Faces of Fenghuang

ChrisOquist

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Here are some portraits I took while in Fenghuang, China last month. In some cases, I just snuck a shot in passing, in others I paid the subject a few RMB to let me take their picture. I'm really interested in this type of photography, and in getting more successful at capturing people's personalities in all kinds of different places.

Please comment, critique, lavish praise upon me, brutally destroy my hopes and dreams, etc.

Thanks!

1.
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2.
n20803585_31025057_773.jpg


3.
n20803585_31025041_5669.jpg


4.
n20803585_31025063_2736.jpg


5.
n20803585_31025060_1735.jpg


6.
n20803585_31025059_1402.jpg


7.
n20803585_31025075_6873.jpg
 
... lavish praise upon me...

Yes. Well, I think I want to do that.

For all these portrait photos are quite expressive, each by itself. I like your work here. I personally would have cropped some a little differently, but certainly not 6, which I find perfect. Maybe 3, though (less headroom).

But all in all, very well done. Nice focus, good backgrounds. The light in 7 looks problematic, but you worked well with it.

What people does the woman in 6 belong to? You happen to know?
 
Thanks! I do need to work on my cropping (and composition, and lighting, etc.) Any tips? I cropped 3 a bit already but I didn't want to chop his arm on the left off by taking too much off the top...

The woman in 5 is Miao. The "woman" in 6 is a man :lol:

Chris
 
Hey, I only confused 5 with 6! ;)
I know that the "woman" in 6 is a MAN. And was actually talking about the woman in 5! Miao ... I can't say I have heard that people's name mentioned often, erm ... actually never at all, I'm afraid, but I can tell she's member of a different ethnic group. Thanks for telling me.

And as to lighting in connection with street photography ... I really don't know. I would think you'd have to make do with whichever light there is, and once you introduce lights (other than a flash, maybe), it leaves the realms of street photography and becomes portrait photography? I'm afraid I know too little about all that, too... what do I know, I wonder :scratch: !???
 
For me #6 is great! I like #4 too, it holds my interest.
 
Miao: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Miao_people

"once you introduce lights (other than a flash, maybe), it leaves the realms of street photography and becomes portrait photography"

That's interesting. I really like the portrait work of Joey L (www.joeyl.com - under "PERSONAL", see his "STREET" gallery) but now that I look at it, it's definitely a bit overstated for what I want to do - it's more like fine art or commercial portraiture or something. I wonder how dramatic you can get while still staying in the journalistic area.

I really like the man's expression in #1, and the image in #6, but I think #4 and #5 are most representative of what I'm going for.
 

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