We present another portrait that, like “Willing Prisoner“, was taken in one context but is appropriate for another. Duke Yeh captured self-titled “Overwhelming Life” on Jan. 29, 2018, using Fujifilm X100F. About the photo, he says: “Whispering under his breath, I couldn’t capture what the gentleman was saying. But surely his posture says it all”.
The subject’s “life complexity at a glance” sadly suits the current global crisis, where the SARS-CoV-2 (severe acute respiratory syndrome Coronavirus 2)—also known as COVID-19—pandemic has shattered economies, driven a wedge between people (“social distancing” and “shelter-in-place” orders), isolated entire nations (government-imposed quarantines), and turned cities into scenes from post-apocalyptic movies. Then there are the millions infected, ill, or deceased.
According to data compiled by the Center for Systems Science and Engineering at Johns Hopkins University, there are 1,982,939 confirmed cases and 126,753 deaths across 185 countries. That’s up from 531,860 and 24,057, respectively, on March 26, 2020.
Part of the photo’s appeal is timeliness, but I would have chosen it even without the crisis. Bokeh, composition, contrast, and storytelling take the week. Vitals: f/4, ISO 100, 1/80 sec, 23mm.
Duke describes himself as: “Bangkok born; Taipei shaped; London grown. Capturing deep moments of people”. He joined Flickr in October 2017.
Photo Credit: Duke Yeh