'The Couple (and the Curious)'

I was walking, heard my name called out by this man, who obviously

wanted to see me and also to have his and her photo taken, which

piqued the interest of the neighboring kiosk worker, who became an,

unexpected onlooker (do you see her?). 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

'Three Pairs of Eyes'.

Analyze your own eye movement as you regard this photo.

Where did your eyes go?

Anything to do with looking at eyes?

Or did your eyes look elsewhere?

What kind of pattern did your eyes take as they looked at this photo first time?

I have a rough idea of what I think happens when most look at it.

Please let me know your experience, would you?  I'm interested if I have understood this correctly or not.

john

John (Crosley)

John

An intriguing capture, as there appears to me to be 3 (?) focal planes in this image (based on each of the characters) , almost as though it was made up of three separate images .... but enough about my poor perceptive skills ....

My eye track was immediately drawn to the girls eyes, then her face (I thought "what's John doing with a picture of MY girlfriend!", she has very clear striking "wolfs eyes" just like the girl in this image). My eyes then tracked to the man's face, then his eyes. I then had another look at the girls face, and then her eyes (just to make sure, John!).

I then started searching the rest of the image and found the whites of the eyes of the onlooker ... then back to the girl, JUST to make extra sure!

There is a lot of detail, and "sub-composition" (e.g. the framing around the onlookers face) in this image which make it attractive enough to keep coming back to ... and to hopefully constructively comment on it.

A most opportune and well composed capture sir, well done

Regards

Doug

Doug Goldsmith

I framed this photo in about one to one and one half seconds.

I knew the woman, left, had been looking, and as I framed the couple, right, I decided to wait until I had a proper look from the woman, left, included in the frame and told the couple being photographed 'wait, I want the woman in the next kiosk in the frame, it'll be great!' in as much Russian as I could muster mixed with some English.

The man had called me over by my first name; apparently we had met some time before, I had introduced myself and it had left some impression; I'm on a first name basis with him apparently.

The woman, right's, eyes are light blue, and photograph wonderfully. 

I have to remember when I go back to remind her how raiitza (ravishing or beautiful) her eyes really are. 

Wolf's eyes is a term I don't know, but I worked on them a little by lightening them with the dodge tool to bring out their magic -- the lighting in this tunnel affair was anything but magic for complexion and showing a woman to her best advantage.

I think I did a good job by lightening the eyes to bring them to what shows off the best -- in fact, I think her eyes now are a showstopper, and his are not bad either.

To complement things, I made sure the eyes of the onlooker were visible too, as that is the essence of this story . . . . just very little tinkering to make the story show in its truthfulness.

I took two other good ones (without blurs in the ISO 25000 dimness and still with my slow shutter speed, and I may show them later, but this is by far the best, in part because it's got a 'story', and a good one at that.

I'm delighted to hear about how you tracked your gaze through this photo, Doug. 

The first thing about an interesting photo is that it holds one's interest by absorbing or drawing in the viewer who lingers on it, and this was a photo that I hoped would do that.

I'm glad it did so for you.

Best wishes and thanks for reporting on that to me. 

Any others?

john

John (Crosley)

Your title is just fine.And like Doug,but not for the same reason,the eyes of the girl were the first to attract attention in this scene.And,the look on the face of the onlooker says just that:she was caught sneeking a look.Well done!

Meilleures salutations-Laurent

When I heard my name 'John' addressed from a little distance by the male subject here, whom I think I met briefly one time before and spoke in the barest of Russian, I knew I was accepted, and I also understood when he approached that I was probably expected to take photos since he put his arm around the woman. (I have no idea of their relationship!)

Taking photos (for what he knows) is what I do, and he apparently had been hoping to see me again; perhaps he'd done what so many do whom I meet, and afterward looked me up on Google.com.ua (the Ukrainian Google web search engine, tailored for Ukraine, which features my name generally nine times out of 11 under 'Crosley' on the first page, as opposed to four or six on the US and many other country listings). 

It's the same in Russia as in Ukraine. 

My 'work' and name are well recognized' in Eastern  Europe, I guess, since  the Google Ukraine site has all the same Crosleys as the rest of the world's sites to search and feature, but in Ukraine and Russia it features 'me'.  There were famous Crosleys too, including two brothers who built a HUGE industrial empire in the 20s, 30s and 40s, making refrigerators and appliances, phonographs, ships, a baseball stadium, even cars (remember the Crosley), and their name (and brand) still are widely regarded and known in the US Midwest, and their products fill a good deal of Crosley Google search results.

The kiosk saleswoman from the kiosk next door in this major underground tunnel hub under a huge intersection was right there, outside her kiosk participating in watching me be greeted, right up close, so when I started shooting, and she went back to her kiosk to do business but there were no more customers, I anticipated that her head would pop out of the usual small kiosk business slot to see what was up.

Just as I was posing the couple, I anticipated the neighboring kiosk's woman's curiosity, told the couple that I was waiting for that woman to appear through the opening, and even made a little extra hubbub just to pique her curiosity in case she wasn't already going to stick her head out.

Sure enough -- out came her head, and I snapped.

I took this one good photo (there were more), but this was the one.  Her head also stayed out a long time, observing.

I didn't even realize how INTERESTING this shot was on more than one level until until I reviewed my captures and started adjusting contrast and brightness for the awful lighting I had shot under from the nighttime tunnel lighting.

Then I saw the story of the photo, and realized I could help it along through post processing just a little by emphasizing everyone's eyes, so I worked on them, but not much else and not very much.  In fact the couple's eyes were beautiful so emphasizing them was helpful anyway.

The result is what you see. 

It also works very well in color, but I needed a good, storytelling black and white photo for my best portfolio here, so I posted this one in black and white -- otherwise it was a tossup.

Thanks for a nice, refreshing and helpful comment. 

You're always welcome here (as I said elsewhere).

john

John (Crosley)

The first thing I noticed about the photograph, seeing the small version in the forum, was the eyes of the woman. In that size they looked a little strange to me. So when the larger version opened up I first examined her yes. Startlingly bright, was my first thought. Then I marked the lesser but still quite bright eyes of the man. My third 'sighting' was the woman peering out. I marked the whiteness of her left eye, which seemed a little dubious to me.

Then, as is my want, I examined the composition. Though it's quite a 'busy' one I discerned a very strong diagonal from the crook of the man's elbow to behind the woman's head. And then I imagined another diagonal from lower right corner to upper left corner. Thus the X. The result: a very forceful composition.

Yours again is a very able analysis.

The leftmost eye of the woman, left, (as she looks at us) was brighter, but I could easily tone it down a little and may; I'll think about it.  Some things may need to be fine tuned.  I was more concerned in this high ISO capture about the complexions of the couple, right, and making them appear better, which was a real task for me without engaging in copying and/or cloning, which I didn't do.

The essence of this composition, of course, is in the couple and the onlooker, and it's shown first, I think, in the eyes.

But your analysis of the 'X' in the composition, I found something I had not yet analyzed, and it's revealing of how interesting and thorough you 'see' things.  I agree, though I think in this case it's somewhat more minor than the subjects themselves. 

Maybe 'busy' is for wallpaper, but this is at least complex and maybe 'busy' is one word to describe it; it certainly at least is not like the pattern on a Persian or Oriental rug, which of all things is replete with interesting patterns and extremely 'busy', but then you are entitled to use that word if it works for you.

This woman had some of the world's most beautiful eyes, shown poorly in the underground lighting and only lightening was useful to restore them to their beauty; his dark eyes also benefited from a little dodging, but in both cases 'not much'.

This is a case where the 'story' directed the albeit minimal post processing -- basically just 'eyes' in manipulation, otherwise just contrast and brightness adjustments (eyes was a local brightness adjustment only, so it's not much different and only a manipulation because it was 'local')

I am always pleased to see your contributions; they really add so much to the analysis of the more complex and interesting photos.

Best to you and thanks.

john

John (Crosley)