Inspired by... Steve McCurry's intense portraits

Indian Eyes, aptly named, is another great portrait! Once again, the simple but effective composition adds to the beautiful choice of subjects. There, brother and sister draw the viewer in with their two pairs of eyes. Both characters seem at ease whilst the boy's peeping gaze in the background makes for an interesting and contrasting dynamic tension point. The tones and overall colours are beautiful, complementing each other without overpowering the main subjects. A fantastic image, very well done!

This is a great portrait! Despite being challenged by the low light conditions, the photographer managed to do an excellent job with this capture! The image is sharp (in spite of the highish ISO), colours are wonderfully rich and the main subject holds the viewer's gaze. I also love the fact that all of the characters in the background have connected with the camera and photographer too. Overall, this is a very descriptive shot with documentary clues about geographic location, rites and world culture.

This is such a rich portrait on many levels. Firstly, the details are fantastic: the scabby forehead, the ringlet curls, the dried up up snotty nose, the dry lips and those wonderful white teeth! Again, as in the previous images and in Steve McCurry's work, the gaze of the subject is intense. This is further emphasised by the blue sky reflection, giving the eyes the appearance of being blue. Lastly, the contrast against the black backdrop works really well. I would like to have seen little more space and/or details around the little boy but this a great image nonetheless.

This is a wonderful image. Intense in the opulence of colours it displays. There is a definite connection between the subject and the photographer. The boy appears comfortable despite that awkward (but endearing) smile! The contrast between the various surrounding materials and surfaces such as the wood panelling, the coloured glass and the hanging cloth, is fantastic. The photographer has shown a great eye for composition and the final grading fits the overall image perfectly. A great shot, well done!

Great shot - the composition is spot on. As with Steve McCurry's portraits, we are drawn into the image by the main subject's gaze. Focal attention then veers off to the background scene which provides a little more information about the possible context. We can then hazard a guess as to what the little boy may have been doing before having his picture taken: watching the pigs, playing on the wall... his stance is perfect, uncontrived. The beautiful muted colours (pink, pastel green and natural tones of the soil and stone wall) emphase his stare even more.

I love this shot because this a great example of how to replicate location conditions in a studio context (with the only giveaway being the catch light in the subject's eyes). The set up is simple (one softbox) but to great effect. The red tones are rich and on first look, the textured background could lead you to believe that this was taken somewhere "exotic". And the subject certainly draws you into the frame. However, regardless of where the image was taken, I think this is a great portrait and a befitting tribute to Steve McCurry's work. Well done!

This is a such a strong shot. Despite the exposure challenge of shooting at sunrise on a really slow speed film, I think this is a fantastic capture. I love the framing, the casual stance of the subject, the pop of yellow against the paler tones of the sand and of his outfit. The contrast between the smooth expanse of dune and the crumbling sand under his feet is lovely! You identified and perfectly grabbed that moment. A little more work in post*, perhaps by increasing the luminosity in the centre of the of image, would have landed this shot in the top 10. Very well done!

*i had a quick go on the low res file, let me know if you'd like to see result.

This is a nicely framed shot. The location has been well considered. The softness of the background which could have otherwise cluttered the shot, works really well and the combination of colours is lovely. I think that if the focus point had been set on the subject's eyes this would have brought a little more intensity to the final image. Similarly, post-production with a little more contrast and structure adjustments could have enhanced the shot to make it feel a little punchier overall. A great portrait, well done!

I just love this shot, such a striking image, which, if I'm honest, I wish I had taken! Amazing details, the sharpness of his little face, the fresh and dried up tear marks are very poignant. Whilst the image fits the brief as an intense portrait, I would have loved to have seen it in colour. This comment doesn't take anything away from the image itself but it could have made the top 10 had it been submitted as a colour shot.

A beautiful portrait which makes an emotional connection with the viewer. Whilst the black and white conversion makes a great job of drawing the audience to the subject and his living conditions, I would have loved to have seen this shot in colour. The textured wall seems interesting, and so do his hands (I'm curious to know what he was clasping in his right hand), his potentially stained fingers and the various objects surrounding him on the ground would have been great to read in a colour version.

This is a very inquisitive portrait both from the subject's point of view and that of the photographer. The overall colour and feel are great but details are missing from the subject's face as the focal point has strayed on to her arm. Still, a great job considering the low light conditions. Increasing your ISO would have helped but I appreciate that fiddling with your camera may have lost you the shot. Was there a shot just after this one? It feels as though a split second later there would have been a teeny bit more of her face revealed, with that the same sense of wonder in her eyes. Great capture!

This is a great portrait. The makeshift headdress and the sweat on his face clearly indicate a very hot day. The colour render is great. However, I feel this shot could have benefitted from being slightly wider, thus showing more of the subject and his surroundings. By using a shorter lens and getting closer to your subject, this would have challenged you to engage and connect more with him and get more from him in the final image. Well done!

This is an excellent portrait. The subject has fantastic features: the sweatshirt fashioned as a headdress, the beard and of course, the toothless smile. The colour pop from the wall is nicely echoed by the spot of red on the sweatshirt. Again, this a very descriptive portrait, i.e. the cultural reference, the functional property of a piece of garment which would have been used completely differently, the contrast of the meshy sporty fabric with the subject. The softness on the face takes away from the details (eyes, mouth, tongue, teeth) though, which would have drawn the viewer into the image even further.