Special friends' thread

[Shab]

Hi,

in this forum I use to share with you portraits of my family in my "Domestic Symphony" thread.

Yesterday I thought in a new idea: to make portraits of special friends, people who is very near to me, in their home or special place, where I see/feel them as special friends.

I thought on it because yesterday I were with one of these special friends, and I decided to make some portraits to him. So, when I went to have lunch with him, I took my digital camera.

I think it's a pleasure to be with a Friend to share the lunch, slowly, talking about Life, society, culture... slowly, hearing each other, thinking about it, enjoying the silence, the look, enjoying the meal/food...

Yesterday was one of these smal gift/presents I have in my Life and I thought it would be beautiful to share with you these feelings, thoughts... through these words and pictures.

Here you have the two portraits of yesterday:


1. Cooking and talking

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2. At the table:

​

I don't know when I will be able to make another portraits of another special friend, but when it happen I will share with you.

Warmest regards,

Xabier.

 

[valdas]

Great photos as always. And your friend looks like Picasso!

 

[Chriscrawfordphoto]

Those are great portraits. I've been doing this for years with friends, and I did for 20 years with my grandpa until he died.

Valdas is right, your friend does look like Picasso!

 

[Dogman]

Xabier, excellent work (as usual). And you are so correct--it is important to share time with friends. As we get older, so do our friends. And they become fewer.

 

[helen.HH]

ha, Thought the same thing, Your friend certainly shares a resemblance to Picasso ... Love the 2nd photo.

 

[robert blu]

Great idea and as usual great photos. Yes, friends are important and with the age they become more important...
Thanks for this thread Xabier !

 

[Ko.Fe.]

If you are not good enough, you could always make it special.

 

[fireblade]

2nd one.....Genial

 

[lynnb]

Great idea for a thread Xabier, I look forward to seeing more pictures. The second one of your friend at the table is special, the expression, the light, the ambience... and he does bear a passing resemblance to Picasso!

 

[qqphotos]

lovely. and absolutely perfect framing.

 

[Shab]

Thank you very much to all! I really appreciate your words.

Picasso? Ummm... I hadn't never thought on it! But I think you are right, he has a "touch" of Picasso! I will tell him.

 

[retinax]

Brilliant picture. The shapes are very pleasing: Verticals above him, horizontals behind him, round things in front of him. To me this suggests some kind of transcendental view of this man's existence. Otoh of course that just his kitchen. Did/do you have thoughts on that?

 

[robert blu]

Hi Shab, if I'm not too curious may I ask if and in case how you direct your subjects? Like "please look in this direction" or "make a serious expression". Or you simply spend time with them, a good time because they are your good friends (!) and you take a photo when you see everything works in order to make a good pphoto?

 

[Shab]

Brilliant picture. The shapes are very pleasing: Verticals above him, horizontals behind him, round things in front of him. To me this suggests some kind of transcendental view of this man's existence. Otoh of course that just his kitchen. Did/do you have thoughts on that?

That was my intention, to try to capture his "essence", but I know it is to pretend "too much", but when I read your words I thought "Oh my God...". Thank you retinax.

 

[Shab]

Hi Shab, if I'm not too curious may I ask if and in case how you direct your subjects? Like "please look in this direction" or "make a serious expression". Or you simply spend time with them, a good time because they are your good friends (!) and you take a photo when you see everything works in order to make a good pphoto?

Hi Robert, ok here we go!

In this case, in september of 2021 in a phone-conversation with my friend, he invited me to go to lunch with him to his "rural-home". It isn't the place where he lives, but he goes there a lot of times and this place is really important for him. So, after a long hard year we get together in that place to lunch.

It was a very special experience for both. So, when I was going to back to home we decided to get together one day each month.

You need to know that in september of 2021 I wasn't able to make portraits, I couldn't take the camera to "create" a portrait.

A month later we got together again... me without the camera, but in december I was better and my mind began to create this portraits. So, the past day I took my digital camera and I explained him my idea. He told me it was ok. So, I take my camera when he began to cook our lunch and made the first 3 portraits, as I thought I wanted to make in my mind, with the window, the light, the fridge, the cook-tools... at first he was a bit surprised but he was fine. I made the portraits while he was cooking and we were talking. It was in a natural way.

I had 2 intentions: one, take this portraits and know how I feel with the camera and two, that he get used to me and my camera.

So, after I put my camera in the table beside me while we were eating. At first he looked a lot to the camera that was in the table, asked about it, but after he got used to it. I knew the portrait I wanted to do, I could see it in my mind, so I needed to wait to the correct light entering from the window, wait for him to be relaxed, without thinking in the cooking. So, when I felt / looked that the time was coming I took my camera. He reacted a bit surprised and I said what I had in my mind and he smiled frankly and we continued with our conversation... but it was a bit hard because he was a bit nervous with the camera and I said "can you look to the window?" He smiled and he undesrtood what I had in my mind but he continued talking... so I decided to wait, with my camera in my hands, sometimes I made one picture, the stopped, the another one and when I made 5 shoots, he was relaxed and we had our conversation njormally... there was the shoot, while we were in one of our silences, while he was thinking on the next sentence that he would say later. This is the portrait. After that I closed the camera and we continued with our conversation.

And as retinax said, I tried to capture a bit of his essence, and the compo was thought to try this.

The portrait was made with the 16mm 1.4 lens in the X-T3.

Robert I hope I have answered to your question. A big hug...

 

[robert blu]

Hi Robert, ok here we go!
...
Robert I hope I have answered to your question. A big hug...

Thanks Xabier for the story behind your photo, interesting. And it is nice you can spend time with your friend! Grazie ancora!

 

[raid]

This is all beautifully done, Xabier. Congratulations.

 

[John Bragg]

Fine portraits taken in a simple way. Thanks for sharing them. I documented close family and friends last year and I found it very rewarding.

 

[rfaspen]

Xabier, I just love your photography and especially your photographic philosophy. You are one of those people who have that special "passion" to create with photography for truly wonderful honest reasons.

I will also vote for the second photo as a really good one. I also thought "Picasso" in my head -- then I read Chris' comment. It must be true. your friend is a Picasso.

Nice to have special friend too. I hope we all have at least one (I know I do). 🙂