'The Pension Document and the Alms Request'

This woman lies prostrate mostly unseen, only her light hands

projecting from under her shroud holding what appears to be a pension

document in Kyiv, Ukraine, in front of a store offering latest seasonal

fashions at night in summer's heat on the city's most fashionable

shopping street. Pensions seldom exceed $100 USD per month, if that

and often are supplemented, sometimes by begging by the elderly.

Your ratings and critiques are invited and most welcome. If you rate

harshly or very critically, please submit a helpful and constructive

comment; please share your photographic knowledge to help improve

my photography (was withdrawn previously when ratings and critique

request failed mysteriously and is being resubmitted after a 10-minute

hiatus). Thanks! Enjoy! John

Hey ole buddie--you in the Ukraine or there parts?

Like that your using more color..I think I would like to see the human a bit more. I see what you mean by almost disappearing her, but she is the main drama here..and is being swallowed up by too much space and then over-lit window display.

I'd love to see more of her--her body contrasted to the frail hands holding the paper..anyway - you are still me favorite street magician..next to Henri Cartier Bresson, that is.

I guess you recovered from the darkness that was creeping in..Me too..I was down for about a year...climbing back up now and feeling much better. (Thought I was going to die for awhile)

I'll be moving to Pars in January. Looking for big change and big boost in inspiration.  Still would love to buy you a cup of coffee someday.

cheers

Lee

The day I shot this I viewed Nachwey's Afghan woman praying at the graveyard where her brother had been slain by a Taliban rocket, her body all buried in shrouds.

What a fortunate view (the night before actually, on the VII -- Sept site under Nachtwey's biography.  It is his lead shot and certainly his best.

One might suppose he captured it 'on the fly' but in truth I think he probably went to the graveyard with her, then as she lay there, he moved around and carefully composed his shot.  It bears all the 'look' of careful composition, and not 'on the fly' -- it's a perfect shot.

Regrettably, I don't know how to link here.

He taught me that sometimes it's better NOT to see the person buried in the shroud.

Here, we see only what I can only suppose is a pension letter (it has a photo on it from what I can make out and official gravure). 

She is clutching it with both hands and presenting it in the light, and it and her hands are literally all we see of her.

But you know me, I can't pass a good contrast, and the contrast of course, is the shrouded woman begging for alms because of a poor pension, versus the sportswear in the window and the sign with the running women . . . and the sign showing a sale (it has passed when the photo was taken; they forgot to remocve their sign, according to its dates -- maybe they 'extended the sale' much as American merchants often have done, so often by pre-planning, announcing 'extended by 'popular acclaim' when in fact the decision to 'extend' was part of the original plan.

So this was taken as a ''contrast photo' and you are NOT supposed to see her body; only her illuminated hands and the pension letter plus her shroud (her face and body really are not visible anyway and could not be photographed and if I tried she would have pulled the letter back.

Oh,and also the cup is shown.

That's all I needed,but regrettably for you, a great street artist, it didn't work.

Quelle horreure.

Yes, I'm abroad now, returning in two or three weeks,and if I get the chance to return (( think I will) It's a one and one half day bus ride to Paris for about $150, and a chance to stop off in various cities and take photos rather than fly and not see anything.\

I like to go slow routes and I LOVE Paris Je t'adore Paris.

I don't drink coffee (café), but if there's some chocolate, and a chocolate croissant or a croque monsieur at the other end, I'm there in an instant.

Just let me know when and where, and if I can hold out here, I'll be there. no fooling.

We can shoot the Metro together and play games with les flics . . .  who never seem to mind anyway . . . but stay away with your cameras from Gare de l'Est - they're murder on cameras there - they must be very fearful that us old farts are gonna blow them sky high with our big cameras (when you can buy a 12 megapixel digicam now and take all sorts of clandestine photos . . . . they're soooo dump -- les flics there at that ONE PLACE only.

Otherwise, Paris is my oyster for shooting.

And the flics -- in the Metro once 12 of them passed me, on duty but going nowhere fast, as I shot away and no one said a word, though officially photos are 'forbidden'.

Nobody really gives a good big fat ***ck if I shoot there or NOT, and since I show my captures to many Metro riders, I'm very much liked by most.

(not all, but most)

I'd love to take a few train rides with you, and January is a GREAT time for it, with all all the After Christmas sales and all the new advertising (Paris Metros have great advertising, changed rather frequently)

Write me.

(showed you how in response to other comment).

john

John (Crosley)

I was influenced to shoot more color by viewing your color work, which is superb.

Also the color work of a few others.

I still prefer black and white, since I shoot a lot in mixed artificial lights with horrible colors, and there's really no personal ability to correct that in Photoshop. It may be possible, but I'm a shooter, not a photoshopper, and I want to shoot, not photo edit.

My color work still is my highest-viewed folder, yet my black and white still is my best, in everyone's estimation.

Long ago, when people remarked on my color work, I reminded them the color work was really 'black and white' for the most part with color added -- or the reverse, color without the color taken away (for an arch statement).

I just started taking it away, posting the results, and voilà, I was closer back to my 'old style' than I had imagined . . . and now I feel confident that there are a cerrtain number of shots that can be color, or black and white and will do better in color plus a certain number that are 'colior only' shots and have no sense in being shown in black and white.

So, now for each shot, there's a calculus as above; I've also moved my color folder up higher too, so it doesn't get overlooked.

And it's getting far more clicks now.

(and I'm not neglecting my 'jewel' -- my black and white work, which not is emblematic of 'john Crosley's best', I'm told.

Who ever could have known four or five years ago where this all would lead?

Love to hear from you, Lee.

Thanks for lovely comments.

john

John (Crosley)

This is a very strong contrast and very touching shot!

Thank you for the thoutful comment.

I hope you are enjoying the break in the heat wave and now can have a 'normal' life.  Best wishes.

john

John (Crosley)