Memories Made to Order -- Twenty-Four Hours In Spring

'Memories Made to Order' is the first photo of my folder 'Twenty Four

Hours in Spring', which will be incorporated later into my larger

folder comprised of photos from 24 hours representing one day from

each season, with summer, fall and winter each already represented --

Spring is the only season now unrepresented.

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

submit a harsh or very critical rating, please attach a helpful and

constructive comment/Please share your superior knowledge to help

improve my photography) Thanks! Enjoy! John

I like the strong subject matter of the photo. It's a very original shot, not something we get to see very often.

I didn't like the blown out white board on the left hand side. It's very irritating to the eyes and forces you to take your eyes away from the photo. Also, had you shown the eyes of girl (or guy), it would have emphasised the people side of the photo. Great shot overall.

This was taken on a cruise boat on the Dnieper River in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine, and my companion was the beautiful model of several of my shots (see woman drinking Coca Cola in front of a Coca Cola poster, who is now a fast friend of mine -- soon to turn 18 -- 'platonic' friend, for those of you who are naysayers and doubters. We were seated at a table, having seated there for a Coke for me, a drink for her (she could drink at 15or younger if she wanted to), and I took out my camera and photographed away with my 70~200 from my seat.

What you call the 'white board' actually is a ship pillar. I couldn't move quickly enough to place the hand and camera in silhouette with the ship pillar as the background (it held a canopy overhead from the hot late Spring sun).

It was a most idyllic day, and the whole Dnieper River boat and riverside was populated by lovers, all the more convenient and necessary because Soviet predecessors made apartments very small and not enough of them, forcing lovers out of doors. Weather was idyllic and lovers everywhere and very demonstrative. This shot is emblematic of 'love in the air' and it was intoxicating, and I must admit I felt it strongly myself, and tried to capture it (see future photos for posting, many in this genre, from that day.)

We were unaware that this boat was sailing until the boat's horn blew and it actually sailed, but the sailing was wonderful -- about two hours up and down the Dnieper with drinks and small food serving for small prices (as Westerners count things). All in all, if one overlooks the poor shape of things, an absolutely intoxicating time.

Oh, and even his photo won't show their eyes -- they're deep into exchanging tongues and eyes were quite shut. It was not possible even for his photographs to show their eyes, except quite closed.

Thanks for the comment.

John

Thanks for the story behind this picture. I just love the way photography makes you more aware of the world around you. This photo also shows that a shot need not be technically accurate to have a strong visual impact.

Waiting to see more of your pictures.

You'll see my companion in these photos:

1. Refreshing Pause on the Street

2. Springtime Boat Ride

3. Shop Window and Shopper

The photo 'Springtime Boat Ride' was taken just a few minutes before this photo, and properly should belong in this folder, I think.

That beautiful young woman wishes to become a world famous actress based in Eastern Europe, NOT the United States and does NOT want a US green card or to emigrate to the United States as popular misconceptions would have it. She just is extremely intelligent and our personalities meshed incredibly well, we were inseparable friends for nine days -- she went home to her parents each night and to university each day, meeting me after classes.

There is a myth that all Ukrainians want to come to America, and also all Russians -- hogwash, only a few and out of desperation -- they don't want to leave their families. American men ARE a status symbol for their generally kind and chivalrous treatment of women and lack of alcohol consumption plus their ability to provide a decent living.

There is a shortage of Ukrainian men, as the men die much younger on average (55) than women (72 or older), with men perishing because of alcoholism, accidents at work and on the road (alcohol-related), suicide because of poor prospects and related depression, heart and liver disease related to poor diet (and often alcohol, as alcohol is part of the Russo-Ukraine folklore and diet for men) and general dietary pampering and poor care -- too much cheap butter in the diet, while women watch their weight carefully and have much less stress, as they often are housewives first and watch the kids at (they don't work and are subsidized at very low state expense while kids are young, and women lust first over being a 'wife' and only second at their careers, even though careers may mean being attorneys, doctors, scientists, engineers, etc., as careers are second, and only being a 'wife' and mother gives a woman status in that society today.

I'm 59, and that young woman, Dasha, guessed I'm younger than her father, 42, who had aged signficantly because of hard work, and his biggest dream in his hard life was to have a car of his own.

Her mother reportedly cried when I sent her home with copies of her photos published here because they showed her daugher so beautiful.

Honest, hard-working, intelligent people, first class. Not money-grubbing scammers grabbing for visas -- and not (like American young women) fearful a 'dirty old man' because I'm much older. She made it clear that it was a friendship and not 'lovers' -- so we could talk easily about our mutual 'loves' and desires as good friends do.

Such friendshp is rare indeed, regardless of age and age differences and almost impossible in the United States for a man my age with a person her age, but not so frowned on in her country, I think -- My last wife (Russian and half my age) had parents who asked her if she was crazy when she first brought me home, but later told her after ten days to marry me because she simply would never do better. Her father, 70, still says he 'loves me', even today (Sunday). Our marriage only broke apart because of the effects of her brain tumor and her blaming me for causing it. (yes!) The whole extended family approved of our marriage and regrets the effects of the brain tumor that broke it apart. (She has frontal lobe syndrome -- behavior problems that she refuses to admit that are directed at me).

After the initial 'shock', the entire family ultimately judged our relationship on its merits, instead of some preconceived notion of a set 'age difference' and were quit open-minded about it.

(My previous very steady 'girlfriend' was 15 years older than I, so far as I can tell.)

Go figure. I judge on merits also. The older girlfriend also was a fabulous person.

John

But sadly poor ratings, spoiled by a 1/1.

Abuse@photo.net wrote back that this is Not a 1/1 photo, but would not remove it and suggested I write to Brian Mottershead to contact the member as the rater apparently doesn't like 'street' photos, but Jeremy said expressly this is definitely NOT a 1/1 photo. Kind of a 'contradictory' response, but I go with the flow.

John