'The Eyes Have It -- IV'

Deep in a series of very intimate 'soul kisses' with her mate (left) on the

crowded Metro coach at rush hour, the young miss suddenly has her

attention diverted by something, anything, and not the photographer who is

more than half a coach away and unseen, causing her eyeballs to bulge.

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 'makes' this photo is certain detail, and that cannot be so easily  discerned by thumbnail viewing, so viewing 'large' is recommended to 'understand' this posting.

Similarly, best view is the submitted image, not PN's smaller image.  The submitted image can be reviewed by clicking the above image a second time to see it full frame, then the detail that is important to this image (her eyes) will 'pop' for you, I think.

john

John (Crosley)

What a wonderful comment.

Stretches my imagination to places I had not imagined.

Best wishes.

john

John (Crosley)

I see the human alienation here too!

Best regards

PDE

Although really eye-catching, I wouldn't reduce it to her eyes, I think the photo is a wonderful collage of five characters each one playing an interesting role. As with flowers, I'd say they are so beautiful together they almost look artificial. Congrats.

Everyone fights for their own 'space' when packed together like this, and largely successfully.

Unlike New York's famous subway of old that I used to ride, on the Kyiv Metro there are no males who grope females in the crowd, hidden by the crush, and almost no anti-social behavior.  Just everyone to his own space, respected by almost all.  It's the 'social contract' for those who know that owning a car is too expensive and unaffordable anyway and illogical for the distances no matter what, and in any case a trip now costs (with inflation's effects) under twenty American cents or a month's rides under ten dollars. (soon to change I bet).

This expression lasted about a fraction of a second, but I caught it!

Thanks for an interesting and unexpected comment.

john

John (Crosley)

I viewed a lecture on photography by a 'street master' the other day in which the tutor explained that many are masters of shooting detail, and in which he advised shooters to 'pull back' to include the scene.

That was AFTER I shot this.

I am very good at shooting detail; his advice was excellent, I think, as your comment shows.  Thank you for that.

john

John (Crosley)

Good shot!

If I hadn't been shooting their deep embraces and kissing, I wouldn't have had a chance to catch this momentary glance.  She does NOT see me -- not even a chance.  I was telephoto shooting, hand held, and some distance away.  Notice I'm not in her line of sight, so the eyes are not directed at discovering my shooting, and by happenstance and crowding, I was hidden mostly behind another rider anyway, fighting for a view of the scene.

Best to you, and thanks for the affirmation.

john

John (Crosley)

It's unusual, original moments like this that just MAKE my life's avocation so worthwhile, and sharing them to an appreciative audience is frosting on the cake.

Thanks for your affirming comment.

john

John (Crosley)

Excellent capture! I see not only the eyes of the lady but all their eyes as well looking in different directions as what one would witness inside a train.

I'm very good at capturing close detail, and had been more close up in photographing their embraces and deep kissing, but when I saw the eyes like that, for an instant only, I quickly zoomed out to capture EVERYTHING in context for just the comparison you note.

Thanks for the observation and comment.

john

John (Crosley)

As noted above, there are 'other eyes' competing for attention, and in this attachment, note that there is almost a 'circle of attention' complete with gazes, mostly ignoring the deeply kissing couple at the Metro car door, taken just before the scene shown in the posted photo.

'The  Eyes That Almost Had It' seem almost to dominate in that photo too, and without the bulging eyes, this photo might easily some day have been posted -- with additional work to suppress noise.

Here it is as an attachment. 

john

John (Crosley)

Stunning moment & reaction, even in fact only possible in a comic..!

It occurred to me also that this is the look that one finds in a comic book, or perhaps close relative 'Mad Magazine', a parody classic, -- but in reality people momentarily do actually make such looks, somewhat to my surprise.

If you look in the classic Muybridge photos in which he proved that a horse gallops with all four legs off the ground at one time, he was able to prove photographically something that people had thought was simply unbelievable and impossible.  His photos, taken I think at Stanford's ranch (the 'farm') under the sponsorship of Leland Stanford (Jr.), were the basis of all understanding of how horses move, and displaced prior, contrary thought.  They are classics in teaching the importance of photography in scientific understanding, and not incidentally became a cornerstone of cinema (and video).

This photo does not prove anything so spectacular or fundamental -- comedians have been making such looks probably as long as people have been on this earth.

But that one unintentionally can make such a look without trying to play the buffoon is a proposition I am not sure has been proved photographically before, and since she was previously wrapped in embrace, I can assure you she was not playing for my camera or me, since (1) I was mostly behind another person and (2) I was the better part of a Metro car length away from her with a telephoto lens and was only on the car for one stop (I seem to recall) -- too far for her to realize I was  shooting, and shooting with telephoto lens on a Metro is so hard to spot -- shooting in itself is improbable, and shooting telephoto is so improbable that it's literally NEVER done (except by me and only rarely).

Also, it's clear her gaze is not directed at my camera lens or me -- just to 'box the compass' if anyone suggests this is a 'reaction photo'.  I am 100% sure it is not; and I have a very good record here of truthful writing and reporting -- when I make such a statement, it is something you can take to a bank (not a Ukrainian bank, either, but an American bank).

No Muybridge I, but frankly I was amazed to find proof in my captures of what I saw -- that people make such eye gestures who are not comedians acting before an audience, unless she were somehow 'acting up' (or in some way 'fooling around)' for her boyfriend or other observer . . . . which is always a thought.

Can't see why she'd do that given the strength, depth and intimacy of their smooching and embraces, though -- for her to have been on the lookout seems so unlikely and out of character from what I saw, and I'm far more than a casual observer -- I'm a trained observer of candid scenes with huge experience.  

If some male had exposed himself I could 'see' (in the sense of 'understanding) that look forthcoming,  but there was really no chance that happened without causing an uproar on the crowded coach, and there was none -- no reaction, no movement . . . .nothing.  And nothing followed.   No other passenger looked where she appears to be looking.  

The train pulled into the next station, and they and I all got off through our respective doors.  They also did not appear to be with anybody, scotching the idea she was playing with her eyes to a friend or fellow passenger, and suggesting strongly this gesture was entirely spontanenous - perhaps the first commenter above was on point?

Whatever she saw (if she saw anything) or whatever else caused the 'look' is a mystery.

And will remain so, unless she comments herself, which is (as you understand) incredibly unlikely.

Thanks for sharing the fun of this unlikely moment, contributing your comment, and please accept my best wishes for taking the trouble to do so.

john

John (Crosley)

John, I'm not a specialist, but I think Jim Downs is right. The girl is kept very tight and for sure not thinking he lost his purse. Eyes and mouth do express the same and for a second freezing cq being 'out of control'. Using the image in the future is up to you of course, however the tiltle may need to be changed. Unless the short 'It' is enough. Do greet the small guy on the left, he is fantastic..! :)   

Thanks for the additional commentary, but of course it's all for speculation and fun.

So, there will be no caption (title) changing, and in any event, there wouldn't be any, for any reason.  

A photo is for the viewer with my general pointers, and in this case 'The Eyes Have It' is a pun variation on a standard and familiar English phrase using the word 'ayes' relating to the vote-counting process.  I would never consider making the title more specific to anything, especially based on speculation.

Thanks for the interesting feedback.

Yours,

john

John (Crosley)

No more titles "based on speculation"?  That's good.  I like to figure it out on my own

Ok, so I 've read what everyone said and yes, it causes one to imagine lots of things..my thought is he is touching her in a "shocking to her way in public" causing her to have this eye reaction..he on the other hand looks quite taken with himself for doing so, and the guy directly next to his left is enjoying the whole experience...another amazing image!!

Thanks for your analysis.  I very much appreciate it.

I had the opportunity yesterday to review the image sequence here and was taken by how deeply this couple was kissing.

I may be one of the very few times I felt free in a crowd to chance using a telephoto, and in this crowded Metro (subway) car (see photo in comments) was largely ignored, as was the deeply osculating couple.

Now I know one thing, and that is having observed women who are immediately post-orgasmic on a basic large and frequent enough to have some qualification, I recognize in the immediately preceding frame a 'smile' and it may be just that immediate post-orgasmic smile of pleasure and release of sexual tension, as the kiss had been broken off, and then, here - the EYES, and it does not appear that this young miss is looking with her bulging eyes at anything in particular -- just 'staring' into nothingness

The commenter above who suggested that this was an orgasmic look may have just hit it on the head -- not only were they deeply kissing, but their lower bodies were very deeply pressed one against the other.

You can't have known all that, as I didn't point it out, and you weren't there, but consider what I have just written, and contemplate . . . . 

In any case, thanks for the wonderful compliment - this is a new type of photo for me -- not a kissing photo, or a Metro kissing photo, but a post-kissing-staring-at-nothing-with-giant-bug-eyes-photo.

We'll never know for sure, unless she happens to contribute (as did 'Roxy the Box in the almost famous photo 'Yevgenia II on the subject of 'who is a prostitute) elsewhere in this portfolio which got a hundred or so comments for a record of sorts.  

That photo featured a nude model, and the question arose because of the pose 'was she a prostitute?' - a proposition for which there was never any evidence other than the way I posed her.

There may be many reason for bulging eyes, and you certainly don't have the luck to have viewed prior captures except one, plus my description, so I'll leave you to private analysis.

Thank you so much for the compliment.  I live for times like when I return from photographing hot, sweaty, tired and achy to find a fine remark like your post as just now!

john

John (Crosley)

Sick.

'You Can't Handle the Truth!' his character testified in Courts Martial in Guantanamo, in the film 'A Few Good Men' opposite Tom Cruise (if indeed what I posit happens to be the truth).

And what is sick about 'orgasm' unless by 'sick' you mean the teenage vernacular which means 'great'!

As in "That skateboard trick was 'sick'".

;~))

You can view the famous line spoken by Nicholson on Youtube.com by Googling the famous line and getting a URL to plug into your browser.

john

John (Crosley)

 having observed women who are immediately post-orgasmic on a basic large and frequent enough to have some qualification, I recognize in the immediately preceding frame a 'smile' and it may be just that immediate post-orgasmic smile of pleasure and release of sexual tension,.....not only were they deeply kissing, but their lower bodies were very deeply pressed one against the other.

It is not truth. It is a sick invention.

If you think you have observed. you have been fooled, Roxy would tell you that prostitutes do not have orgasms with customers.

Most important does no credit to you. 

Not interested in wasting my time in looking at youtube.