'I'm Sorry, Old Woman, -- Time to Move Over'

The internet is a funny old thing isn't it :) I've quite an army of friends who I've never met, but converse with on a very regualr basis. Just lately a bunch of us met up and had a real whale of a time, it's quite extraordinary how well you can get to know someone via a keyboard, I often think people are more open over the net - ironically.

The worth of this capture was not immediately apparent.

 

First of all, it was color, taken at night.

 

With a slow shutter speed (image stabilized by a V.R. -- vibration reduction lens -- and a stable subject) a car in the background moved past, leaving a long red reflection from its right tail light in the window behind the bent-over old lady, and that required retouching with the healing and/or cloning tool (the healing tool is a form of cloning tool).

 

The colors were very bad and the range of colors barely showed the outline of the images, which had to be brought into range through use of Photoshop (I won't bore you here; later I may post a reduced-size version of the original.)

 

If most people viewed this they might easily have said 'good miss, it can't be saved' and chalked it up to experience.

 

But the rule is for me, 'if color doesn't help, convert to B&W', and since I take for composition in most cases, the composition was there, and since the color detracted significantly, I checked the 'monochrome' box in channel mixer in Photoshop CS2 and proceeded to move the color channel sliders to choice and desaturated it. I was satisfied with the choice, though I didn't record it.

 

I may have another go at this one, as I want to re-do the Photoshop work which was not my best, as I didn't see the true 'worth' of this photo at the first; it has proven quite popular with viewers and I also see why now.

 

It's one of my better photos, and I didn't see why at first, because I was caught in the minutiae of trying to save it and post it.

 

And, I was still touched by finding her leaning over and crying, possibly a reaction to her finding herself about to be photographed. I have come to terms with such things, as I have come to terms with being a 'street photographer'

 

She is not identifiable, and if her kids see this, they should be ashamed, not she.

 

And this is one case where I am not ashamed or hesitant about using Photoshop to 'enhance' the image -- Photoshop here was used to 'rescue' a worthy image from ignominy -- and that is its highest use in my opinion, from a 'street photographer's' point of view.

 

John (Crosley)

I had 'mixed' feelings about this photograph, though I knew it had to be posted, since I saw it in its horrible, original, color condition fresh from the camera, all streaked, with reflections all over, traces of security wire from the window through the window glass which had to be cloned out and all sorts of other problems -- a nighttime photo that few would ever have bothered to take, let alone try to post.

 

Yet I was taken by the the ironic juxtaposition.

 

Now, as I look back, as a Crosley photograph, this is indeed on of my great street captures.

 

I'm going abroad in a few days, and during that time I'm probably going to try to 'work it up' again, as I carry copies of all my disks and/or a hard drive with all my captures with me when I go for extended periods.

 

I may also try to enhance the 'poster woman' beyond what she appears above, although the window photo she's depicted in was somewhat faded. I want the message to get out; this is true to life in a way, as it shows relative contrast quite well, but I may work to change contrast in the model photo in the window to make the figures look both more like they're 'real'.

 

Then I'll compare, and if I like the workup, I'll replace the image, but I'll safe this posted image and repost it as an in-line attachment and also as a 'link'.

 

I've done such things in the past, and it's worked out OK so long as no one is fooled and it's done clearly.

 

On re-examination, what I once saw as only a 'fair to middling' shot that I liked but thought would get 3/3s (but was bound and determined to post anyway) has the potential for being a lifetime best -- publishable in any book of my best work, if worked and post-processed well enough, and I'm going to probably give it a try.

 

So, this photo has raised greatly in my estimation -- it is standing the test of time; contrary to when I first posted it, I think it may even be seen as a good photo 100 years from now.

 

Anybody have any opinions on that statement?

 

John (Crosley)