Close Encounter of the Third Kind.

!!! !

Controversial capture and just at the right time. Perfect street photo It reflect the mood of different culture. 7/7 for its originality.

For sure it was not takenj in Iran. Perhaps the lady on the left is an Israeli tourist :-)

This work one of the top street shot I ever seen for long time Saad you capture two different culture or even different walk of life in the same time..I really really thank you for sharing your work with us,regard Amer

thank you for viewing and comments .

bravo! as eye and as quality

Two completely different cultures passing one another while not beating the crap of each other.  Very nice capture, exposure, colors and subject.

Thanks for sharing.

Very good photo.

Wonderful visual statement of the clash of cultures. 

Well done, indeed!

Note: Please excuse the cut-and-paste comment.  For the moment I'm using attributed ratings but not offering critiques since some members have stated they would welcome such attributed ratings rather than anonymous ratings, regardless of carefully considered critiques or generic comments such as "Great capture!", "Well seen!" or any use of the word "Congrats!" without regard to elements such as careful planning, effort expended or pure serendipity.  This is merely an experiment and nothing personal.  If you would like a critique please feel free to e-mail me: lexnotlex2 at netscape dot net.  I will make a sincere effort to respond to all such inquiries.  Regards, Lex.

This can only be Turkey. This destination in particular (plus Cappadocia) have this nation next on my list. Beautiful, intriguing image!

This is a great journalistic picture of cultural diversity.  Light was harsh but overall result is good. Regards ifti.

This is marvelous.  Aside from the obvious juxtaposition of the bikini-clad gal with the tramp stamp and the trio dressed in modest garb, the truly delightful bit is the barely suppressed grins on the faces of the women.  I'm tempted to wonder whether they're thinking "I wish I had the nerve to dress that way, just once in my life!"

 

I can't figure out why I gave it only a 5 for aesthetics a few days ago.  Evidently I was suffering a brain fart.  Probably jaded from trying to rate too many photos in a single session.  It's closer to A=6.  If I could see the expressions on the faces of the women shading their eyes I'd probably make it a perfect 7/7.  I'm not quite sure about the composition, but can't say I'd crop it.  Whatever... I really like this photo.  I put it in my list of favorite photos.

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Why is there no shadow for bikini babe?

It's hard to stop finding things I like about this image, without even getting into the knee-deep cultural stuff with which it's freighted.

The photo shows technical care (that treacherous salty white background and back-lit subjects!), a composition that supports a compelling narrative, the photographer's keen sense of what was about to happen, and a readiness to to capture it. I like that the younger woman on the right seems to be the perfect counterpart to the young woman on the left, while the two in the middle provide the buffer. The final grace is the flash of teeth (is that a grimace? a nervous smile?) from the woman with a hand to her face. A very satisfying photograph.

Alberta: you can just see her shadow - it's mostly hidden by a foreground rise in the terrain.

Got me, probably because it's rare for the average American audience to see these subjects?

The exposure is good.

It is of no interest photo wise. No great composition, no great light, no great impact, no subtlety, no message, nothing...

The photographer could get closer, among other things...

Matt Laur
The photo shows technical care.
this is true.I have to compensate between one and two +stops for each shot I have taken there,some of my images foregrounds are dark with one  stop compensation,the reflective power of the Calcium Carbonate are so variable with each ten meter distance. this image is with one stop compensation,and I have to dodge the faces of the three ladies with the scarf to get this result.

I am really surprised at that statement - I think there is a very telling cultural contrast going on in this photograph, and it is immediately recognizable.

Yes, it was shot in harsh midday light. I feel like it would have been composed better if it were framed further to the left. There is nothing aesthetically striking to me about this image.

But saying it is "of no interest photo wise" seems ridiculous to me. There is a very cool contrast going on here between what two different cultures view as socially acceptable behavior.

Leslie Cheung
It is of no interest photo wise. No great composition, no great light, no great impact, no subtlety, no message, nothing...
 


It is about two different cultures,faiths,and social habits living together in harmony and peace .And sharing the their resources without denial of the others right to share.
It is all about acceptance the others.I just wonder what a message is greater than that in our globalization world.
 
 
 
 

Leslie also wrote:

and he is certainly right that the message of the image is a strong message of cultural and moral divide in a society that too often is not shown.

I would not like to get nearer to the scene. The slight distance of the viewer works perfectly, I think, and I like the contrast between the color of the dresses and the white/beige color of the whole background, making the naked skin of the bikini girl even more naked.

The chock that the composition conveys is the nakedness of the girl not the almost totally covered three ladies. That the third of the dressed women seems to be the same age and body shape as the bikini girl adds to the confrontation between the two.

All together a good photo that does not judge but catches the eye and provokes reflection.
Congratulation to Saad.

I fully concur with what Matt Laur and Anders Hingel already have written. To me, a very interesting and telling image. Thanks for sharing it!

I understand the idea of the meeting of two cultures, but it is not a strong, dramatic representation of it. To me, personally, it is not a very powerful image. The characters are not looking at each other, they’re going about their business in a casual way, nothing there to grab my attention.