The prey: sailfish

[springm]

Two portraits from Sri Lanka again, shot with the A700 and the CZ16-80, processed with bibble5 (preview). The region tool in this sw gives amazing possibilities to dodge/burn and modify colors in parts of the image. In both shots I used it for darkening the sky. Resizing was done with digikam.

#1

#2

Feedback always welcome!

Markus

[springm]

Thanks, Don. You are right, in comparison brightening the shadows and sharpening definitely bring improvements. The first prints I got from those shots were indeed lacking punch, but I had thought it was the lab's fault.

Markus

[kingfisher]

nice picture`s
specially number two

indeed don , this is better

greetings
gustav

[KevinBarrett]

A superb capture of an iconic portrait! What an opportunity! The picture does benefit from a little sharpening for the web, and it's a good thing the original capture was already as sharp as can be. Well done, Markus!

[bakubo]

Markus, I like your photos better, but here are a couple of photos in Puerto Lopez, Ecuador of guys with their catch:



I tried to get this guy to not hide his face behind the shark's head, but he just wouldn't do it.

[Dr. Harout]

Nice shots Markus and Don's "retouche" made them better.

[springm]

Kevin, bakubo, Dr Harout:
thanks for your friendly comments and your images.

Maybe just some words on the fisherman in my pictures: The east cost of Sri Lanka is in terms of mechanisation, commercialisation and tourism a "undeveloped" region. The main reason is the civil war raging in the tamil-populated areas since 25 years. For decades the tamil regions have suffered from neglection by the Sinhala dominated government (the Tamils would call it open discrimination). The tsunami of 2004 has additionally brought massive destruction and losses of lifes, and the civil war is still regularly taking its tolls.

The coastal fishery in Batticaloa for example is still done with hand driven outrigger boats (you can see some pictures of these on http://spring2life.blogspot.com/search/label/fisherman" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; ), and only some of the fishery collectives have small boats of about 6m with an outboard motor.

During the winter time waves and wind make this kind of beach fishery impossible. Some of the fishermen are lucky to find employment as masons for example, but unemployement (and with it poverty) is quite common. Some fishery still can be done under considerable risk with the motor boats, and this is how they catched that sailfish. Its meat is very pricey, about 8 US$/kg, which is unaffordable for the great majority of the people living there but on the other hand means considerable income for the fishermen.

Oh yes, and the probably best shot I didn't get: After my portraits the man carried the fish on his shoulders away from the beach - I thought to disembowl it - to a waiting motobike. Off to the market the three of them went, driver, fisherman and fish over his shoulder. Too far away from me, beeing completely unprepared for this development...

Markus