Ordinary People Expressing Their Views

I dont know why I was expecting you to post such images. They turned to be as impressive as I hoped. Is it not to much to hope that it is not only their view but yours as well? ....I wish I was there.

When you get a 4/4 by Bailey, Tony, that means your shot must be very good...:-)

Well, at least I think it is very good, and I'll just try to explain why...

Most crowd shots are born failed. Meaning that a crowd is essentially "disorder". The challenge for the photographer, to me, is always to try to bring some order in this disorder, but not just any order: an order that makes sense, that is meaningful.

Excellent journalistic shots of such subjects are truly rare imo, and I don't remember seeing more than 1 maybe 3 on Photo.net. What makes them excellent, in my view is that the composition adds a very strong meaning (and drama sometimes) to the action.

Here, I'd say there is order due to the angle and the format, and to the 2 foreground faces turned to us, and thanks to this sign, that says "It's never ok to emprison children or to bomb them".

The sign and the 2 heads clearly draw a triangle that serve as a support to the composition. Now what do these faces express ? Sadness on the left, and it's more difficult to say for the man wearing the dark glasses on the right, but I'd probably say "concern". As for the sign, well, the message speaks for itself I guess...

Does this triangular composition add drama ? I'd say no. This isn't to me one of these shots that give viewers a stomach cramp - at all. I rather feel a disturbing calm in this place... Nobody screaming or shouting... I feel concern and sadness. No shock image or action, the reality of a pre-war sadness...

In that sense, your title "Ordinary people" fits perfectly imo. Best regards.

Once again Marc and I will agree to disagree (which is not entirely a bad thing). I feel that this shot is the younger brother to "Faces in the Mob #2". The crowd in #2 are like an older brother, actively (aggressively?) facing the photographer. Where as most of the crowd in this shot, #1, appear as if they are the younger sibling...shy, as if they dont care whats going on. This crowd could be witnessing the second coming of Christ (if indeed there was a first) or they could be strolling home after a football game. Interesting that the two shots are so different...interesting to see if the comments/ratings will parallel each other...cheers

 

WAR KILLS / It's never OK to imprison children - or to bomb them / STOP THE WAR ON IRAQ SEND THE TROOPS HOME / NO WAR / NO WAR / BABY KILLER BUSH

 

I don't think so Jim. I don't see "Go the Sydney Swans" on those placards

 

It's a powerful and successful expression of the artist's viewpoint, regardless of whether you agree with his stance or that of the protesters.

 

I know Tony disapproves of third party cropping, but I can't resist the temptation to add that I feel the strength is diminished somewhat by the inclusion of the guy on the left. If it is cropped back to just left of "It's never OK", it's impact doubles for me, with just the guy in the sunglasses staring into the viewer's conscience.

The way the person with the sunglases looks at the photographer, reminds me a bit of "The Coronation of George VI" by Henri Cartier-Bresson...(the boy and "his mother" looking at Henri Cartier Bresson in that picture).

 

What I like about the photograph is that it shows something of the large crowd at the demonstration, looking/listening perhaps at a speech that was given and at the same time it shows something personal by that person with the sunglases looking at the photographer....and perhaps to us (maybe that is why he looked at the photographer), who are looking at your picture. A bit far fetched perhaps..but this an impression/thought I get from the picture.

 

 

 

 

There is what I think is a better picture of this demonstration here (spoiler: Dummett rave included in comments)

Well comparing this picture with the one there, I prefer this one. The impact of the person with the sun-glasses looking at me is what does it for me. The other picture has a strong element in that we see the people's faces three quarters from the front looking towards the right (the one person with the long hair and the sun glasses looks a bit too much to the right in my view).

The panorama format (used in both pictures) is a great format to photograph a demonstration.

The best of two pictures would be a picture with people looking towards the right listening to the speeches, and with one or two somewhere in the center looking directly at us. I also think the banners people are carrying in this picture and the fact that you get an impression about the number of people tells more about the demonstration.

 

 

 

 

Tony was there, and there are no doubt valid reasons for him to prefer the other one. I prefer this one by miles. In the other one Tony is incidental to the scene, the action is off to the side where everyone is looking. It's the stare of the sunglass man that elevates this one to a higher level for me.

This for me is the far better of the two.

The man on the right looking at the camera

and the man on the left giving a side glance

at the camera seems to punctuate the emotion

of the crowd.

Front page shot Tony!

First, the guy staring at the photographer gives this photo a menacing look in contrast to the mostly serene look on most of the faces. The guy

with the hat also puts the photographer in the scene. It reminds mee of some of Imogene Cunningham's photo's taken in San Fransisco during the 60's and 70's. From the looks of the ages of some of the people in the crowd it may be some of the same protesters.

 

Good shot, one that needed to be taken

I like the easiness that comes out of the picture. Many faces express their own story and picture could be separated to smaller portions. Its is simply great. I have tried something similar some time ago and I have failed.

thanks for this picture, the different emotions here are so meaningful.

"It's never OK to imprison children - or to bomb them"

 

With the kind of pin-point accuracy that is available in the weapons of today's military, it is likely that the only "children" who will be bombed are the unfortunate ones that Saddam Hussein "deliberately" put in harms way.

 

I believe he has done this before and I believe he will do it again in an effort to gain sympathy for his country. I feel more sad for the children that will grow up "imprisoned" by this evil dictator.

 

Tony, your photos tend to stir up emotion in people and that is something that some of the people who rate them tend to overlook. Too many critiquers get caught up in the usual composition, originality and aesthetics debate, and overlook the "impact of a photo" and its ability to inspire discussion.

 

Originality - no rating;

Aesthetics - no rating;

Impact - 7

Tony. I was in that crowd somewhere. you seem to have missed some of the emotion, except for the dude in the sunglasses who freaks me out .Excellent image just the same.

I'm a little amused - but not pleasantly - to read the comment by the gentleman who is (was) so confident of the ability of precision munitions to avoid children. I hope he's had the opportunity to reconsider his opinion.

 

As for the photo, the point of it is the ordinariness of these demonstrators - a wide segment of the population felt that the case for war had not been made, and wonder of wonders, they were prepared to go out in the streets to say so. As such this is excellent news photogrpahy (I wonder if it was published?). But time has moved on, and I wonder where these people are now, both literally and figuratively.

 

(Incidentally, I had the dubious pleasure of living in Iraq for 2 years in the mid-late 90s, and I can vouch for Saddam's not being a nice man - he won't be missed. But I do have misgivings about what will happen next).