Nh3
Well-known
C&C welcome.
gb hill
Veteran
Nice shot. Did you use a RF or the digital slr again?
itf
itchy trigger finger
He doesn't have a cigarette, or sunglasses. 
Nh3
Well-known
Thank you Leicasniper.
Thank you gb_hill, I shot this with a DSLR but i have planned a project which will be shot only with my Electro GT!
Thank you gb_hill, I shot this with a DSLR but i have planned a project which will be shot only with my Electro GT!
Keith
The best camera is one that still works!
Great photograph and very relevant to what's happening in the world at the moment.
I'm all in favour of 'special projects' and have one on the boil at the moment ... but surely basing it around one camera (Electro 35GT) makes it more about the equipment than the image ... or is that the aim?
I'm all in favour of 'special projects' and have one on the boil at the moment ... but surely basing it around one camera (Electro 35GT) makes it more about the equipment than the image ... or is that the aim?
Nh3
Well-known
Thanks Keith.
Well, the lens of my Electra GT has a very moody vintage look and i thought I'll do a project around that look/ aesthetic.
Well, the lens of my Electra GT has a very moody vintage look and i thought I'll do a project around that look/ aesthetic.
Avotius
Some guy
He doesn't have a cigarette, or sunglasses.
hahahaha....when I looked at this photo I thought something a little similar, thinking his skin is awfully clean and he doesn't have sun glasses on, see photo attachment. Anyway, its very possible he has not spent much time in Tibet or the area, as it has a very strong effect on skin.
That said, I think a point was missed in this photo, first off maybe coming down a bit to the boys level would have been helpful but also the sign, so much of it is cut off, yes I know what is is but one of the main symbols of the photo should not be obscured in such a way.
Attachments
Nh3
Well-known
^ So, what you're saying is that the boy in the picture taken by me should like the boy in the picture that you posted to be considered a "true Tibetan"?
I also don't understand what does "clean skin" and such has to do with being Tibetan. To me that sounded ludicrous and something which is stemming from a racial stereotype. Its like saying that a fat Chinese person is not really Chinese because most Chinese are pretty fit.
I also don't understand what does "clean skin" and such has to do with being Tibetan. To me that sounded ludicrous and something which is stemming from a racial stereotype. Its like saying that a fat Chinese person is not really Chinese because most Chinese are pretty fit.
mervynyan
Mervyn Yan
People grew up or spent time in high altitude region has red/dark skin tone due to UV exposure.
Papercut
Well-known
Some of the Tibetans I saw last year in Qinghai and northern Sichuan had skin color that was not just "red" or "dark" but very, very close to "black" from all the UV exposure. I did double-takes several times because some faces were so dark. Wonderful, expressive, and friendly people and the landscapes up there are simply amazing too.
Avotius
Some guy
sorry it took so long to reply to this, but I will take a moment to do so now.
The boy in the picture you took is young so does he really know anything about what he is protesting about? But I wont get into that, what I really question about this "tibetan boy" who by the way does not look like a zhang (tibetan) minority person, is that this boy looks like he has not spent much time in the Tibetan/Sichuan region. I have spent a lot of time in these areas, and the people there have horrible skin from exposure to the elements there. I had very bad skin problems being there (I am a little more pale then the usual chinese because im also half white/american).
Anyway, my point is, he is young, maybe he knows what he is mad about, most likely he does not. Did you bother to interview him, ask him where he is from, how old he is, where he was born, how long he was there, how long he has been where you photographed him, what his ethnicity is...etc etc etc....I only say because these are details very important to this photo. This type of photography is more then just a picture, you need more information, and because your photo does not contain all that information in a visual "its all there" way.
Understand?
nobbylon
Veteran
i like it. Am I missing something here but isn't the picture supposed to tell the story? Why do you need to question and interview him? As far as his skin goes, I met plenty of Tibetan kids when I was out there and they looked just like.......well kids! The adults however do obviously have a weathered look because of their location and age. Nice photo and my only thought was I would have liked to see the rest of his placard. j
Nh3
Well-known
I have been covering the Tibetan protesters in Toronto since the march uprising and by now I know most of them and they know me as well.
The boy in picture was born in Canada of tibetan parents.
Which brings me back to your assertion that just because this boy does not have a "horrible skin" then it means his not tibetan and secondly his too young to know what his angry about. And finally if his not "Tibetan enough" then his not entitled to protest - that's what the implication of your argument is.
Most of us in the rest of the world consider Tibet as a distinct culture and a sovereign nation occupied by China. But the worst aspect of this occupation is the destruction of tibetan culture and heritage while populating Tibet with Hun Chinese ethnic people to totally assimilate and destroy tibetan culture.
With that premise which is an undeniable fact a lot of people have taken a moral standing and protest the Chinese occupation and naturally a lot of these people are Tibetans themselves. Now whether they're young or old, born in Tibet or outside of it, or for that matter even if they're not tibetan at all it makes no difference in their standing and their feelings towards the cause of Tibetans.
Now why would you even question the the subject of my picture in such a way is very interesting. For example to dismiss a protester because he/she does not fit the the type of a protesters for that particular cause is totally absurd. And your questioning seems to stem from a set of predetermined and already used parameters which I guess no one else but the Chinese government themselves in their infinite wisdom must have come up it. I say that because the absolutely flawed and fuzzy logic which you use is very commonly used by the Chinese media and although it works in china. in the rest of the world and in the west it falls flat and sounds comic.
But anyway, one critiques "the picture" not the "subject in the picture", but I'm sure you knew that. it was just the idea of Tibetan protesters spoiling china's Olympic party with its fake fireworks and fake little girl singers that must have annoyed you...
Speaking of faking, do you think I faked the little tibetan boy in my picture?
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Avotius
Some guy
true, if you are just going for a normal picture for pictures sake then no extra comments are needed. But this is the largest problem with this picture, the title. Young Tibetan Boy says a lot about what this photo should be about, but wheres the beef? Those details are what puts apart a snapshot and a real photo journalistic shot.
Avotius
Some guy
I am sorry you have so much hostility towards Chinese people. As an American who grew up hearing the same things you have heard and with a similar cultural background you would think that I might be with you on your blind rage towards things so far away. Im afraid you have lost perspective on the subject you are trying to cover by looking at it in such a two dimensional way. But thats ok, I also grew up with the ideals that people are free to make their own choices about things, pity many of those choices are often taken too far...
Anyway lets take an objective look at your photo. You claim a young tibetan boy. Fine. Are you in Tibet? Cant say. Did you say? No. Did you have to? No. Does your photo clearly show that you are in tibet? No. So without a back story because most people who view this photo will not know your back story they cannot be sure the biggest questions that come from journalistic ventures. Who, what, where, when, why. I also mentioned some details that you could take care to notice when you are taking these types of photos later such, mostly how to give a photo like this more punch and effect to what you are trying to deliver. No you dont have to listen to me, but then again you didnt have to lash out either. It seems from your other comments you made elsewhere that you like to get in peoples face, that wont help you when you are trying to take photos. Some very unnecessary....
Nh3
Well-known
I'm a photographer and not a politician, but I have feelings and I'm biased towards what I feel is right. I'm on the Tibetans side otherwise I would not have been able to photograph them.
As far as your idea of "an ideal journalistic photo" is concerned, i never claimed this to be a pj picture, and the information that you ask for could be easily filled in as caption - but this is a forum not a newspaper.
You simply took a humble picture and turned it into an ethno-political-journalism debate.
As far as your idea of "an ideal journalistic photo" is concerned, i never claimed this to be a pj picture, and the information that you ask for could be easily filled in as caption - but this is a forum not a newspaper.
You simply took a humble picture and turned it into an ethno-political-journalism debate.
Avotius
Some guy
So your picture is a portrait? Maybe a model shot? New Tibetan Protest Attire, 08 Collection. Come on, what you have taken is a photo that is in the journalistic style, earlier you said "I have been covering the Tibetan protesters in Toronto since the march uprising" Hello.....covering? I dont see you wrapping these people in blankets so you must be talking about this from dictionary.com: "To be responsible for reporting the details of (an event or situation): Two reporters covered the news story."
By the way, why are you mentioning this and that about what the "rest of the world" thinks about Tibet? I grew up in and around Native American Reservation land, its all the same crap everywhere. Deal with it. Im not here to debate the merits politics, just to comment on how to take a better picture and bring its details into focus for the viewer.
ps. going into photo something on someones "side" is not always productive, in many situations it tends to bias ones view towards different situations. You dont have to be on someone's side to photograph them and if you do, might want to think about why that is.
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Nh3
Well-known
... because Tibetans are nonviolent and despite being pushed to extinction they still preach compassion and are terribly nice to everyone.
Avotius
Some guy
interesting logic, I invite you to study your subject then. Some pointers, find where the term Dali Lama came from. Look into Tibetans ex-communication practices, then take a few trips to Tibet and Sichuan and spend half the amount of time in those areas I have away from the tourist traps. I not saying Tibetans are not nice friendly people who live by a simple code and have unique lifestyles, but you speak in absolutes, and that is dangerous.
Nh3
Well-known
I speak in absolutes about Tibetans because I feel comfortable doing so. And why would it be dangerous? Am I siding with the wrong 'team' or my thinking would lead me astray? I don't know what you meant by 'dangerous'.
Do I think Tibetans will eventually gain independence from china, no I don't... What interests me about Tibetans are their idealism and sheer persistence against incalculable odds. Their struggle and suffering interests me and it in a world full of cynicism and materialism that make me hopeful.
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