Billboard and Man (B & W ed.)

Billboard & Man, Bangkok, Thailand, taken in a Bangkok neighborhood

near, but not in, Chinatown in Bangkok's central and old district --

one of alleys and byways. This image has been desaturated at the

request of several members to emphasize the graphic elements. Tell

me what you think. Your ratings and critiques are invited and most

welcome. (If you rate harshly or very negatively, Please submit a

helpful and constructive comment/Please share your superior

photographic knowledge) Thanks! Enjoy! John

This shot captured my attention, no doubt due to the strong definite graphic nature. It makes me ask the question what is the (real) figure looking at...think it would have been more "complete" if he were looking in the general direction of the poster (though I realise that this wouldn't have been possible given the constraints of the poster, etc). Either way, an arresting shot.

I'm interested in your comment, because the 'completeness' of this photograph depends on thorough lighting on the left side of the face of the poster figure and on the right side of the human figure (as they see you) and their contrasting head positions -- one straight on, one up and eyes up). I had not anticipated your viewpoint, though I respect it entirely, as all well-reasoned views.

 

For me the corollary lighting and the viewpoint contrasts are the keys to this photo.

 

It's one of my favorites: so happy with it am I that I posted it in color in my Single Photo portfolio for a different look and others suggested I desaturate it for posting here, and I'm happy I did as I think it is stronger here.

 

Thanks for commenting.

 

John

Hello John I hope you don't mind, I took your original color picture and played with it a little. It's far more stronger in B/W.

 

Greetings B.

 

Glad you are back.

Great expression on the 'real' man's face... plays off against the poster really well. Nicely done. Effective composition.

a type of shot i've wondered about and failed to execute well; the angle you've taken is eye-opening and creates a lot of dynamism, mine were largely failures cuz there was something static, predictable about them. the expression of both men also adds quite a bit. i'd suggest darkening/dulling the right side/background a little, as i think the eye should settle on the guy lower right more easily. very fine piece of work john.

Hi its me. I need to know if its the same guy on the board as is there. If not it seems out of synch on the storyboard end,imv, but not nessesarily so. Just a different emotion being emitted that doesn't relate. The pic itself is just great, as usual. So lemmie know dear John and i will get back and rate thanks.

I prefer the BW version too. It seems that the colors, while flashy, weren't adding anything to the story.

Hi - yes see what you're saying, but your interpretation didn't strike me without your prompt. Maybe you could make it more obvious to the viewer by darkening the areas away from where the light source would be falling? (I had a quick look through the rest of your pics...wow, some excellent stuff there; I'm quite jealous!)

Paul, this is NOT the same guy on the billboard as seated -- in fact that's the 'magic' of the photo (if there is any). Actually, what's the point of posing a guy beneath a poster or billboard of the same person -- that hardly seems like 'street photography' to me.

 

The 'magic' is in capturing a bystander (or sitter) in this case, and he's exhibiting a complementary view with his head, showing his teeth and he has a complementary lighting aspect (right side/left side).

 

To me, that's street photography.

 

I'm interested in your rating/rate away.

 

John

I previously posted a dedication which got lost in the Photo.net servers somewhere or in an Internet node somewhere.

 

This Black and White version is dedicated to my seemingly omniscient and very good natured critic Doug Hawks, at whose suggestion I desaturated this version.

 

Without his critique suggestion on the color version, I might have let the color version in my Single Photo Folder go at that, as I almost never post the same photo twice or even the same subject twice (or even two views of the same model, as I think it indicates a paucity or dearth of material for the photographer and anybody looking at my portfolio and folders KNOWS I don't suffer from lack of subject or subject matter).

 

Doug Hawks: This One's For You. (Apologies to Budweiser).

 

With Special Thanks (Or as the Germans label their better or special wines -- no umlaut on this machine -- 'mit pradicat'

 

John (Crosley)

I probably won't be tampering with the shadow/lightness on this photo (unless it gets published or printed somewhere other than Photo.net), as that suits my whims as least amount of manipulation.

 

Thanks for the fine compliment.

 

I started with old photos posted a year ago, and didn't even post any for critique until about 11 or 10 months ago, so look at the progress one can make (2-1/2 million views or so)

 

You have some wonderful work in the four photos I saw, so you should hold a candle to no one, and don't worry about the ratings -- just take good photographs or ones that please you and let the ratings fall where they may . . . eventually someone, somewhere will fall in love with your work (I like the statue with the birds (pigeons), and feel you have an original eye -- nurture it and it will serve you well.

 

Thanks for commenting.

 

John

Yes, Eugene, I also agree, (at the urging first of Doug Hawks who has a fortuitous eye and a very skillful eye and camera) that B&W suits this photo, although the reds also suit it and make it a very different photo.

 

The ratings tell the difference (almost a full point higher or so in B&W), and I'm proud to post it with my best lifetime work (that which survived) in my Early B&W folder.

 

Thanks for stopping by to comment.

 

John (Crosley)

I tried to 'reply' yesterday, but an Internet 'node' or something 'lost' my comment. I agree that somehow playing with the lightness/darkness would bring the attention more to the man, but I also like making the viewer work a little bit to 'see' a photo, and I'll mull over your suggestion a little bit . . . I'm inclined to leave it be for now, or until I get a book publisher or some agent or some such and they say 'you should do this' and do so with authority related to sales.

 

Thanks for your nice comment.

 

John

hi john, my guess is that by desaturating, the interesting lines and shapes created by the letters running all over the place, combined with the varied tones, comes out a lot more. again, very nice work, very entertaining street photography.

I looked at your 'attachment' on the 12th try when it finally 'downloaded' yesterday, and regrettably my superlaptop is crashed and no one in this former Soviet Country can fix it (and maybe not at home either but it has a 5-year warranty which the manuf. refuses to honor but I have paperwork . . . aha!!!, so they'll owe me a new computer if they don't fix it)

 

I can't compare your version side by side with my desaturation, and without you to write me a comment on what you did, I am clueless using an Internet cafe monitor exactly what you did.

 

I always appreciate your stopping by.

 

John

I think you 'got it' -- this is a photo that one can criticize and critique until the cows come home but you either 'get it' or you don't. I think you got it. I have fallen in love (or at least strong like) with it. It's some of my best lifetime work. And all that just for walking into an alley/byway in Bangkok with my eyes open and camera ready (and this guy actually did this motion twice and I captured it twice--if you can imagine THAT).

 

Thanks for the comment.

 

John

I never considered how contrieved it would look if it was the same guy...good point. A resemblance is best and it does work. Great pic John thanks for responce.

I dont know if it was staged or not,but it's exelent as it is

Not Staged.

 

Not necessary.

 

Might have considered it, but language problems would have made it impossible. How do I (an American) get together with a Thai near Bangkok, Thailand's Chinatown in an alleyway or a narrow byway to 'stage' a photo? I had about 5 seconds to take this and a companion photo or two, one with his head in a similar attitude but not framed so well (he was in animated conversation). Afterward, I went with my digital screen, lighted it up with this photo, walked up to him, pointed it out to him, and he gave me the thumbs up sign. He was delighted and smiled intensely -- even called a friend over to see it.

 

I made two friends, there in the alleyway of the Central District of Bangkok, Thailand -- he was delighted to be the 'star' of this photo and both immediately saw the relationship of the 'star' of this photo to the poster model, and were highly amused.

 

John (Crosley)

Aren't those points of connection just fantastic? You seem to have the capability of making friends with your camera, JohnC - a very useful trait indeed! Your subjects' smiles never look forced, but genuinely pleased.

Well, it's either 'good editing' or simply because people do genuinely smile, and if you carry a camera everywhere, you can capture that moment.

 

I carry that camera all the time now and never regret that I take that photo, and instead of sneaking away with my prized photo, I'll wink at the couple kissing after I've 'caught' them in a petzaloy (kiss) or show a particularly apt and approachable subject the results of the photo in which they are the star -- why not?

 

After all, I partly gave up photography (or sweated it) because in part I felt like a thief -- stealing images. Now I'm either an accomplished thief, or I feel that in public anybody's a fair target, and/or I'm just generous enough to feel that the beauty of the moment should be shared -- probably a little of all three, I think (said John, musing on why photography seems so much more natural now than for those intervening 35 years in which it was 'hot sweaty work', and now it seems just like fun.)

 

Thanks for saying 'hi!'

 

John (Crosley)

Sometimes old women 'street sweepers' have yelled at me in foreign languages I don't understand as they sweep streets with their makeshift broomcorn brooms beneath street photos (say) of dancing girls for a nightclub, or of jewelry for a fancy jewelry store (you know those street posters, transparencies lighted from behind), and I don't know what they're saying, but it can't be good. And I'll go hide behind something or turn away, pretending to be doing something different or photographing something different, and then, as they sweep beneath the dancing girls, photograph away . . . sorry that I can't explain that I have to create that juxtaposition, for if I create it, the world will see it and maybe take pity on (if not them) the plight of those like them.

And sometimes would-be street thieves come too close to my cameras under the guise of asking for handouts or selling their bodies, having identified me as a potential 'easy touch' and it can get horrifically unhappy, especially as I recall that gypsies (in my pre-camera days twice in Moscow tried to 'swarm' me which involves surrounding a victim and then pushing in on him and stripping him of all possessions from all jewelry, watche, wallet, everything . . . -- to which I adopted a karate pose and yelled for 'Militia' (Police) at the top of my lungs until they backed off.)

 

Life is not always easy smiles on the street, but the smiles I do capture are certainly genuine and this fellow's smile is among the most genuine.

 

Thanks again 'Lee Park' for your interest.

 

John ©

 

 

John instead of a simple desaturation I used the chanel mixer on a monocrome outpu. If my memory doesn't betray me I think I used 25% red, 60% green and the rest was blue. I also increased the sharpness a bit. I only made the dark parts darker and took away the overblow whites. It isn't mucho but well I think somehow it gains a little on clarity.

 

Sorry for answearing so late but I was a little constraint by work, you know that thing which you get paid for ;-)

 

Have a nice day John and take care.

 

B.

This image has been desaturated again and replaced using one desaturated using 'channel mixer' more on the lines of B.B.'s suggestion above, although not the same as B.B. has done. It has been slightly 'sharpened' although not much, and the desaturation was done by color channels and converted to monochrome, all to my personal taste.

 

I couldn't achieve the 'darkness' or contrast of B.B.'s suggestion without destroying the lines of the photograph and left it more like the original.

 

Thank you B.B. for the help.

 

John