The Bar Scene (Miss Apple Valley, First Runnerup)**

This is Rosie, First Runnerup some time ago, Miss Apple Valley, CA,

a woman with a stunning smile, as she paused to meet friends in a

Santa Cruz watering hole one recent night. Her 1,000 watt smile

lighted up this dimly lighted place. (Photo taken at her request.)

Your ratings and critiques are invited and most welcome. (If you

rate harshly or very critically, please submit a helpful and

constructive comment/Please share your superior knowledge to help

improve my photography.) Thanks! Enjoy! John.

The focal length of this huge zoom was set at 24 mm. It just as easily could have been my 24~120 mm lens, f 3.5~5.6 V.R. or my 12-24 f 4 --it's just what was on the camera at the time; there's more than one way to skin a cow.

John

The lighting in this 'bar' is predominantly 'red' but digital camera use by customers is allowed, and (at the time) they made no restrictions on my fancier camera use. This photo was made with a 'huge' SB800 Nikon flash, bounced off the left bar wall, so the lighting is from the left side. That accounts for the 'white' hue from the left, but the overall reddishness from the rear, right and overhead. (The image was color processed to remove excessive 'redness' from this particular premises to make it 'acceptable' for presentation, even though the premises truly are varying shades and hues of red throughout, and this presentation is actually 'unnatural' -- given the 'whiteness' of its overall light rendition.)

John

Several very low ratings on this photo under 'rate recent' do not deter me. This is one of my very best 'street/portrait/environmental' photos ever, probably even better than the other photo posted today, a photo of two death-masked motorcyclists -- it's far more complex and a photo I'm proud to display (low ratings or not).

No blame for those who rate it 'low' -- it's not a photo every one will 'get'. It may 'look' like a 'snapshot' but it's far from it.

John

John,this is one of the most daring compositions i've ever seen and i of corse love it.

Best regards,Judy

You don't have to rate my images high to make me feel good, but I have a feeling that you don't -- that somehow you and I share a common wavelength regarding our photography.

Whereas you see it as daring, I see it just as another image, but one being rather successful, and achieving what I was trying to capture despite rather horrific circumstances (a bar with an overall terrible reddish cast called -- rightly enough -- the 'Red Room') and this was a 'bounce flash' photo with the flash being bounced off the left wall, and the bottles on the bar, left.

Just getting a photo in a crowded bar with a pro camera and a SB800 pro flash is a feat in itself without getting kicked out - everybody tolerates little digicams and camera phones with their flashes, but they get their backs up when they see a 'real' camera, forgetting that the little digicams now have 8 megapixel capabilities and now the better ones come standard with up to 7 megapixel capability.

It's the 'size' of the rig that freaks management out and they almost always stop me at the door and say 'no photos' while flashes are popping inside . . .

I think the time has come to spring for a Digicam with about 8 megapixels or seven that just 'looks innuocuous' and to have some fun, but it's gotta have a really intelligent flash -- and if it has a bounce flash capability, all the better -- or I'll rig a diffuser for the flash out of something like a saran wrap bag or a piece of plastic or something (which will further hide its capabilities, heh, heh, heh.)

Your comments always are welcome here, and I am always happy to see that you have stopped by.

John

This photograph was taken at the request of 'Miss Apple Valley, First Runnerup', for anyone who is interested in such things (and to emphasize a point).

John