'Me, My Selfie, a Salgado, and I'

A Filipino visitor to a Los Angeles Camera store, surrounded by

Leicas, takes a 'selfie' with his camera phone and unwittingly

includes behind him (and off kilter as well) a photo by famed

photographer Salvador Salgado. Your ratings, critiques and

observations are invited and most welcome. If you rate or critique

harshly or 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

He took his 'selfie' and included only parts of the famous 'Salgado' photo of a sole penguin atop an ice floe or ice cap behind him, from the book 'Benesis' (sitting on table beside him, all part of an exhibition (just ended recently) at the Peter Fetterman Gallery, Los Angeles.

It is clear from talking with this Filipino visitor to this famous LA camera store he had little idea that the photo behind him was worthy from one of the world's most famed photographers, and when I reviewed his 'selfie' with his enthusiastic permission' it turned out that the Salgado print in background on his photo was largely cut into odd angles, and a large part was 'cut off' revealing it was NOT his intention to include the Salgado at all. =.

As photographer happening on the scene, apparently I was the only one who 'saw' the scene for what I think is it worth.

Those are rows of Leicas on shelves and drawers of Leicas and lenses to his left and behind. 

Soon, the man and his entire family were off chasing Lionel Richie who had just walked into the store with a small entourage, but I didn't follow; I felt as though I had created something and my rule is 'I don't photograph celebrities unless it is expected and/or they invite me to, otherwise my lens is pointed to the ground in their presence.

john

John (Crosley)

The book is 'Genesis' by Salvador Salgado.  I was blocked by an Internet portal failure so I could not correct before the editing window was closed.

The book itself is on the table, right foreground.  It relates to an exhibition, just closed at the Peter Fetterman gallery, just closed at LA's Bergamot Center featuring stunning works by Salgado mostly relating to photos featured in the book and one assumes mostly taken with Leica cameras and lenses --- Salgado's favorites.

Apologies.

john

John (Crosley)

This is an entirely candid photo taken while walking toward this guy, framed in the camera, not cropped.

I attempted after taking a series as I walked toward him and recognizing the Salgado on the wall and thinking this might be blurry, to have him 'pose' the same pose, but it turned out far worse and was discarded.

I'm generally not interested in posed photos anyway, even if they replicate something that does not have to be candid.  Turns out this was sharp enough to show, as were the others.

john

John (Crosley)

Very interesting scene!

I spent all day that day taking photos in 'The Hood' full of color and wonderful people 'of color' and also churches and businesses that looked like they were from another country.

I thought they were pretty interesting and good.

Then I went to see friends in this camera store who have helped me so much; long-neglected friends whose friendship I value highly.

I stepped off the elevator, and this scene greeted me after a few steps.

I evaluated immediately, and this is the results.

Remember the phrase, 'Me, Myself, and I?'. I adapted that for the caption, of course. Thanks for the compliments. This started out with a 4.33 rating with 5 or so rates, so it's climbed impressively; I regard it as a very droll photograph that I'm quire proud of, but maybe not everyone gets it maybe because not everyone knows who Salgado is. Too bad, since his work is wonderful.

Best wishes, Peter.

john

John (Crosley)

I thank you for the kind evaluation.

I also commend to you (if by some rare chance you have not already seen his works), the work of Salvador Salgado, particularly his earlier work involving laborers (and their exploitation) around the world.

He is one of the great photographers of the world, bar none.

His work is highly instructive; his prints are of amazing quality -- the print behind the man is of stunning quality and also of stunning starkness showing a lone penguin atop a giant ice feature, but this tourist from the Philippines seems largely ignorant of it, and an examination of his photo reveals he only shot a portion of it.

'Selfie' is a brand new American word meaning a photograph of one's self.

Many linguists have voted 'selfie' as the 'word of the year' for 2013, and although there is no official special word or person or company who makes such list but many, a surprising number agree that 'selfie' is deserving of 'word of the year' credit.

Best to you, my heroic photographer of the wintry elements and the mass crowds.

john

John (Crosley)

John,

You've obviously picked a popular topic in "Selfie" for this year.

And, your photograph here portrays it better than anything else I've seen thus far. Seriously, this should be on the cover of something like Time magazine with a detailed article in explanation of the term and it's growing popularity including the U.S. President and other dignitaries while in South Africa recently.

Your written story, the image title, the subject, . . . all news worthy!

Cheers with Holiday Wishes,

Jim j.

What a wonderful Christmas present in your comment.

I once wrote for millions for a wire service and also for a very, very short time took photos for them (until I met Cartier-Bresson and saw his work at which time I quit my job as photographer, almost the first day).

Really, and in San Francisco, the place where every wire service (AP) reporter wanted to be assigned.  I was a callow youth and figured if I couldn't take photos like this guy introduced to me as Henry (Henri) by an old friend reporter from his China days, then I shouldn't even be attempting to take photos.

Worse, Henry (Henri Cartier-Bresson) had the entire De Young Museum (San Francisco's finest), then filled with his work, and it was jaw dropping -- the end result I learned 30 years later of his life of photography just before he gave up photography to draw and paint, only taking an occasional photo, and then giving it up entirely for decades until he died less than ten years ago.

If I had not met Henry (Henri), I might have stayed with Associated Press as a photographer.  My mentor there (Sal Vader) went on to win a Pulitzer being assigned from the same bureau on an assignment I might have drawn if I stayed.  Eventually I ended up in New York as a photo editor in world headquarters, and sitting also on the General Manager's (AP's boss's) counsel that determined the following day's news allocation -- by far the youngest person ever to sit on that elite group.

The general manager offered to mentor me to follow into his job, but he was stingy and I would be expected to be extremely stingy, so I quit.

I learned however (or knew innately from constant reading) the value of reading and its relationship to taking 'interesting' photos of the 'street' genre and also of a broad general education (I was a Columbia College liberal arts major -- I don't even know what my graduating major was -- perhaps 'government' or perhaps 'economics' and am not motivated these days to even inquire or whether I had a dual major.  I worked in business journalism and Wall Street for two more years, then went to law school then practiced for almost two decades, almost never taking photos.

I did take a few during my 'business publication' days although I was ostensibly an editor, and got to know Sam Walton (by telephone regularly) a bit . . . (Wal Mart fame).

I had been here to this floor of this world famous camera store and seen already that week the Salgado display (and drooled at the quality of the photos and their reproduction).

When I walked off the elevator to this floor the day I took this, I spied this man seated like this and instantly put two and two together, raised camera, and began firing.

This is the result.

It pays to listen to the news (NPR -- National Public Radio -- had a lengthy series of programs on 'selfies' being chosen by more than one institution and/or dictionary as 'word of the year', and I had taken note.

So, when I saw this, and remembered these were Salgado prints, I just moved into place, walking and firing away.  One was perfectly framed.

Just good luck and some practice.  (I write so much because I am told by some that beginners especially have interest in how such photos come about, and I wish to share.) 

Many of Photo.net's photographers when I joined here largely were very secretive about how they produced their wonderful photos, and singlehandedly I vowed to break the wall of silence, so that's why the extensive commentary you'll find here and under other photos of mine.  (if it bothers some, they just don't have to read;~))

Thank you, Jim, for such a wonderful compliment; it's a great Christmas present.

Merry Christmas to you!

john

John (Crosley)

John,

Thank you!

I was sincere in my comment and, am delighted to read your history and of how you came about 'Me, My Selfie, a Salgado, and I.'

Your appreciation has been a great gift for me too!

Regards always,

Jim j.

John's, your first and lengthy reply to James (Jim) would fall certainly into the title category of Me, myself and I. Think you walked into that one :-)

happy, healthy, successful New Year!

I was under the weather and could not reply right away.

May you also have a prosperous and healthy New Year, full of joy and good photos.

john

John (Crosley)