Hm. This shot makes me uncomfortable. It's the way the man is looking. It's not like a National Geographic sort of look where the person is just sorta looking somewhere around the camera, this guy is looking straight at it.

Interesting though.
-Tristan

I like the stiff character. The man looks a bit strange and suspicious, on guard for something unknown. Other then that I really can't say that I like this shot. It feels...different. But still; the man to the left makes the shot. No doubt.

I think the fact that he is essentially monochromatic (at least in dress; I'm not saying his skin tone lacks color), paranoid looking, and yet in front of this incredibly colorful train/subway/light rail unit makes the image great. Good use of offsetting him to the left, which, according to my old psych professors, is always an unsettling depiction of a person.

great shot, i like the expression on his face. Strange that we both post pics of trains/subways today.

It IS unsettling. Something about the way he's facing away from the rest of your composition, and then looking dead on at us. Then my eye goes to the repeated reflection of - what are those things? the row of them across the top third of the image. I love the blue and metal in this. As Americans say when we're trying to sound British: Good show, good show!

I think this shot is unsettling too, but for me it's because I can't quite work out his expression; is he slightly amused (he almost seems to be smiling), is he irritated or self-conscious about being photographed? Whatever it is, there's something a bit odd about his expression and the stiff way he appears to be staring straight at the camera.

And tiffany: the repeated reflection is the downward facing edge of the platform roof, it's a standard design in the UK.

This is why I love the continuous shooting option, especially when photographing people. It's amazing a expressions can change from one second to the next.

I love the photo, colour, composition but...said that....I do feel a little bit uncomfortable with making photos of people without their permission. If I was looking at web photos and if I would find one of myself made by a strange without my permission, for sure I would try to track who did it and have a word. Sorry, it is just the way I feel. But the photo itself is beautiful for sure!

Maxine: I know what you mean about photographing strangers and putting their photographs on the web, but this isn't really any different from photojournalism so, in general, I'm not too uncomfortable with it. I guess the bottom line for me is to do with how we portray people. For example, I took a series of shots earlier this week of my reflection in a shop window as various people walked past. By far and away the best of these was one where a bloke was walking past picking his nose and generally looking thoroughly dishevelled. But I wont put it up, despite it being amusing, because it portrays him in a bad light.

This shot, on the other hand, leaves you wondering a) what this man was thinking, and b) if he was uncomfortable, and if so, why, but it doesn't ridicule him, it just catches his at a moment that might otherwise have passed unnoticed.

Anyway, I'd be interested to hear what other people think as photographing people in public isn't something I have all that much experience with.

1. this is an awesome shot. you caught him at a perfect moment and the train and its window reflections just has amazingly beautiful symmetry.

2. there is nothing wrong with what you did. now its obvious this man knew u were taking the shot. if he didnt want it happening, he would have walked over to you and asked what you were doing. thats the only time i think you shouldnt use photographs of people.
i agree with you david, i wouldnt post a picture of someone that portrays them in a bad way or is giving a particular message that can be construed as negative towards their character if they are innocently walking along the street.

its like those news items where they talkabout obesity and they have all these poor souls waddling along the street chowing down on burgers. i always wonder if they have had permission to do so, i think not as most wouldnt want themselves portrayed on the news as the poster child for fatties anonymous.
i always fear ill see my arse on one of those new items lol

ok i got off track but dave, i dont think there is anything wrong with what you did, and if the man had objected, you wouldn't have put the shot up, from what you said.

excellent.

Great picture!
Wow.

This is great shot. I too think his expression makes the shot.

I've grown increasingly fond of photographing strangers on the street and have come up with that same question: can I (legally) publish a photograph of someone I do not know and who never gave me permition to be photographed in the first place?

Everytime there's a demonstration or any sort of public gathering, I find I can usualy shoot at will. Nobody seems to mind. But within everyday life, it really depends on the subject. Sometimes I'll ask for permition and sometimes I just don't ask, and shoot right away.

I've never had anyone come up to me and ask what I was doing, although I frequently expect it to happen...

But I do agree with you: portrayng someone in a "bad light" should be avoided. This shot is a good example. It does not compromise the person in any way.

But there's another thing to consider: Here in Portugal, a few years ago, a Professional Fotographer was sued by a man who had been photographed by him a few weeks before. There had been a demonstration on bridge 25th April (over river Tagus) against the fee paid to cross it. There was police, protesters, journalists and, of course, people inside their cars waiting to get by.

The suer was inside his car with a woman at his side. When the photograph came out in the newspaper (and he was IN the shot, along with other people) his wife divorced him a week later. Apparently he was having an affair with the woman sitting next to him...

The photographer managed a good defense, mainly because he was backed by the newspaper, but had it been an amateur, things could've been ugly...

Tiago: when I read through your commentary on the demonstration I was expecting that you might say that the man had sued the photographer because the photograph implied that he was a part of the protest (when, in fact, he was just passing by) - and I think that this would probably have been reasonable had he suffered as a consequence. For example, if he'd been involved with the decision to charge the fee to cross the bridge a photograph implying he was protesting would have (potentially) been politicall damaging for him.

Howerer, the fact that he got caught out screwing around, IMO, doesn't seem like grounds for any legal reparation. Put it another way; if I know that someone is having an affair, and I tell his wife, I wouldn't expect to be sued if I told her - this simply isn't a legal matter. In this case I think he was just in the wrong place at the wrong time and the photographer couldn't be held accountable.

Great subject + composition. Creative decision on this one is right on. It would work in b/w but it's great that his white contrast the train.