'Lines'

'Lines' - the Caption (Title) says it all. 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

This man is depicted because of what he adds to the geometry and interest of the photo, NOT because of social status or need (he looks well dressed, has a packet from a good store suggesting a recent upscale purchase, is drinking fresh, hot tea, and indeed may be a traveler resting and not a bum at all).

He is depicted because his linearity is roughly parallel to the handrail above him and also the handrail of the steps above and he and they are at roughly right angles to the lines of the steps and the striations on the stones above -- in short, his posture is an integral part of the photo.

This is NOT a photo about social commentary, necessarily, but about composition, and, as the caption suggests, incorporating a human figure into 'lines' within a composition.

I don't hesitate to depict those less fortunate, and have done so on many occasions, many times with great success, both for reason of social commentary and also for reason of 'art', and almost always success has come  where the two intersect, as anyone who has browsed my very large portfolio can readily see.

john

John (Crosley)

If I analyse the geometry as you did I find this image caught very interesting and well seen in bw,his attitude is not for a happy man I think even recent shopping and the tea,so I say that what you caught here must be seen together lines and man mood and result is a very good composition,best regards.

Thanks for an able analysis.

Actually, this man seemed pretty relaxed, and unlike 'bums' who often get upset if they see a camera pointed their direction, he seemed not to have cared; he was warm in the warm subway exit on a night when the temperatures went down to -7 Fahrenheit and about -19 or so Celsius. [this was taken before the extreme plunge, but it was still extremely cold out].  (temp. scale not double checked). 

A close examination of his face reveals it slightly blurry from movement artifacting, so his exact mood is hard to determine, but look at him; leather coat, good, almost new shoes (see soles), fancy shopping bag, fresh cuppa from a vendor in plastic cup, cigarettes on step.

He might just be waiting for a ride, or an appointed time to take the Metro home; possibly not a bum at all, or a traveler with resources who must be up very early and decided not to spend for one of Ukraine's limited and ultra-expensive to expensive hotels.  There are very few budget hotels if any; Kyiv is NOT cheap to stay, unless one rents a flat by the night, week or longer, and they're not really cheap either, but offer vast savings and comforts over hotels.

By the way, the pavement and streets were covered with ice and snow mixed with some road salt (not road salt everywhere like in the USA, but some use it) and he's got on what appears to be dressier footwear than most . . . . indeed, no bum, or a well dressed and clean one.

All in all, he looks very comfortable to me - not one of the great unwashed -- in fact, I suspect he was much cleaner than I at that juncture, after six hours out shooting.

(previous five photos and this were taken in one outdoor venture after sun went down one afternoon/night, and I covered a lot of territory).

Best to you,  Radu, and thanks.

Agree with this analysis?

john

John (Crosley)

Sometime is very difficult to say really which is the true situation,you did a very detailed observation and have right,any way I like this photo and how you did it,wish you lot of very good subject next time,have a nice day.

Here's a shooting time line for this photo - what I'd call a routine 'quick shot'.

Exit Metro just behind me and approach stairs, notice man, look down and adjust focus points (ISO already set for light) and focus point already was optimal, raise camera while walking, pause for a brief moment and within one-half second fire one shot, then hardly breaking stride continue on, just barely looking back but noticing that as I passed him, he hardly bothered that I'd taken his photo.

Sometimes it's like that; 'easy as pie' in the old American saying.

john

John (Crosley)

In this six or seven seconds between rounding a slight bend and spying this man to the point where I took this photo, numerous considerations came to mind.

********

What if I take his photo just to 'exploit him' because he's a bum (but I saw that he was pretty prosperous looking')?.

Answer, I don't have to tell anybody and can just hide it, if that turns out to be the truth, but I try to avoid such situations at the outset.

Is this 'art' or exploitation?

I saw that he was parallel to the bannister above him, and he and the bannister were both parallel to the other bannister, right, and also that near perpendicular lines abounded, and the scene was full of straight, parallel lines.  I thought "this is a possible photo about 'lines'".

I did not articulate all those thoughts perfectly, but they passed swiftly through my mind.

What if he objects and does so in a way that disturbs the peace? 

I assessed the situation; he was reclining, engaging in relaxation, had a cuppa and looked calm, so I figured 'what the heck?'  My attempt at 'art' may justify this one.  (Remember, until it's finalized and recognized as 'art' it's an 'attempt'.)

I've done similar attempts before, and some of my best regarded photos have depicted REAL bums, not this guy who hardly looks without funds, or if without funds, does not look impoverished for a long time; e.g. leather jacket, good footwear, clean, well groomed beard, and appropriate attire for very, very, very cold weather, and sane enough to get in out of the cold!

I judged he would be no threat to me or the peace, and that I could continue on my way to the exit just ahead in a few seconds, so if there were an issue, I'd be outta there; he was planted and wasn't going anywhere if there was an issue.

I also judged that if he did object or say 'za chaim?' (my own transliteration of 'why?' in Russian), I'd just explain over my shoulder that it was for my art as I strode away, and that I was a 'photo artist' which now is absolutely true, though earlier I might have though I was fudging, but it has turned out to be true.

All the while, I was looking down to see the focus point was set correctly for the scene, knowing that my ISO was already properly set (it almost always is, as a matter of habit), and that I didn't really have to break my stride more than a half second - what American basket ball players might call a 'stutter-step'.

And I did just that, raised camera, took a 'stutter-step', and as I raised the camera, realized that the scene I was eying through the lens was basically something I had pre-framed in my mind's eye before camera went to eye; adjusted the zoom ever so slightly and extremely quickly, depressed shutter slowly enough for auto focus to kick in considering the dimmer light (1/13 th of a second shutter speed at ISO 25000 f 3.5 to 4, then went my way and didn't really think much of this until I saw this in color on review and whistled to myself at how good it looked, then desaturated it quickly and vowed to post it.

All this mental and physical activity took place within six or seven seconds, no more, in part because much of it had been worked out previously, including many active responses and collaboration with commenters here and in various forums on Photo.net as well as discussions with fellow photographers elsewhere, so the arguments and answers when I needed them were readily available to me, without need for hesitation or reflection - allowing a thoughtful process that approached instinct, but was not completely instinctual.

The great speed with which all that happened is in the nature of 'street shooting'.

Take the shot or pass it by - no hesitation or the hesitation will tell the subject you're unsure, and he'll likely respond by changing his position or otherwise reacting, causing the potential good shot to deconstruct through the photographer's lack of good street skills.

Subjects are like wild animals.

They sense nervousness, and when they see it, they engage in different behavior -- some try to ruin your shot just out of cussedness because they know you're unsure.

Life's like that on the street.

Sometimes.

Not always, but often enough.

Sometimes it's 'the quick and the lost shot'.

If you intellectualize during the process instead of taking the shot then reflecting later, you're more likely to mess it up. 

Just take the shot, take it quickly, then worry later, or pass it by and do better next time.

**********

For Newbies and Street Photographer Wannabes

Don't stop to ask permission, it'll break the flow.

It's public; permission is not required, just be safe.

Don't stop to try to negotiate a model fee from the subject, you may think it's fair but it'll not only break the flow, and our of the subject's ignorance or cussedness you're likely to hear a sum like $10 or even a reply like 'no way are you gonna take my photo' when -- if you hadn't asked ever so politely -- the same man would really have had no objection -- his answer on being asked might come from being pissed off because you're bothering him to ask thus creating an issue and complicating his life, so he's annoying you back!

[this applies to the walk-by, instant photo. If you're observing someone for a long time or want to get up close or get special or posed shots, by all means if possible and you have skill to do so, then it's fine to approach a subject; I do so all the time, but I NEVER pay]

Also, in trying to negotiate a 'price' you might get hit with a sum that's completely out of regard for reality -- say $50 or $100, and then you would need to negotiate.  The person may think you're a commercial photographer on an expense account with big bucks to dole out; quash that idea.

I've taken a well over a half million shots, and at even $1 a shot, how much would that be at any fee, (although some are multiple shots of the same person)?

Save your money for those who cannot rise to get their own food, then forget about taking their photo, just give them the money or fetch them some food or whatever.

I once bought a man a replacement Russian passport so this Russian man could go back to Russia so to get work. He couldn't work in Ukraine, was stuck with a stolen passport, I met him at the Russian consulate which had turned him down (reason, no money), it wasn't to much, and the Russian consulate wouldn't help him or loan him the money; he was stuck without funds in Kyiv, while really good construction work awaited him (and a rich economy) in Moscow, not so far away. 

He met me, got his replacement passport that day and was on the evening train to Moscow, and presumably made LOTS of money -- it was a simple gesture; I told no one until now and didn't take his photo.  I think he actually had tears as he thanked me; but I wasn't really even looking for thanks.  I did it for the humanity of it.

I often have assistants (when I have one) trail behind me to give small handouts to those who need food, keeping distance so needy on the street won't associate me with the largess -- and for those with no money a little goes a long ways on the street.

I've been asked the same questions about 'street shooting' lots and lots of times, so I am writing this for the next time I get asked.

[these are my personal views only/others may differ]

© 2012, JOHN CROSLEY/Crosley Trust, all rights reserved, no reproduction or other use without prior written authorization from copyright holder, except usual rights reserved to this site, Photo.net.

john

John (Crosley)

It looks like it was shot at ISO 25000 but unless you were wearing night vision goggles I think you mean ISO 2500, not 25000. Check out  "Everything Is Illuminated". It just might get you out of the subways.

I stand corrected.  ISO was 2500.

Thanks for the hint; but it's warmer in the Metro, light is less of a problem than the cold outside (up to minus -32 C. recently) before I went to US.

john

John (Crosley)

Like I said above; "Everything Illuminated" would sure inspire me to go out and shoot in the country (during the warm season) [apparently according to the movie not to speak English]. If I were there I'd hire a guide and go!. No such opportunity here.

So 'Everything Illuminated' is a movie? I'll check it out in due time. My Internet is too slow to download things, so I must depend on friends, when I'm in Ukraine. In due time I'm sure I'll see it.

Thanks for the tip; good ones are always welcome here; Remember, for whatever past friction, your good tips, hints, tutelage and sharing (in particular the photos of the photos you found 'perfect) have fundamentally changed the way I process and 'see' my photographs (according to the histogram), and those lessons are something I am very thankful to you for. 

I try to give credit where credit is due, and I give that to you willingly. It is reflected in the processing of the above.

john

John (Crosley)