For my series ‘Face’, I selected shots of people walking, sitting and chatting in parks, squares and streets of Porto in Portugal. I visited the city in March 2015.
Some of you know how much I love to talk to and photograph senior citizens. Well, Porto was a paradise, as everywhere I turned to, I could stumble upon someone. They most often dressed with elegance and formality, with flair of old times. But there was something else…
Check inside for more.
Some of them had company and animated chats.
But the majority was alone.
Sad. Lonely.
Desperate. Aloof. Lonely.
Thoughtful. Lonely.
For this week’s WP Photo Challenge, Cheri Lucas asks us to share a photo of a face.
It could be your own face; the face of a loved one, whose lines and creases you know well; or even a face out in the wild, where you least expect to see one.
I am attracted to all lines and creases that I come across at the streets of the world. I have a strong desire to know more about them, to spend time with them, to learn from them. Perhaps we would stop repeating history, if we would listen to them.
This was my 2nd submission to the challenge. I shot with Olympus EM10 mirrorless. I used two lenses: macro 60mm (equivalent 120mm and 1:2.8) ) or 14-42mm (equivalent to 28-84mm and 1:3.5-5.6). All candid shots were done at a safe distance, to not trespass their space, despite having to sacrifice the sharpness of the photo. I used Silver Efex Pro and LightRoom to convert to B&W.
You can find the 1st submission here.
Wonderful portraits as ever Lucile, it strikes me that I should visit Porto now that I live not so very far from there! 🙂
Thank you, Andy. I highly recommend a visit. I was telling my husband last night that we should come back. It’s a lovely place, excellent food, friendly people, and plenty of subjects to photograph.
Thank you, sounds perfect!
You’re welcome.
Excellent captured, Lucile… 🙂
Thank you, Drake!
What can I say, but the black and white brings the something extra, especially for people photography. Well done again Lucile!!!
Thank you so much, Gun. I prefer B&W most of the times, and surely for portraits.
Some nice ‘lived-in’ faces here, Lucile 😀
Thank you, Sue. I like how you described them. 😀
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Beautiful pictures x
Thank you so much.
ahh…. so poignant.. especially the man with his head in his hands ….. i could almost cry looking at his sadness that you have captured so well..
i think you should hold an exhibition – your portraits are really stunning. beautiful. yes, go back to Lisboa for more shots like these 🙂
Debbie, I’m humbled by your comment. Thank you.
I’ve proposed to my mother in law to talk and shoot her friends, all above 80. So I hope they agree as I have no plans to return to Portugal in the near future.
Very impressive expressions in these faces….
Thank you, Anna.
Lucille, each of your images builds together to make an appeal to examine them.
Hello Sally, always good to see you here and am grateful for your comment.
Best wishes, Lucile
Ah so sad to see lonely old faces but you do capture them so well.
Thank you, Marge. Indeed sad, heartbreaking.
Great submissions. One could write a story about any one of those photos and the emotions they evoke.
Thank you so much.
I totally agree with you. Each one of them inspires us so much, and anyone could write about them.
Great idea, I totally agree with you 🙂
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You rock monochrome and street photography! You captured some great expressions and faces.
I agree. These are certainly two areas you do amazingly well, especially in combination.
janet
Very grateful for your appreciation. Thanks. 😀❤️
Thank you so much! You’re very kind. Much appreciated.
Brilliant series Lucile. So many moods (mostly poignant) perfectly expressed in black and white. The 3 stand outs for me are the first of the animated group…I love the way the bench leads my eye through the shot…the first sad and the second thoughtful and lonely.
Just brilliant as I’d expect from you. Thank you for sharing you process with us,
Thank you, Lisa. I’m so happy that you like it. I had many more but unfortunately I used the wrong lens and had to keep distance to not be invasive, sacrificing the sharpness of the photos.
Post processing in B&W helps but doesn’t really fix it. But the expressions are priceless.
Heartfelt thanks. 😘💗
[…] Face II – Timeless Faces of Porto – lucile de godoy […]
These are lovely interpretations of the face theme Lucile – they are honest, poignant and beautiful.
Thank you! I confess that I love these photos.
It sure seems to take courage to get older. Loneliness is a powerful thing.
I think that getting old being unavoidable, should be easier if accepted. Loneliness is the biggest fear.
You take such incredible human portraits Lucile. Love these! 🙂
Thank you so much, Carl. Much appreciated.
The second last photo almost makes me cry, he does look so lonely somehow
It looks ver sad indeed. But please don’t cry! 😀💗
Another Great gallery Lucile! For some reason, I really like the nb 3, He is very classy, in every detail. Look at the way he is wearing his collar, and even the shape of his glasses. Classy indeed. I couldn’t help but wonder about where he was coming from .. or going to?..
Thank you, Stephanie! Of course, a sophisticated and classy Parisian recognizes these characteristics in others intuitively.!!😀👍
Hehehehehe, of course 😉
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All so very touching and poignant. Beautiful portraits, Lucile!
Hi Lex, thank you! I haven’t been visiting you lately. Miss reading your posts. Will make time. Have a great day.
Beautiful photography. So expressive.
Thank you so much!
Really wonderful street portraits Lucile.
Thank you so much, Max. Your opinion means a lot.