The Bull Pen

'The Bull Pen' for foreign viewers refers to a place where baseball

game pitchers who are not throwing 'warm up' before entering a

baseball game. Here, it seems the 'thrower' is pitching something

else, bull____ perhaps(?) to his target. Notice the colors and

patterns as well as how the content fits into the background. 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

John, what I see here, is the "daily happy hour".... that does not look happy at all...The people are looking even bored...well composed. Pnina

You have seen something I didn't see at all, as I saw these folks and watched them as I took two tours around the area, taking a total of about 27 or so photos.

 

They were in animated and friendly conversation, but that is NOT what the photo shows, is it?

 

So, the 'truth' of the circumstances is not the 'truth' of the photo, another contradiction.

 

Which is better?

 

Your interpretation of course . . . however simple boredom is not the opposite of happiness unless you're an adrenaline junkie. But to the extent that they do look unhappy, your point is very well taken.

 

I am so happy for your critique (as well as others who point out such things).

 

Well seen and critiqued! It needed your fresh eye. To borrow a name from bartender parlance: an 'eye-opener'.

 

John

Thank you John, I saw it many times, that the story WE have of the image is not necesarily what the image is transmiting to others, and thats why what you call a "fresh eye" is needed. Pnina

A 'fresh eye' is always appreciated. I'm reviewing a year's shooting, picking out photo I overlooked and there are a few gems in them.

 

And I have a friend who's a commercial photogapher who runs a photofinishing business and when he sees my stuff he goes apopletic, he likes certain photos so much that I think are just ordinary, but it's his taste (and mine), but not PN taste, often. But he's been published and run a commercial studio, and photography has been his life, he's brilliant, and he has taste I can't ignore.

 

I can always use a Fresh Eye.

 

Yours here, and in a corollary photo, Jeremy Freeland in another today both added comments that pointed out something I didn't see in two photos of mine.

 

Eventually it will work itself into 'Presentation Text' as part of the analysis of such photos.

 

(This is the lessor of two photos, by the way. There'a another one of him sitting atop the garbage collection box, talking to her, neon beer signs to the right, also included.

 

Watch my single photo folder in a month or two.

 

By the way,the raters don't particularly like this photo, but I like it so much.

 

 

John

John, raters at pn are not always a good index for a right judjement, as there are many that have a camera,but are not photographers...

Hear, hear! Especially regarding 'street photography'. Tnx Pnina

John - I nearly fell off my chair when I saw this!!!! Fantastic! It is as though these folks are 'realizing' thier inner dreams through the mural painting. (my own interpretation)

Sports and desert. Two mainstays in American life. This is a lovely and fun image. Again - it takes a wizard to see and capture like this. Cheers,

Lee

 

and by the way-

How the heck do you get all your street people to color-coordinate with thier surroundings? You must travel with a gifted stylist. LOL

Lee, I had a psycho shouting in my ear threatening me, after I took an earlier photo of him across O'Farrell Street from my car -- from which I took this near the Century Theatre (lap dance palace) -- and he demanded to know why I took his photo from outside my open car window (left, driver's side) across the street, as I was shooting this couple across the one-way street through my open passenger window with an 80~200 mm lens (or was it a 70~200 mm V.R. lens?).

 

He got real agitated as he shouted and gesticulated, so as I was shooting with my Nikon F5, I was fumbling with one of my two cell phones and had dialed 911 and threatening the guy to push 'send' and bring the cops to put him back in jail presumably for 'breaking probation' or 'breaking parole', eventually my 'bluff' won AND I got this shot and another several and sped away, leaving him in the dirty gutter 'wondering' what I was all about.

 

(Who said the life of a 'street shooter' was easy, or that one had to WALK the streets to be a street shooter, as mostly for these shots I DROVE around, and covered a LOT of territory, from the slums to downtown and back in circles -- shooting shoppers to those in skid row and back and all in between in a sort of circular pattern, with my cameras cradled in my lap and across the passenger seat in fairly light afternoon traffic?

 

And WOW!

 

I hadn't noticed the 'color cordination' aspect of this photo. You have a very wonderful eye. I'm blown away that you should have noticed this.

 

I know I loved parts of this photo for reasons I couldn't exlain, and now I know one of them (see other such photo -- 'single photo folder' -- with same guy atop the trash barrel).

 

Love the comment.

 

John