eyes, a photo from Delhi, North

Photographer's Note

removed the cast in this one as well

one day in one of the slums i found a kid who had extremely expressive eyes .these eyes screamed out his dreams, despairs,curiousity ,joys, anger and other emotions to me . i somehow managed to cajole him into letting me make his portrait. we were not alone in that area. there must have been atleast 30-40 kids playing in that area. i was busy trying to adjust the aperture and all and before i knew it i was literally mobbed by this swarm of kids who wanted to get into the frame.it was tough to maintain balance as there was a lot of pushing and shoving( these kids were putting darwin's theory of the survival of the fittest to shame) to be in front of the camera, but i somehow managed to focus on my subject- the kid's eyes.

RGatward, eleparc, jhonny_blue, pridel, Burnham, rosie, ale oznaczył to zdjęcie jeko użyteczne

Critiques | Translate

RGatward (20108) 2004-05-18 3:59

Hey Sohrab, these portraits of yours are really great, this looks like a really tricky capture. really well done.

nygus (8178) 2004-05-18 4:16

typical third world scene, nothing special about the capture, but I like rich contrast. check this guy - he is working black and white as you do :http://www.plfoto.com/uzytkownik.php?authorname=zappa

serena (327) 2004-05-18 4:20

A fantastic shot, well framed. I can see why you wanted to take the kids photo - what a character filled face.

gringofil (0) 2004-05-18 4:48

Excellent. You know why I like your B&W stuff? You're not afraid to juice up the contrast which makes other B&W look too flat. Yours, on the other hand, jump off the page (in this case off the screen). Compo is excellent here, very tight and close to the subjects. The boy in the middle, with his sparkling eyes, the the center and focal point of this shot. Good stuff here, very journalistic and very emotional at the same time.

jhonny_blue (4956) 2004-05-18 5:14

Wonderful picture Sohrab ! The faces and expressions are simply beautiful !
Very well done !

pts later

Burnham (2428) 2004-05-18 9:01

You are really improving these shots in the post processing, great work. I have to disagree with nygus, though it might be true that this is a typical third world scene, this is a special capture, mainly because I agree on those eyes being amazing - but also because if you just say that a scene that goes on everyday is not woth shooting, then wht's left! Good work with these kids Sohrab..
And nygus no offense, just a comment :o)

rosie (119) 2004-05-18 10:36

This photo is full of life. I like all the face but the face in the middle speak to me the strongest. His eyes are very strong. Black and white make this image even more beautiful. Very nice!

ale (1819) 2004-05-18 12:48

Hi Sohrab!
I like the expressions and the poses of this kids, they have a very contagious smile! Very well cropped.

philip_coggan (11) 2004-05-20 5:19

Here's a link to John Vink, a Magnum photog living and working in Phnom Penh:
http://www.streetfriends.org/CONTENT/LIFE/gallery_John_Vink/

The photos were taken for an NGO called Friends, which helps streetkids. I think there's alink there to Vink's homepage.

Anyway, the link is just to let you see the way a Magnum photog took street kid shots.

I never met John Vink, but mutual friends tell me he's very approachable, so if you ever do come to Cambodia...

:-).

Philip.

akeyswede (1078) 2004-08-23 9:45

Although I haven't been to India, this reminds me of my childhood... like an american football huddle.

flydragon (0) 2004-09-03 5:20

Hello Sohrab
i missed some of your pics
wowwww this one is crazy
really good work
u have a verry good black and white
well done
simon

sorry point tomorrow

bip-bip (1837) 2004-09-13 14:55

Hi Sohrab,
I really appreciate this kind of pix
it's exactly the kind I like to take when possible
you really get the atmosphere of children rushing in front of the camera
Not very sharp but so beautiful !
Take care

Karthik (306) 2004-12-07 0:52

this is a great capture I would say. The eyes of the kid in the centre, the one on the top-centre and the one on the right side.. I love this pic!

shalin (135) 2005-01-27 1:04

great tight close-up potrait. The pushing is indeed noticable in the picture but what;s interesting is no one missed looking into the lens. great snap!