In Umeda

Jack, you have done a fine job of catching that look of male teenage posturing.

 

Testosterone in the front seat doing the driving with everything else safely tucked away in the trunk.

 

A nice exposure here with lots of deep rich tones.

I'm thinking of an updated version of The Mod Squad. Of course you will be playing the part of Captain Greer. [queue theme music]

 

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Tige_Andrews6.jpg

Thanks for the comments on this picture

 

Gordon - My relationship to my photos goes through constant adjustment. Some pictures start off strong and gradually fade away. Others are slow starters that gain in stature over time. Whether or not there is a real story behind this picture, there certainly seems something purposeful in the attitudes and expressions of the three principles. I like this picture more than I did at first and I suspect this will become a favorite of mine in the future.

 

Dennis - The Mod Squad? You're showing your age. Can you actually watch episodes of that series on the web? I always hated it; it was a perfect example of Hollywood's skewed take on the youth revolution of the late '60's and '70's. Proof that TV will go to any lengths to develop "product" and sell toothpaste.

Jack,

 

Isn't it odd how some images sneak up on you well after the fact, while others seem initially captivating only to fade. That is why I have such idiotic huge volumes of digital and film images . I hate deleting even marginal stuff. However It would take another couple of lifetimes to ever plow through what I've already shot. Generally speaking with photos, or even other media such as music, it is the initial eye candy or catchy riff, that fades, the ones that sneak up are more inclined to linger.

This is very cool Jack. You have captured the moment exceptionally well, the three teenagers in line with their stares, the person standing behind, the arm over the shoulder. One can't help but wonder...what are they looking at? Aggression or trepidation? Top stuff.

I know just what you mean. Last night I watched the movie "Sideways" again. I saw it initially a couple of years back when it first came out and though I found it interesting, I really didn't particularly respond to it. This time I discovered what a nuanced little gem it is. The characters were true to themselves and the details had the ring of truth, i.e. real life carefully observed and noted.

 

So much of our judgement is subjective. We seem to view life through a constantly shifting prism which unconsciously adjusts in response to mood, new information, environment - a whole host of variables. The images flow down and some get lodged along the banks of our mind. A change in current may sweep them away again but some remain fixed permenently in place and these are the ones that have endured the test of time. Sometimes I look back at pictures I took 5 years ago when I first started shooting and find an innocence or a sense of wonder that I struggle to recapture today even though technically my current photos may be superior. Like you, I have an overgrown jungle of pictures on my computer and though I often threaten to attack them with a critical machete, I find I have the hardest time cutting a swath through the tangled image underbrush. That's about all I want to say right now without turning this into an essay, but I'd be glad to hear any further thoughts if you care to share them.

Thanks. I'm specially drawn to the guy in the middle whose expression seems so determined. Determined to do what, I can't say and what the meaning of the arm over the shoulder is, I can't even guess. As the closing voiceover in the old TV series "The Naked City" ended each episode, I can only say "there are a million stories in the naked city and this has been one of them".

You've captured well the moment in life, fleeting as it is, when one fully believes that all the world is a stage and life feels like string of performances.

the 4th face in between the boy's shoulder bring an extra life to the image...the unplanned element which you can hardly (if not at all) replicate and make it unique...