'Valentyn, Master Basketball Coach'

This is Valentyn, a pretty nice guy whom I met recently, a Ukrainian

basketball coach who teaches other coaches 'master's classes' in

coaching basketball, which makes him a basketball coach master. He

apparently works in Donetsk (pronounced Donyetsk for English

speakers). I met him on the street one day recently. 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

What I see you have captured here is the look of a no-nonsense individual with a determined set of eyes looking over those reading glasses.Bravo for an excellent image!

Salutations-Laurent

Somehow with a camera, I feel I have a mission and somehow have special vision and therefore the 'right' in my heart at least to overcome or conquer the 'FEAR' that usually accompanies one as he/she approaches total strangers on the street and intends to ask them for something unusual.

Now, of course, an attractive woman can always approach most men and ask for something (we know what) and without a doubt, usually can get it, and that usually is motivated by sexual urges, but that 'something' needn't be sex itself, but may be just have someone be the recipient of a handout that a less attractive or older woman might be refused if offering, or a perfume sample. 

Men like to be near or 'rub up' (be in the company of) younger, pretty women, and it's a universal phenomenon, well known in 'marketing' -- sales).

In bars, of course, the only question for a single woman willing to 'offer' is not 'will she' get an acceptance, but 'at what hour', depending on her looks, attitude and state of inebriation of the males there.

But I'm a guy, and I'm out on the street, usually just going along, keeping my eyes open, camera strap around my neck, often clutching my camera at my side, finger on shutter, working the controls (zoom, ISO, etc for the conditions), waiting for an opportunity, scanning the scene, but not always so obviously. 

Alert people on the street sometimes tune to this, but sometimes I intentionally keep one eye shut -- the one closest to the scene or person I'm surveillng, and I watch over the bridge of my nose with the other eye if I intend not to reveal myself just yet.  It's a good 'street shooter's trick' and one which comes naturally.  Subjects see a sleepy guy seemingly ignoring them  -- yet I'm watching them through a mostly closed eye and another, wider open eye across my nose bridge.

But this guy spotted me as a non-native because of my shoes and once expensive (bought on sale) ski parka and asked if I 'needed help?' because I think of my different dress and I was in a very central area common to tourists, and when I said assuredly I didn't and because of his exuberance at having recovered just then some valuables he had lost and had thought irrecoverable, we struck up a conversation.

I told him I tried to 'capture souls' with my lens, and he allowed me a few shots.

In most but with the rudest or most rushed subject, one shot is enough to convince that person to submit to more shots when they review the first shot. 

That's my salesman's 'foot in the door'.

This nice buy didn't need a foot in the door with a photograph; rather we talked about things 'Donetsk' which we both knew about (though I've never been there, despite having been over most of Ukraine). 

I do know more than a bit about things in his city, though, and we had a short but in depth conversation about those things.

Then we each went our ways -- a few minutes of the day spent pleasantly (for him he got his valuables thought lost, back, and parted with his image showing his pleasantness -- which I think is part of his basic personality)

In essence, I do think I captured this man in a way that flatters him and at the same time tells his truth -- in essence part of his 'soul

It's his spirit I think, as I saw him, something I always hope to capture when I venture forth with camera and lens.

Thanks for the compliment, Grigory.

(and enduring the long story)

© 2012, John S. Crosley, all rights reserved)

(I'll probably publish parts of this some day -- traditional rights reserved to Photo.net of course, per the user agreement.)

john

John (Crosley)

This is a man who is friendly, helpful and analytical, based on my experience.

He offered his help to me, because based primarily on my mostly high-quality, foreign made clothes, carrying a brand-name DSLR camera and being in heavily trafficked tourist area with no apparent destination in mind (as are most photographers in street) he identified that I was 'going no where' and wondered if he could help, which required analytic skills, friendliness, and a willingness to help (with the self-assuredness to know that his personality would allow him to assume that place in my life temporarily, if needed)

Now, I didn't need that help and we quickly flew into deep conversation, I took a few photos, which I think reveal what I saw in the man, then we parted, after I learned a little about him and his joy at finding what had been 'lost property'.

It was a brief, happy encounter, which I'd gladly repeat, even without the photography.  Nice guy.

Thanks for the compliment.

john

John (Crosley)

Once again is shown that you caught not only a simple image but with a very good eye a snapshot with a story behind this eyes,expression that say that this man for sure know what to do and impose his point of view,maybe some one say that right people there disturb this image,I say no because that was the moment,with people around,simple natural,in fact the attention is drawn by main subject,cheers.

I experienced this very amiable man as perhaps a little more friendly than perhaps I captured him; you and Mssr. Frigault seem to have noted his more direct, possibly authoritarian side being captured, which I hadn't noted, though I did seek to capture the strength of his personality and his 'modern' and more Western look, which is somewhat rarer in Ukraine in winter, though the hat is prototypically Ukrainian/Slavic winter wear.

Contrasts are often used by me to create emphasis, and if the women meandering and filling the right of he frame hadn't been out of focus, it would draw less attention to the sharpness of the man's glasses (see for instance his right -- as we view him -- lens and frame, and how sharp it appears, and how it helps the overall appearance of sharpness for this larger aperture, late afternoon shot.

Without the woman or others in the right, there would be less contrast between out of focus and thus less emphasis on apparent sharpness in the portrait capture.

I really had overlooked that he looks here more direct and 'strong' in his views than I thought I captured him, in part because of our personal interaction which was of two equals. 

He didn't try to boss me around and certainly would never think of it, and I think his  style as a coach, based on my experience, would be that he is less authoritarian than directorial - e.g., 'follow my instructions, watch me, and observe how this way succeeds and then observe how you would do it will not succeed as well, then be smarter for that.'

In essence, I'd bet he's a very good coach because I think he's more teacher than tyrant.

Thanks for the observations, Radu.

john

John (Crosley)

Interesting characters and a good portrait!

Thank you for your comment.

john

John (Crosley)