The Grandmother of Nage village
Flores, Indonesia
Flores, Indonesia
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Jun, 2018Views
540
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Awards
Community Choice Award
Contest Finalist in Elderly Photo Contest
Peer Award
Outstanding Creativity
Top Choice
Superb Composition
Absolute Masterpiece
All Star
Superior Skill
Emotions
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Behind The Lens
Location
I met this old lady in one of the traditional villages of central Flores, one of the islands of Indonesia. It is strange but some of my most successful portraits of elderly people I have shot in these remote villages.Time
We arrived mid-day in the village when all the men were gone for work. Only the old woman and a bunch of jolly children were left at the place. So we played with the kids, made a number of group shots, and when everybody was in a good mood I asked the lady if she'd allow me to take her photo.Lighting
The portrait was taken in the shade of the porch with no additional lighting.Equipment
I used the EF 70-200mm f/4L lense at 144mm on my Canon 5D MIII. No tripod, f/11 at 1/30 second. Actually, this seems a bit risky now. f/8 at 1/60 second might have been a better choice.Inspiration
I really don't need any further inspiration when I see such a woman: her looks, her grace, her attitude and the kindness in her eyes.Editing
I develop all my RAW files with Lightroom and then do final re-touches with Photoshop and the Nik Collection. Nik Color Efex is my preferred tool to balance out contrasts and the black&white conversion is done with Nik Silver Efex.In my camera bag
As I travel with a bagpack weight is a problem. I always carry my Canon 5D with me and the EF70-200 f/4L lense (not the f/2.8 due to weight). To cover the wide angle range I use the EF16-35mm f/4L lense (not the f//2.8 due to quality). At home I also use the Sigma 50mm f/1.4 Art lense but with 1kg this one is too heavy for me when I travel. Thus I decided to forgo the mid-range and treat this as an artistic challenge :) I do take a tripod with me but portraits I mostly shoot out of hand because I want as little distraction as possible between me any my model.Feedback
I think most important for portrait photography is your ability to establish a relaxed connection with your model. Take your time, get close with him/her, talk together while shooting and patiently wait for the right expression.
