'I LOVE my dog' (B & W ed.)

What are your thoughts about what is happening in this photo (a B&W version of a long-ago posted color photo found in my folder about a day and evening in San Francisco)?. Your ratings and critiques are invited and most welcome. If you rate harshly or very critically, please submit a helpful and constructive comment; please share your superior photographic knowledge to help improve my photography. Thanks! Enjoy! John

Let me know your thoughts, please about this B&W redo from a long-

ago posted color version of 'I LOVE my dog'. Your ratings and critiques

are invited and most welcome. If you rate harshly or very critically,

please submit a helpful and constructive comment; please share your

superior photographic knowledge to help improve my photography.

Thanks! Enjoy! John

I posted this for critique and even got one comment but it disappeared from my 'forum posting' list.

 

I reposted it after 15 - 20 minutes, when the photo showed on my 'comment' list but minus the comment and the posting did NOT show on my 'forum posting' list.

 

Reasonably enough, I thought, just repost it. I received no communication from PN otherwise, and the color version of this photo has been on display since 2005; this is a rework into B&W, in keeping with my special emphasis on B&W.

 

I may rework it more, and I'm interested in your thoughts. The color photo appears in my 'Day and Evening in San Francisco' folder with many comments, all favorable and almost all enjoyable.

 

(When I reposted this after waiting a VERY long time, the software did not reject it as a double post, but instead it accepted it and added my first 'request for critique to my second so it had TWO requests for critique but it was stripped of the comment that my comment column said was placed there by an unknown poster . . . while in the meantime the photo disappeared from my forum postings . . . .forum software bug?)

 

John (Crosley)

I gave a look to the color version of this nice shot. Very interesting indeed, but I find the b/w version a bit too much contrasted and with opaque whites. Maybe this is exactly the result you wanted, but I thought (how immodest) that I could send you my b/w version. If you think that this could be useful and/or interesting please let me know so I will send you the result. regards, Giuseppe

I had a problem with taking this from the thumbnail because of jpeg artifacts, and was wondering how much to contrast it, as it was under-contrasted in the version that came from straight desaturating.

 

This one shows well from a distance, but not so well up close. I may simply switch images, but I'd love to see yours. Please send it, so I can compare. Notice the shirt has been darkened (or is it lightened?) a little as it was selected, to contrast with the light pole, which others had found distracting.

 

It was late and I found myself with nothing to amuse myself, so I had a go at this project, but without the original in front of me. When I get the original, I may rework it entirely, then post it.

 

But let's see yours (johncrosley (at) this service you know photo yo know what) or simply post it here.

 

Thanks for attentiveness and caring.

 

It looks 'harsh' to me, too.

 

John (Crosley)

Dear John, here we have two versions of your re-mastered work. These correspond to two different personal visions: this one is respectful of the original nuances (maybe a bit "flat"), the other one is more contrasted and strong in tones (it seems I can't upload it now and will post it later - it's - to my eyes - more your style). Let me know if this little funny experiment has been useful for your purposes, ciao, Giuseppe

dear John, as promised, here it is version2. Ciao, Giuseppe

John,

I guess in respects to the contrast, you gain in some areas and lose in others. Where I see it loses is in the contrast between his pants and the garbage can. Seems to me to make it rather flat looking. I am thinking that adjusting the contrast will always adjust both of them and they will always look similar. Maybe some dodging in that area (IMAO, in my amateur opinion).

Now to compromising capture of the photo, it reminds me of a commercial I saw about a guy in a park walking his dog while eating candy bar. He drops his candy bar and reaches down and picks and continues eating it. What the grandma and her granddaughter in the park saw was a man reaching down to pick up a dog dropping and then eating it. Pictures can be deceiving...lol. I am sure this guy was just keeping his dog from running out into the street.

I always look to your photos and comments as a resource for "street" photography. I live in a small north Texas town. I am a member of a city parks and recreation photography class that meets once a month. This months assignment is to take photos of people, not related. So I will venture out the streets to give this type of photography a try. Photography I admire but am shy to venture into. Now if I could just afford that 600mm lens.

Good Story -- there is another good one under the color capture, though more ribald.

 

I did some selections and contrast adjustments on this, but left it too contrasty and just need to smooth it out, I think keeping the selections. I'll wait a little before I do that, and keep a reference to Giuseppe's second photo, which essentially is this photo.

 

I don't want to confuse people about the colloquy above. People should be able to see what's being commented on.

 

I also save those I take down and often add them as in-line attachments, so that may be the way to go with this one.

 

As to 'street' photography; it's something you're cut out for or not, and if you're thinking of a 600 mm, probably you're not cut out for it. I've had people try to pull cameras off my neck, thinking I'd taken their photos (I hadn't) and police involved -- always on my side). You gotta take such things in stride if you're gonna be on the streets as much as I, then just go on your merry way, unaffected after that rush of adrenaline. I do NOT live for that rush and do everything to avoid it.

 

The RUSH comes from getting a capture like this and realizing it -- even from sharing it as much as two years later, as here.

 

I'm glad it has touched you; you can live your 'street shooting' vicariously through me if you wish; I have no hesitancy to wade into a crowd, camera held overhead, as though it were my God-given right. And people seem to respect that, for whatever reason, yielding the way to me, for whatever reason, as though I'm on a 'MISSION FROM GOD!!!!"

 

Or just to give a treat to my viewers.

 

They don't know.

 

Best to you and thanks for commenting.

 

John (Crosley)

so funny...:-)

I wholeheartedly agree.

 

Completely candid, from driver's side across passenger side, out open passenger window while stopped at light.

 

'Luck favors the well prepared'

 

;~)

 

John (Crosley)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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John, this is a very funny photo and firmly in the Elliott Erwitt tradition. I like Giuseppe's Version I above. I prefer the more graduated tones in that version. Well seen and well taken -- it's wonderful that you had your camera to hand and reacted so quickly.

Yes, I too like Giuseppe Pasquali's version better. Giuseppe excels in a variety of things: He takes wonderful photographs, and he also excels at post processing where he has some proprietary Nikon filters he uses that he says are not available to the general public. I may test that, as I hope to visit Giuseppe sometime in the future and let him teach me some post processing tricks of his.

 

This photo and the large number of other 'interesting' photos in my portfolio are largely testament to my habit of almost invariably carrying one or two cameras with lenses on each, preset for the exact circumstance, and my habit of changing the presets as the circumstances change, so I can always pick up one or the other camera (if not around my neck) and just fire away. Usually even the auto-focus point setting is already known, so I don't have to guess.

 

So, when I saw this guy hugging his dog, it was not so intimately, but I rolled down from the driver's seat the passenger seat window, reached simultaneously on that seat for one camera, raised it and started shooting.

 

Part of the trick of getting such photos is being able accurately predict those situations in which human behavior will yield a successful photo and have a lens pointed in that direction - you can't be shy about pointing and clicking to have that happen.

 

This is just one photo - intended, by the way, to show man's total love for his dog and not any sexuality - the 'sexuality' innuendo is something that viewers have seemed to add by themselves gratuitously.

 

Ah well. That wasn't my intent.

 

Gerry, it's always a pleasure to see a comment from you under my photos.

 

Thanks.

 

John (Crosley)