black and white: then to now 'Three Views of One Moment'

No one 'owns' a moment. For instance, see these three individuals

and their varying reactions to one particular moment captured here

by a shutter release. 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

Thank you. I like it very much also.

I was less sure about the other onlooker, but I'm glad it works for you.

This is one of those photos that I happen to like very, very much, but doesn't seem to resonate so much with raters -- too bad.

In fact, I'd publish and exhibit it if it were in tip-top resolution.

Thanks for taking the time to comment.

john

John (Crosley)

I wonder what triggered the reaction of these people... I tried to study the image carefully to find out more than their obvious attitude. And, yes, this includes the fourth person, the girl in the background with a hand covering her mouth.

I know I'm inventing a story here. It seems that the girl that looks into your camera was aware of the moment, she looked prepared, confident and almost assisting you in the capture. Her friend seems totally overwhelmed by what she heard or saw, she cannot take it with a straight face. The third either looks at her phone or tries to avoid expressing anything else other than "I didn't hear/see this". And the girl in the background is like saying "Oops!". Everybody else in the restaurant seems to be out of the game (they are not even spectators) which makes me think that the trigger for the reactions was supposed to be confined to this particular booth. Did you (or someone else) send them something on their phones? Was this the trigger? Hm... But this does not explain the girl in the background...

This is a photo where the technicalities (like exposure, lighting, etc) matter less. It is the story that develops in our minds that captures the viewer's attention. I must admit that I was tempted to skip it, but the questions "What triggered their reaction?" and "What were they thinking?" kept me longer and caught me in the game.

I must admit, I like this capture even more now at the end of my comment after letting my imagination fly for 20 minutes.

Very good life capture. Intriguing and asking for second thoughts. It made me willing to know your work more (I just flipped through some of the photos in your portfolio -- impressive!)

Thank you for sharing.

There is no true way to know what is going on in all their heads, but I can help a little.

Since this is a semi-wide angle lens (18 mm), it is obvious the woman is reacting to my presence (I'm large). 

The man, however, being caught in bliss, is not.

The woman, more background, hands on head, may or may not have been reacting, or just may have been in her own private world - which is to say, she may have been trying to avoid being captured, OR she may have been in her own private thoughts -- I am not able, nor was I able to tell, and I did not stop.

The woman, background, was turned our direction, and happend to catch a glimpse of the goings on.

But you see, I may have spoiled it.

What went on in your imagination may have been much more interesting. . . . . . and for that reason if it were exhibited, I would venture no explanation.  This is for the record, and for you personally since you did spend 20 minutes as you say, trying to figure it out.

It's really much simpler than you tortured yourself into believing, I think, but that's the fun of it.

Of course, how could I send a message, since I had no clue of who these people were, their names, numbers, etc., so that's pretty far-fetched, but in another, parallel universe, who knows?

Thanks for participating.

Glad you like much of the rest.  Keep on coming back . . . . there's lots to look at and more to come with plenty of puzzlers, not all explained, so you may be able to give your fertile imagineation a workout.

Thanks for sharing your thoughts and critique.

;~))

john

John (Crosley)