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Untitled - photo of original print (1990)


aplumpton

Exposure Date: 2010:08:21 15:53:46;
Make: LEICA;
Model: D-LUX 3;
ExposureTime: 1/60 s;
FNumber: f/2.8;
ISOSpeedRatings: 400;
ExposureProgram: Normal program;
ExposureBiasValue: 0;
MeteringMode: CenterWeightedAverage;
Flash: Flash did not fire, compulsory flash mode;
FocalLength: 6.3 mm;
Software: Adobe Photoshop Elements 6.0 Macintosh;


From the category:

Street

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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.

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Arrgghh... yet another photo from which my earlier comments vanished in 2010, other than that wordy placemarker comment about ratings.  (What rating did I give this?  I don't recall - should have been a 7, if it matters.)

 

Looking back now, I like this photo even more.  It's a nice twist on a familiar theme.  Lots of street photos and candids have the stairs, the doors, the juxtaposition of straight and curving lines to nudge the viewer's eye into exploring the entire scene.

 

But this one adds a surrealistic touch with the human figure's inexplicable gesture and the watchful dog, augmented by the skewed horizon line.  It's reminiscent of free form jazz or improvisational musicians riffing on a familiar musical theme in unexpected ways.

 

I hope you've framed and displayed a print of this.  It's one of those signature images that I immediately recognize in any context or lack thereof.

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Ellen and Lex, thank you for your comments. I had been trying some very low level of view photographs of animals in this Portugese seaside fishing village as there were a lot of those homeless looking dogs around (shooting with a wide angle lens at near ground level is illusiory at best, perhaps better now with the orientable LCD's on some digital cameras) and they seemed to provide a good ambiance for the street scenes, especially when photographed at their level. After trying those shots I turned away and noticed this older lady and her dog. When she made a move to put her hand on the side of her house, the dog moved towards her and I made the photo. The pose of both was lucky and the context seems a bit enigmatic. In fact, things were not as they seemed (an older person supporting herself temporarily and the (her) dog being complicit with the action) as I discovered that she was holding an unseen screen window with her right hand and that she was about to do something with it, which seemed to interest her dog. What we see and capture is sometimes not reality, and here I prefer the perception of a sort of enigma (the touch of surrealism that Lex refers to - I also appreciate your jazz analogy).

 

 

 

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part travel, part street, and perhaps even part documentary-everything just comes together perfectly here; congratulations on a great image.  regards, cb  

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Charles, thank you for viewing and for your comment. I enjoyed a too brief look at some of your people images, as those in Havana, and also am pleased to see your abstract inspired work in colour with architectural and other forms.

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a good picture Arthur, but rather than jazz, the soundtrack I hear is more the familiar silent buzz of the early afternoon heat in a typical Portuguese village---in a shot that fills my heart longing for the old country---nostalgic fool i am.

I appreciate the fine diagonal comp you laid on the image with an old world photographer’ understanding of how deliberate geometry guides a viewer’s eye in a photograph.
This is not a fantastic picture, nor it pretends to be, but it is a picture informed by an educated sensibility, and an approach rooted in another time. And it works.


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Carlos,

 

Bon dia (djia?) and thank you for visiting this image, which came from a most engaging trip through Portugal, which was a real discovery for myself and my then girlfriend and present wife. We were equipped with a very limited knowledge of the language, but we immediately warmed to the people and to the unique history and environment. I have a predisposition for traditional cultures and what they can often remind us about the essence of life. I am glad the photo and its ambiance seemed to have a similar effect on you and also remind you of summer in Portugal. The seaside village was just north of Sintra and Obidos, but I forget its name. It and its subject could be one of many in that country.

 

Thank you also for a chance to see your portfolio and its very strong human context. I will take the time to peruse it.

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I also like this image, and I think street photography is rife with capturing of the enigmatic, dream like, surreal elements. I think this is perfect for that kind creation.  The old narrow street and houses is great.  To me it doesn't really need to be about what is actually happening, but what we make it to be. We've all caught things that when looked at give a certain presentation of reality that may not really have anything to do to what actually was happening.  Maybe that was what Winograd was talking about when he asserted that photographs lie.  Anyways, I like photos that sort of connect with under currents as this one does.

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