"The best photo you have ever taken with a digital camera" is quite a dynamic concept. I like photographing people and I have tons of people photos that I love. Putting one of them at the top of a list as my 'best' is simply impossible. Since people intrigue me for many reasons, I like some photos better than others, depending on the time of day, mood I'm in, and the weather forecast for next Saturday. I might not like it at all tomorrow, but when Tuesday rolls around, it will be on my favorites list once again.
This photograph that I have chosen to submit here is one that I made in September of 2008 at a local event where some Civil War re-enactment activities were going on. This young boy caught my eye in the group simply because of his age and size compared to the rest of the participants in the event. I watched him for a few minutes and probably shot 8 or 10 images of him as he marched with his group. Out of the images I made, this one is my favorite because of the subtle smile on his face. He looks more serious in the rest of the images, but the quick glimpse of the smile created a bit of an 'out of context' element in this image for me. These people who participate in Civil War re-enactments are quite serious about the authenticity of everything they do... from their clothing to their mannerisms. This brief moment of smile, in my opinion, is a short departure from that seriousness, and a random moment in time that appeals to me and will continue to do so for a long time.
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Place: 533 out of 1129 Avg (all users): 5.6333 Avg (commenters): 6.6400 Avg (participants): 5.6140 Avg (non-participants): 5.7375 Views since voting: 918 Views during voting: 680 Votes: 510 Comments: 54 Favorites: 2 (view)
I'm totally liking this as I come back to it. I failed to comment on first pass, but it's been at 7 and I am bumping to 8. You've created a quiet, understated, intensely human image that resonates with me. The tonalities are wonderful overall. To my eye, it looks like the face has been dodged just a little too much, it just seems a hair too light, but that's a quibble.
This looks like a very young soldier in a civil war re-enactment. We forget that there were no age restrictions at that time. Nice shot, well composed and processed with the authentic B&W look.
Must be a Civil war reenactment. About my only issue here is that a child getting ready to march into battle, and possibly to his death, would not be smiling. I do realize of course, that this was a reenactment and the shot is what it is. Other than that out of place smile, this is good.
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