Photography - Who do you look like?

With my renewed interest in photography, I decided to try the face recognition program on myheritage.com after seeing something about it on TV last night. As far as I know, the program calculates the various dimensions on your face such as space between eyes, forehead, cheeks etc and tries to match them with someone famous. I don't think I particularly look like anyone famous. When I was in Asia, natives had me down as a lookalike for Keanu Reeves or Nicholas Cage. I reckoned if people could get me so badly wrong then a free computer program would hardly do any better. It did.

First out with a 72% resemblance was Luis Figo, portuguese soccer player. Not bad, I suppose. Talented player, multi-lingual, loaded and has a gorgeous wife. It also recalled a vague memory of a party a few years during a Euro championship when some drunk chanted "Fiigoo00, Fiigoo00" every time I crossed the room.


Next up were Luke Wilson and Alexis Denisof which were a bit off the mark and then it was that gallic specimen of a man, Gerard Depardieu. Ouch. A very talented actor but carries a close resemblance to Shrek. Maybe this was some sort of karmic punishment for myself and a buddy drunkenly singing the chorus to "You're Beautiful" when we saw a James Blunt lookalike in a pub last week.

The last celebrity bearing any resemblance to my chevy chase was Mark Feehily, gay member of Irish boy band Westlife. A family member had declared this resemblance for years. Will be keeping this latest piece of evidence to myself methinks. As Irish crooner Joe Dolan would say "Oh me, oh my, you're such a ...".

Art - Sports Photography

I wrote last week about how I found it so easy to appreciate photography. A good photo, like any piece of good art, will make an impression that will resonate for long after its first viewing. I have never needed to know where it's from, what it's about, or who took it to appreciate its brilliance. Nonetheless, some sports photos can make an even greater initial impression. This genre of photography is definitely more subjective. Captures of a classic sporting moment will resonate far deeper with someone who is aware of its background. Sports photos can create an instant rapport, a yearning for that frozen moment in time which still reverberates in the now.

When I was younger, I would read all I could about Muhammad Ali. I had a poster of this photo below on my bedroom wall.


Visually, the photo is stunning. The colours and shadows are subtly balanced and the two boxers are positioned so perfectly you would think it was posed. The image encapsulates so much about Ali - his strength, braggadocio, beauty, power. He is so utterly dominant over Liston who is floored and submissive. The crowd seem relatively emotionless and the surrounding darkness refocus your attention on centre stage - on Ali.

Despite its naked brutality, boxing seems to be the most photogenic and cinematic of all sports.


And no better subject than Ali.

The Irish sport of hurling also lends to striking images.

Ballet- Irish Style by Johnew on Flickr.com

Art - Photography

Maybe yesterday's blog on appreciating art revealed a pretentious streak in me eager to validate my writing with something of substance. Even though I find I have to make an effort to appreciate fine art, I enjoy the process in general. Obviously a painting makes an instant visual impression but I need to labour through the other aspects I mentioned yesterday to gain a greater appreciation. I've never felt this way with photography.

A good photo will act as a catalyst of impressions, ideas, assumptions and theories for my racing brain. There is no need for a background story or any extra information. My eyes will drink in all they can from the image. I love faces - particularly old and young ones. The images below I have taken from Flickr.com (Photographers - Coroner, Alexsandra Radonic, Jeridaking)


The second photo isn't of the same standard visually as the other two, but I think it's great. Even though the man isn't Irish, it inspires me with all sorts of stories of past deals and shenanigans in general. Some people might think photography doesn't have the same capacity for interpretation but that second photo would appeal to a wide variety of people in many different ways. The first and third photos are breathtaking reflections of the beauty that we see everyday but often miss. Abre los ojos!