Haha nice shot..

he looks kinda cool with tha cigar in his hand..!

Well, my mind was more on Peter being a retired U.S. Military man who now lived in the U.K.
With yesterday's and today's image I get the sense that you are going back to simplistic photography, away from your jaw-dropping landscapes and children images. I love that.
Enough has been said about PS and manipulation, so I will not abund on that, but I believe simply by shooting in B&W film, or choosing a specific ISO speed for a purpose means having changed the way a picture was supposed to be, and somehow we see that as acceptable.
But I know the debate will never end, so I go back to my point, I enjoy all your pictures, but I think sometimes the simplest images, the ones that make you think of the story rather than the effect can be the most beautiful.
Yesterday's and today's are just that.

The story of Peter really adds something to that shot. Without it I'd have thought he's just a guy sitting in his Jeep and smoking a cigar (indeed) ;). I love the light and the fact that all the vehicle is in focus.

I wonder how does it work.. First you try to talk with - technically speaking - the subject, making friends a little or so and then you offer a photo? I think it must be pretty hard sometimes. You put up many portraits of people met somewhere and I am sure it is not that way you just take a shot from the distance. Greets :)

ok, i'll bite. My first thought was that this guy works on beach patrol or something like that. But on closer look, he's very proud, and has a cigar in his hand and has a rich man's pot belly. Is that an antique Jeep that he's proud of possibly? Or maybe he's an architect of the boardwalk behind him? I just feel like he's in show-off mode...

Battin: thanks.

VelviaPix: I'm never sure what my photography is about, so perhaps you're right, perhaps I am moving back to something a bit simpler. Oh, and the "reticed U.S. Military" man theory wasn't a bad one, not least because this is a genuine U.S. Jeep, built in 1942 and taken to Dunkirk, though it didn't see any action.

bmoll: in this case we were at an event on the beach that was being photographed by the local press and his son's girlfriend was involved. From what I remember he asked us who we were (newspaper, freelance etc.) and the conversation went from there.

neil: pretty good if you didn't read the rest of the description :-)

great picture! Cool guy. :)

I thought the americans might have invaded the brits. Oops ;)

Cool jeep. Nice pic.

your image conveys the story perfectly. i thought he was the guy in charge of the amusement park. well done.

I think that Peter is a rich guy that enjoys driving his Jeep on beaches. He bought his old US Army Jeep by a winning eBay bid and has recently moved to the Blackpool area to enjoy the rain, as its good for his cough, which he developed from smoking.

And now I'm going to read what you wrote.

Oops! Well, the problem is that I couldn't get my head wrapped around how this guy in his Jeep was connected to the surroundings. Since the Jeep and the amusement park didn't seem to relate, I just excluded that data in trying to make a story out of the photo. I'm not sure what I would've done to connect the guy, the Jeep, and the park though.

Yup! He just looks like a guy who's proud of his Jeep to me (without the extra info). And someone who enjoys being photographed in it. Possibly got a bit of a WWII nostalgia thing going on. Maybe a John Wayne kinda thing?

I dunno if anyone has seen All Dogs Go to Heaven, but Peter looks just like the evil gangster dog from that movie.

My vote, Peter is a (of course!) gangster scouting out the beach as a mega-gambling site for his new ocean-themed, beach-front casino. yeah baby!

I'm going to take the guessing game.
He's very fat. He looks wealthy. He looks like he's wearing an expensive watch. Is that a cigar in his hand? His shirt is certainly new and good quality. He's driving a brand new US Army jeep. Hmmm. I don't know anything about the area he is driving in (do they allow cars to drive on the beach there?) so it's a bit hard to figure out what he's doing there. Somehow I get the feeling that he has special permission to drive there, and that's because he owns the amusment park in the backgorund or something like that. He doesn't look like an official of any type. He definately looks the entrepeneur to me. Let's see how wrong I was...

By the way, nice shot.

OK, so the jeep is just in brilliant condition and not new, but otherwise I nailed him :)

My impression, without seeing your explanation, is that the jeep is a toy (as you have juxtaposed the jeep with the amusement park). He is a man who has enough money to afford expensive toys. I won't comment on his weight, or the cigar, except to say that if this is a "toy" then those elements make him into somewhat of a clown.

Now, am I totally off base or what?

Ah, so he owns the park. I'm impressed that someone figured that out. That changes things a bit, but the picture still strikes me as the story of a wealthy man who is very proud of his toys.

I too thought that this was just an old guy posing for a shot and was surprised to see this because it was atypical of your other images (!) But then, the story it conveys is nicely done.

David,

I don't want to challenge your decision, but I am curious, why didn't you decide to get closer to the ride? I agree with those who say this looks like an american who has retired from the military.

daniel

David,

I do not want to challenge your decision, but I am curious, why did you decide not to get closer to the ride? I agree with those who say this looks like an american who has retired from the military.

daniel

he definitely looks like he owns the place ... and so typically "American" from the European point of view ... amusement park, beach, military, cigar, big belly, but friendly ... a smile on his face. I think this is a really effective portrait.

Retired U.S. Army general that got really overweight in the last 20 years?

I had figured out that he must work on something at the beach, but I didn't guess quite right. I assumed he had some role in either patrolling the beach or keeping it looking nice for visitors.

In any case, it's a lovely portrait, and I think the comparative drabness of the beach and sky makes a good backdrop.

He sure does look comfortable in his environment.

hmmm
a whale who beached and rather than return him to the wild he was given his own jeep and all the cigars he wants in return for being an attraction at the amusement park in the background...
and SHAME on all you suggesting this guys a fatassed American... just be cause I am doesn't mean we all are !

Uhm, here's my read. This guy doesn't work out enough, and I'm thinking that you're too long in your comfort zone.

It seems like you've fallen into a set of techniques that you work well in, and have given up on.

You do what you do well, no doubt, but you've fallen into postcards. When was the last time you opened up a cabinet and said what can I do with this? Or looked at a newsstand, or a chemists?

Seriously, you have a brilliant command of your tools. Shouldn't you close your eyes, maybe, and re-imagine the world you don't see?

i like that nice light and the arrangement with the funparc in the background.

It seems to be the owner/manager of a big attraction parc. The cigar he holds, and his figure, tells about him he could be a bussiness man. He uses the range rover to move all over the parc wich is placed in the beach. Just wondering....

Nice shot.

I too thought he was a GI who'd been stationed in Blackpool during the war and had now returned for a reunion or something. The jeep just shouts America and the theme park sets it in Blackpool (though the tower would probably have been the obvious choice). I'd like to see him with the fisheye in amongst all the lights and whizzing machinery. Maybe slo-sync to get a bit of movement and sharpness too.

It is a nice photo though.

I figured he’d have something to do we the pier as portrait pictures like this often have clues. But did I miss something, what’s the jeep connection? Something to do with the event I assume?

What I like most about the image is how your telephoto lens has compressed everything to make it all seem so small and toy-like. He is an interesting model as well -- an intriguing image.

for some reason I can't help but think that he's saying to himself "hellooooooo ladies!"

He looks like a jolly fellow!

Nice humour.

An ex-U.S.Army administrator who made a coupla bucks as a "man who can get things". Probably nicked the Jeep as well. He'd better get out of it, because the Jeep is sinking on its springs. They were built well, those Jeeps, but not THAT well :)

WoooW Thats a great Jeep!

An aperature of f/5.6? I kinda expected the background to be little more blurry. How close were you to him when you shot this?

Either way, great pic, and I wonder how you are able to confront all these people.

looking at the list of comments, i sometimes feel.. do i need to say something?!?! but then, today, looking at the shot, and the comments, i thought, who cares... this is such a lively shot! need to say something.. but then.. didn't know what.. so said what i felt everyday :)

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Hoo ha. Ride em, cowboy.

no new pic????? does this mean new baby????

Amazingly great shot -- one of your finest! :-) --- You'll have to show me this spot when I get back over...

As for baby --- CONGRATS to you and Libby! ... And -- I think BOB is a GREAT name...

The Chromasia family grows!

I like it. There's something about the arrogance of this fat guy with a cigar - doing whatever he pleases that's a fresh change of pace from your 'norm'.

Beefy!