'Twenty Years of Drugs and Clean'

This woman, unnamed, stops for a bus on her way home from work

making a famous holiday candy, now fully employed for a decade

following twenty years of what looks like a pretty hard life of self-

confessed drug use. Your ratings, critiques and observations are invited

and most welcome. If you rate harshly, very critically, or wish to make

an observation, please submit a helpful and constructive comment;

thank you in advance for sharing your photographic knowledge to help

improve my photography. Enjoy! John

John,

Nice street shot. Expression is meaningful. Well done. Regards.

PDE

A very impressive shot, John!

Thanks.

john

John (Crosley)

Very concise but quite deep comment.

I am pleased this touched you.

I was asked a few minutes before if I had taken any 'good photos' that day.

My reply:  'I haven't taken any photos at all today, but if I see anything interesting, I'll take a photo of it.'

Within less than 15 minutes I spied this woman and did a series on her.

This may or may not be the best; others are VERY interesting too.

Thanks for an interesting and helpful comment.

john

John (Crosley)

Thanks  for the expression of support.

This is a new favorite.

You seem to pick them well.

john

John (Crosley)

I know a shot is good when I get a good comment from both you and Bob Kurt, above, two of PN's finest critics.

Thanks so much for noticing and commenting.

john

John (Crosley)

Exceptional portrait, well composed, love details, background, b/w, her expression. Cong. BR,vf

It was one of those days.

I had just traveled almost 10 thousand miles.

I had come back to America for a brief while and had 'other business to do', but as always had a camera (or two) around my neck.

But unusually in my press of business had not taken one photo that day.

When asked by a bus patron (I was earlier on a bus and this is a transit point), I just said 'if I see anything interesting, you can be sure I'll take it,' got off that bus, and at the transfer point, here was this woman.

I walked up to her and began taking photos, and didn't even ask.

She seemed to understand that was what I was doing and although we talked, I already was snapping.

I told her she had a most interesting face and 'look' which is absolutely true, I take 'interesting' photos, and I wanted to preserve her 'look' for posterity.

I did that, and she acquiesced, I think being happy to be the subject of attention.

Life's like that sometimes.  (She also told me details of her life, from which I have excerpted the caption info, but not too much; just enough to help someone understand this photo a little better if they do need an explanation.  Meanwhile when you eat your holiday candy, she may have helped make it (if it's from Washington State, it's very popular and extremely good.)

john

John (Crosley)

She's a lifetime smoker, and I bet you she's 20 years younger than she looks.

I bet you I look 20 years younger than her and am 10 to 15 years older.

Yesterday someone learned my true age (pretty darned old) and remarked (from an American man) that he was truly surprised to learn my age - wouldn't have guessed it.

I never smoked, not even one cigarette (a half of one once with some marijuana in it, but I'm terribly allergic to tobacco and also, I found to marinjuana, so I missed out on the fun times, and I suppose still do.  Damn.

john

John (Crosley)

Hi John,

A face telling whole stories. Your caption and comments, makes it all the more interesting - and amusing.

All the best 

There was a forum discussion the other day about whether 'photos tell stories'.  I wrote that I was surprised to learn that almost everyone agreed that so many of my photos tell stories.

That had been 'news to me'.

I just thought I took photos, but when I took them to world reknowned experts or those who worked with those people, I was astonished.

They said to me, to a one about most of my street work 'each photo tells a story, wow!'

I was overwhelmed they could see what I did not understand it was I did, yet it was immediately obvious to them.

But then again, this is my style; I do not set out to take 'pretty photos' in the Ansel Adams genre, (though I think I could if I set out to).

In fact, I think I could take most genres and do well; as I am a generalist, with a strong interest in street and more than a little aptitude.

I am SO glad you like this one Peter.

I have about 20 more of her that are pretty wonderful too.

Can you imagine-- the shutter speed on this is 1/10th of a second?

Her color closeups are pretty revealing (one eye is strikingly blue with cataracts and the other is quite brown, for an unforgettable 'look' that may or may not be apparent at first gaze, but is haunting.

Best to you too.

john

John (Crosley) 

Apologies for misspelling your name above.

The editing feature disappeared before I could fix it.

john

John (Crosley)

John

This images generates so many thoughts that are running through my head right now. It's almost too powerful to try and analyze!

I do however, take note of her wrinkled skin tends to blend with the flowing waves of her hair in the same direction as well. The "fur" around her coat seems to create flames that surround her. Finally the camo sweater cap also seems to flow along with the direction of her skin, hair and "flames". Very interesting person who has lived a lifetime very quickly and now will always carry the evidence of that lifetime in her face and eyes. What I can see of her eyes... speak volumes of a woman robbed of her young years by drugs. Oh how that fork in the road takes some people far away from their intended pathways in life. The key is realizing it's the wrong direction and getting back over to the right path. It's sad that it took her twenty years to find her way off that ill fated path she traveled.

deb

Your analysis is so superb that I will simply point to it and ask readers to read it, analyze it, and note that it is a wonderful, refreshing view of my work that I endorse.  You are fulfilling early promise as a photo critic (don't let that go to your head, but you really have a talent).

I met a critic, just two times in Ukraine who is a sculptor, and he analyzed my photos in terms of lines, as a sculptor would be wont to do, and it was amazing what an interesting and wonderful perspective he brought to analyzing my work.  I thought his analysis was world class, but he's too busy with family and his own pursuits to be a friend, alas.

Lines, flows, textures, etc., can play an important part in a photo such as this, as well as the underlying story, which you also ably comment on.

I note is probably is the smoking, which she was doing when I met her and initially photographed her, that probably has 'aged' her the most.  I put her age at less than 55, and I'm far older than that and have smooth skin.

Maybe it's genetic.

I had an aunt who had alabaster skin who smoked a lifetime until it almost killed her, and who was in her 70s suffering from lung cancer (smoking'll get you one way or the other) who had the most lovely skin in the world, but she was the  RARE exception.  Nurses exclaimed over her skin.

Mostly smoking is shown to break down collagen in skin, causing premature aging, and having seen this woman smoke (still) I think that's the 'aging' issue more than the drugs.

Personally, but that's 'informed speculation' based on some science, and a lifetime of observing people, not only as a 'person' but as a one time attorney who did medico-legal matters.

deb, you keep coming up with wonderful commentaries; don't stop now.

john

John (Crosley)

I think you might have overlooked the careful writing above (and I do write usually pretty carefully) that she had been on drugs 20 years, but now has been employed for ten years.

So her drug use, apparently ended a decade ago.

Not recently, and she has been gainfully employed long enough now to get 'Social Security' (40 quarters within the last ten years?).

It may not be much, but based on surmises I made about earlier living, she's 'set' and may even have 'company retirment' as well.

No yachts in her future, but at least 'three hots and a cot' and maybe more.

Even after she ceases work.

Which sounds better than before she began working (or if she was working and 'doing drugs; when she worked without drugs.

(I write very pricisely about facts, generally; it's my journalistic background . . . . . often there's much method -- and truth -- in the precision of my writing). 

john

John (Crosley)

No, I had read your words as they are always a vital part of the image.

I noted it was a shame she had been on an ill-fated path so long and it took twenty years to find her way back on the right path.

Your words are the frame of the image as they accent what I see and absorb as I study all the elements of the image you have captured.

deb

The next time someone from Administration writes me and tells me that I am 'overly verbose', I think I may give them a link to your comment.  

I'm a more rare bird; someone equally at home with words and photos.

So, apparently are you.

john

John (Crosley)

I too have been told by friends that I'm verbose (well, they say, "you sure like to use a lot of words- don't you"). I enjoy words that are well written as they can take me away on a journey. In fact, when I write, it's my goal to take the reader into the moment that is unfolding. Your words take me right to that place where you captured the image.

In your case, the photographer's perspective is important as you are seeing what led up the moment captured or the events unfolding around the subject.

I personally think in a world that has been taken over by the short cut initialed expressions of text messaging and emails, the art of using words as a paint brush to paint a story is becoming lost. I refuse to use shorten words or initials when I write emails or text messages as I feel my words are a reflection of me, as a person, and I don't want my reflection to be anything less than vivid.

deb.

u sur r gud with wurds, arentchu?

Kudos.

john

John (Crosley)

Think of Administration's view of me, not just 'verbose' but 'overly verbose'.

Is that like a double negative?

john

John (Crosley)

You can say that again (if you want to).

;~))

john

John (Crosley)