Eye Contact

[Bjørn J]

A winter scene from the Arctic City Tromsø in northern Norway

[Gary]

This says B&W to me. This image is timeless and for me, nothing emphasises timeless more than B&W. Per my monitor, I would lighten up the faces just a bit.

Residing in a less extreme clime and having experienced living above the Arctic Circle only once, the scene is quite foreign to me. Why are the sidewalks clean and the street filled with snow? The street appears not to have any vehicle traffic. I would think that covered sidewalks would enhance the quality of life there. What time of year was this taken?  It appears to be a tough existence for the buskers ... his accordion is filled with snow, the suitcase is filled with water, the guy on the horn ... I imagine that he wouldn't be able to remove his lips from the instrument until Spring. I hope you left a few coins. (On the flip side, walking around taking photos in this weather isn't no walk in the park either.)

[elsa hoffmann]

as for Gary - snow and arctic weather is foreign to me. Lovely shot!
you might know that I am looking into traveling next year - to a place where I can see that snow!

[Bjørn J]

Gary, thank you for your extensive comments, much appreciated.

[Bjørn Rørslett]

Gary: covered sidewalks are foreign to Norwegian architecture. Probably the sidewalks here have electric heating so they stay reasonably clear of snow, but given the city is Tromsø which is infamous for its deep snow, maybe not snow free all the time .

Norwegians are accustomed to drive on snow-covered roads.

[Olivier]

I see high expectations on the man's face and compassion or sympathy on the woman's so the timing is really perfect...

[Rick Waldroup]

Now, this is a tough gig.

 Every time I visit this forum, I am impressed with the quality of the content. It does not get any better than this.

[Bill Mellen]

I agree with Rick, that is one tough Gig!

I think this image works very well in color as it is.  The subdued lighting and gentle color serve to give a feeling of the cold and damp.

The eye contact between the lady passing by and the busker is a magic moment wonderfully captured Bjorn.  Well done!

[Jørgen Ramskov]

Well spotted Bjørn. Must be a tough job to earn your living that way up there.

[armando_m]

you put this on critique ... is that a trick question ?
other than the woman face being a bit blurry I wouldn't know what else to improve

• The scene is intriguing ... puts my mind used to live in warm weather,  in a state of confusion, how can there be people expecting to make a coin or two playing music in such weather
• The guy is playing with gloves, it most make it quite difficult
• The other musician is blowing on a metal instrument !
• What was already commented why the sidewalk is clean , you mention because it's probably heated ... wow , and that is more efficient than having it cleaned ?
• When a person needs to cross the street, they will get snow up to their knees
• And I guess the photographer needs to keep the lens cap on most of the time

[Bjørn J]

Thank you for all the comments.
Armando, the pavement is heated with hot water pipes underneath. The street is the main street in the centre of Tromsø, it is a only for pedestrians - but that does not explain why they don't remove the snow
Lens cap is mandatory, yes. And except when I use the D3X I also keep the camera under my jacket when I look for photos.

[Sash]

The type of shot that grows on you.