A Ukrainian Kozak rider. Shot at the Washington DC Ukrainian festival. Since my wife is Ukrainian I have learned alot about the culture.
I was trying to do something different with this shot. I knew it wouldn't be a winner, but I like it. Anyway, some info about it...
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The short answer is, a Cossack (Kozak in Ukrainian, Kazak in Russian) is a member of one of the hosts of free fighting men which developed on the steppes of southern Russia and Ukraine from 15th to early 20th centuries. An individual Cossack provided his own horse, weapons, and equipment, and was available for muster.
Originally composed of runaway serfs and adventurers, they elected their leaders and built strongholds on islands in large rivers in the "Wild Country," a no-man's land beyond the control of any government. They often protected the southern borders of expanding Poland and Muscovy (later called Russia), in exchange for recognition of freedoms and privileges that distinguished them from the enserted peasantry. Living in tumultuous places and times, they sometimes rebelled against those governments. Although they were mostly of Eastern Slavic, Tatar, and Polish background, they accepted all who professed Orthodox Christianity.
More info here
//www.ifccsa.org/cossack.html
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Faultless, Extrodinary & Fantastic... your competition tugged at my heart strings so I only gave this a 9 ... but if you dont get the red I hope you get the blue!
Color and tone are expressed well here. The blue adds a nice impact. Including more of the background might better show the environment (it stands very well as a portrait, but imho, I would like to see more
this man's face and garb say that there is a story here that needs to be told. however, without any more context, i'm not sure what the story is. maybe if you had focused in on just his head and chest, or if you had backed off and shown his mount and what he was doing. as is, there's not much for me.
This is a great portrait of a "character"- not essentially the person but the thing represented, as referenced through the title, perhaps crop a little less leg, or more horse- but those are nit-picketty random thoughts. nice blue, nice job!
Alright, I must be ignorant because I have no idea what a Kozak is but I will give you the benefit of the doubt that the man in the picture is an accurate representation. Very sharp details. Contrast is excellent for the most part (shirt has bright spots) as are the colors. I really like how I can see individual hairs of the horse's mane and the wrinkles of the skin on the man's hand. I could go on. Excellent work. Minus half a point for the man not looking at the camera but I'll round up. 9
Why have you cropped him so tight? A Kozak without a horse? But it's a wonderful model, great clarity and colours. I wonder where did you find real Kozak those days :)
interesting portrait. the crop could be a little tighter and still retain enough detail in his surroundings to place him. a tiny bit of dodging in his face you really bring out the detail; his face has a lot of character, and wants to be recognized :)
nice job.
This is a really beautiful shot with excellent, consistent lighting. In addition, the subject is interesting and the composition works well. Really great job.
Good composition and technically correct for the subject. Not much WOW factor for the average viewer. I think if there were a connection between the viewer and the subject it would be much admired. 7
This is a great shot. The expression, the look of being captured without being posed. I love the candid looks. I would have liked to seen the horses head as I love horses but this shot does very well without that. a 10
Strong points: Great exposure and composition. The costume looks fairly authentic. Suggestions for improvement: The whitish area of the background is ok - but make one wonder what it is. b) If you are taliking about modern English - the word is Cossack - although I believe there is a Polish spelling Kozak.
Great color, expression, and light. I think this would have been much stronger if the horse's head had been included. That would have made your subject less centered as well. Still very good. 8.
very nice image, i love the colors and his outfit. Im not sure if you spelt the title correctly though, perhaps you were going for Cossack (traditonal person from eastern Ukraine) or Kazak (someone from Kazakhstan)
This is very nicely cropped. Trying to get the horse's head would have lead to less detail on your subject, and I think you made a perfect choice. The exposure is excellent.
Great portrait, good subject. I wish the background were completely green, I find the white element a bit distracting, especially as it's the same colour as the shirt. This was a really tough exposure, and it's a shame some of the shirt is overexposed. My overwhelming impression though is that I'm waiting for him to look more dynamic... my imagination feels that we've just missed or are about to see him looking much more interesting. I feel we're missing action! 7
This is a good portrait. I like the vibrant color in the pants, and the detail in the hand and face. The only thing I don't like is the background, though that's probably something out of your control. 6
Beautifully sharp focus and wonderfully natural colors and tonalities. Great detail is evident in the shirt and hat. Only negative I can see is a missing left hand. 8
I would have loved to see the horse's head, the whole saddle, a blade of grass on the rider's boots, but I can appreciate a portrait too. This one is very satisfying.
The enounter (between camera and subject) is cordial, informal (despite occasion and festive attire) and, credibly, sincere for such a fleeting look. The natural manner of the photo (lack of any 'evidence' of post-processing/appeciably 'juste' the degree of sharpness allotted/the nature of ambient light left unaltered) contributes as much to the moment as it compliments the horseman's features and bearing.
Given the fact, that (to my senses) the true subject extends well beyond the confines of the image, I should call this crop 'tight', but I can easily appreciate the 'personal proximity' this choice has afforded me.
It is a succinctly quiet photograph, an almost venerable portrait without defect and distraction, and, as such, very exciting.
This is really good- he's got such personality. I love the details on his clothes and the mood is calming, I really like this guy, fun :) Great blue color on the pants and shirt. Awesome! 9
The DoF does well to blur out the background. It would have been nice to get some catchlights in his eyes (or drawn them in during post processing) just to give the shot a little more emotion. 6
The neck of the horse I find distracting as it exits the frame. Also, I wish the man were looking into the camera for a more emotive look. The blue colors are beautiful, and the DOF is perfect.
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