Old Man from Kabul

[Peejaysea]

This old chap has been working for us for the past three years here in Kabul.

He is 44 years old, from the Hazara ethnic group and is called Bismil.

He is such a charming guy, always has a smile on his face and is always cheerful and has an infectious laugh. His nickname is The Smiler!

I think I prefer the B&W portrait but happy for feedback / C&C.


Old man from Kabul by peejaysea, on Flickr



Old Man from Kabul 1 by peejaysea, on Flickr


Settings: 1/60 ƒ/5.6 ISO 100 50 mm


WDYT?

Paul

[Papathanassi]

Re: Old Man from Kabul

I think they are both excellent in colour and B & W, job to decide for me!

Papa.

[Mazzie]

Re: Old Man from Kabul

I think I prefer the colour version. Although I do like both. Nicely framed and I like the way his eyes are directly at camera, and the whispy grey strands in his beard. Thanks for sharing.

[colin C]

Re: Old Man from Kabul

I am going to buck the trend and go for the B&W version.

As the main subject is fairly monochrome, my attention is slightly distracted by the lime green jacket and the out of focus highlights at the top. On the B&W version, you have toned down the highlights, vignetted the edges and now all attention is on The Smiler.

[Jeffo40d]

Re: Old Man from Kabul

B/W for me. Great photo.

[Peejaysea]

Re: Old Man from Kabul

I think they are both excellent in colour and B & W, job to decide for me!

Papa.

Thanks Papa - difficult isn't it - B&W though by a chin hair!

[Papathanassi]

Re: Old Man from Kabul

Thanks Papa - difficult isn't it - B&W though by a chin hair!

Looked again a few times and I am with you on that!

Papa.

[Peejaysea]

Re: Old Man from Kabul

Thanks Jeffo40d, Colin and Mazzie for your feedback.

I am really happy with this portrait - hopefully he will like it too when he sees it!

Paul

[Muscat]

Re: Old Man from Kabul

Hi Paul, I like both portraits but prefer the B&W version

[AndyMackie]

Re: Old Man from Kabul

Me too, Paul - I think you've developed the B&W version better than the colour and it bursts off the screen. He'll be very pleased with it when you present it to him, for sure.
However, with more effort on the colour version, I suspect it could become the better of the two.
Great shot, whichever way you go.
So what are you doing in Kabul, as if I should need to ask, but you never know? It's obviously a long way from Luxemburg.
Andy

[Chris_R]

Re: Old Man from Kabul

Both great images Paul but I also prefer the B&W version.

Chris

[djguk47]

Re: Old Man from Kabul

Has to be the B&W for me

[tesarver]

Re: Old Man from Kabul

Nicely done Paul. Both the color and BW are outstanding images, but for me, I lean more to the BW. The tonal contrast across the face just make the image pop IMO. Very well done.

Tom

[AndyA]

Re: Old Man from Kabul

They're both smashing shots Paul, the black and white is the winner in my eyes. :thumbup:

[DeeGee]

Re: Old Man from Kabul

I've been scrolling up and down the photos before I even read the comments. Have to say the black and white is my fave.