High Hopes

From the streets of Dublin last Saturday.
Looking forward to hearing what you think about this.

It looks like the focal point is off. It seems the old man is out of focus. Interesting shot, though.
John

Until Grandad pointed out the focus, I didn't even notice. I viewed it as art, as a whole. He's right though the focus is behind him by quite a bit. I still think this shot is effective, it immediately invokes sympathy in me. Normally I don't feel very much emotion viewing pan handlers.

Wow great angle, great subject. I agree with grand the focus is off just slightly, but perhaps some sharpening can eliminate that. My only very minor gripe is the hot spot on the palms of his hands and to the umbrella on the upper left. I would also like to see the color, if there is one.

The subject and composition are great. It tells a story of the times we live in. I agree that the focus seems off on the gents face. I like the choice of B&W something like this works well in B&W. Nice work Tom.

Tom,

I love it. I don't feel the focus is too much of an issue. The overall dim tone speaks to the scene. It's crowded but not in a distracting way more like "Here are those that would overlook another human in the rain on their way to a shop." This one is just so engaging to me, I want to know more about him. I hope when he left he had more than rain in his pockets. Good eye Tom!

Many thanks for you replies here. I take on board your observations regarding the softness of the mans face but I thought I might get away with it considering the conditions of heavy rain etc when things may always be not as clear. Funny that his old beard shows pretty good detail on my screen. I wonder if the peak of his cap darkens his face a bit too.
I will see if some selective sharpening might give it a lift.
Thanks again.

Wow,Powerful message. I would say...Excellent control of the light and a great catch as is.

Nicely exposed B/W tones throughout. I can see why your primary focus was to catch the wonderful tones,detail and texture of the wet tiles.The lightplay, reflections are...Superb.

All comments hit home but...I see a perfect beard that has some excellent texture,tones within. That beard looks so well groomed...actually quite flawless.That just makes me wonder more.
Well done.

Rick

This is a powerful image with good aesthetics. Great tones and composition. I like all about this, but agree that the mans face is not quite the focal point and I do wish he were in there sharp. This is not an issue that would kill this image. I think it still works because of the good moment presented here.
I like the title as well.

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Originally Posted by Overbeyond

Many thanks for you replies here. I take on board your observations regarding the softness of the mans face but I thought I might get away with it considering the conditions of heavy rain etc when things may always be not as clear. Funny that his old beard shows pretty good detail on my screen. I wonder if the peak of his cap darkens his face a bit too.
I will see if some selective sharpening might give it a lift.
Thanks again.

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I don't necessarily think the soft focus hurts here. The message is strong and the photo is great. In fact I don't know if I really want to see it in sharp focus, but with the umbrellas in the background seeming to be in sharper focus, it distracts from the subject. If you could soften the umbrellas, and the entire background a bit then maybe add some grain and less contrast.

Hi Tom,
Great catch! A lot have been discussed about the focal point. In the shot, the kneeling man is out of focus, thus it gives a feeling that he is ignored by the the passers-by.
yoyo

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A lot have been discussed about the focal point. In the shot, the kneeling man is out of focus, thus it gives a feeling that he is ignored by the the passers-by.

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Exactly what I was thinking. The focus being more about society turning its back on those in need. Very powerful image. Good job.

Rick, Gary, EOS,Yoyo, frleal70.
Thanks to you all and it is interesting to hear the different opinions on the focussing.