The Perfect Pose
Uzbekistan 2012
I like to be invisible to the people I photograph. I like them to be natural, relaxed and unaware of the camera. This portrait is an example of what you get when all goes perfectly.
Look at her body… if you trace from her left arm through her body and down to her folded legs you will see that the curved lines form an “S”. If you trace her arms alone, the line forms a “C”. These beautiful lines make photographic geometry. They give the portrait grace and life. They draw your eye to the peppers she is selling…shiny, smooth shapes that you can almost feel if you look at them closely.
I removed the color from the photo to emphasize the movement of the lines and added a white vignette to isolate her from her background. The photo became similar to an etching. It’s something to try. With digital photography, you can keep your original and make as many iterations as your heart desires.
To let you in on an easy way to copy the look of this photo, I used NIK Silver Efex. It’s a software called a “plug-in” that enables you to accomplish drastic changes in your work with just a few clicks. So fun!
To find your perfect market photo in Uzbekistan, contact Penelope at www.uzbekjourneys.com. You will have an embarrassment of riches to choose from markets to madrassas, mosques to mountains.