'A Cautionary Tale'

This is the aftermath of something that was did not work out as hoped,

or perhaps never was envisioned, and hence is named 'A Cautionary

Tale' - the nightmare of expectant mothers everywhere. According to

many religionists, (and Libertarians) it's not the state's burden, and it's

up to private charity to provide, which is what this woman seeks, alone

at night on a busy street in front of strangers, all the while announcing

her rapidly-impending birth. Your ratings and critiques are invited and

most welcome. If you rate harshly or very critically or just wish to state

your views, please submit a helpful and constructive comment; please

share your photographic knowledge to help improve my photography.

Thanks! Enjoy! (or at least be edified) John

A very impressive shot, John!

This is moving emotions, definitely. You captured her sorry look. It's always a pity to see somebody, in particular of young age - in this case bearing a new life - begging. Giving birth should be associated with hope, in my view. Keep it in colour, this photo needs it. I would like to see it in a wider "documentary context". Aesthetics 6, originality 5.

You're a man of few words, but when they're of praise, they're always 'right on' and so far never, ever wrong.

 

I agree, which is why I made this my first 'featured photo'.

 

Her almost 'dazed' look, seems to say everything to me.

 

I have been accused of photos which 'tell stories', and with this one, readily plead 'guilty'.

 

It's a complete 'story' in a glance -- all you have to do is fill in your own scenario, which is not hard.

 

Best to you.

 

John (Crosley)

but that this photo be 'seen' instead of relegated to my now relatively little-viewed single photo color photo (though it has over 5 million views), that I created a special folder, to start it off -- featured photo.

 

It is so 'strong' for my mind, that I wanted it to have visibility, but did not want to desaturate it, to keep it in my B&W photo of my More, More & More folders, both of which now are entirely B&W.

 

Even slight color, however, little saturated, I think adds so much to this photo.

 

Where color temperatures or clothing and other colors compete with the 'message' I'll readily desaturate and happily so, but this is not the case.

 

The warm tones of the store window behind her, her beautiful complexion which reflects those tones, her personal facial beauty enhanced by those tones, all serve to make her Madonna-like, but there she is, a beggar, and being humiliated.

 

(Oh, and Ukraine just raised its pensions 20% and the EU announced Ukraine and its fragile economy probably won't get any more EU help because of what they call 'overspending'. They'd have Ukraine work its way out of a fragile economic situation on the backs of the poor.

 

Unless I miss my guess, when she gives birth, she'll get a very modest pension for two years; it started under the Soviets and the Russians continued it, and I suspect also the Ukrainians. I'll ask a friend overnight and report back soon.

 

Again, your observations are entirely welcome; you are a very well established and respected critic.

 

There used to be a phrase; those who can 'do' and those who can't 'teach'.

 

Not so, as some of the best teachers I ever had were those who were good at teaching and not world champions in their field - but mere acolytes. The true world class experts often were boring and plodding lecturers and sometimes indecipherable. One Soviet Expert gave a 'recommended reading list in 1968 in a graduate course I was taking as an undergraduate and calculated that if one read every book and article at a rate of one page every four minutes they'd finish in 2050!!!! Almost a century hence, and the professor had no idea how absurd that was.

 

Alexander Dallin, expert on Soviet Affairs, Columbia University, graduate school of government/political science/foreign relations and such a poor English speaker that his lectures could not even be deciphered . . . by those who spoke his native language.

 

(On the other hand Zbigniew Brzezinski, a young professor (on the rise) was a most dynamic lecturer) who had total command of his material and went on to major prominence politically . . . . .)

 

You have risen to prominence as a critic, and those critical skills have special value . . . . so don't fall prey to trite phrases or put downs, please.

 

You could write about the 'art' of the critique, I think, if moved to do so, as yours are 'the gold standard' as I have said before.

 

John (Crosley)

Hi John, a great shot, which moves the emotions and would work well as a part of a documentary feature. Excellent work, regards, erik

Your photo most certainly will touch those who have compassion-I also have noticed her face that certainly shows a lot of pain & sorrow-Agreed, now is the time when this mother to be has to be in a loving enviroment where she must be nurtured and fed and not the least shown LOVE-Reason-The child she is about to give birth to it's sences is currently picking up all sounds and pain outside it's Mothers Womb and I fear how this child would react towards the human race once it's born-hopefully, the mother with her tender loving care would make it realize that there is a chance of hope on our whole Planet as such-I Congratulate you on this Capture-Well done-Warmest Regards from South Africa

I take some photos that are more abstract, some that tell stories, some that are more 'fine art' and even some landscapes.

 

In there are some in which human emotion is shown; and it needn't hit you over the head with outrageous facial gestures.

 

Here, a pregnant woman's simple, wistful, perhaps afraid stare into a blank and unknown future tells volumes which is why it was posted.

 

I do not take the same photo over and over, though I do take a lot of photos of 'street people' because I am on streets where there are such people, and if I went to garden parties, I would take photos of garden parties.

 

I posted this because her beauty -- her genuine beauty - contrasts so much with her situation, that it was impossible not to.

 

If anything, it is on my theme of the 'ironic contrast', which has devoped since the start for me.

 

Thanks for your compliment and comment.

 

John (Crosley)

Yes, her face has a lot of love. pain, and sorrow.

 

I belong to the school that says a mother's womb insulates a child from almost everything from around the momma, as I am pretty sure I have distant memories of a womb-like experience, all full of gurgling sounds and muffled sounds, and really not much more and being squeezed a lot, but not much more. It is a strange feeling to have such a memory, even as an adult and even to remember earliest childhood, such as being in my crib which is before age one, but I do, which gives me an opportunity to understand children better than many who have erased such thoughts.

 

Momma does look well fed - and quite beautiful.

 

When she gives birth, the state (Ukraine) will give her a pension, my resident expert says, for three years, unless she has 'no registration with a clinic'. If she takes her passport to clinic and registers, she will be eligible for that three-year pension, however minimal, but if not, then nothing.

 

My expert says the pension in past has been over one year, $1,000, which is something in a country where some people can earn $1 an hour working in a shop, and it will buy food, and maybe 'shared housing'. With her beauty, i suspect, she will be able to find a spouse, also, although women of her beauty are 'common currency' in Ukraine.

 

This photo is 'food for thought', isn't it?

 

John (Crosley)

I live in this city and I saw this history. This is sad and it is sad - to see future mother on the street and which requests alms. Svetlana.

If you go to Kreschatik probably tonight or tomorrow night, you probably will see this woman about one or two quartos from Maydan on the south side of the boulevard. She is a fixture, for now.

 

If you live in Kyiv, perhaps you have seen old fat me wandering around, perhaps with my companion, or perhaps alone, with my two large photo aparats, taking photos of your fellow citizens and comrades.

 

I had been unaware you were a Kyiv resident until now. Privet!!

 

Please say hello if you see me.

 

(Trademark: Two Nikos with large battery packs and usually two big, large aperture lenses, often with lens hoods and very frequently places like Kreschatik, but also others as well - you never now where you'll see me. Stop me and say 'privet, if you do, will you?'

 

thanks for the kind words, and I hope you don't think I'm critical of your wonderful city and its many wonderful people; they are important to me and make wonderful photographic subjects as well. I find them fun, many very intelligent, and for now, both masked (as of yesterday) and suffering (since the crisis) after a longer period of prosperity.

 

Health to you Sveta.

 

John (Crosley)

I've got a similar photo "Two women" in my portfolio - such pieces began to happen recently, earlier they didn't. I think here in Kiev not only sad things can be seen but also pleasant. Although everybody's frightened by flu and there aren't many people on Khreschatyk. Usually there are a lot of photographers in the center of our city, and I'm not pretty sure it'd be easy for me to find you among all of them just by the description of your equipment ;))) So, I'd better say "hello" to you here, if you wouldn't mind. Wish you lots o good photos!:) Svetlana.

 

Privet!

 

If you had been in Kreshatyk McDonald's tonight with 15 people in a restaurant designed to hold several hundred and always every table full, you would easily have spotted me.

 

Of at Maydan underground near the shopping center, the Metro, or all the way up to Besarabskij Market.

 

I don't go to movie premieres; I've been invited by others to shoot 'red carpet' at Hollywood Openings and couldn't imagine anything more boring than shooting the same photo as everyone else; and though Jean Claude Van Damme and many others were in town for a film festival, that was very, very low on my list of things to attend.

 

You'll find in my portfolio a member of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association, which hosts the Golden Globe Awards, I consider really the best awards in Hollywood and he seemed to mention that he might invite me, but I didn't even let the conversation go beyond that, as I photographed him and his wife (they're from Romania originally - Ray 'et ux' - wonderful, funny and fun people).

 

Hollywood is full of ambitious people, who survive because of networking and ambition, and that's fine for them -- some of them have wonderful talent too. Others just know how to 'work the system' or have agents that do and associates as well who are good at manipulating and know that 'there's no such thing as bad publicity.'

 

I think you may have read that ordinarily, with one or two exceptions (Nixon and Michel Karman, Lucie Award Winner, 2003), I don't photograph celebrities.

 

Rather, my goal is to take ordinary people and through my photos make 'stars' out of them, at least for purposes of my photos.

 

The photo of Nixon was a happenstance, though I worked for Associated Press at the time and was walking in San Francisco to work and 'ran into' Nixon, Secret Service and press entourage as they came off one the cable cars where Nixon had decided impromptu to take a cable car ride, then he walked past a rising sidewalk elevator (there was a man rising on it who could have had an Uzi, but had an outstretched hand instead),

 

I photographed that, and it was front page - and I was not at work and competing against the entire Washington D.C. Press corps, of AP and everybody else, then my photo of Nixon shaking hands, with everyone (in my Black and White portfolio), even touching me as he did so (my camera is held overhead, so I got him reaching around me).

 

Aside from that, I don't think there are any celebrities (besides Jesus) in my portfolio (and I am pretty sure that is not the real Jesus).

 

I'd vastly prefer to take a photo of this woman, for a brief moment, and then every other time just walk by her and disregard her (I did give her some money through a friend, but she would never know . . . . I never let the recipient of my generosity know it's from 'cold, dismissive me', or |I run into the situation I ran into in Odessa one day after I photographed 'Inna, the Cutter,who disrobed just enough to show me her cut arms, and after I paid her the model fee, (big for her, but very small for me) I was stopped by every young devushka in Odessa, wanting to 'model' for me, not realizing there was a 'reason' I photographed 'Inna' (see 'Inna's" photo in my single photo color portfolio, a young woman, arms in front of her, showing numerous cuts on her forearms, followed by an enormous number of comments.).

 

So, from then on, I have a companion far in front or behind me, drop money off for street people and walk 'dismissively by', and for all these people know, I'm must an 'opportunist' without a heart.

 

Of course, the able bodied beggars get little or nothing while the truly bent, and old often get something without asking (you know who they are too . . . . if you have walked Kreshatyk . . . . )

 

I have a post featuring one of them that will replace this, that may knock your socks off -- one of my best photos ever and makes this look like a Brownie snapshot.

 

A friend who's seen it writes me it might be worth a prize but we'll see; it doesn't show well in thumbnail.

 

In full size, however, it's really, really one of my best ever -- top of my art and powerful.

 

We'll see if you agree with it's posted (from Halloween).

 

So, Svetlana, 'privet' and if you do see me, no requirement you say 'hello', but I'd be pleased to meet you.

 

Health to you.

 

john

 

John (Crosley)

Privet!

I like your photos very much - its are very honest and vital.

Meeting with you could be very interesting, but now many were sick with influenza and I also.

I feel great regret... thanks for your story in the commentary, although I have poor English and use computer translator with dictionary.

I wish you success with your photos and wish you good health!

Svetlana.

 

I am sorry you are ill with influenza. I saw masks on everybody in Kyiv Saturday, but yesterday saw very few.

 

I went into a store in Maydan that sold lingerie and everything was white -- lingerie and face masks.

 

I see now decorated (embroidered) face masks. The Ukrainian people are clever.

 

I talked with a pharmacy clerk last night; she said they not only had no Tamiflu (Temi-flu), but also no aspirin, no cough syrup, no face masks, no penicillen, - literally nothing.

 

I fear that I did not bring medicine which I usually do. Usually I bring Cipro, Penicillin, and a Z-Pak (Zithromycin) as well as 'cough syrup) I get asthma and it saves my life.

 

I have had seasonal influenza innoculation, but not A/H1/N1 (swine) flu, ,as I was a week too late when I left California, and didn't make a special trip, plus it had not made its was to Ukraine compared to California which already had an outbreak (I spoke with parents whose children had it, and they got VERY sick.)

 

Apparently you're well enough to be ill AND work on your computer so not dying, but it is dangerous for the youths and especially this time for children (not usual, as adults are at greatest risk for most other flus, especially frail elderly, but not this time).

 

Thank you for the compliment; Kyiv and the rest of Ukraine is full of wonderful photos, which is why I am here, not because of 'friends' though I have a friend or two here . . . and have come here intermittently from time to time, often for long periods.

 

Life here is grittier than in many parts of the world, and similar to Russia which now is more of a danger to walk around with a camera than when I was more welcome there (father-in-law was a regional chief doctor, wife's Uncle was a retired submarine admiral with a 'little red book', aunt was Tthe librarian of THE KREMLIN, then retired, all pretty influential people and her cousin was an aide to Putin,so I was then pretty protected,but that protection in Russia has disappeared, and the Putin aide cousin has moved on.

 

And I'm not fool enough to think now I'm more important than the Russian 'head of state' (whichever it is Medvedev or Putin) or their wishes in Russia, if it came to an issue of being seen to 'critize the state, which is NOT what I do. But with cameras and photos that I take, I might be mistaken for a critic of Russia, which I am not; I see both good and bad in that country, and don't point fingers ('m a photographer, not a critic or a spy) - I LOVE to take photos and when things were looser there and I was engaged, then married to a Russian woman, nobody really cared as life in Russia was a free for all; now it is not so much.

 

I reveal 'human nature, and society, and make NO social comment about politics. I make, if you note, no comment, about allegations of 'corruptie' in Ukraine. I hear things, but I have no experience, and I'm a guest in the country, so I say and write nothing. I am a photographer who takes photos of people -- I hope 'telling' photos, and am NOT a journalist per se.

 

I am an 'artist' with a camera (two actually) and I am my cameras make 'social comments' by what I choose to photograph -- about love, death, sorrow, happinesss, touching photos and occasionally photos of anger, etc.

 

All about people, not about politics or state institutions.

 

I hope 'unique' photos, as I've been told.

 

I'm very glad you do like them; it's your city here, though many photos are from Dnipro, Lvov, Odessa etc., as well as many from Kyiv.

 

I'd hate to offend you; I find it one of the most 'real' cities in the world and wonderful to photograph in. It's both European in a way, but in some ways it's 'village' or near to 'village' (except, say Bucha, despite the photo I posted from there).

 

As you can see, I've photographed in much of the world (except Africa, India and Antarctica - and mainland China, where I fear for my health and safety. I've been around the world a number of times and through Frankfurt (on passes, etc., and Munich over 150 times).

 

I've been posting here 5-1/2 years and only taking photos this time as long after a 35 year or so (virtual) hiatus.

 

(there is life for older people)

 

(But I 'hang' with mostly 'younger' people; their choice more than mine, but who wants to 'hang out' with old people talking about their ailments?.

 

I do hope some day we meet; look for me on the street,in the Metro, at any McDonald's (with a diet Coke) (with a clean toilet), and at places like Karkovskaya market (though being renovated right now. Also at Boksal, autovoksal, and in regional cities, such as Dnipropetrovsk, where I may go soon.

 

My best to you, Svetlana.

 

I may go visit the Pinchuk gallery in a day or so and leave them my book; but they're mostly interested in heavily promoted artists like Damien Hirst . . . . world's richest artist . . . . . .

 

And their large prize for new artist being awarded soon seems limited to Ukrainians; though I'm amateur, I don't suppose I'm eligible, or it would be 'politic' for me to be selected even if I were.

 

I hope you get well soon.

 

And suffer no complications.

 

Best wishes.

 

And again, health to you.

 

john

 

John (Crosley)

Privet, John!

Thanks for the wish of health!

You are not only a good photographer, but also a good teller.

Me it was very interesting to read your answer to my comments.

I like your view on the world around you and your estimation of the facts that all around occurs.

You very actually see all that the fact that around you and your camera sees many customary things in the uncommon foreshortening.

I recognize in my city those things and people, which itself photographed -

but they appear differently, is more realistic than I want to see them sometimes.

Thanks for such interesting answers to my comments.

My best wishes. Svetlana.

 

Like horses, most humans are equipped with 'blinders'.

 

If not,we would be assaulted every day, hour and minute with too much information that our brains would have to process.

 

After we encounter certain things, we develop predetermined responses to it.

 

If we have seen 'arches' in the Metro at Theatralnaya, then when we walk past them, we don't 'need' to look at them anew,out mind 'fills in from memory' its past impression, we 'see' the general impression that we are at Theatralnaya Metro platform and that there are arches interspersed periodically, but we have not reason to reflect on them anew.

 

I am a person who, when I am in top form, reflects on everything anew, again and again.

 

It is shown in my writing, which is lengthy because for me writing is an exercise in logic. I often start out with the premise, and in my writing I follow the premise to its logical conclusion. Sometimes the conclusion surprises me or unsettles me, or even educates me. In writing a critique for a fellow photographer, I ended up today comparing the 'art' of Salvador Dali which depends on the built-in irony of great, classic graphic art with the distortion of that graphic art that his 'artistic vision' required. That art in itself was almost oxymoronic, and maybe the word 'almost' is superfluous.

 

In my 'ironic juxtaposition theme photos, they indeed are also dependant on an internal (within the four sides of the frame) contradiction. We expect and are familiar with with one thing with another thing, but see that 'thing' compared to something unexpected or in an unexpected way.

 

Balloons are 'happy' but the balloon vendor (himself balloon shape and having a face like that inside the balloons he is selling, is sour as can be -- a most unhappy figure - a complete contradiction and my most successful photo (and my first posting here.)

 

Another, from Kreshatyk in front of Grand Gallery or Terranova, last fall, shows a very well fed and rather attractive, tall,wealth young woman with shopping bags striding quickly past one of the old beggars we know from Kreshatyk, small, bent, frail and clad in her housecoat, on the down side of life.

 

A great juxtaposition that illustrates the death of 'to each according to their needs' philosophy, and thus is a sign of the times, and a great comparison, with everything possible being contradictory except they share a common sex.

 

You surely have seen it, and it has 51 comments so far (two yesterday).

 

A pretty young woman, dressed actually rather attractively on a well-constructed and broad sidewalk above, her pregnant belly protruding, does what is beyond our expectations (because she appears 'middle class and well groomed,not alcoholic and narcoman; (not narcotic addict),she is begging for subsistence.

 

In fact, in almost any other culture, such an attractive young woman, not mentally diseased, would have a knight to pick up her expenses and shelter her . . . . and never have to go out begging. Ukraine has to many attractive young women, though, maybe this was meant to show the 'common currency' of attractiveness and 'kraciva' in Ukraine . . . compared to many other countries where she'd be considered a very beautiful woman (except possibly neighboring Russia and its neighbors where women are similarly attractive).

 

You see, I may be good at my photography (if I am) because my mind is continually processing ideas. And for the purposes of my photography, I am forced to and continually forcing myself when walking with a camera or two (always), to process ideas . . . . so the processing of ideas both feeds my photography and the photography feeds my need to process in a sort of 'heavenly' 'vicious cycle' but really nothing 'vicious' at all about it.

 

It's probably why I'm so productive . .. a restless mind, continually processing, an art (street photography) that thrives on that and requires more results in a mind even more acute.

 

It's particularly acute when I visit some place new or unseen.

 

I hope you can follow this OK, especially having swine flu.

 

With best wishes for improved health.

 

John (Crosley)

Privet, John!

It is very interesting to read me your comments.

I do not write comments under other photos because me complicated

sometimes to correctly formulate and to translate in the English my thoughts.

I wish you successful photos.

I hope that you will be in Kiev in a more good season of the year, when it will not be influenza.

Svetlana.

 

Thank you so much.

 

The 'magic' if there is any in my photography is that I am not a 'fair weather' photographer who just goes out when the sun shines.

 

Many of my photos are taken indoors, some or many at night, in the Metro, in the underground city of Ukraine's Metrograd, under bad weather (see one in a thunder shower in Dnepropetrovsk, with people sheltering from a downpour in windows, while I'm out getting soaked but 'getting the photo' (and my equipment NOT failing me, miraculously).

 

I take photos under all conditions, which is why my equipment is of outrageous size. If I planned on fair weather at all times, I could carry a much tinier camera, but I hope for (and get) sometimes portraits at 200 mm on a DX format sensor, occasionally at 1/3 second exposure with a few being crystal sharp.

 

Can you imagine? Even with vibration reduction feature being on, but when occasionally it turns too cold, then I head underground to the city's famous and wonderful Metro, which is warmer, all the time keeping my eyes open in the 'back of my head, and have avoided even being cautioned about 'no photographs' so I cannot say for sure what 'official ;policy is (please do not put it here ;~))

 

I have been befriended by some underground vendors who have put in a kind word with the local 'constabulary' should they make inquiries about me and my photo apparat, and I assume they maintain their continual presences (prohibited I presume) because of some 'special relationship' with various 'powers' in blue?

 

I can only wonder; I'm a foreigner, and interested only in getting good photos and uninterested in local politics and government. . . . . except as they make good photographs, as say, in the elections last time in Dnepropetrovsk (or in the election rally of two-1/2 weeks ago which I attended, before Julie T. banned them for three weeks).

 

Health to you (I feel very warm today, but maybe because the outside temperature is rising considerably)

 

John (Crosley)

I am just SHOCKED at the low rating for this great image, which I personally think is more worthy than 98% of the pictures on this site, including some of your more celebratedpictures. Either this site is populated by IDIOTS, or you have a very vocal, pig headed cadre of haters who are making some perverted statement by voting down this pic. There, I feel better now.

Thanks for the enthusiasm for this photo.

For me it's just another one of the various photos I take documenting life as I see it.

Street photos generally do not get great ratings, so getting lower ratings is not such a surprise, but I do thank you by a '7' and expressing that to me.

I am proud that this photo inspires you so, but please don't look down on other members --- everyone brings their own feelings to their views of these photos, and that's the purpose of these photos, to inspire the viewers pro or con.

I'm glad it worked in your case.

john

John (Crosley)

On reflection, you have some 'raison' (correctness) about some people trying to low-rate my photos -- generally I think those who are not deep thinkers and generally I think those with deep religious/moral fundamentalist convictions.

I also have a strong antagonist (opposing) cadre of proponents, though, but most of them are experienced photographers, and very few of them rate at all.

And among the very experienced photographers, as with me, it takes much to move them to rate highly. I have given precious few '7' rates in my seven years here, though there would be many candidates if I rated full time.

I just don't rate in part so I can't be accused of mate rating.  And perhaps that's another reason I don't get high rates:  no one 'owes' me anything regarding rating or sees me as a continual rater of their photos so they can express their feelings truly, which is OK by me.

After all, I'm not deterred and never have been by low rates. I post what I please and still am one of the most visible members of this service and perhaps the lowest rated members of the highest viewed members of this service, but not without some really good work and some work that everybody had to agree was good.

Some is good in one person's eyes and not in another and a few photos are good in my eyes and in no one else's who's rating.  Go figure.

Thanks!

john

John (Crosley)

This woman depicted here is pregnant?

Right?

Maybe not.

You'd think that months later if she were still begging, it would be with a baby.

However, months later, she returned to begging with a very large belly, as here, and not enough months for her to have delivered or miscarred and then become that much pregnant again.

I figured for my own satisfaction that she was a scammer, but I cannot prove it dispositively, as I did not carry a calendar.  Still,  I had a companion who came to the same conclusion, and my companion is both sympathetic and experienced in things 'Ukrainian', and although my companion definitely has a soft spot for pregnant women, she seemed somewhat unmoved at the end by seeing this woman some months later with a very large and distended abdomen, appearing very pregnant again, as here.

Scammer?

Can't prove it.

It's her 'rice bowl'.

And people gotta eat.

If nothing else, she allows people to feel good about their own generosity.

That in itself may be some public good.

I'm not condoming, just trying to understand, and place in context in a rough economy where there's no 'safety net', in a way Americans cannot imagine so easiily. 

It's a Malthusian world in Ukraine that I document in many ways.

john

John (Crosley)