tai.