The Passage of Time**+

The Passage of Time, a street portrait, illustrates how the old 'bow

out' and the young follow, in full bloom this Spring,

Dnepropetrovsk, Ukraine. Your ratings and comments 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

A spontaneous photo; you took the picture at the right time :)

Nice old lady by the way....

Who knew?

 

I've posted several photos this evening, having a break from my travels.

 

I moved, pushed people aside almost, arched my back, tripped over snow and ice, grumbled as people intervened between me and this woman, and wondered if she'd ever step in front of this lighted poster again, but she did.

 

Then with my numerous captures, I had the job of trying to guesss which would be the most popular (and probably the best) if shown on Photo.net -- some photos just beg to be taken, and unlike Judy Ben Jude, who's the Queen of Juxtaposition, I'm only a minor luminary, but I work at it consistently and am more an acolyte or a journeyman as opposed to a 'star' in the the juxtaposition firmanent.

 

But it seems I got the point through -- the ratings so far have astounded me. Also, there's bias on Photo.net towards well-captured old people.

 

Soon enough maybe I can take self-portraits, make a few funny and/or weird faces, and get 6/7s for my photo self-portraits ;-))

 

Thanks as ever for stopping by.

 

John (Crosley)

 

 

I forgot to mention in 'details' that this is a full-frame photo. I was tempted to edit out the 'advertising' text of the lighted billboard and in another context might simply desaturate it or change it into all black or white to take away its meaning, but I frame in the camera without allowance for cropping and I couldn't figure out a good crop that took away the text, so this is presented with text, although I dislike the message of the text.

 

Although the Cryllic alphabet is popular in this Ukraine city, Dnepropetrovsk, and the advertising message is in the Latin alphabet and that's a cigarette name, it's mostly cut off, so we don't see the word 'cigarette' below, most of which would be indecipherable to an average Ukrainian, except through simple association (since most don't recognize the Latin letters, especially the older ones like her.)

 

There's also a juxtaposition here, not noted: Warm/Cold (or two states of warmth -- one wearing a slight sweater -- pullover to those of you in Germany -- are you there Alexander Ziegler? -- and the other bundled up for warmth).

 

John (Crosley)

Still remeber your "Its a hard life" ... Nice picture, this one ... I like the perspectives behind your shots a lot .. Always trying to put some feelings and expression on the faces instead of trying to capture a beautiful face on the street .. Nice work there, friend John ..

Beautiful faces are a Kopek a dozen in Ukraine, until age 32-35 and then a diet of potatoes takes its toll and they grow heavier and heavier and soon a diet of potatoes in the winter and summer makes the women look prematurely like the old babushkas (grandmothers) and so many of them shed their husbands, either because the husbands cheat or leave (because they cheated and found the grass 'greener' or because the husbands get sick, die or are incapable/incapacitated (there are a lot of young windows in Ukraine looking for husbands, including many whose husbands went 'fishing' and never came back -- read 'fell overboard or into the drink while drunk'.

 

This very thin woman is an exception, frankly.

 

As to the expressions, of course it only makes sense to make a capture with an expression -- who wants to see a dull face. Anybody can point a camera at a face and click the shutter, then flutter their eyelids in embarrassment at being so intrusive and turn away.

 

To get these captures requires 'intrusiveness' and 'stealth' and often just a wink at the individual when they realize I've photographed them, (sometimes after five minutes, IF they realize it at all), and a quick smile from me and even a thumbs up sign -- and who can get mad at that?

 

A juxtaposition is not just for the old/young but for the effusive/reticent -- smile/frown as well and to pass that up is to pass up the essence of more complex photography.

 

And if one takes a number of photographs, it becomes a matter of photo editing to pick out the choicest captures, if, as a photographer, I have centered on the proper juxtaposition, as here, where in fading or thin light, I have to take a large number of photos, just to assure myself of anything or I am unsure of framing with a moving subject who might turn out blurry when the image is 'blown up'.

 

Thanks for the compliment. You HAVE been watching my captures.

 

John (Crosley)