What makes a shot stand out as something worth remembering?
This one hits me because as I sat near these two men I overheard the older gentlemen say "My only regret in life is..." and then my friend spoke up and I never did hear the end of the sentence. I must admit that this shot still draws me in for that reason, still makes me question what it means to live with regret, what I hope for my life to mean.
I am entering this shot, not because it is my best, but rather because it best defines what is missing for me in most of my work.
I hope to shoot like this more often.
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"it best defines what is missing for me in most of my work."
I think I know what you mean, and I feel the same way about my poetry. Perhaps you worry that "most of your work" is so mysterious that a viewer has no story or emotion to latch onto. But in your case, the mystery is its own emotion, its own story, and oh so beautiful.
Or maybe you think the exact opposite. Whatever it is, shut up already!
...worn and weary, he stares into the dark wall...things left undone, places ungone, friends never made...or maybe the dopey kid behind the counter just forgot to put the sugar in the coffee as he requested...and he never spoke up.
Voted earlier coming back to leave comments. The B&W tones and contrasts are eye-poppingly dynamic!! Absolutely stunning! The widescreen border just complements the look and feel of a cinema scene that this photo invokes. I feel that this is a still from a movie where we are watching the main protagonist take a seat at the bar/bistro. He sits alone for there is no one to celebrate with him. His birthday - 50. He realizes, he is old. Old and alone. He reflects upon the one special lady he let slip away decades ago. And he regrets...regrets that he has no one close to his heart to be there with him on this day. This is the scene I see being played out. This is what story the photo speaks to me. Very mood driven and has a powerful story to tell...and not just what I think as that there are sure to be others who see a story here that might differ from mine or share in some same elements. Wonderful work here - bumping up to 9.
This is interesting. The lighting (including the lack of it) is theatrical, and suggests that this is a stage performance. I expect to see the man begin a soliloquy raking over the coals of his life.
Beneath all that is another interpretation, triggered by the self-congratulatory posters. How to turn 2 cents worth of coffee beans at the Guatemalan grower's end into two bucks worth of coffee at the regretful man's end. The shadowy figure in the corner is no doubt Mr Businessman, counting the beans. 9.
wish I could see just a hair more of the guy on the right. at least the shape of his head would do. On my editing monitor, I probably could, but I'm 'working' right now. will return later, for now, an 8
When I first saw this pic, the first thing I noticed was the Guatemala Antigua sign and I thought, gee that looks like Starbucks' poster. Then I realized it IS a Starbucks poster. The darkness kind of hides the location a little, which I think works well here.
I like the darkness that you present here, but I'd much rather see him sitting in the left portion of the frame. Centered composition does not work well for this image.
This is perhaps the strongest image I've seen so far. I don't grok the title but I love the image ... a man, maybe in uniform, in a darkly exotic place alone, full of mystery. I might cut 15% off the right edge to balance the composition, but that's probably a personal preference.
This is an example of one I'd LOVE to see really big. When you have the 720 constraints, it loses some of it's impact, but doesn't affect the score I'm giving at all. Just wishing we could see them bigger. I love the contrast and how he's perfectly centered. Nice use of the frame. 8
I would love to know under what lighting setup this was taken. I love the selective lighting that really causes the subject and parts of the environment to pop. Very nice mood setting.
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