Hot Summer Dayz I

A heat wave swept through and intelligent young people went to the

coolest place around -- in this place the town center where a huge

fountain with lots of jets threw cooling water into the air, making

this summer scene. 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

photographic knowledge to help improve my photography. Thanks!

Enjoy! John

This one I like it a lot John. Everything seems exactly where it need to be in this composition.

I like how the two women are talking to each other while the two men are clearly looking at them. Having exposed this photo so everybody appear in silhouette is really a good choice as I find it add a lot of mystery. To me, the rightmost woman is telling to the other: "So what they are looking at us! We are nice, let's just assume it!". The gesture and position of everybody in this photo talk a lot.

The water fountains create a really good background for it, as a lot of texture is added by it's presence. Makes it even more dynamic as one can feel the movement.

The birds are also a very good addition since the really complete the frame. Sometime I find that less is better in a photo, but not in this case. It would feel empty without them. I guess it is because they make this photo even more realistic to what one can see everyday in the cities. They are part of the urban look. It add some nature in this cement landscape.

Last thing I see that I like is how the shadows of the two women are not touching each others, while their silhouette are. It kind of brings me to a parallel universe where something else is happening. I like a lot photos where the shadows are not a pure representation of the real element. It make me think that parallel universes can exist and are surrounding us in our everyday lives.

A very complex but refreshing shot if you ask me!

(Hope I did not made too much grammatical mistakes!)

Stephane

Not only did you make (almost) no grammatical mistakes, but you wrote one of the most cohesive commentaries on a photo of mine ever written.

And you pointed out several things I hadn't even noticed, especially pointing out that the shadows of the women don't touch, whereas their silhouettes do, and the possibility of 'parallel universes' . . . that touches my soul . . . intellectually and artistically.

And yes, these women, bless them, surely are aware of being watched by the men (though they also surely do NOT know them), but women in this particular town make a thorough show of showing themselves and being watched -- it's the main summer sport in this town, to the apparent delight of everyone, including myself at times (watching, not showing, of course, as it's the women who show).

And the women, almost everyone agrees, are among the most well-built in the world, and among the prettiest anywhere (not these two, but many of them).

The heat was record when this photo was taken and at least three of them have beers (sold warm because the coolers, such as they were, were out of 'cool' beer at 10:00 a.m., but this capture does not show the beer bottles/cans).

And yes, the fountain does add 'texture' -- that's a nice note of yours -- very well said; I wouldn't have used those words -- they're better than any words of mine.

(I'd have 'moved' the bottom pigeon, if my ethics allowed it and added some feet -- and if I were a graphic artist and this were bound for the cover of something, that probably would have happened. I can control pressing the shutter, but I can't take everything into account.)

Thanks for the well-thought-out and well-written analysis -- It didn't have to be admiring to be admired, either. You can critique and still be accepted when your points are well made.

John (Crosley)

It's easy to write cohesive critique on your photo, as there are so many things to analyze in them. One would think that everything was under your total control in this photo when you pressed the shutter (okay, except this bottom bird if you wish!).

You have this talent to spot the scene that speaks a lot. I've always admired you for this.

Stephane

I can recognize a 'good scene' when I see it, but I took 20 or so photos of this scene, mostly of the two women, mostly from the knees up before I hit upon backing off with my tele by moving about, shortening my tele (by moving closer to the people instead of hiding in far distance) and with back to a building wall, I 'SAW' his scene unfold, and then disappear, all in a fraction, and caught the events on my sequence of frames, which I later reviewed to find the best one.

I am very good, in scenes such as this, in finding the best one; something I did for a living once. It was little problem to desaturate -- no inspiration was required as there was only a hint of color anywhere, as all the exposure values (EVs exceeded --- or did not exceed) the limits of the sensor, resulting in a silhouette appearance anyway, and it was just a matter of the 'finishing touch' by killing off what remained of the color.

It was a good 'stroke' to catch the woman's 'left' (as you view it) arm in such an interesting position, as that really is what carries the photo, in my view; it's unnatural if viewed as though one were viewing her head on; and does not realize this is a 'distorted' sideways view/she's sideways to the camera (see angle of shadows, revealing why her arm appears distorted the way it does).

And if I were adept at 'moving' things on a 'cobbled' or stonework background, such as pigeons -- a better than basic Photoshop user, this is one case in which the pigeon might have been moved. If it ever is exhibited, the pigeon in fact might be moved (or deleted, but I prefer moved) as it detracts considerably, in my opinion/I hate to see any thing's body parts 'break the frame' (although in one of my best, a recent one of a littl girl with a bent leg, next to a photo of an athlete with a 'bent leg' there is a background figure 'breaking the frame' and it appears 'acceptable' to me -- go figure.)

This is an unusual photo for me, which I shared with those around me, as these subjects were entirely unaware of being 'shot' and bystanders who were aware of my shooting them wanted to call out to them to make them aware of it; I shushed them with my finger and tried to 'bring them in on the secret by motioning them over to my digital screen, using my finger across my lips, to imply secrecy, so they wouldn't tip off the young people being photographed -- a good hint for those who have to contend with nosy bystanders who want to 'give their photographying away--bring the bystanders in on the secret; and you can decide which captures they see or don't see, as circumstances develop, denying bystanders a view of any capture that might offend the persons being viewed -- a good reason for NOT using a tripod, in which the viewfinder screen becomes more open to view by anyone nearby.

Gadz, I'm full of it today. Must be the Hot Summer Dayz.

John (Crosley)

It's very strange perhaps, but I happened to be wondering about a ``parallel universe'' almost as soon as I saw this picture in the thumbnail. I opened it and Stephan's comment came up below with ``parallel universe'' right there :))

Interesting. I guess I'll not overload this delightful picture with my personal views... it's time for me to shut up and enjoy the view.

Best regards my friend.

There's no overloading my comments section with 'chatter' unless it's thoughtless chatter, which, strangely, seems to be missing from my comments section for the most part.

I get absolutely some of the most thoughtful commentaries (comments) I ever could have imagined and maintain some of the most interesting discussions with members/subscribers through these comments on a wonderful variety of subjects, including now, it seems, parallel universes.

And, for the record, it seems to me, that in many ways, men and women live in parallel universes, experiencing the world from quite different perspectives . . . in ways that 'women's liberationists' never would have admitted --- at least the early Gloria Steinems and others . . . before the movement became part of the US maintstream.

Judging by a female's comment from a former Communist Country south of the former USSR, however, women's liberation, now part of the US mainstream, has hardly entered her culture, though Communists pioneered placing women in the professions (probably under the 'thumb' of males, always.

But in the U.S. it seems that Americans have gone a little 'overboard' perhaps in terms of certain parts like major punishment for minor transgressions attributable to minor male conduct that allegedly constitutes a 'sexually unfriendly workplace'.

One close personal friend got asked to leave his job because he talked to a mentally unstable woman coworker who later was asked to leave because of that instability (he didn't then know she was mentally unstable) about his personal life, including his girlfriend as he and and the woman worked together in what seemed to him to be harmony -- and mostly to beat the boredom in a dull, uninspiring job in which he took great pride in doing perfectly; he is a most chivalrous guy who'd never overstep his bounds if he lived to be Methuselah's age . . . and just the accusation was a cause of great sorrow for me personally . . . since I've watched him around all sorts of people for over 15 years and also know his reputation . . . and absolutely know he was misunderstood, and he became so depressed by the accusation that he 'just gave up', knowing (he's a law grad) that the system was stacked against him (women are believed and men disbelieved in such matters these days, and to fight would have cost tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars for a not high-paying job which he took very seriously.

(That does NOT excuse the auto sales boss who calls all his workers 'fairies' if they don't get top sales each day, week, and month, and who sexually humiliates everybody by his hourly prattle, or anyone who subjects anyone within earreach to unwanted sexual innuendo, jokes, visual material, etc.

It's just more than that -- it's gone to the point where if a man is accused of somehow 'being around' a woman and it's allegedly because of 'sexual interest' even though not expressed (but somehow divined by the intended person), then the man loses his job and there's a major award to the complaining woman. And there now are more women entering law (and in law school) and more becoming judges daily, so there's little hope this unevenness in justice administration will swing back toward an even justice.

At one time, justice ignored the child molesters, rapists, etc., as society didn't want to admit they existed, and the sexual harassers got caught up with those people, -- and some sexual harassers are pretty awful people by anyone's standards, but in American society's (over)reaction to the very real issues presented by the above problems, it has literally swept up some very good people with the bad, including some worthy people who didn't deserve it.

(and no, nobody ever made such accusations against me.)

The woman from the former Communist country complained of men alleging women in her country, if a woman dressed 'not perfectly' was accused of 'going American' and subjected to derogatory remarks . . . .

Most of the women I've talked to in the Eastern Country(ies) where I've traveled (and I've had some close talks) seem not to mind at all in meeting men's expectations -- many absolutely revel in their beauty, and they are SO blessed with it -- so it may all be in the mind of the discerner . . . and those with a liberationist bent (and God bless them . . . nobody should be held to any standard they don't want to keep by choice) should have a right to choose what they want to be.

But they shouldn't go looking for husbands among those men (in that or another former Communist country) who hold women to the 'old standard' . . . instead of the American standard . . . I think.

I've written extensively about the differences between American women/men and Ukrainian women/men, and hers was one voice (from another, nearby country) that spoke out and was heard from a different and welcome point of view.

I recently met one Ukrainian woman, returned to Ukraine at 27 for a five-week visit with 'family'.

She was stunningly beautiful, with beautiful clothes, cared for sveldtly (but somewhat larger than the average Ukrainian woman with a full American diet since she left at 15, and somewhat homesick for America. She reaped, in America, I understand a double benefit. Looking what to Americans appeared 'stunning', she had a full and rewarding life of prosperity leading to a life in a community of high income, whereas if she's stayed in Ukraine, she (a mother at a very young age --- pre high-school graduation if I understand, and no university), she'd have had a life of poverty.

Her looks (and her brains and personality) got her many things in America she could never easily have obtained in Ukraine because beauty in Ukraine is common currency, and I think it sunk in how much she loved her life in America (and how poor parts of Ukrainian life were) and how homesick she was to hear an American accented English speaker.

Just some thoughts, along with the fountain photo above.

The conversation above, with the Ukrainian-American woman, was held on the other side of this fountain (making it a pro pos, perhaps?)

By the way, she was SOOO beautiful that just looking at her reminded me of what Dustin Hoffmans' character, the high-functioning Raymond in the movie with Tom Cruise entitled 'Rain Man', said when they almost broke a Las Vegas casino in blackjack by 'counting the cards' then shared an elevator with stunning women. When Cruise's character (Hoffman's movie brother) asked the idiot-savant man played by Hoffman about what he thought about the women he had seen in the elevator, bedecked with jewels and dressed to the teeth, the Hoffman character replied:

'Sparkly'

Or simply gorgeous.

That's how the Ukrainian-American woman looked 12 years after she left Ukraine; full of the markings of prosperity.

John (Crosley)