John Larson, FPSA, MPSA2  

Red Nose and Red Pacifier by John Larson, FPSA, MPSA2

April 2024 - Red Nose and Red Pacifier

About the Image(s)

Why I took this image:
This is an old image taken with my first Digital camera the Canon D 30. It was taken about two years after I had purchased the camera and after I had purchased the Canon 85 mm f1.2 lens. I have never entered this image in PJ competition because I thought it would be considered a set-up. It is NOT a set-up nor was it posed. I was just lucky enough to be lucky enough to be waling by this clown holding this baby with a red pacifier to go with the red nose. Through a course taught by Jen Fawkes she emphasized that poses are OK in PJ, not set-ups so I am going to give this image a try. I also included it for another point. Some people may think because of the lens I used that I blurred the background. I did NOT. This background is as it came out of the camera from this f1.2 lens and as judges we must be aware of this capability.

Camera Settings:
1/2000 sec at f1.2 , ISO 100, 85 mm
Post processing:,
Normal LR adjustments. Used Detail Extractor from Nik Color Effects. Sharpening using Topaz AI. Cropped to remove a distraction

This round’s discussion is now closed!
7 comments posted

Jen Fawkes   Jen Fawkes
Hi John
yes I agree that this image would be suitable for a PJ entry, but what I see is a story about a man wearing a red nose, with a child with a red pacifier. I'd like to know more about why or what is happening. Perhaps a wider shot to tell us a little about the event. In terms of staging, there should be no doubt that this is not staged since a judge would not have any evidence. If you were to show more of the background then this would also support the view it wasn't staged. As for the background, I might suggest that all judges should understand.the idea of large apertures causing background blur. There is nothing in the background that might suggest deliberate blurring as the background is very consistent.   Posted: 04/09/2024 03:48:25
John Larson   John Larson
If I used a different lens to show more of the background I would lose the story of this man and child. There was nothing around them other than just more people wandering around and I picked them out of the crowd because of the color match and the clown's smile.   Posted: 04/09/2024 07:17:33
Jen Fawkes   Jen Fawkes
OK that's fair enough. It looked like some event since the man is in some kind of costume. Given your comments then I think the choices you make were very suitable for HI - his clothing is very 'unusual'.   Posted: 04/09/2024 15:16:14
Subhash Sapru   Subhash Sapru
You have very well chosen the subject and the angle. Yes, the man and the child seem to be attending some event. I appreciate your keen eye and the skill.   Posted: 04/13/2024 02:44:35
Maurice Ping Leung   Maurice Ping Leung
A pair of keen eyes on spotting the relationship between the red nose and the red pacifier. Wisely chosen lens with aperture F1.2, blurring all the surrounding distractions. I could see no trace of prearrangements for this picture which was so well captured . To improve the picture further, if we could see the BABY interacting with the clown - that would be perfect.   Posted: 04/14/2024 01:16:17
Jenny Shields   Jenny Shields
Great photo. The focus on the man and child with blurred background is perfect. You captured the joy of the moment, and the juxatposition of the pink nose and pink pacifier is excellent..   Posted: 04/26/2024 19:53:52
Karen Leonard   Karen Leonard
Nice. Fun photo. The story would be something about local festivals, perhaps.
Sharp, expression, a good portrait shot.   Posted: 04/28/2024 02:20:43