Nathan
by Walker Pickering
I’ve been gearing up for a few things coming up in the near future. The first is graduate school applications. Two more are due on Wednesday, so I’ve been finishing up my portfolio in the darkroom, which is why this has finally been printed. As a matter of fact, I’ll have a pretty good set of new images to post over the next several days.
The second thing is FotoFest 2006 in Houston. I will be taking part in The Meeting Place, which is essentially a giant portfolio review that cost me a ton of money to take part in. So I have to have a stellar portfolio ready, and I’m glad I have a few more weeks. Even so, I’ll probably still attend the event with a “works in progress” type portfolio.
This is my friend Nathan. His brother Casey and I are best friends, and I’ve known both of them for quite awhile. As a matter of fact, I was the first student they met when they transfered to Orange in junior high. I was an office assistant, so I showed them around the school. Now Nathan is an elementary school teacher in Pflugerville, and he seems to love it. Casey has said he has quite a knack for it.
superb shot. I love the composition and lighting.
Top-notch portrait, composition. The busy background to the point of focus, of white rectangles, works beautifully as form *and* as content. The peripheral details all say so much about the subject. The composition works all the way around the edges. And I love the secondary focus. “You’re the Best”.
It’s interersting to see how such a cluttered scene can be muted, that is, the background doesn’t confuse or disturb. My uneducated guess is that it’s the light and DOF that does it. Whatever it is, it’s superbly done.
Beautiful work Walker, I love the framing and there’s something a little ‘sinister’ in the fact that the backgrounds lighter than the figure, but it also really helps lift him. The ‘You’re the best’ piece of paper is great for the comp.
Good luck with the applications and the shows. If you need any more references I’m good at making up names…
Beautiful framing. I love the cluttered environment, works well with that DOF. Good luck at Foto Fest.
Fantastic shot! All the constructive advice has already come out in the previous comments so I thought I’d mention that a series of photographs like this one would do really well commercially. It’s almost inline with a marketing campaign my employer executed last year.
Keep up the good work.
Awesome picture, love the lighting.
The subject is a little ugly though…choose the better of the two next time Mkay?
Incredible picture. So mystical and it keeps your interest of wanting to know more about the “subject”, of which I think helps to make the shot so incredible. Sorry Casey, I’d have to disagree.
Thanks again for taking the picture Walker. Let me know if you need some help sometime.
Ouch Billie, Ouch. =)
I don’t know if Billie knows that Nathan is your brother, Casey. =)
Thanks for all the feedback, folks. I hope the rest of the images in this series don’t disappoint. And thanks again for your time, Nathan. I’m sure we’ll get a chance to do it again.
If anyone knows any older people that live in the Austin, Texas area, and want to pose for a photo like this, please let me know.
FYI: Billie would be our step-mom. I can see how you would think that, but I thought I would give you the heads up.
You should come to my school. There are TONS of old people that would love to do that!!
Um, Billie is my step-mom.
I hope she knows!
Good comp and lighting. Well done… you’re the BEST!
All of these 4×5″ portraits you’ve been posting recently are very subtle and considered. The exact opposite of “in your face” — there’s a lot of detail and charm here for the eye to “wander around”. It’s a refreshing change from the usual photobloggery fare. Keep it up!