"'1232 Club: Good Italian Dinners' San Francisco, 1968"

This is the scene at the 1232 Club, San Francisco, 1968, at the 1232

Club, which advertises 'Good Italian Dinners' in the North Beach

section of San Francisco, where at last viewing there still was an

establishment looking like this at that intersection. Note the 'break' in

the bar patron's carefully ironed and cuffed pants and his interlaced

fingers, signs even then of the increasingly distant past. 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

I like the theme: Man posing: portrait of person in his environment. Well carried out.

Tommy

My early B&W was not prolific, but I liked it then well enough to save.  It has grown on me with time and I hope has become timeless.

Just look at this guy, already a relic when I took his photo and more a relic now -- a sign of times already gone by.

Thanks for the nice comment.

john

John (Crosley)

And just look at this man, from his beaming face, his interlaced fingers, his turned out feet with polished leather shoes, and his clothing -- from a time when people were changing over to 'formal' to 'casual' this man has well pressed suit, and trousers that 'correctly' break, just over the fronts of his shoes, so the backs nearly hit the pavement, with 'properly pressed' creases.

The bar where he was taking a breather from (not an Italian dinner, but some genuine imbibing, probably accounting for his pleased expression), is visible behind with the bartender also visible barely, so show his environment.

He was when I took this already the beginning of an anachronism, and now he's practically from another era -- a curiosity of time.

For me, a pleasing portrait, not perfect, but again for me very pleasing.  I'm glad it struck a chord with you.  It seems to have withstood the test of time and now may be a 'historic document'?

Thanks for weighing in with kind words.

john

John (Crosley)

Just look in this photo for all the geometrical shapes, lines, etc.

This is a photo noteworthy just for its geometry (geometrical figures rather than using the word 'geometrie' as Cartier-Bresson did to mean 'composition'.)

From the window shades and window frames, the pillars around the door, the door framing, the window over the door, and then oval trimwork on the front door in front of which the subject stands, to the abstract artwork on the right wall (inspired, I think by Northwest Indians), the other windows and finally even the banboo shades with their horizontal (and vertical) striations, this is a photo featuring a multiplicity of lines.

The more lines and geometrical figures there are, however, the more this simple, plain, somewhat inebriated (I recall) man with his very simple and happy smile stands out, with his proper suit, creases just so, hands iinterlaced just so, hair pressed, tie tucked into his sweater vest, all so he could have a proper time tucking away a few himself . . . . starting there in the afternoon and who knows how long -- into the evening or maybe just to withstand 'she who must be obeyed,' if he had a wife to go home to, maybe for dinner later.

You just never know, and this guy I never had a real conversation with other than to request that he stand in front of the door so I could take a photo of the establishment with a representative? patron.

I LOVE this photo; always have, and always will.

You don't have to.

You can hate it, or think it's mediocre.   I love it for what I see are its photographic merits, not because of any particular memory it instills or brings back in me . . . . . plus I can exactly remember nearly everything about its taking, just as I can of many of my 1/2 million to 1 million shots when I peruse them (some have to be seen 'in context' for me to remember, as I am capable of taking up to 1,500 or more photos in one day when highly productive with many 'one off' as the British say), but in the end, with reminders, there are not very many photos that stump me about where, when and under what circumstances I took them when I have time and those reminders (and no pressure of course).

john

John (Crosley)

Great picture, I like that you have dated this image, it is a precious record of a time past.  Like you my personal favorites usually evoke a special memory or emotion beyond being merely a pretty picture.  Definitely a fine image.

Despite the seeming formality of his pose his demeanor is very welcoming and with that open door it is an invitation for the viewer to enter into the picture.  The way he is holding his hands together together with his arms and shoulders creates an inverted pentagram that complements the other shapes throughout the image. 

This has been a favorite of mine from the days just before I took an offer to join Associated Press, from a time when I wandered the 'Streets of San Francisco'.

This is in 'Little Italy' (North Beach) right near the topless clubs that then were becoming famous (see the one of the topless dancer celebrating the 'man on the moon' elsewhere in this portfolio)

It took me years and years and lots of money with lost negatives to get specially cleaned scans of old exhibition quality prints using technical means to get rid of dust that could NOT be wiped clean but was subtracted electronically, and now this I hope can some day be exhibited with my other best work, which is a definite goal as I'm told by a world class curator my early and best present work is museum worthy.

I had not thought of the 'inverted pentagram' you mention, and am surprised you can verbalize something I saw, but could not put into words or clearly identify.

As one famous photographer -- a three-time president of Magnum said -- in paraphrase -- people are experienced in presenting a false face especially for others and also for the camera, SO WATCH THEIR HANDS which they almost always fail to disguise.

Here, this guy's face is not so practiced -- it appears a little 'simple' and it's also mirrored in his hands -- a unity of simplicity, I think. 

I'm not saying he's stupid at all, but rather that he's just uncomplex, and this photo completely captures the charming lack of complexity in his character from his face to his well-pressed slacks, the 'break' in his cuffed pants (which any tailor of the time would take as being textbook perfect) to his loosely interlaced fingers. 

Literally to my mind, he's an uncomplicated guy.  Maybe he's a hit man, or some shady character, but really I doubt it . . . . . . my gut tells me otherwise.  (I can't libel him, as I am sure he's long, long dead.)

I saw him in the entryway to the tavern/bar and maneuvered him ever gently to the door for a brief pose with his full, pleasant cooperation, took a photo, then went on my way with thanks and this as a treasure that I hope will endure beyond my time. 

I checked recently and the bar's still there complete with the same siding decoration.  I didn't check the 'Italian Dinner' sign, but suspect it's gone.

I'm happy to see you're browsing my portfolio -- it always gives me special pleasure when a long-time member does that.   I keep all the awful shots I've posted up, as I don't have that much hubris, but watch out!  There are a few wonderful, maybe even world class shots every once in a while . . . . and they can be a surprise. 

I keep the poor to middling photos in there to rremind me that I don't always recognize the good stuff until after it's been digested, and also to remind me that I'm just not that great a photographer, PLUS the nature of shooting photographs is that not every photo is a winner outside of good studio shooters.

Hint, if you look at my folders I am not sure if you'll be able to find special folders that are not available to public view under my portfolio with my sorted collection of my very best work (as of a year ago).

Many such photos are gathered into folders that are not available under 'portfolio', but somehow every once in a while people stumble onto them.    You might.   Each photo is tagged 'nocommentplease', as they are not for general viewing, though from time to time people do stumble on them from their being chosen randomly for a feature here or there on Photo.net.

One folder contains my best black and white photos, another my best color, and another 'Metros I have ridden' - all are duplicates of folder postings, which is why they are 'hidden', as otherwise we're not permitted to 'double post'.

Also you might look me up on FLICKR to see what I regard as 85 or so of what I regard as my best -- it's what I refer strangers in the profession to rather than Photo.net so they won't become tainted by my much decidedly lesser work.

FLICKR has been very slow starting for me, but I'm finally getting a following of genuine 'street' aficionados, and those guys are pretty high class photographers AND dedicated - something mostly lacking on Photo.net.  My name just now is getting passed around after one year.

However, I do not post fresh stuff on FLICKR but only on PN and Photocritiq.com (run by the former administrator of Photo.net after the administration changeover).  The latter often has some color versions of some black and white favorites here.

Richard, I'm grateful for the attention.  You're most welcome to continue browsing as much as you want, with my best wishes.

john

John (Crosley)