'Awaiting Their Time'

Six old men whiling their afternoon in a cheap hotel lobby have

pricelsss expressions. Acorss the street and reflected in the window

is the image of an old time cinema marquee. This is the latest of

my 'rescans and reworks' which bring new detail to old photos from

the 60s and later. Your ratings, critiques and observations are

invited and most welcome. It helps to view this photo very large,

even magnify it. Your observations and remarks are invited and

most welcome. If you rate harshly, very critically, or wish to make an

observation, please submit a helpful and constructive comment;

please share your photographic knowledge to help improve my

photography. Thanks! Enjoy! john

This is an SRO hotel in San Francisco's Tenderloin district back in 1969 or so. 

 

It is called an SRO hotel because it is Single Room Occupancy, meaning one bed and one man (or person) per room.

 

Toilets are down the hall, but conveniently for men, (who have an 'extension' --- to be polite), there is a basin in each room for middle of the night necessities, so no piling up at the water closet on each floor.  That was reserved for 'serious business', perhaps with a newspaper.

 

Rent was somewhat affordable for men on a small pension or even Social Security to eke out an existence with a roof over their heads rather than live in their cars (if they had them) or live on the streets.

 

Sadly today society has demolished most inner city SRO hotels or they have been taken over by society's lower elements -- drug dealers, prostitutes, etc. -- leaving the elderly with low incomes with few places to go.

 

john

 

John (Crosley)

After examining this photo, I think it was taken with my 28 mm non auto anything Soligor purchased in Hong Kong for 28 US Dollars in Vietnames Piasters, literally leaving me with no money at all.

 

I had indicated I took it with a 50 mm lens, a Nikon classic f 2.0 in details, but on examination, its angle of view suggests I took it with a much wider angle lens, and that Soligor lens, which was amazingly sharp (at $1 per millimeter), was then my only wide angle lens and indeed that lens took some of my now-semi-famous images which are noteworthy for their sharpness.

 

john

 

John (Crosley)

 

 

John, Good document!!! Regards.

I had no idea when I first took it that it would endure.

 

In fact I was told by a world expert that it was 'fantastic' just a few years ago, and that was a surprise to me.

 

Funny about how myopic we can sometimes be about the worth of our own captures.

 

But at the same time, I curated and saved this for decades, one among just a few I took, perhaps for the look of the men waiting for 'their time'.  To me now, more educated about photography, their looks are 'fabulous', and greatly improved by rescan and restoration.

 

I particularly like the guy, far down, hand over his face, like he's very tired, and maybe just rubbed his eyes or is falling asleep -- a very real moment among several good ones.

 

 

 

Thanks for your kind comment.

 

 

john

 

John (Crosley)

Marvelous restoration of this old gem. Effective document. Pleasing depth to the image as one peeks in...

Excellent work! (6)

You have to work a little to view this photo's interior and those marvelous faces, but I think you have concluded it's worth it.

 

I'm so happy it has pleased you.

 

john

 

John (Crosley)

I was TOLD this was a great photo by others of high qualification, but failed to see it until the restoration was completed two days ago, then I SAW it.

 

I rushed to post it.

 

I'm glad it works for you.

 

john

 

John (Crosley)

 

 

Straight forward, classic, timeless example of a street photography. Clean and uncluttered. Bravo. 

Wow!

 

What a nice series of compliments.

 

Thanks.

 

john

 

John (Crosley)

Very interesting documentary shot!

I did some interesting work in my early '20s, and then was unaware of just how interesting or historical it was.  I just wandered the streets with my camera, shooting very little because film was so expensive, and took some pretty amazing shots.

 

Only one or two, however, were dependent on timing, as I did not have film to waste on trying to 'get the timing right' (exceptions were boy jumping from jungle gym, buildings in background and girl rolling tire carcass up bank of Tijuana River.)

 

Otherwise, all my successful photos were ones I had time to stand and frame, focus and set the exposure -- all consistent with the camera requirements of yesteryear.

 

Nowadays I can see and shoot often within a second or two, and if I waste pixels, so be it.  Pixels cost nothing, so I take chances, and every once in a while, those chances pay off.

 

I would still not pass up this shot for anything, even today, digital camera or film camera. 

 

Yesterday's 'interesting capture' became somehow over the times a 'historical document'.

 

Imagine that.

 

I must check my own container for an 'expiration date' for myself to see if I am 'overdue' to be pulled from life's shelves.

 

john

 

John (Crosley)

A very beautiful documentary photo!It tells a story of life as you use to do..Compliments and regards from Rome..

! !!!

Good documentary. Over time, such as 50 from now, its value/interest will increase.

Thanks for the compliment from that 22-year-old now turned (well rather well done and who knows maybe nearing his dated 'shelf life')

 

You never know when you're out shooting when you're going to create what may one day become a 'piece of history' just as those in America, for instance, who may own an unopened can of iconic 'Log Cabin Syrup' (a syrup mainstay kept in a can shaped and printed with the image of a 'log cabin' may now own a piece of coveted history, while others from intervening time threw theirs out (full or empty) as garbage.

 

Those who keep garbage, sometimes find it transformed into collectibles, artiques or 'works or art', but who's to know.  Some things remain garbage, and others appreciate.

 

Warhol was the one who had his finger on the pulse of popular culture, I think.  He knew that much garbage held long enough would transform, but not all, and he knew what to collect (or transform by his vaunted graphic art skills -e.g., Campbells Soup cans, etc.)

 

Unhappily, I did not learn about that until much more recently EXCEPT when I saw and had an opportunity to buy freshly printed Cartier-Bresson photos  from Cartier-Bresson himself for a couple of hundred dollars per photo, I lusted for the opportunity, as I had personal wants for many, and damn the future worth, but I also foresaw that such 'perfection' as I saw personally would one day increase greatly in value.

 

Alas, I had no money; not even though to buy one photo and still be able to pay rent and buy food, as it was my first summer working for Associated Press for 135 a week BEFORE deductions.

 

Giuseppe, I KNEW!

 

But I don't kick myself.  No money means no money and some things can't be changed.

 

Same with the rest of life and its end.

 

john

 

John (Crosley)

 

 

 

 

How good to see you've been browsing and approve of what this guy did as a beginner 'back in the day' but after returning from Viet Nam where I freelanced.

 

 

I never knew the worth of this and in fact until a few days ago although a world famous critic once told me that printed properly it was a treasure, I never had seen it restored.

 

When it was restored just a few days ago I was astonished and rushed to post it, to my delight.  I'm glad you approve.  Best of health to you, Drew.

 

john

 

John (Crosley)

Thank you.

 

It's already aged plenty - more than 2/3 to 3/4 of my lifetime.

 

That comment is one of the kindest you have ever made about a photograph of mine.  I hung onto the poor version of this, marked and dirty, for decades as though almost my life depended on it, together with about 50-70 others. 

 

Now I guess I know why. 

 

Thanks again.

 

john

 

John (Crosley)

This picture perfectly captures that state of endless purgatory in which many seniors find themselves, abandoned and forgotten, spending their last years in cheap rooms and shabby lobbies. You've taken many, many pictures in your photographic career but I doubt many better than this one.

Thank you,

 

For a wonderfully thought out comment.

 

And for the wonderful compliment.

 

With gratitude.

 

john

 

John (Crosley)