When the Wife's Not Looking (B&W ed.)

'When the Wife's Not Looking' seeks to illustrate the universality

of maleness. This man and his portly and somewhat unattractive and

overweight wife, steals a moment while she looks away, to look

longingly at the three posters of young, atractive women plastered

on the side of a main building in Karl Marks Square, Dnepropetrovsk,

Ukraine. (The couple hardly believed I was taking their photo

because at 12 mm setting on my lens, I was nearly a foot or so from

them). 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 ;~))

Hi John,

what I don't like in this picture:

1. the pole coming from the woman's head.

2. the woman is out of focus, the man is not really sharp.

Somehow I follow the sight of the man, but then I get lost before arriving to the point he's looking.

Good potential but not one of your best... although it tells a funny story.

Good commentary.

I'll try sharpening the man and woman a little bit -- that will be no problem, although I think you may be a little perfectionist (this was an after dark photo, which only looks like it was taken in daylight because of lightening processes caused by use of 'levels' and 'contrast' adjustment.)

I think that most viewers will not be 'attuned' to 'poles' growing out of heads, as most people tend to make allowances in their minds for 'depth of field' and intervening objects when viewing a wide angle photo such as this -- it's an issue, but I think most viewers will not see that as much an issue as you, a skillfull, highly attuned photographer.

The color version may work a little better, since they are pretty ruddy in their faces, and there are reddish/ruddy flesh tones in the middle photomodel on the building wall to tie them all together, and I'll consider working with it and also posting it (possibly in a lesser folder someday).

I had a smile when I saw this, and when this came up on my hard drive I relived this scene and not just the scene, but I like this photograph, warts and all.

Like many of mine, it tells a story, and I'll live with low rates or whatever reception it gets, and I will not be taking it down.

And I do appreciate your open comments; you are a true artist and I wish you'd comment more often -- PN is more valuable for this and I take criticism pretty well (although as above, I am neither devastated by it, nor do I accept it all, but I am thankful for all, especially from skilled photographers as you.)

Thank you.

John (Crosley)

If my wife looked like that, I'd be looking too. When I'm in this particular square, it's often filled with young, and very available beautiful women, often very, very smart, intelligent and highly educated, but stuck in a part of the world where there's little outlet for their capabilities and because of my education and my Western connection plus my multitude of interests, they find me a very interesting guy. (Entirely contrary to the U.S. point of view).

This is just another of my 'styles', I think, working with a very wide angle, very up close. As noted above, I was almost inches from this couple and it required a 12mm (with digital APS size sensor) to bring the full building into the scene. They turned when they heard the shutter 'click' a little, and seemed to inquire if I'd photographed them, but I just raised my camera and indicated the side of the building, and they took that to mean I was photographing the side of the building (and not them, they inferred wrongly), but I never told them an untruth, or even told them anything at all.

I'm quite happy with this photo. When I worked at Associated Press, if they foresaw the pole would have been a problem they would have taken grey airbrush paint and painted it into greyness somewhat -- a trick that can be accomplished in Photoshop by selecting and taking down the contrast and/or brighting it considerably so it blends more with the background, which I will consider doing. I'm not bothered by it, but if others are (are you, viewers?), I will consider taking another step to enhance this photo, and manipulate it so.

I do like the look, exaggerated by the wide angle lens, of the woman, left. She truly contrasts with the photomodel(s) on the billboard(s) rear which the man is regarding.

They were moving when I took this photo, not stopped, so this required split-second timing, and I was almost touching them when I took this photo.

I foresaw it coming, and positioned myself to take it; (thanks Pogue Mahoney --

Andy E., for explaining the theory behind what it is I do -- previsualizing).

John (Crosley)

What about this -- the woman was moving and it's motion blur that even Photoshop CS2 motion blur on smart sharpen cannot cure, but I hardly care as I like her blurred -- it moves attention to the man and the photomodels in the background yet still shows her as pretty 'not good looking'.

See attached.

I guess the moral is: doesn't matter how pretty she looks when she's young, she'll end up like this after you're married her.

John, I love the story(ies) told by this picture, and a few minor quirks avoid it to become a masterpiece, but I prefer having seen it rather than missing it in the wait for perfection.

I think you have the correct conclusion. This was a photo taken on 'a hope and a prayer' - all imagined, framed and taken in less than three seconds, and it worked out pretty well, and so what for the minor problems.

In Ukraine, you are right, the beautiful, oh so beautiful young women, are ground down by a difficult life and so often end up looking like this, while their American brethren (sisters), who don't look nearly so good as youths look pretty stunning into their 40s, 50s, and even 60s, nursed by health spas, diets, driving in autos and the 35 and 40-hour work week and good medical care.

But there is a new generation of Ukrainian women growing up, and we'll have hope for them -- they're fashion conscious, aware of their beautiful looks, but still hopeful of having a family by age 25 (or they're not really accepted). Often the best looking ones are also university graduates and, most attractive to me, are very very bright but the Ukrainiam men tend to ignore the brightest of them (not me though, so they tend to like me a lot. I never want for company in Ukraine, despite age and not so wonderful physical appearance -- and nobody's looking for a 'green card'.)

Also, about this photo, I like the particular 'balance' of this one. There are 'threes' in this photo. The man and his wife (and the model). Or the three photomodels in the color version.

This will end up in my 'Threes' Presentation, I am sure.

I think this is more of the 'street' photograph that I can take when I have a more 'wide angle' lens on my camera, which I do from time to time, and when I 'work the crowd' from up close, which I don't do often. (Heads up, Frederick Pascual!!!, Mon Ami)

John (Crosley)

This is one of those 'hail Mary' photos (American football fans know what that means -- one says 'Hail Mary' as one presses the shutter, just praying for a good result).

When I viewed the result in my screen, the two captures were horribly dark, with almost no detail at all in the subjects, but they were brought out by lightening in the contrast adjustment process, only after a very long delay and only because of a fluke (I said to myself 'I wonder how that photo would have looked if the contrast and exposure had been correct' and lo, and behold it was interesting and I was able to make appropriate adjustments)

For, as noted above, this really was a semi-nighttime shot and the sky dominated the exposure with very little exposure info in the foreground and even the posters in the background which I think are illiminated, however.

Now, after 15,000 views, (despite low ratings) this photo just grows on me. It bespeaks a universal truth, I think (and just look at that wife, however distorted she is by that 12~24 wide angle lens, she is no beauty in a land famed for its beauties).

John

;-))

Despite moderate ratings, this photo continues to outdraw 'views' compared to equally and higher-rated brethren in the same folder.

It tells a story, and a universal one at that, despite the initial criticisms made by Bruno T. above, which were valid but as seen from a Photo critic's background, not particularly from a more casual viewer's background.

I think I 'caught a moment' here, and the moment is universal.

And that viewers recognize that, which is why they click on this photo at an outsize rate compared to others which are diaplayed next to it with higher or even much higher ratings numbers.

John (Crosley)

This photo got six rates and not high ones at that, yet it far outdrew other photos with a full rate point higher.

It's a universal truth, I think and people understand it for the humour in it.

I know at least that I do.

Each time I scroll through my portfolio or this folder, when I see this photo, I just smile and quietly chuckle.

It wasn't chuckles when I took this scene; it was sweaty, burdensome work with heavy cameras around my neck.

But since I first saw this capture, I am impressed by the story if tells; one with a little irony and humor and that can be extrapolated to the whole human experience of men vs. woman -- the elements of misunderstanding between the sexes. In essence, it features the elemental difference between men and women and speaks to that higher truth (in my mind at least).

John (Crosley)