day and evening in san francisco -- a one-day exercise Two Words: 'Lap Dancers'

Two Words: 'Lap Dancers' is a photo from my recent two-hour trip

through San Francisco, found now in my folder 'Another Two Hours in

San Francisco. Let me know what you think. Available light.

Processed to B&W through channel mixer in Photoshop, otherwise full

frame and unmanipulated. (If you rate harshly or very negatively,

please submit a helpful and constructive critique/Please share your

superior knowledge to help improve my photography) Thanks! Enjoy!

John

The contradictory expressions here are extremely blatant, the woman on the left has a genuinely warm and friendly smile, the woman on the right is looking in an almost melancholy way toward you, then there is the nymphette in the middle :) Interestingly the lighting is an almost inverse of the traditionally accepted black/bad, white/good relationahips, with the central figure being the brightest. This is a great image.

I have interesting feelings about this capture -- I like it very much, but hadn't analyzed it for reasons why -- it is a tableau which just 'appealed' to me.

 

Maybe now that I have read and reread your analysis, I have a clue why. Yours is a most interesting analysis, and, I think, spot on -- almost brilliantly stated in its depth and succinctness.

 

I am taken also by its lighting -- almost unique for an available light capture under the almost completely 'red' light of a nightclub entrance on a busy street (Broadway, North Beach, San Francisco, with a 'slow' but vibration reduction, lens), for an interesting shading effect on the women, especially the leftmost and rightmost women. (I might have worked more on the centermost woman who has 'color' but little 'texture' by adding 'pixellation' -- not grain -- as this is a digital capture -- to give this capture 'flavor' and still may if I ever exhibit, which is something that I am now contemplating.

 

And if I ever do exhibit 'faces' this is one I seriously would consider.

 

Your comment is right on!

 

John (Crosley)

Wonderful catch here. I think the energy - so diverse- and varied expresions were caught at the peak of the doing. You do have a knacK for finding these umcommon moments/ juxtapostions and capturing them so well.

You street work is poetry. It is evident that you care about your world and are blessed with the magic of wit and grace.

I remain a faithful fan of your work. Cheers, yur bud-

Lee

You have far more 'heart' than I, and are far more a gentle soul than I. To take my 'street' photos you have to be a little 'tough' and be able to wade into tough situations and 'talk tough' somehow when people say 'take my picture' and others say curse words at you, while others are drunk and make like they're going to mug you or assault you for taking a photo of their girlfriends whose bosoms are falling out of their tops outside of nightclubs, while their bottoms are showing beneath their hiked up skirts. (and somehow it's an intrusion to 'look' and even a worse intrusion in a public place like a crowded sidewalk to point a camera at such an attention 'wh . . re'. . . who craves that attention and perhaps does it just to have her drunk boyfriend do just what he does, get angry drunk and threatening.)

 

With a Leica, it's different than carrying 'big' equipment such as Nikon SLRs, and the dynamic is quite different; and one can actually 'shape' the photographs by choosing equipment. Interesting thought, hunh?

 

Best to a kind guy, kinder and gentler than I.

 

John

At least two of these 'lap dancers' are Filipina, if I understand what they told me correctly. From their accents, I would understand that they were schooled in the US and may be 'second generation', or in the US for a long time.

 

Anyone who ever has been to the Philippines (at least when I last was there a long time ago at Subic Bay/Alongapo City and its infamous 'Pauline's Club' knows that that city and those islands once were famous for the 'sex trade'.

 

So, these women are emblematic of what is left of a thriving trade that has crossed the Pacific.

 

'Lee': I'm probably a better 'editor' than photographer: I'm pretty good at picking out the 'good photograph from a pile of 'junk' spelled 'c r a p' John

 

John (Crosley)

I found the piece of paper on which these 'girls' gave me their names and two e-mail addresses and have written them. They are (not in order) Layla, Jessy Bonds and Candy (I am sure I got the order wrong and am asking them to correct me.)

 

They were very nice to me and quit cooperative.

They also made very good models; showgirls by profession, they naturally know how to adopt (and adapt to) a particular 'look'.

 

This is just one of several photo, and in others, other tongues are sticking out and one who looks shy and innocent here, may look differnt in another photo (and vice versa).

 

This projected sexuality is just 'modeling' and playing for the lens, not the true persons inside these pretty heads (at least so far as I know).

 

Also, I assumed they are 'lap dancers' from what others told me; I did not enter and see (or feel) for myself (they'll politely -- I hope -- correct me by return e-mail or comment if I'm wrong.)

 

John (Crosley)

For the woman in the middle she speaks of lascivious attempting to become provocative. Yet she is flanked by altogether different faces toward us. This is an excellent image which illustrates three different faces on a world that is primarily a foreign country for most of us. And a completely different world for these young women. It is kind of bizarre and yet sad at the same time. Obviously people do whatever they have to do to make a better living. But you've got to wonder how comfortable they really are on the inside? I photographed many "adult stars" in San Francisco in the 80's before Asian tours, and for myself it became an introspective look at my feelings and my relationship to women. This sort of image provides a very unintrusive and non-condemning view of a very interesting world and I think it illustrates how we project our needs for intimacy onto others, however superficial. Really appreciate such a great image. You do a marvelous job with all of your 'people' images. This is definitely an avenue worth pursuing further.

Your comment is long, thought provoking and introspective. Ordinarily I might address its content and supplement it with an experience or two from my own life, but I think this time it's so poingnant I'll just let it stand on its own -- a tribute to its own poignancy -- and a mighty tribute to the evocative power of a photograph.

 

(You might be interested to know that in other frames, others of these 'girls' (women) had their tongues sticking out and the 'innocent' ones were not nearly so 'innocent looking' at all and vice versa, all within the course of a few seconds. What strikes you and others as a 'profound' capture may be just that, but it's as much a result of photo editing as anything . . . or maybe we all have within us co-existing the lacivious and the little child . . . as these 'girls' seem to have had the night of this capture.)

 

Thanks for the fine tribute.

 

I'm moved by your response.

 

John

Philip,

 

A glance through your 'highest rated' photos of others' gallery, shows one of the most amazing galleries of such photographs I have come across on this site. (I affirmed that I would write this comment before I found this photo in that gallery, and now am humbled that it's there, but it seems to fit within the very 'considered' and 'thoughtful' - even brilliant 'stylistic' requirements that you bring to that gallery.

 

I no longer can find 'featured PN critics', and if you can, please, let me know, as you surely would belong there, if that feature still is alive.

 

(and this, again, was an idea formed before I had an idea that this photo would be included, as I write comments before I view ratings, or look at others' portfolios.)

 

Felicitations

 

John

I took this photo and others from the 'streets of San Francisco' the day and night before I drove to Nevada and spent there one-half day before driving back home to California (no motel).

 

It was an incredibly productive two-day endeavour, as I apparently was 'hot' with many captures from the Nevada trip also receiving accolades, and many with wide-ranging 'style'.

 

That's one thing about my photography -- if I see it, I more than likely will shoot it if it fits within any style, whether or not it's 'my' style or someone else's preferred style, as 'who knows' maybe somewhere I'll just find another 'nitch'.

 

When I practiced law, I was an expert in such diverse things as 'oil and gas pricing', Social Security law, 'disability law', tort law, real property conveyancing, etc. etc.

 

In actuality I could never claim to be a 'specialist' but instead a generalist with very, very specific knowledge that often surpassed that of specialists in certain fields (and totally lacking in some).

 

And the wonderful part of law school training is that they teach one how to think critically (a talent I -- possibly unfortunately -- already had -- and so when a new subject is approached, the skills already are there to tackle it, since the lawyer's skills are to disassemble to its pieces the whole and then reassemble it (sometimes in a distorted way for the litigator, it seems, a part I did not like so much, especially when insurance litigators always seemed to reconstruct things catywampus to the truth).

 

So, the ability to deconstruct then reconstruct has carried over in to my photography, I think, and rather than sticking to one subject, as, say, John Peri, who shoots only beautiful women, I try to shoot everything (lacking the beautiful women), and try to make everything 'interesting' no matter what it is I shoot.

 

If it's interesting to me and those who view a capture, then it's a success, I think.

 

(After all, as I have noted before, who wants to look at a bunch of dull photos that are uninspired and uninspiring.)

 

My photos have garnered well over 1,000 and maybe over 2,000 comments in two years, and the comments seem to pile in (not counting my own in return to be fair, also), and I take that as a sign that the photos are interesting enough to be thought-provoking, and that those who write are provoked enough to write something.

 

And I am so grateful I almost always write them back, except what may have appeared to be a fit of seeming ungratitude I missed writing back to the wonderful photographer who wrote me about problems with JPEG artifacts in my photos, and I can't find the post to write him personally to thank him as I think I've fixed the problem (wrong checked box on Photoshop JPEG compression choice).

 

'Thank You,' my now-anonymous benefactor.

 

One can only imagine that the evening I took this and other photographs I could not find my flash and do not use the incapable flash atop the D70, so this is a desaturated available light photograph taken at night under very reddish outdoor lights under a Broadway, North Beach, San Francisco, CA sex nightclub, and all of the action here and in preceding and subsequent fames took place in less than two or three minutes before it all disappeared, and the women dancers, all disappeared behind the red curtain that separates them from the 'street' and their 'barker' and 'bouncer' who was beside me when I took this photograph.

 

Who knew when I took it (and was fooling around with these women -- serious fooling around though, though they did not know it) that it would turn out so well?

 

Sometimes I pick up a camera and everything I look at I see differently and I am 'one with my camera' and everything rises to a whole different plane.

 

(or i just get lucky).

 

John (Crosley)

 

 

Dropped by to check on additional posted comments and found your flattering discourse on my gallery of highly rated images and critique commentary. Thanks for your very kind words. I think it's interesting to note that although photographer's say they wish to receive critical appraisal both via comment and ratings on their images, I find that when I really do an in-depth critique of an image, my comments generally go without a response and tend to not leave a rating if I feel the image contains major flaws. If I leave a postive critique I feel somewhat compelled to submit a higher "rating" for the images I've found appear to be successful. Positive critique or commentary almost always generates a response irregardless of whether or not I rate the image. I think what is really missing here on Photo-Net is the honest exchange of real critique. Most comments run like; "Nice job, congrats," "Very good," or "Excellent shot." Not much depth to it. When I recently signed-up for "Five" (five critiques per visit), I really felt challenged to actually delve into the imagery both technically and aesthetically. I'd like to think that we're at least trying to honestly comment on photographic imagery. Not to sound like an elitist, but I don't think most photographer's here are really ready for honest critique. Just give them their sixes and sevens and be on your way. We all want that "feel-good" confirmation for what we're creating!

I don't leave a lot of critiques, but sometimes I spot early efforts that stand a lot of work, and those I lavish the criticism on (honest, real criticism on, like a teacher).

 

For those works, I try to delve into the photos' fine points and why they succeed in what they do, and why mostly they do not succeed AND how to improve them and what to look out for when shooting a similar subject again together with general pointers for the future.

 

And I make a point of NOT RATING when I do that, so not to scare the poor subject away, and as a point of generosity -- it's part of the process to take someone by the virtual hand and say -- hey, you got a camera, and you've got the guts to take and post photos, now here's how to take better photos and get that acclaim you're not going to get with these, and pretty soon you'll be going up the ladder -- after all I started out not too long ago.

 

Five a visit is a laudable goal. I seldom five 'good photo' or any such type of back pats, and go for in depth criticism coupled with pats on the back for even having the 'guts' to post.

 

After all, it takes guts to expose one's fledgling work to the world, and the criticism here (or at least the rates) can be harsh to the ego.

 

I very much liked your highest-rated gallery, and every word written there was honest -- no payback. It was an excellent gallery, and it moved me. I don't rate enough ever to be accused of 'mate-rating' or giving 'payback' in any form.

 

I can tell you absolutely love photography, and it shows.

 

John (Crosley)