'Portrait in Dirt'

Some people have it ALL, but what ALL do they have. This man seems

to have ALL the DIRT a person could have, except possibly a farmer or

a soldier who crawls in it (then take showers afterward). Here this man

seems shower-averse or possibly even shower ignorant. Your ratings

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

critically, or wish to leave a remark, please submit a helpful and

constructive comment; please share your photographic knowledge to

help improve my photography. Thanks! Enjoy! John

Excellent work, John, a real 'J.C.'!

With best regards,

Ruud.

Thanks!

I felt like an anthropoligist.

Or perhaps a medical anthropolgist.

Here: take ten thorazine daily for six months, don't take any booze and see me in six months (or haloperidol = Haldol).

Such guys often drink to make the voices in their mind say nicer things, but it doesn't alwys work that way.

I appreciate the personal words, Ruud.

Others seemed to think it was a stinker (strangely, he didn't stink!)

Imagine that.

I guess he was at one with nature.

You can bet I didn't shake his hand or try to pose him in front of a different background as I would have liked to do.  Just 'portrait?'  You'd like to have me take your portrait?  And he nodded yes, then I fiddled with my gear to make it look like I was working at it and give it importance, though I was 'preset' already.

john

John (Crosley)

Some wag wanted to know if this was going to go on my bio page.

Perhaps . . . .  I can be full of surprises.  Just put a Nikon around the neck and see if there's a resemblance. . . . .

john

John (Crosley)

Just look at the photos I've posted this month.

I may throw in a landscape, too, and maybe another 'fine art' photo.

I take these photos 'serially' meaning 'one after another'.

In other words, when I see something that is interesting, I take the goldarn photo, and I worry about a genre, or a category later.  I might take a 'fine art' photo one minute, then a 'macro' the next, followed by a 'street' photo, followed by a 'street portrait', followed by a landscape (though I post few).

Any download on a chip may see a variety of these photos, all taken one after the other, with no regard for 'getting into the mood or a particular mindset'.  The 'mood' or 'mindset' is almost always there, but the subjects are photographed as they are encountered.

One minutes it's steps along a street at dusk, another it's a restaurant scene, then it's youths on their backs relaxing. drinking, smoking and bs'ing one another, a small girl racing around a monument, two lovers kissing (and what a beautiful girl), a photo of girls' legs, then an interlude to photograph some some detail of some artwork (found art) and so on.

It all seems to natural.

The 'portrait in dirt' I posted, came after taking portraits of artists with their works, but none would ever have thought to take a portrait of a schizophrenic, coated with dirt, but otherwise pretty lucid if inappropriate.

I'll venture anywhere there's a possibility of a good photo, and know few bounds.

I think Bernie Abbot would have been proud, but then so many others would have been too, as I explore all sorts of different territory  from the mundane to the oddball or abnormal.

I take some 'found objects' though I post few, as my threshold for what I'll post is high in that category, while my threshold is well known for 'street' as I have a well established following for my 'street' work.

And my 'street' work divides into two major black and white categories 1.  classical street, black and white, and what I now call alt.street, which is less mainstream, but for some works it can be very, very interesting, original and more oddball.

At least such work is not likely to follow any established or mainstream 'artist' or 'street' genre.

Color work started out as B&W but with color, and when that was pointed out I began to desaturate more and more.  Much is 'street' at least on this service; I use another service for different color (or black and white) work that is harder to categorize; you may want to look for it and compare.

But I shoot pure color, and for those street shots that do best in color, I tend not to desaturate, because they seem destined for color exposition.

Cartier-Bresson tried to destroy his color work; it was inferior and he was not its master.  I can do better when I have command, I think and am not shooting 'saturated' black and white, but color shots for power of the color.

Some are equally good, color or black and white, while others, good in  color or black and white, seem to have different meanings depending on whether saturated (color) or desaturated (B&W).

'Fine Art' for me, may be the 'catchall' category into which I put compositions that don't seem to fit any place else, as my 'street' work is pretty well defined, at least my mainstream 'street' work.

I do not have a 'heavily photoshopped category' nor do I expect I ever will.

That's outside my ambitions.

I have a small 'nude' category, but I expect it to expand slowly and only when I can avoid cliches.

If you want to see lots of Photoshopping, go see the portfolios of the vast majority of other PN members.

Some are simply stunning in their use of Photoshop or other image editing programs.

I prefer to compose in the camera.

My photo guru, Lucie Award winner and personal mentor,Michel Karman told me in one of my personal masters classes over our mutual dinner table one night at the start of his mentoring.

'Some people photoshop to enhance their photos, and it helps them achieve their photographic vision.

'Other people photoshop just because they can.'

 [Loose paraphrase]

Like me, he eschews all but the most benign photoshopping, except where it is part of the artist's art, as opposed to the transformation of the photo into 'something else' - the photo transformed into the photoshopped photo.  (there are exceptions of course, and careful image editing does have its place when done minimally or in line with the artist's visiom.

I stated my goal simply at the outset.

To take 'interesting' photos.  Who wants, I said, to take a lot of photos that look almost all alike?

Also, better to take chances, than to take a lot of photos that are all repeats of the last successful photo that one took or to take variations on one photo then make those variations into entire folders.

john

John (Crosley)

This is a very real and true portrait! The eyes, face and hands of this man can tell a lot, but can tell the truth about their host, but they can deceive. This is a hard character.

I want to put the 7 / 7, but the system gives me this message.

"We had a problem processing your entry: The owner of this photo has rated one of your photos with a 7 during the last fourteen days; and you aren't allowed to reciprocate so soon."

I put the rating when the system is allowed to do so.

Svetlana.

That is because last night I finally got around to putting the well deserved 7/7 on your frosty window photo, after much delay and thought.

There was no other choice.

It deserved such a rating.

It was simply above all other photos.

Your other photo I mentioned in a comment yesterday will someday be rated, also, as it is also wonderful.  I must consider its rate, but no doubt it will be high.

You may be aware I seldom rate and NEVER return friendship or favors when I rate; I rate for merit only.

With NO EXCEPTIONS.

I've always done it that way, and people tend to regard me as having high integrity, I think, who know that.

So, a high or highest rate from me is only a DESERVED RATE, nothing more.

And can never be a returned favor.

I wouldn't give my own mother a high rate as a favor.

john

John (Crosley)

I think this is a very expressive portrait. So I wanted to put a high rating. Recently, I often look at the faces of people on the streets and in the eyes of these people. This is my interest in the human world in general - those most different faces and eyes - they can tell a lot.

I have discovered a great trick for approaching such people even when I do not speak adequate Russian.

One word spoken to them lets me approach them and take almost anyone's photo.

'Portrait?'

I speak that softly and show the person my camera.

Who can resist?

A free portrait.

Bums who never get any attention paid to them, seem to be suckers for such an invitation.

That's how I got this photo.  He did not say yes, but he began to move into  pose.

I then gave him my name, but did NOT stick out my hand to shake his.  The reason seems quite obvious I assume.

I did the same tonight with another fellow only shade dirtier, but a sight more sane than this guy.

This guy knew his address, then proceeded to give it to me in great detail. 

It was totally inappropriate, like he was giving it to a taxi driver, a cop or an ambulance driver taking him home from a hospital. 

Maybe he had a lot of practice, but in 'casual' conversation, a whole street address and directions (in Russian) to a guy who spoke a few words of Russian with difficulty (obvious to anybody) was overkill and was a sure indication this guy was not in complete touch with reality (as if a casual look at him was not enough for that impression).

I'm sure you should remember how to approach a stranger with one word.

'Portrait?'  whispered or spoken softly from not a great distance directly to them making direct contact, showing your camera.

Look earnest like you mean it and can complete a serious portrait right on the spot.

It does not matter if there are studio lights, backdrops, reflectors, assistants or anything.

Just one word.

It's magic.

I thought I'd share it with you, as it's a new discovery . . . . . from the past several weeks.

john

John (Crosley)

Only now I was able to put the 7/7!

But I always am happy for a kind mention, comment or rating.

You never need to go out of your way for me.

I have an endless number of photos; for every one I post, there may be two more in the making.

This one happened in three minutes, then was over.

Never to occur again -- no theme, except my universal theme of capturing humanity in as artistic way as I can.

But thank you for the attention (I cannot thank for rates, for that would imply I can also complain about poor rates, understand).

But I relish the attention you have shown my photography, and your talent is showing wonderfully. (with no false flattery).

john

John (Crosley)