Tea Time, a photo from Al Qunaytirah, South

Photographer's Note

This gentle Druze man is a dairy farmer, still working the same land that his family has owned for many generations. Although the region where he lives is often threatened by war in a political quarrel over borders that has nothing to do with him, he refuses steadfastly to leave, saying that he would rather die quickly at home than slowly in an alien place.
Although he is completely blind, he still walks his land without the aid of even a stick. In a very short time, I came to love him and his spirit.

sabyasachi1212, pierrefonds, Jason_teale, gunbud, MLINES oznaczył to zdjęcie jeko użyteczne

Critiques | Translate

derric (100) 2006-06-24 11:56

Hi Silke
your discription of this man in your notes is far out weighed with what your image says, Well done

Nikofan (1090) 2006-06-26 19:20

Well, the Papy, apparently, appreciates his fresh mint burning tea!
I like that sort of tea too!
Nice peaceful capture and...long life to him!

Bernard

sabyasachi1212 (19779) 2006-06-27 0:14

Hi Silke,
Excellent capture of the old man. He indeed looks like the proud man you have described.
With Greetings from India
Sabyasachi

PixelTerror (0) 2006-06-28 6:41

Hi Silke,
I always prefer to see old persons portrayed because we see them less on TE than children so they stand out better and also because they often have a dignity that children don't have (children have spontaneity and freshness). For those reasons I like this old man, even considering the contrasts lack some punch.
Have a nice day,
Jean-Yves

dcawker (5717) 2006-07-11 19:33

hi silke, nice moment captured here and good POV as well! regards, doug

pierrefonds (115462) 2006-08-18 8:23

Hi Silke,

A good portrait of this Druze man drinking his tea, the photo has a good composition and nice colors. Your note is informative. Thanks for sharing

Pierre

ben4321 (9875) 2007-01-30 10:42

A gentle and intimate portrait Silke, and very well taken. In particular, you framed the shot very well, taking care not to crop his arms or hands.
The background is a little busy, and I think this could have been improved by using a wider aperture to defocus the trees and bright leaves a bit more.
Technicalities aside, this is a great portrait, and most importantly you captured something of his personality, and his quiet dignity comes across.
Good work.

Cheers,
Ben

Jason_teale (717) 2007-02-16 18:58

I think that this is a great portrait and I am really glad that you submitted it. I took the time to do a workshop on it to clean it up a little and remove some of the noise. I hope that you like it.

[workshop] [compare]

gunbud (34066) 2007-04-17 22:53

Hi Silke,
Lovely portrait of this venerable old gentleman sipping his tea and hanging on this his land at all cost. Great determination is seen in his almost sightless eyes.
Regards, Tom

banyanman (7797) 2007-10-04 7:22

Hi Silke. I have eventually got around to look through your gallery (I am so far behind in returning critiques!) and chose this shot as the one I like the best. Not because of its technical quality (as Jean-Yves put it, it lacks a bit of punch because it needs more contrast and the sharpness of your main subject could be better) but it is the composition that attracted me. The farmer's confident stance against the backdrop of his trees, and the gentleness that you can see in his face, gives this photograph warmth. You have captured this man's soul in this image, and that's much more important than being technically perfect. Cheers . . . David

MLINES (12516) 2008-02-15 21:47

Hi Silke. This is a fine portrait, which i like a lot. Your notes about him make in very poignant. I wish all the locals were peaceful like him, the world would be a happier place for everyone. A fine contribution which he will never see! TFS. Murray.