A smile to the unknown.

Elie · Sep 5, 2014

I shot this portrait in a café in Le Marais, Paris. I was using my old 35mm Leitz Summaron f/3.5 which is perfect for black and white photography, and so I was thinking in black and white. While sitting in the café I looked up and saw a young woman smoking near me. I thought I should take a portrait of her, partly because I think that smoke looks very good in monochrome photography but also because the background was nice and open.

I took my Leica camera in my hands and focused without putting my eye to the viewfinder, because I didn't want her to see me and alter her expression. I was about to capture the scene when she suddenly looked at me, so I pushed the button. It was only afterwards when I saw the photograph that I realised that at the crucial moment, her face had lit up with the most beautiful smile.

We never shared a word, only a moment of distant peace, yet not so distant. A minute after, I was gone.

timor · Sep 5, 2014

Whoa ! For me it would be a perfect shot / portrait. Love the contrast difference between that girl (a beauty) and the window view. I understand your idea, but this two half-faces bother me, they throw the image in imbalance, especially that piece of window frame above left side head.

Elie · Sep 5, 2014

timor said:
Whoa ! For me it would be a perfect shot / portrait. Love the contrast difference between that girl (a beauty) and the window view. I understand your idea, but this two half-faces bother me, they throw the image in imbalance, especially that piece of window frame above left side head.

Thanks Timor. Actually, these two half-faces are here on purpose. They are here so you can understand that I don't know this young girl. I had to put them in the frame to mark the distance between me and my subject, so you can get the story without me telling you that I don't know her. If I only shot her face, you would believe she is a friend of mine, and I want my photographs to make sense.

Cheers,
Elie

timor · Sep 5, 2014

Elie said:
timor said:

Whoa ! For me it would be a perfect shot / portrait. Love the contrast difference between that girl (a beauty) and the window view. I understand your idea, but this two half-faces bother me, they throw the image in imbalance, especially that piece of window frame above left side head.

Click to expand...

Thanks Timor. Actually, these two half-faces are here on purpose. They are here so you can understand that I don't know this young girl. I had to put them in the frame to mark the distance between me and my subject, so you can get the story without me telling you that I don't know her. If I only shot her face, you would believe she is a friend of mine, and I want my photographs to make sense.

Cheers,
Elie

I said I got your idea, I just disagree with it. I still can see only the girl and the background. The side faces are only interference in the corners of my eyes, especially, that boy's face doesn't have any physical connection with the rest of the picture. I don't care, if you know her or not, this faces don't tell me that, but empty table top between her and camera would give the sense of a distance not only in meters but also emotional. IMHO

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Take a look at your idol works, how easily he is creating a singularity of a subject.

Josh66 · Sep 7, 2014

timor said:
I said I got your idea, I just disagree with it. I still can see only the girl and the background. The side faces are only interference in the corners of my eyes, especially, that boy's face doesn't have any physical connection with the rest of the picture.

To me, they help frame the subject pretty effectively.