For the Females: Fashion -- The Males: Ice Cream

This photo 'Gender Preferences' shows a basic difference between

the male and the female of the species. Women often are very

interested in high fashion, for which the background transparent

billboard is aimed, while this man with his ice cream cone just walks

by without paying one bit of attention to the fashion display. Your

ratings, critiques and observations are invited and most welcome. If

you rate harshly, very critically, or wish to make a remark, please

submit a helpful and constructive comment; please share your

photographic knowledge to help improve my photography. Thanks!

Enjoy! John (Crosley)

an intriguing photo - very carefully composed. Different layers of reality (or rather images of reality) merge here: first layer is the billboard photo, second layer the man walking by - his silhouette joined with the billboard to a new photo (one could argue whether this forms a third layer).

Anyway, for me the photo works so well, because the man's silhouette is placed very rhythmically into the ensemble; you have "highjacked" the left lady's gaze which now leads my eyes not the other woman (like intended by the artist of the billboard) but to the man; and last but not least on the reflecting floor you can see shadows of the man (no surprise) but also "shadows" of the two ladies who - by this means - extend into the world of the passer-by - who is absorbed in his own world and despite this trick ignoring them successfully (and definitely setting right priorities ;-)).

cheers, Wolfgang

You have made a most astute comment, and the most astute response is just to acknowledge it and refer readers to it, then acknowledge its authoritativeness as a critique.

I have almost nothing to add.

When I see a situation such as this, it's pregnant, but of course requires a third person, so if I can't immediately get a 'telling' photo, it becomes a 'stakeout' and with many people passing by, confusing things, sometimes such a situation becomes one to return to when there are many fewer people.

In this case, it was a place to return to and even then there were too many people too many times to capture a long pedestrian, and when there was a lone pedestrian, sometimes my timing was off (no continuous shooting) or it was the wrong situation/person, etc).

I would never have thought of a man with ice cream, but he wandered by, it looked good, so why not?

And it lent itself to a good enough caption, so again, why not?

At least I'm studied enough to create good captions from most good material, so that was not so bad a problem . . . . it's one of my strengths . . . . . though no one pays me for that  . . . . . which is a shame.

Thank you wolfgang for a thoughtful analysis; it's most welcome.

john

John (Crosley)