A Conversation Between Friends

Jack, these people coordinated the arm and hand positions quite well. If someone asks therm to stand in their respective postures but as close to each other as possible, they would form another whole person, albeit an odd looking one. I'm impressed by the contrast between how each conversant is dressed; the person on the left is dressed entirely in black unlike the other person. As usual, ordinary scenes like this is what street photography is all about; you most definitely find 'em. Your style is quite fortuitous for me and for everyone else on PN who also follow your work.

Thanks, Michael for your very nice comment. I especially liked the dark clothing and the very authentic smile of the guy on the left. There is a bit of motion blur but in this case it doesn't bother me at all and I think even adds to the veracity of the moment.

I look at their shoes. One guy has too much in the front and the other too little in the back :-). Regards, Mariusz.

Jack...The timing was good to seize that smile and I agree that the slight blurr just adds to the sponteanity of the moment.Salutations-Laurent

Relationships between people make the world worthwhile, and I always appreciate when photographers choose that as a subject.

Mariusz, Laurent, Wayne - Thanks you for the feedback on this picture which is a current favorite of mine. Mariusz - LOL you date yourself with the remarks on their shoe styles :-)) Laurent - Sometimes the overall feeling of the shot trumps seeming imperfections as I think is the case here. Wayne - Thanks for the comment which I heartily agree with. Why do we wall ourselves off against others and so wall ourselves off against life? I like this picture for the same reasons you do: it celebrates the warmth of relationship. It takes so much energy to keep your guard up all the time; no time to relax and enjoy life.

The simplicity and spontaneity are wonderful. The use of BW is masterful, and the low shutter speed allows this to be a "fragment" of a film, but rather, the attempt to stop (grasp?) Time with Light, a conundrum for physicists since Einstein. You caught such a genuine smile, and it is amazing your presence seems not to be noticed by these enthralled young men. One of your classical moments, but one of the most subtle I have seen.....nay, this is a difficult statement to make when you have such amazing photographic work and career. So, all I am left with is: Onegaishimas! DG

Hi Jack,

 

these two young men are obviously having a cheerful conversation and their postures show that they're at ease with the situation. The guy on the left has a smile that looks very genuine and relaxed, which, along with the composition, makes the photo for me. I like the B & W here. I agree the motion blur adds some veracity to the scene, but it's on the limit for my taste. Nonetheless, this is a great document to true human communication. Not a cell phone in sight. Kind regards, Vincent

Daniel, Vincent - Thanks. I'm more sensitive these days to OOF camera shake but I thought the moment was worth preserving; it just seemed to have a feeling of authenticity and spontaneity that I liked.

This week I was on a guided world press photo exhibition. In front of a photo of a tired American soldier in Afghanistan, the guide said: I like blurred photos, you can not imagen how much I like them! Your photo is an example where the decent blurr adds to the joyful mood between the two young men.

Karl - We live in a technological world where we can cut time into 1/1000 second slices and with HDR equalize the tonal range so that we can see the detail in every shadow. Scenes glisten with other-worldly clarity and still we're not satisfied: clearer, sharper, more colorful.. And yet...and yet...for all these beautiful representations we create we're not one iota closer to the truth. We still confuse the thing with the picture of the thing. The question is do we want pictures to be admired like high fashion models with not a hair out of place or do we want to enter into the image at some different level that may lead us to a new realization or new vision or somewhere we never guessed existed. I guess that's the choice.

Jack, I am on the way to open up my mind. With this I may find some unexplored treasures in my archives and elsewhere ;-).