Luminous Landscape Forum

The Art of Photography => User Critiques => Topic started by: bryanlinden on March 28, 2013, 06:10:24 pm

Title: Indian hunting - Lake Isabella
Post by: bryanlinden on March 28, 2013, 06:10:24 pm
Catching an indian hunting to provide for his tribe. AKA - A friend in costume standing in water while chief sits with camera captures the photo.
Title: Re: Indian hunting - Lake Isabella
Post by: Tonysx on March 28, 2013, 07:59:12 pm
Dare I say I love the image with the exception of the Indian? A lovely scene without the humankind.
Title: Re: Indian hunting - Lake Isabella
Post by: bryanlinden on March 28, 2013, 08:06:00 pm
No worries, that's what the clone brush is for. LOL :)
Title: Re: Indian hunting - Lake Isabella
Post by: Kirk Gittings on March 28, 2013, 08:07:09 pm
Seriously? Joke right? The head dress was worn into battle originally but has become a ceremonial item and no one would wear that hunting or fishing anymore than a service man would wear his metals hunting or fishing. And the war paint and ceremonial spear? Right.
Title: Re: Indian hunting - Lake Isabella
Post by: Johnny_Johnson on March 28, 2013, 08:08:33 pm
No worries, that's what the clone brush is for. LOL :)

Paste em in - clone em out.   ::)

Cya,
Johnny
Title: Re: Indian hunting - Lake Isabella
Post by: bryanlinden on March 28, 2013, 08:12:01 pm
He was really there, not a paste in. It was just someone who dressed up, most shots were out of water but I thought it would be fun to do some spear fishing. The model made the outfit and it was what he had. I'm glad it was him in that water and not me though.
Title: Re: Indian hunting - Lake Isabella
Post by: nemo295 on March 28, 2013, 10:24:18 pm
The Indian doesn't do it for me, especially since A. he's not a real Indian, and B. Indians didn't dress up in war paint and a war bonnet to go hunting. The incongruity ruins it.
Title: Re: Indian hunting - Lake Isabella
Post by: Rocco Penny on March 29, 2013, 04:11:35 pm
I for one admire the ingenuity displayed by the contrivance of the shot,
no stranger to color, Bryan you show off a real spectrum, in your flower shots and this one,
Might I say,
the avante gardiness guerillas theme isn't lost on me,
just um oh nevermind...
Title: Re: Indian hunting - Lake Isabella
Post by: stamper on March 30, 2013, 05:10:50 am
An amazing shot. In photography you shoot what is there. If he is dressed as he was then why the quibble? It is certainly unusual and that as a photographer is what you look for. :)
Title: Re: Indian hunting - Lake Isabella
Post by: RSL on March 30, 2013, 09:39:47 am
It's technically flawless, Bryan. But I keep trying to find the advertising copy.
Title: Re: Indian hunting - Lake Isabella
Post by: tim wolcott on March 30, 2013, 11:53:31 am
This looks like what white photographers in the 1920's shot Native Americans looking like for tourism.  Maybe shoot the next one with his hand up by his eyes would be a little more cheesy.After living with Natives and collecting their art and going to ancient healing ceremonies this just offends.  Next time do a little more research

 
Title: Re: Indian hunting - Lake Isabella
Post by: Kirk Gittings on March 30, 2013, 12:09:01 pm
An amazing shot. In photography you shoot what is there. If he is dressed as he was then why the quibble? It is certainly unusual and that as a photographer is what you look for. :)

If I had come upon this scene. I think my first reaction would have been "who is this idiot white man?" I would not have wasted any pixels on him.
Title: Re: Indian hunting - Lake Isabella
Post by: stamper on March 30, 2013, 12:19:15 pm
If I had come upon this scene. I think my first reaction would have been "who is this idiot white man?" I would not have wasted any pixels on him.

I certainly don't understand the animosity towards the photographer for taking and posting the image. Unless he set it up to try and deceive people then what is the problem? :-\
Title: Re: Indian hunting - Lake Isabella
Post by: Rocco Penny on March 30, 2013, 12:37:04 pm
axe grinding simplified aka; teachable moments

Co-opting First People's culture, relics, the very bones of the dead, well that goes back hundreeds and really even thousands of years,
a footprint in sand?
A star in hollywood?
it'll never be enough for enthusiastic and naive hedonists,
bent on a little weekend entertainment so let's all talk about how f---n forward thinking we are as the whole thing crashes around our heads...
this is a slight transgression regarding cheesy bad injun spoofs,
in the words of a good friend and lifelong seeker
"it's been like this my whole life what do I care about reminiscing?"
Noble savage my ass
"is there any tomato juice???"
Title: Re: Indian hunting - Lake Isabella
Post by: Rocco Penny on March 30, 2013, 12:49:35 pm
and this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HdO1bOWjhM
Title: Re: Indian hunting - Lake Isabella
Post by: nemo295 on March 30, 2013, 12:56:13 pm
I think there's a valuable lesson here for all photographers: avoid portraying cultural and racial stereotypes, and always treat cultures that are not your own with respect.
Title: Re: Indian hunting - Lake Isabella
Post by: Kirk Gittings on March 30, 2013, 04:24:22 pm
I certainly don't understand the animosity towards the photographer for taking and posting the image. Unless he set it up to try and deceive people then what is the problem? :-\

"Indian Hunting"..........
Title: Re: Indian hunting - Lake Isabella
Post by: Chris Calohan on March 31, 2013, 01:28:15 am
He was really there, not a paste in. It was just someone who dressed up, most shots were out of water but I thought it would be fun to do some spear fishing. The model made the outfit and it was what he had. I'm glad it was him in that water and not me though.

I've watched this thread develop over the last few days and though I'm not one to challenge a statement without some hard proof, the more I look at this image, the less I am convinced this guy was not just in the water, but not even at that place when he was shot. Evidence is the feather tips have significant movement while there isn't a leaf or blade of grass with similar characteristics. In most areas of the image, calm or roiling water, there is some decent detail of rocks, etc, but I can't see anything of this guys legs once they hit the water. Even the lighting on his body isn't supported by the lighting congruency in the rest of the scene...and maybe I'm as wet behind the ears as this faux Indian, but me wonders.
Title: Re: Indian hunting - Lake Isabella
Post by: bryanlinden on April 01, 2013, 12:59:51 pm
Thank you! I do appreciate all the comments and we all have our preferences. As pointed out I was working with what I had, it wasn't a commercial shoot meant to decieve anyone but instead I was showing a few students how they could maximize a location by getting a variety of different looks. A little controversy over a shot is sometimes fun so don't worry I have thick skin but please judge it for what it is. I have other shots from that day that I think I'll post soon just to see if some of the people who didn't like in this setting like in others. If the consensus with those is that the headress makes it a lousy photo then I guess I'll pay more attention to the little things :). I did Merit with this print though as it was judged by PPA not indian authorities and I'm first to admit I'm not one either :).

Happy Snapping Everyone
Title: Re: Indian hunting - Lake Isabella
Post by: bryanlinden on April 01, 2013, 01:11:43 pm
I don't do cut and paste work :). I'll post more from that session when I can, all with the environment around. Again it wasn't done to mock or insult a culture. A guy on our trip had made the outfit and he's from Mexico with Indian blood. He is a fellow photographer and was willing to dress up so others could photograph him and it was a just for fun trip. I didn't know he had the costume until we got to that location and authentic or not I liked the outfit and set out to make a photograph I liked and show others how to deal with the lighting situation and a few techniques working with flowing water.