MONK Photo | TrekEarth

Photographer’s Note

June 10, 1983, the Royal Viking Star, a cruise ship on which I was giving lectures, docked in Shanghai. The monk seen here was a member of one of the only three Buddhist monasteries sanctioned by government authorities to function in those days before the country began to open up to visitors. The monk was extraordinarily gracious, allowing me to photograph him. In photographing him I used a Nikon F, with 135 mm lens and ASA-64 slide film. I just had some old slides scanned to share with other subscribers to the TrekEarth site, as addictive as any drug I know of.

In photographing the monk, I asked him to stand in a doorway, usually effective in producing a dark background. Finally, in cropping the image, i created a frame close to the golden ratio of 1:618, and put one of the man's eyes (his right) on the vertical bisector of the frame. It was discovered in 1998 by Christopher Tyler, British-born San Francisco neurophysiologist, that in most great portraits, the painter put one eye of his subject along the vertical bisector. Tyler's discovery was significant enough that it made the front page of the New York Times. I wrote about this phenomenon -- which is never taught in art schools but discovered intuitively by talented artists -- in my book 'Math and the Mona Lisa.'

anducina, jaywalker, stego, veve, JCG, Matthew-Watt, thea0211 has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

anducina (8255) 2006-10-13 3:58

Impressive portrait. Excellent light. I like this black BG. Very interesting note.

jaywalker (13091) 2006-10-13 9:53

Hi Bulent, A brillient Portrait, the lighting is superb with the shadow falling over the right (as we look at it)side of his face, wonderfuly sharp & excellent idea to use the black background it helps pick up detail better it his face, great shot, take care Wilson.

mdetay (4410) 2006-10-13 23:46

Hi Bulent,
Nice portrait.
Good POV and colors. You did managed to get a black background. Brilliant idea.
Well done. TFS. Good scan.
Cheers from Hong Kong.
Michel

stego (22516) 2006-10-14 22:06

A very impressive portrait. Very smart choice of the background and that of centering vertically the left eye. I had never heard about this practical rule, but it seems to be very efective, as the subject isn't completely centered but at the same time the image is balanced.
The quality of your scans and relatively old films never ceases to amaze me.

missninja (495) 2006-10-19 13:42

Hello Bulent!
A very nice portrait. Especially with the black background. That makes the expression of the picture very impressive.
Warm regards, Nina

veve (4149) 2006-10-20 14:17

Hello Bulent!
Excellent composition and portrait!
It`s an excellent choice this black background.
Very good contrast light/shadow!
Best regards,
Veronica

JCG (27505) 2007-02-01 5:58

Hi Bülent,

For a photograph which is almost 25 years old I am agreeably surprised by the quality of the scanned image. It is splendid this portrait and I understand better the success of this portrait by taking time to read the comment on the technique used. Indeed this black background emphasizes well the face of this monk as well as the silhouette of his dress. I like very much the management of the shades and lights. A work of a remarkable technique, cheer.

With my greetings and friendships from France,

Jean-Charles

Matthew-Watt (4475) 2007-04-04 20:28

Hello Bulent,
This is a beautiful cultural photo of this mysterious man. China is a destination I would love to explore. The black background is very special, adding to the mystique and cultural barrier. Very clear image, blessed with excellent expression.
Matt

noborders (14207) 2007-05-23 16:15

Bülent, your scan machine is certainly more performant than mine, I should change it (also because it does not scan slides)...
I like this kind of very "sober" portrait... and hope that you'll post some more of this kind !
Ellinize saglik,
Brüksel'den selamlar,
Cath.

thea0211 (1355) 2007-08-12 10:00

hi bulent,
strangely i haven't commented on this one before - i say strangely because i know i've been looking at this image more then once before and i like it :)!
i like the look you managed to capture on the monk's face and i like his face, his inner peace shows right away. good choice of dark background - brings out nicely all the details.
well done and thanks!

hope all is well with you and that you're having a great sunday!
dora :)

rminkow (1566) 2007-08-31 21:17

Hi Bulent...great portrait...the lighting, clarity and pose are excellent.

Roger

Angshu (35525) 2008-01-16 1:09

Hello Professor "A"
Unearthed this gem from your archives. Excellent portrait against the dark background which has been so effectively used to bring the subject out. The skin tones are very natural. For a scan, the quality is absolutely superb. One of the best portraits from you IMHO.
With Warmest Regards
Angshuman