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A saree seller in the market eyes me suspiciously.
I spent the better part of two full days lingering around hoping this woman would grow accustomed to my presence. She was unwilling to pose for me so I patiently waited around and prayed she'd fall into position framed by the arched gate in the background. Deliberate composition is crucial for these photos and I wanted to nail this one because she was easily the most beautiful Indian woman I'd ever seen. Turns out she's Gujarati and already married, in case you were curious.
A beautiful Gujarati woman framed by an arched doorway.
Something about her perfect facial features and general demeanor oozed grace and class. In terms of composition, I achieved nearly what I had in mind with this photo. Two days work and only a handful of photos to show for it... That seems to be the way my photography is headed these days. Less volume, more deliberate.
3 Comments - Saree Vendor
Greetings,
First I must say that I really admire your photographs. They are outstanding. But I have to comment on these photos because they touch on things I often think about. Technically they are superb - wonderful, simple compositions, masterful use of color,chiaroscuro, depth of field, focus - it's all superb. However, for me a portrait ultimately depends on what aspect of the sitter you have captured, what is communicated by the body language and the expression on the face. And the communication here is not good. She is clearly uncomfortable even fearful, and it seems a little wrong to ignore that. It's almost like porn in that she is objectified - her value in these photos is that she is a certain color and shape located pleasingly and that's a kind of denigration of her as a human. Hope you don't mind these ruminations - you're twice the photographer I'll ever be. BM
Benjamin, I respect every thoughtful critique offered. I see precisely what you're saying and although I think you're interpreting a slice of time, it's a valid interpretation that I should attempt to avoid in the future. Thanks for your feedback, as always!
hi this is amazing I would love to translate this into a painting