A Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man, a photo from Taipei, North

Photographer's Note

With apologies to James Joyce.

One of my new favorite spots for photography is the Taipei Botanical Gardens. It is a park in the middle of the city and as the name suggests, there are many plants on view there. There are also some very nice walkways, lots of benches, it attracts great subjects for photos (people and birds) and the overhanging trees give a little relief from the sun. The main attraction at the gardens is a quite huge lotus pond, which is quite a lot larger than the word pond suggests. When you visit the gardens, you can be assured of seeing a few people with cameras set up (last year, I got to take a few shots with a Nikon D1X and Nikkor 600mm f/4), picnicers and what you see here, people with scetch books and/or paints and easels. Most are a little older than this guy. What really appeals to me about this shot is the warm, golden tone the late afternoon light has given me here. Because of pollution, we don't often get a true "golden hour" here in Taipei, but when one happens, you really appreciate it.

Handheld, ISO 200, focal length 88mm, uncropped, minor photoshop adjustments.

cgrindahl, Rinie_Hoff, eleparc, omritoppol, thien ha puntuado esta nota como útil.

Critiques | Translate

benny (631) 2004-06-01 0:14

Magnifique photo!
Beau cadrage.
Bravo pour les couleurs, tellelement vraies.

olli (2091) 2004-06-01 1:31

Very good composition and tight framing. Well, I would like the whole left hand...
I like the very concentrated expression on his face.
Good light, DOF and nice simple background. I like the combination of yellow and blue colors, too.
Well seen and captured, Darren.

cgrindahl (6113) 2004-06-01 3:58

Lovely warm colors as you suggest make this image inviting. You've composed it well with the nice tight crop and the colors are nicely saturated. I like this intimate shot. Thanks.

Rinie_Hoff (9340) 2004-06-01 4:07

Oh, I love this one, beautiful light, and the boy is dressed in beautiful colours as well. I like his expression very much, the concentration on his face, and his mouth, actually his lower lip, his eyelashes. Very sharp and clear. I love the light.

ninadev (5377) 2004-06-01 10:13

You have captured so well the intensity of his concentration that the only thing I really miss now is not seeing the work of art he was making. The way his left hand takes a hold of the book or board he is drawing on, really adds to this pic by showing how he wanted to be in perfect control of his work. I also like the light on his left cheek.

sengir (4956) 2004-06-01 11:34

very nice picture, I like his concentration (apart for nice light and very good quality)

omritoppol (826) 2004-06-01 16:37

Such a wonderful tender shot, the angle in which he sits, the way he is holding the pen and book. The light is so good enhancing the colors very well. Great shot Darren

thien (2112) 2004-06-01 21:24

A lovely portrait, the concentration of the boy creates a tension in a peaceful settings, my kind of shots. The blue thing on the right hand side is just blur enough so that it does not interfere with the capture but provides balance for it. Like others, I would also like to see the whole hand. Very well done, Darren.

eleparc (24063) 2004-06-03 14:49

wow darren this portrait is spot on.. a kid concentrated on his drawing...I love that shot... i like the fact that his drawing pad goes to the right and cuts the frame, the way you cropped the whole picture and the tones.. I can tell his sketch pad served as a reflector, for the light is very soft on his face ;-) superb shot!
pts later

touristdidi (8583) 2004-06-18 11:10 [Comment]