'The Art of Making a Point in Conversation'

Sometime negative images can be as or more powerful than positive

images; silhouettes against a white background can be quite

compelling, as this pair, engaged in conversation shows, with the man,

right, making a 'point' both literally and figuratively. Your ratings,

critiques and observations are invited and most welcome. If you rate

harshly, very critically or just wish to make remark, please submit a

helpful and constructive comment; thank you in advance for sharing your

photographic knowledge to help improve my photography. Enjoy! John

great shot!! congrats

I like your shot!

Thank you for the compliment.

john

John (Crosley)

You can't believe how many shots it takes to get a photo like this framed precisely, no passersby intruding and the precise hand gesture.

For most photographers it would strain them, the time and care I take.

But the result is in the result, not in the process -- whether one shot or 50.

Though the latter number is close to the truth of what I shot (I didn't count just now to be sure, but it's a large number of shots, with many good ones; this the best).

Thank you so much.

john

John (Crosley)

I too love the negative-ness of this image in both the subjects and the topic. It seems as if the larger gentleman is try to set the other gentleman straight on something. The lovely dresses seem to be looking on as this conversation plays out, enjoying the chance to have some excitement in their evening - as they are always "all dressed up and no-where to go..." :)

It's interesting how the gentleman's cap has the same shape as the manniquin's top torso. (the shoulders and neck) Do you see it?

It's really quite an interesting image in that I want to form my own thoughts as to what the conversation is about and that's what makes a great image for me - intrigue!

deb

Verbosity to me is the great use of excess verbiage.

I detect none in your critique; in fact it seems rather tightly written and very explanatory, plus it showed me something that I hadn't recognized before (the hat top and the mannequin).

You are to be congratulated yet once again for an insightful critique.  It's a fine art -- the art of critiquing seriously (even with a smile on your mug).

I enjoyed this one very much.

john

John (Crosley)

Excelente imagen en B/W. preciosa edición, saludos John.

Good eye. Good capture. Best Regards.

I spent a very long time photographing from a substantial distance (from the dark) these two gentlemen and adjusting the exposure 'just so'.

It was a labor of love with passersby interfering from time to time, but no problem, they come with the work (avocation?)

It's a challenge to get something good when the best photo may have a passerby walking through but not making a good silhouette and also not looking like he/she is part of a good composition.

This is one of those 'patience' wins, photos.  I do a lot of 'sits' or 'stands' where patience does not pay off; people walk away before I get anything worth saving or showing.  I just blow it off as the price of getting a photo like this.

And about this photo:  I liked it and it pleased me, but I am surprised by the good reaction it's gotten on Photo.net.  I still cannot judge the PN viewer reaction.  They reject some of what I think is my best, but love some of what I think is ordinary.

Then again, when over two decades ago when I last practiced law, people would yawn at what I knew was groundbreaking, even breathtaking and original use of this or that argument, but when it came to writing or doing something that was maybe simple, people might crawl all over me to congratulate me.

So, I learned long ago, not to connect all my ego with reaction to one thing I do, but to judge the reaction with a 'grain of salt' (to look askance, and question the 'truth' of everything, until it becomes 'universal'.

Thank you Julio.

A hug to you to.

juan

John(Crosley)

It may indeed be a 'good capture, but it was not my only one, of course.

I think as a very experienced photographer, you probably recognized that.

There were many gestures, many photos, these men moved a little, I did too from time to time, left to right, and then from farther to nearer and even zoomed more or less.

This is the result.

I'm happy with it.

So are you, you write me, for which I am most thankful.

With appreciation.

juan

John (Crosley)

Apologies for misspelling your name.  The editing function disappeared before I caught the error.

Sorry, please forgive me.

john

John (Crosley)

Interesting silhouettes and interesting background!

This may indeed be a place you have passed by once or twice (even more) in your life.

Maybe hundreds of thousands easily pass it in a typical year; but few see what I see.

That's sometimes why I like to think of a camera as a 'magic box'.  You take it, look through its lens (optique), and when you put four edges around parts of life, it helps focus and condense that 'life' into a scene, and sometimes, if one is patient enough or sometimes fast enough, that scene can be enchanting, and even if not 'enchanting' but just pretty good, it can be captured forever.

So many millions of photos are taken every day.  My Space, Facebook and Flickr tell about the millions of photos uploaded every week, but aside from being an interesting look into the lives of people, most are not worth much, except perhaps as a historical record of what people take photos of (and just for that it may have value as history 100 years from now)

I tend to think both long term and short term.

I ask of my better photos, will they make a pleasing photo today, and if one looks at them 100 years from now will one still recognize them as able photos . . . . whether within or without the context of the late 20th and early 21st Centuries?

It's an interesting task.

I think the same can be asked of your better photos; for many of them I think will stand the test of time very well, and you are to be encouraged greatly.

Best wishes and thanks for the kind comment.

john

John (Crosley)

Nice, love the finger in this.

I had a lot of photos of this conversation, as it stretched on.

The ultimate choice depended just on that; the finger and how it was pointed, as well as how the two bodies conformed to each other.

Success sometimes is in the very smallest details; sometimes not, but very often in a photo such as this, the smallest detail 'makes' or 'breaks'  the photo, and that indefinable something that makes you say 'I got IT! (Eureka!) is what you're waiting for.

Sometimes you may get a lot of Eurekas in such a situation, then the choice is harder.

My best to you, and thanks.

john

John (Crosley)

John, it seems to be a rather emphatic point!

That would be the point, I guess.

--Lannie

And captured by a very empathic observer.

;~))

john

John (Crosley)