Blue Eyed Saddhu, a photo from Tamil Nadu, South

Photographer's Note

He was sitting his back leant on a pillar, under the archs of the most important temple in Trichy.

The day was hot and the sun shining, I sat near him looking for some shade. He was a nice looking old guy, better dressed than any saddhu I had seen before, though he didn't beg for anything to anyone. He had his forehead striped with horizontal lines, Shiva's symbols but the most intriguing was his light blue eyes, so alert and young man looking.

I saluted him and asked if he wouldn't mind posing for a portrait. He nodded ok, and while I spent my time trying to find the better angles... a busload of north european tourist came rushing in and started filming the scene with their digicams, I didn't hear them say "hello" or ask anything.. they were only busy filming carefully, with their arms extended, trying not to approach the "wild beast" too close.

I didn't know whether I should feel like a zoo animal myself or like the zoo attendant in their scenario... though, a thing for sure is that I was ashamed of their behavior. So ashamed that I had finished shooting but I still I waited for them to end their silly video, I could not resign to leaving my blue eyed friend alone with them.

Of course, they left without any whatsoever bye or thanks, even mumbled.

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I'm trying to update my photo galleries : you can see other of his BW portrayed colleagues on a 10 year span, clicking on my pbase gallery too.

KevRyan, faubry, kajspice, sidstakes, AnimeshRay, coco, thaprem, brevbrev14, BABUBZH, Curioso, eleparc, bfly, thea0211, MayaG oznaczył to zdjęcie jeko użyteczne

Critiques | Translate

mushanis (241) 2007-06-16 5:32

Hi Luko
This is a beautiful shot nice relax confident posture. He is obviously a man at peace with himself and he has a kindly look in his eyes. Great shot Luko.

KevRyan (22956) 2007-06-16 5:35

Yeah - there is something about the eye of a photographer meeting the eye of another human being, another soul before they become a subject....there is something in the smile that connects and the word exchanged and the interest and the care - (these last two can happen even if the person is unaware) - and there, in that, is part of the difference between a candid image, a portrait and mindless decorative embellishment of a trip to show the neighbours what a bizarrely backward place it is you've just come from.

The dignity of your portrait says more than anything where the backwardness may exist - Gandhi's famous words when he was asked what he thought of British or Western civilisation - (you probably know it already) - he is reported to have said - 'It would be a very good idea' - or words to that effect.

it's an interesting use of space Luko - I am not entirely sold on the tilt of the background - I find it a bit of a distraction in this one but in all other respects this is an image which doesn't just capture but also holds my attention.

bw Kev

gpsony (448) 2007-06-16 5:41

Hi Luko,

Very nicely seen and shot. I like the look on his face. The B&W works well here. Nice DOF to get attention on the gentleman.

Congrats! Great atmosphere!

BTW, his horizontal lines actually indicate he is a follower of Shiva. Vertical lines would indicate a follower of Vishnu. What he has on his forehead is called Vibhudhi or the sacred ash.

However, in the background between the pillars, you can see one of the symbols of Vishnu, his discus called the Sudharshan.

Cheers,
Guru

ben4321 (9875) 2007-06-16 5:57

An excellent B&W portrait Luko, I like his relaxed demeanour and the sense of dignity that you captured.
I've visited the same place about eleven years ago and it's interesting to see the details of the temple in the background.
I find the framing a liitle tight on the left side - I just want to see a bit of space between the back of his head and the edge of the frame, and maybe his right arm included also.
It's an excellent portrait, and a strong piece of work though, well done.

Cheers,
Ben

Furachan (0) 2007-06-16 6:21

One thing (among many others) that stands out here, Luko, is how you fill the bottom of the vertical frame with this reclining Sadhu - I mean specifically the sinuous shape of the cloth making the vertical format seeminly stretch along the horizontal. t
Then you have all that reverential bokehed space above like a secondary image that complements the first.
Great balance, depth and intelligence. And I have visited the Base gallery, highly recommended to anyone.
Amigos, this ain't no postcard... And I know what I'm talking about here ;)
ps. So I guess it's India for me next, if only to shake that postcard monkey on my back...

sidstakes (772) 2007-06-16 6:26 [Comment]

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fixed (3836) 2007-06-16 7:01

salut Luko
he, he je reviens de pbase et visiblement tu n'aimes pas trop mettre le .com :) ... ton lien ne fonctionne pô :)
j'aime bien cette photo, un peu la force tranquille, avec une belle atmosphčre ... effectivement ...
j'aime particuličrement comme cet homme s'emboite et se repose sur le cadre
belle photo
hé, hé, hé, t'sé quoi Luko, t'sé quoi Luko, ben moi, je sais ce que j'attends en tout cas ... tout simplement la suivante :)
nono

Darren (6823) 2007-06-16 7:20

There's lots I like about this. The "true" b&w works geat and I like your choice of aperture/DOF. His general posture and expression are very nice too. The composition is not bad at all, but to be honest I think it is missing somehow. It seems a little tight horizontally to me and I am not sure about hte crop on his arm. I think what I notice more is that his head is pretty centered and the 50/50 vertical division leaves me wanting more. I want either more space above him (maybe cropped across his chest, just under his left hand) or less above and showing more of his body. I think that for me this falls a little too close to the middle. Words aside, this is still a really nice shot and the toning and exposure are near perfect.

vapours (8264) 2007-06-16 8:01

Interesting point you raise, at times I'd like to think I'm more important than other tourists with their expensive cameras, or when I'm competing with others in a concert with their point and shoots, but at the end of it all I'm no different to them and both our photos are as equal in merit as the other.

Anyway, a real classic approach to this one, with the traditional patterns...works real well with the black and white treatment.

tcht (7565) 2007-06-16 9:34

Hi Luko
wonderful portrait...love the framing here which is quite perfect to me. there is good eye-contact and the lighting is pretty good too. a fine background as well.
Nice weekend
CheukHin

InasiaJones (31566) 2007-06-16 10:37

Salut Luko,

Ta note correspond précisément ŕ une interrogation qui me triture les méninges depuis que je me suis acheté une caméra, il y a presque deux ans... Moi, mon approche, elle est précisément comme la tienne; avant dagresser qui que ce soit avec ma caméra, jessaie détablir un contact minimum et ensuite, je procčde pour prendre mes photos, en présumant quils aient accepté, bien entendu.

Alors ma question est la suivante: Je veux évoluer, je veux tâter autre chose que du portrait, mais comment envahir lespace, lintimité dun sujet tout en le respectant. Comment faire pour le photographier dabord et lui demander la permission ensuite.

Oů se trouve la différence entre photographier quelquun qui passe en moto, sans approbation et un Ťbus loadť de touristes insouciants, qui débarquent avec leur caméra quils tiennent ŕ bout de bras, comme tu le dis si bien, et qui tirent ŕ qui mieux-mieux, sans se préoccuper de létat desprit et du respect de la personne quils aggressent.

Quelle est la ligne qui sépare le photographe qui saisit une scčne comme celle-ci ou celle-ci, qui ne présument pas une autorisation, et celle que tu nous présentes aujourdhui. Quest-ce qui justifie une intrusion dans certains cas, et un apprivoisement dans lautre...

Et quest-ce qui fait quon se sente ŕ laise de braquer notre caméra dans la face dun indien et quon ne fasse pas la męme chose dans la face dun allemand? Le męme touriste qui se projčte sur le premier sadhu venu, ne tolčrerait pas que lon agisse de la męme façon ŕ son égard. Je nai quŕ penser ŕ la loi française qui permet de poursuivre quelquun qui le photographie sans sa permission.

Je ne te demande pas de répondre ŕ mes grandes questions existentielles, mais ta note a spontanément soulevé une série dinterrogations qui me préoccupent et qui constituent un frein ŕ développer une approche plus "aggressive", plus "intrusive", propre au Ťstreet shooterť.

Cest peut-ętre parce que je sais que tu es quelquun pour qui la photographie sinscrit dans une démarche intellectuelle que je me permets de soulever ces points, comme si tu possédais une réponse qui allait me permettre dévoluer, de passer ŕ une autre étape dans ma propre démarche. Il y a des gens que je respecte et qui mimpressionent pour leur approche technique, et dautres pour leur approche philosophique.

En tous cas, jaime bien cette compo, avec la position de ce type qui semble ętre modelée par le cadre de ta photo, son regard un peu absent, contemplatif... La lumičre aussi, caractéristique de ces temples aux odeurs dencens.

Un peu comme les indiens, cest le troisičme oeil que je dois développer, mon troisičme oeil bleu...

Ciao!

André

AnimeshRay (9089) 2007-06-16 12:54

Luko,
A luminous portrait, respectful and fitting to the dignified man.
I read your note, which makes me feel your embarrassment. But as you say in your pbase, you have not failed his expectations.
A precious image.
Animesh

prezntime (3946) 2007-06-16 13:59

Interesting that your show so few portrait (type) shots...your always pull them off quite well. I find myself attracted to the idea of portrait photography in the respect that it is so hard to get intereaction, yet have not feel delibrate. I guess that is the trick. Although your exposure is spot on, I'm assuming this is a scan of a negative...? I would like to see the background just a tad lighter...maybe a 1/2step, or even a quarter...just ot punch the man out of the frame a little.
See ya,
Chris.

wolf38 (30) 2007-06-16 14:38

Hello Luko. Classical art in b&w. Nothing is to be seen, by the blue eyes - in addition, the picture convinces in such a way. It is not only an informative, but also an aesthetic picture. Very beautifully. Best regards, Wolfgang.

euryan (8442) 2007-06-16 19:11

I've been staring at this for the past 5 minutes and I have finally come to this conclusion: His eyes are gray ;-)
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Your note was interesting and raises some thought provoking issues about tourism. I can remember apologizing once for the way other tourists (whom I wasn't with) were acting. But tour buses seem to be the worst because they bring such large groups of people, and people always act stupider in a group. The funny thing is, it's not just Northern Europeans, or Americans. Its any culture that travels to another country to see the famous places. Last week I was in Yellowstone and I saw a bus full of Indian tourists, coincidently. They threw rocks into a geyser and then approached some wildlife way to closely to have their pictures taken. It's like a grand circle of tourism. Europeans acting stupid in Asia, Asians acting stupid in America, and Americans acting stupid everywhere. The problem is this: When people travel in a tour, everything is taken care of for them, and they feel no responsibility. When you travel by yourself, you are responsible to learn and figure things out on your own, which I think makes you humbler, more in tune with the culture, and a better tourist. Just my thoughts.
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Oh yes, nice photo too. The B&W looks great even if it does take away his blue eyes. ;-)

brevbrev14 (140) 2007-06-17 3:32

Hi Luko, great portrait!
i like a lot the position of the the man..the relaxed hand..
wow...Leica M6...

the expression of this man wonderful..
bravoo Luko!
ciao!
Valeria

BABUBZH (285) 2007-06-17 4:17 [Comment]

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coco (30439) 2007-06-17 6:19

Hi Luko.

Interesting portrait and also note because it is about our behaviour in front different people and different cultures.
Even if someone doesn't think in the same way, it's a very interesting thought.

Regards.

faubry (35447) 2007-06-17 8:31

bonjour Luko, je ne sais pas s il a les yeux bleus... mais par contre ce qu est visible c est son elegance naturelle et sa grace.. sa position est superbe et tu as su le mettre en valeur, pas de pbr pour faire des photos dans les temples?
alors j attends, j attends... tu sais quoi????
a bientot
francine

thea0211 (1365) 2007-06-17 8:44

i think that's how wisdom should look like in the eyes and attitude of a not so young anymore person - even if faced with unpleasant situations as the one you're describing here ... you did well waiting and this way somehow protecting him.
i wonder about agressivity too sometimes and most of the times i try to put myself in the other's place - would i like being photographed? ... your note stirred quite a discussion here - something to ponder for all of us!
... i might already sound like a broken record but i truly believe this to be a beautiful portrait again - as the whole BW gallery on pbase - well done!
dora

one personal curiosity, though: why India?

eleparc (24063) 2007-06-17 11:28

je deteste ces "touristes japonais" d'ou qu'ils viennent qui prennent les gens pour des betes sauvages comme tu le décris si bien! ce qui fait tout le charme de la photo est aussi lié ŕ la rencontre et au partage d'instants męme brefs avec nos sujets, en tt cas, c'est ainsi que je le concois... Pour ce qui est des yeux bleux, j'ai du mal ŕ le voir etant face ŕ du n&b... mais je te fais confiance pour avoir noté ou enregistré ce détail dans ta mémoire;-)
Perso, je me sens un peu coincé dans ce cadrage vertical, j'aurais aimé plus d'espace ŕ droite

partha (14023) 2007-06-17 21:42

Hi Luko,
A very straight forward shot.Strong and emotive. B&W works well here.
Partha

thaprem (2566) 2007-06-17 22:58

Yes...That is the feeling I get in such situation....Helpless & mild irritation...
Considering the effect here on your frame, should make you forget all that for resuch a nice shot this is.
Nice one here... That summicron is simply a killer in your hands.
Cheers,
Prem.

PeterC (2242) 2007-06-18 0:44

Luko,
Sublime black and white print. Im hoping to get a cheap film camera and get back in the darkroom next year as i will have free acess! Something i miss deeply as i havent been able to find anything here in Korea. Converting images in Photoshop really isn't the same. I enjoy the challenge of digital conversion but it just isn't the same as swtiching on that enlarger anf getting your hands dirty! Man i miss it. Sorry back to the photo I love the posture of the Saddhu and the dignity you have accurately captured. I know how you feel about tourism and people rushing around looking at the world through their videocameras. Then dont give a second though to anything else other than their video. I was just wondering why you hadnt posted a colour version as a workshop?

Cheers
Peter

lewiz (1297) 2007-06-18 8:42

Hi Luko,

This happens sometimes, it's a real shame that it does... I guess there are two reasons for it:

1. people are shy to ask
2. people are just plain rude

Sounds like you have a bunch of the latter here :(

But this is a beautiful shot full of dignity. I'm sure he'd be happy with it.

Thanks, Lewis.

MayaG (2415) 2007-07-01 3:41

There is something a bit ironic in his relaxed pose and this strong Leica B&W...and most charming, as well. I am always impressed by the way you and a few others are brave and approach your subjects (photographically)...my photos of 'wise old men' are just paparazzi shots and I hate that.
If I was a nitpicker, I'd say that maybe the white light spot in the middle could have been cloned out later, but since I'm not, I won't say anything ;)

stiginthedump (1833) 2007-07-16 7:55

Yeah, I'll give you two points for this one. Interesting point about the busload of tourists that you had to 'wait' for to leave. With that look he's kinda saying 'yep...you've earned the special look.' It's the detail on his arms and clothing that do it for me here.