No Checks! No Minors! Don't Make Trouble!

This is the first photo for critique of my Black and White II

folder. Your ratings and comments are very much appreciated. (If

you submit a harsh or very critical rating, please honor me by

submitting a constructive and helpful comment to help me improve my

photography). Thanks and Enjoy! John

A strongly charismatic image from his face and eyes, smiling yet most definitely stating that the smile remains as long as you, "don't make trouble."

 

I would only suggest that the image should include the rest of his hat. That may be a little bit cliched as a criticism, but then again, why crop it?

 

Peter

John - great work - classic coffee table portrait - nice results - creative eye - well done - 7/7 for me - I dont see anything to be improved

Is this picture really from 21st century?

Peter, thanks for the nice comments. The only problem about resurrecting the hat portion "lost" from the negative is that the poor 23-year-old, inexperienced photographer who took this photograph then (and still does) compose in the viewfinder, and the hat top never was included in the image. Taken for my own pleasure, with no standards or publication in mind, and no critiques of such work until Photo.net came into my life, I've pretty much been "on my own". I wish there had been a Photo.net when this was taken, and I might have developed my photography better and stayed with it instead of abandoning it for decades at a time. John

Thanks Gerry for the 7/7 rating. A coffee table book was always a dream of mine, and I substituted Photo.net and its wide viewership for any such (illusory) dream. You might want to browse my other B&W portfolio for my other posted B&W work from long ago, and watch this folder and the critique forum in months ahead as I post other B & W photos from this era. (I was against disassociating the ratings from the raters, as I felt it destroyed some of the "community" of Photo.net)

No, this photo is not from the 21st Century, which, by the way, technically, is only midway through its second year (yes, I know, but technically it started at the start of the year 2001, a little known fact). Nevertheless, the image is from a while ago longer -- just look at the "larger" view and look at the price tags on the shelves -- prices were high because of "fair trade" (which meant state-enforced "price fixing") and maybe you can date this image. Also, who the heck wears fedoras these days?

;-) John.

One of your best in your portfolio. The way he's holding his hand on the counter and his expression say it all.

The talent of a young girl can sometimes show up even without a (not yet) perfect tecnique.

The biographical portrait of me, posted was somewhat flippant, and shows me reflected in the eyes of the woman I was photographing, a door monitor at a well-known chain "big box" store. (If you click through, it says I enjoy seeing myself in others' eyes, and I'm photo shy. I'm actually a guy, as my name suggests -- maybe I'll have to change the biographic photo if others have that impression.) Thank you very much for the compliment. John

The 21st Century is Midway through its Third year, not its second and has passed two full years only. Technically the 21st C. still began at the start of 2001. John.

Nice shot..and of course...with the question about the Hat.. All was already commented. I like it, anyway...

Portrait from past.And very good portrait.

Oooooops.... sorry for the mistake :O

I also thought that "John" is a male name, but you never know... "Simone" and "Andrea" are male names in Italy, but they are female somewhere else (in Germany for example, I think....).

I just wonder how many people have failed to look into the glasses of that woman of my biographical photo and failed to see the man with the camera pointed at her in the reflection. You are always welcome in my portfolio. You take wonderful photos, as I've consistently remarked, and I take frequent trips to your portfolio to watch your amazing progress. John ;~))

This photo negative was damaged and the only print I have was badly damaged, salavagable only by use of the PhotoShop "healing tool". Show Quality print except dust specks everywhere -- I paid a high price for show prints, but failed to quality check the batch over a decade ago, and the retouchers didn't spot this one print in those days before PhotoShop. So I dragged it out -- it never having been seen literally by anybody -- spotted it with healing tool, placed it in critique, and I'm overwhelmed by the response. (Negative's not available, and no other negs are available for now, so no hidden treasures to "discover" for the time being). Thanks for all you who took the time to view and rate and especially those who took the time to comment on this almost "forgotten" treasure. J

I'm tempted to colorize the end of his cigar. As you can see, the end of his cigar is white, but it's not ash -- it's actually red from his sucking on it. I'm tempted to colorize it red . . . .

Sometimes a photo like this just sits at the bottom of my photo box literally seen by no one, not even the very few who have been permitted to see my portfolio (because of the flaws pointed out above, now fixed). And it is especially encouraging when I find half the ratings to date are 6s and 7s -- with very encouraging comments, which I hardly expected. It always was a private treasure of mine, but I hardly expected such a positive reaction. Thanks again. (By the way, about colorizing the cigar tip -- just kidding -- I feel about colorizing the same as Woody Allen does about colorizing movies -- it's unthinkable -- a gimmick in this instance that would detract, and would only be necessary if an image were deficient and useful for novelty purposes.) J ;~))

This guy was prepared for anything. Remember, liquor stores long have been a favorite of holdup artists, and this store was on San Francisco's Market Street, near AP's offices in Fox Plaza just down from the seedy Tenderloin District. Look at his hand and tell me he wasn't prepared for "just about anything that might involve 'Trouble' with a 'Capital T'" And it might have involved a young man with a camera, in this guy's mind, until he realized the only target he was going to be made was the object of a roll of film, a lens, and a young man who was a survivor of Viet-Nam's (photo) war and the campus riots of three campuses. J

John, this guy reminds me of that John Candy scene in "Uncle Buck" when he goes in to see the niece's principal (to the tunes of Tone Loc), flips her a quarter and tells her to "have a rat gnaw that thing off your face!"

 

It's the hat and the cigar...classic (little brother line from "Sixteen Candles"). I guess this pic is very 80's in tone...

 

I too thought the lady was you - or you were the lady - or...just some long-haired, scandinavian looking guy with big teeth! Now I have to re-think my whole mental image of you....

I now have to go watch "Uncle Buck", again, I think, to watch that scene, which I proabably missed. As to Scandinavian, well, there's an Ingridsdotter in my family lineage if that helps, but no, I'm neither a cross dresser, a transsexual, nor a female. My male sexuality is all I identify with, and I don't feel threatened at all if others think I am of any other gender at all, (and am comfortable with my little gest). But there are other candidates in waiting for my biographical photo, so watch that space, now that it has taken on more importance with Brian's new changes. Thanks for the kind comments. J ;~))

We are used to high alcohol prices in Finland.

But my point was if the picture is original or simulated.

 

It's amazing how I like to pick B/W pictures in www.photo.net.

Perhaps if there were a "pinch" test, or if you could see the original print you would know for sure that this is a very old print. The prices then were very high because of price fixing and a local locaion. In nearby Oregon they were much higher because only the State allows liquor sales, as does Washington and you have to buy liquour from State stores. John.

Anti, in reviewing your comment suggesting possible simulation. I only take a few moments for most photos or images. The idea of actually recreating a scene for an image for me is unthinkable in the extreme. I'm far too handicapped and have too short an attention span for any such thing. In fact, my style of photograhy is well suited for my short, snappy, intense attention span -- it's quick, intense and to the point, then move on, sometimes very quickly, often even forgetting about the image until I develop the film (or press the digital button now). I now review my saved digital images or film from a month or so ago and find 'treasures' I overlooked or 'meant' to post for critique immediately and just moved on too quickly. I don't labor in my thinking, my writing or my photography. Sales people like me because I make up my mind quickly -- if I like it and have the money and it suits me, I will buy it, (or turn it down) without belaboring the issue. This image took maybe 20 seconds tops to take, but I have complete recall of all circumstances from walking into the store to exit -- about 30 seconds. John

I was amazed when reading you are tempted to colorize the cigar. No way, keep it B/W!

That was just a jest, frankly. Don't worry. I don't do 'selective colorization'. I like it as it is also. Thanks for the encouraging comment.

 

John