'The Jaw-Dropping, Eye-Rolling Kiss'

This guy must be quite a kisser, judging from the reaction of his partner,

her eyes rolling and jaw dropping. Your ratings, critiques and

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

critically or just wish to be heard, please share your photographic

knowledge to help improve my photography. Thanks! Enjoy! John

This photo is virtually untouched in Photoshop except for a lasso to each eye, then the application of shadow/highlight filter to each to clarify each, as they were just a little fuzzy, followed by sharpening.

Though vibration reduction was 'on' in my variable length telephoto with very large aperture wide open at 1/8 second there is some motion blur due to such long exposure. I did apply also 'edge sharpening' to the photo overall, but recognize it's the capture not the Photoshopping that's of interest in a photo such as this.

This instantly caught my eye on first review, and at first I was thrown off when I saw a photo of her eyes almost like this, but they appeared to be looking at me (beginning of eyes rolling upward, however),

Later I found them completely rolled and realized she never had seen me. I had spotted a hitherto unnoticed photo, where her eyes were rolling upward, not focused at all, and here they also are not focused at all.

And couldn't have cared less. Smooching her man was on her mind, there in public in the high snow and on the slick ice.

Hormones run strong in Kyiv, summer or winter.

John (Crosley)

John... A very timely capture and the humor in this shot grabbed me at once. You have the advantage of having seen the entire episode, but my first impression prior to reading your comment, was that this is a very one sided show of affection. The poor guy is trying to put the moves on what appears to be an uninterested young lady... note the slack arm, the upright posture and of course the totally bored expression. Regardless, well captured and presented... Mike

Your comment is a good reason why I put these things up for Critique.

I had the joy of seeing this couple nibbling on each other and even her biting his lower right cheek, which is a clear indication she is truly, 100% 'engaged' in this activity.

By putting this up for critique, I was interested why so few rates and views were not so large, given what I saw in this.

After your comment/critqiue, now I see, I pointed viewers in one direction only with my request for critique ('jaw-dropping, eye-rolling, which is truthful) but might have left it open-ended, as a comment like yours represents an equally valid objective view of this photo (disinterest on her part).

Which viewer seeing only this photo knows she is slack-jawed and eye-rolling or just disinterested?

You have made a wonderful point, and if I display it again, elsewhere, I may likely drop any guidelines and publish the photo without assistance.

People can draw from it what they wish.

I have a good capture of her biting his lower right cheek, and that is clear - a firm clench of his flesh between her teeth, like young puppies do when they play . . . . we humans are not so advanced as all that, are we?

Thanks for an enlightening comment.

John (Crosley)

John... I'm glad to hear that the young man's efforts were not in vain and I have to admit that is one attractive little puppy there (uh, the young lady of course)... :-)... Mike

'Attractive Puppy'

Not every Ukrainian woman is a stunner, but this woman is not a stunner, just a decent looking young woman.

Ukraine does have attractive looking young women, and they know it, (and the men too).

A Ukrainian woman may say quite openly and without shame or artifice 'I am a beautiful woman' as a statement of fact (not this woman, however, as I don't think she is 'beautiful enough' to make that statement, but attractive nevertheless).

I find it very refreshing to speak with attractive women who do not hide behind artifice, such as when confronted with a compliment say 'thank you, yes I am beautiful' and that's the end of that, instead of saying' well, my hair just won't behave today, 'or my nose is too big', or 'my skin is breaking out' or some such foolishness, when you know the woman has spent half the day and maybe the evening too,asking her mirror, 'Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who is the Fairest of them All' and surely she knows the answer (Or plucks another eyebrow).

Any American woman who denies her beauty or puts off an acknowledgement of a compliment either is fishing for more compliments or is way too self-conscious to be honest . . . . perhaps an indictment of one part of our society.

This woman, and many Ukrainian/Russian women (they are intermixed in most of Ukraine), soon enough get old looking and heavier, much heavier in general (not every one, but commonly), but if they marry and go to the USA or Canada, etc.,and do not have a Ukrainian work/life style most who do emigrate keep their beauty to a much older age (as well as their wonderful figures).

Overweight and attractive young women who are common in the USA are seldom seen in Ukraine.

Some men are smart and faced with a good choice of attractive women, choose the one who is best for them without too much regard for outstanding physical attractiveness . . . . and those are the smartest men.

Whether facially attractive or not, 'hoodinky' (thin) is the order of the day, for women 18-25. That's just the way it is, in part because of diet, little fast food, little money to spend on food, consciousness of their beauty and a national norm seen to 'hook' their man (before the age of 22 so they can have kids right away to satisfy parents who are pushing them), and for various other reasons.

But 'thin' is the order of the day for young women.

No dieting for bikinis in Ukraine.

Just put one on and go to the beach. Everything will look great.

Fat farms don't exist, at least for the young.

I don't think the older ones who do get heavier care so much. They expect to get heavier (and often divorced as well).

It's a completely different culture.

I've had an unusual amount of interaction with a large number of attractive young women there (often models including many 'amateur' models) and many unusually frank and close discussions with lots of them about all manner of things, so I am well prepared to answer on such topics, as I have done my homework well.

But no matter how wonderful a woman 'looks', it's no substitute for a woman who has compatibility or brains or good judgment, (or all) if one values those things.

(I do).

Those who seek 'window dressing' or 'trophy wives' may do well (they may think) with Ukrainian wives, as they can be amazingly good looking, but if looks are the main source of evaluation, it's a poor bet.

When I sought a mate, and 'dating sites' in the East were then honest and first 'in vogue', I got authentic letters from hundreds, perhaps thousands of women (original,not e-mails and not for any cost, and not 'scammers' then), but I never answered them.

I did go there, actually met women, quickly learned who was serious, who was wonderful (and who was not) regardless of looks, and then when I met someone I actually LIVED THERE, then never had to 'settle'. (neighboring Russia, formerly, as I am not presently in the market for a spouse, since I am 'taken'.)

With good, often classical Western facial features, Ukrainian women (and next-door Russian women too) often make wonderful models, with many fashion models making huge livings on runways worldwide . . . .

Even one of my former models and friends now jumps from continent to continent as a model . . . . . I see from web sightings and posts, as well as infrequent e-mails and telephone calls.

Not bad.

When I was with her on the street going to an appointment one time two or so years ago, a shop owner who saw her in Dnepropetrovsk ran out and offered her a job 'on the spot' to work for him, and offered her the princely sum of $1 per hour, and he was certain she's take his 'generous offer'.

(Local currency -- 5 hrivnia per hour).

Hah!

Even then, at 20 or so, and even in Ukraine as a young student and model she was making as much as an average American head of household and now . . . being able to travel world wide, I am sure she is doing amazingly well.

At the time, her stated wish was to get her degree and to marry and her boyfriend wanted her to quite work, and have kids right away, (and he would control her, and who she saw and even if she talked with me, a much older guy and a friend, as he was jealous even of me, since he reasoned 'no woman would have a friendship with a man that was not sexual, and for that reason he sometimes, she said, parked in front of my apartment house and knew me on sight -- which scared the Bejesus out of me, since on the phone he yelled at her a lot, which could be heard clear across a room!!!!!

She's a wonderful, educated, intelligent, and fascinating person.

She has two graduate degrees, and is one of the smartest people I know besides being stunning looking.

As a model, she was a good friend, and we met just as friends. She had a boyfriend and I had a girlfriend, and we were just friends with amazing affinity as friends . . . .

The woman depicted here, however, will not make it on her looks like my friend. (write me and I'll tell you which one of my photos depicts my friend.)

This woman is definitely attractive but there are lots like her.

All over Ukraine.

Ukraine is rich in physically beautiful young women.

Ukrainian men know this, and a national scandal is how often such men cheat on their women, or so the women (many of them models who have long talks with me) tell me.

Life's not bad for Ukrainian men, and they know it.

Just ask them.

They always have the same reply.

A smile and a glimmer in their eye!

Michael, it's a different world over there!

But the smart men look beneath the surface in the end.

That's why I never answered those letters (originals in handwriting) from those beautiful women . . . . and preferred to meet the women in person.

Physical good looks are nice for photographs.

After that, it's the soul that must see beauty, and that's harder to photograph.

Though I try.

I just want you to know that the most beautiful woman I ever met was a secretary I once employed who I am certain at no more than 5;4" tall probably weighed no less than 350 pounds.

She was the sweetest, nicest, smartest, most able, and most wonderful person I think I have ever met.

She truly was a beautiful person.

I measure the beauty of all persons against her radiant beauty.

Even today.

Best to you.

John (Crosley)

An impromptu photo subject recently - a wonderfully expressive and beautiful woman of color -- a singer -- heard me speak briefly on the ambitions of Ukrainian women to marry at a young age (as well as their common beauty).

She went me one better.

She told me that retiring talk show hostess Tyra Banks, onetime supermodel and famously beautiful herself, had chosen some young Ukrainian stunners to speak with her on her television 'chat' show about Ukrainian women and their lives.

This woman, whom I'll call 'Nina' (because that truly is her name), told me that the young, beautiful women, whom I believe were Ukrainian models, explained to Ms. Banks that each Ukrainian woman at age 16 begins looking for a man to marry -- that it's the national expectation.

It reinforces everything I've written here and in previous postings any number of times, so if you doubt what I've written go find some archived tapes of the Tyra Banks show and find that show to watch, if you need 'other authority' to trust.

John (Crosley)