I'm returning to this image now a couple months after the vote, and it still has all the appeal it did to me in the challenge. I figured it would be a polarizing photo for many voters, and the score reflects that, but to me the blur still emphasizes that man's haunted expression perfectly. What is he thinking? Who is he? What has he seen, what has he done? If an image gives the viewer pause and causes him to ponder such questions, it has succeeded expertly as a portrait. It certainly did for me, and it would appear by the comments below it did for many others as well. Great job.
Wonderful photo. Love the processing and the composition. I love photos with a touch of mystery... wonder who this man is, what is he looking at and thinking... looks like a French grandfather waiting in an alley to score some crack ;) Only joking... but there's a story, intigue in the image... it's not just a captured moment... there's thought and emotion within THIS rectangle. Bravo.
One of the more perplexing images in the challenge. Of all the shots, this one brings up the most questions... what is he looking at? who is he? etc. etc. Incredible shot.
Oh, dear. It's out of focus. And crooked. The crop detracts. Bla, bla, bla. I can only imagine the comments you're getting.
I'm guessing this is Iraklis. If it's not, take it as a compliment. This is very good. The framing and the textures in the wall add tension. The softness makes it feel ephemeral. Wonderful.
The angled composition works well. The burned in edges, the over all "mood" of the coloring make it work great as a not so sharpened image. I like it a lot.
My initial reaction was too soft, but it made me look again, the mixture of the subject and colour treatment gives it an ethereal and almost ghostlike feel, went from a 4 to an 8. Nice job.
While the focus is not super sharp this is one of those times where softness in a scene is called for in projecting a mood/feel/emotion. The slant to the portrait and the almost haunted/tired look in his eyes gives the impression that the (his) world is off kilter; things are no longer in sharp focus as time goes on - perhaps he has lost his way. Perhaps there are regrets he has about he has about things done or not done in the past as he looks towards an uncertain future. I could very well see this as a scene from a movie - and wonder just what story will unfold as the movie plays.
This is so close to being a terrific image IMO, but it fell short on a couple of points for me. I don't know if the lack of focus was intentional, but that was the biggest issue for me.....4
Nice candid. Very interesting face and pose capture and I like the setting too. The angle and blur really work well here. Wouldn't be surprised if this got a Posthumous award.
This is interesting, I sense there's something going on here. It feels like the man is hiding from something or waiting for something bad to happen. The angle and the blur add to that sense of anticipation and leave me wondering what's happening and feeling apprehensive for the man!
I like the off-angle framing, the light, and the gaze of the man. But the man seems to have soft focus, and the wall seems sharper, which is reversed to me. 6
Technically imperfect and yet I would love to have taken it myself for the atmosphere it induces through the man expression, posture and color tones. (not voting)
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