For once I am glad for a photostream with so many images licensed All Rights Reserved, which means instant disqualification. This series only features Creative Commons works. There isn’t a Hamed Parham pic I wouldn’t pick otherwise, making the selection next to impossible, if not for the small number designated CC.
Some photos command character. Hamed goes further, by way of composition and perspective revealing each subject’s character. His street portraits are classic. Iconic. They’re ripped from the present and transported into the past.
To make today’s selection, I strongly considered four others—self-titled “Forgotten Hands“, “Hard Days“, “Lost in Time“, and “Peace Pray“—before choosing “Cool Soul”. Each shares in common: The camera (Canon EOS 400D); the lens (Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6L IS USM); and classic film (rather than digital) look.
Some street photographers get close to their subjects, while others, Hamed among them, stay way back and zoom in. He shot today’s selection on Oct. 19, 2008. Vitals: f/5.6, ISO 800, 1/125 sec, 390mm.
Hamed is no longer active on Flickr, which he joined in November 2007. He is among a handful of photographers who I cautiously profile, being unable to find any recent presence online. When someone seemingly disappears, my worry is why.
Photo Credit: Hamed Parham