my mate Stan ...

[Kalkadan]

... my next door neighbour at the coast.  He arrived on the doorstep last weekend with a few beers insisting that we celebrate Christmas!  At 84 (you guys are so young Les) he insists on looking after the place when we are not there.

nikkor AFD 85mm f1.8 at max aperture on Plus X and the FM3a - yeah, I added the viginetting in Aperture because I think Stan deserves it :-)

[Austintatious]

Good neighbours are so rare ! Glad that you have him in your life. A wonderful portrait of your friend.
Happy Holidays !

[br1078lum]

He's a young looking 84 at that.  Beautiful portrait, Dan.  It's good to have friends that show up with a few brews.

PF

[lesged]

Dan,

A nice head of hair, a kind alert face and clear eyes that have seen as much of life as any fortune teller's crystal ball. When I turned off my table lamp and rolled back on my swivel chair, the details in the face increased significantly in texture and roundness. It looks like a finely sculpted head and a prize winner at that, really! Try my experiment--turn light off and move back away from the monitor.

You have an excellent neighbor and a fine model.

[Kalkadan]

Thank you.  Yes he is a great bloke.  I think the shot lacks 'bite' because it is wide open at f1.8 and I have found that this lens starts to get 'clinical' at about f2.2 which I often use.  But sometimes sharpness can detract from the subject, especially when you have as many fissures in your visage as me and Stan!