Engraver at Work

I photographed this fellow doing a demo at a jewelry store at the mall. He was concentrating so hard, I don't think he knew I was there. I did quite a bit of Photoshop work to blur the background, and make it at least a little less obtrusive. I also cloned out some sort of fixture from in front of his little finger, adjusted levels and colors and so forth. It was shot with a 2.5 megapixel Olympus C2500L in 2001.



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Posted by Dave Geyer on Mon, 02/11/08 14:16
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Comments by Jan Bjorklund on Mon, 02/11/08 14:28

Such pictures as this make me wish that I had spent more time trying to learn how to photograph people (especially when those people were busy at work... I truly had some interesting possibilities but unfortunately I just didn't think enough of them at the them to bring out the camera and record those moments). One feels as if they are standing right beside the engraver and that slightly blurred nature of the man's right hand lets you know that this is not a static posed image but a picture of the man actually at work.


Comments by Rick Longworth on Mon, 02/11/08 16:58

Well done.
I'm thinking this would go well with a few shots showing the face and eyes.


Comments by Ruth Rittichier on Mon, 02/11/08 18:42

Good closeup of the work being done, but would like enough DOF to include sharpness in the working hand.


Comments by Dave Geyer on Mon, 02/11/08 18:59

Thank you for the comments and suggestions.

Jan: I love photographing people, and I like them to know it usually, although in this case announcing myself might have caused a disaster! But, I'm a little shy also, so I have to be in the right mood. And, since I don't do studio work, I always seem to have to do a lot of work on the images afterward.

Rick: You know, I never saw his eyes! He was so intent and focused, he didn't come up for air before I got bored and left.

Ruth: The C2500L had such a short lens (due to small sensor dimensions), and such a small aperture, it was impossible not to have very broad depth of focus. In this case, I had to do a lot of work in Photoshop, because everything behind the subject was in focus! The blurred working hand is due to movement, and I was lucky to get a shot where nothing else was moving. The C2500L seemed like such a wonderful tool at the time (1999), but it sure didn't have the flexibility that the DSLR's with interchangeable lenses have!

Again, thanks for the comments and suggestions!


Comments by DebbiK on Mon, 02/11/08 23:09

nice work in camera and with PS-I like the blurred hand to show he is working


Comments by Linda Frey on Tue, 02/12/08 09:59

You've shown his concentration very well. The only thing I'd want is to be able to see what he's doing a little better. Maybe as Rick suggested, in additional shots.


Comments by Dave Geyer on Tue, 02/12/08 10:28

Thank you Debbi and Linda! OK, I think I get the point, and it's a valid point. Next time I'll take the time to do a small series, assuming the subject is willing and conditions permit.


Comments by Frank B on Tue, 02/12/08 20:48

An excellent documentary photo. Well composed with beautiful color. The blurring of the
background worked well to focus the viewer on the man. Wonderful detail and I love that
intense concentration you captured so well.


Comments by John Wise on Tue, 02/12/08 23:52

Nice PS work. It works for me as presented. We don't need to know everything.


Comments by Maria Salvador on Wed, 02/13/08 14:31

John Wise said it well. I agree!