Checking out a Tryst?

This businessman-looking guy appears a little disturbed as he's being

photographed, and the reason may be when one reads the text of what

he's reading -- a guide which features a place for couples to meet

for possible trysts -- in other words -- a place for lovemaking. HOW

FRENCH and HOW PARISIENNE!!! Your comments 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

This guy was reading, I walked up behind him, aimed my camera over his shoulder at his reading (he had his glasses up so he could focus as they are distance lenses and I was attracted by that), and then he turned as he heard me, while I got about two frames.

I blew up the captures and found that the right page of this 'guidebook' advertises or directs one to a place on or near the Butte at Montmartre which is ideal for couples meeting (for a tryst?). I don't know for sure what his intentions are, so I have placed a question mark after the sentence and I have NOT made an assertion -- merely a question inspired solely by the photo's content.

For all we know, he's the book's publisher checking out galleys and he's got nothing to do with the page he's turned to -- it's just turned there 'by accident'.

You can figure the odds.

This is one of my happier 'little photos' -- one that privately I value highly, but I hardly thought would garner member support -- just a 'personal geste' of mine which I wished to share.

I get these from time to time in 'street shooting', and they can be priceless, as apparently you judge this photo to be (thanks for the 7/7 rating -- I looked it up after I started this comment).

However, I don't reward high ratings per se, and especially not nearly so much as a valuable critique (and of course as you note, a 7/7 really requires no critique, except maybe as you briefly commented. Thanks again.

(This is near the Louvre, after attending a day's session of Photo Paris Expo. in Oct.-Nov.

That's how far behind I can get, and I'm still checking out captures from three years ago. . . . . and taking them so fast today, I just cannot keep up (I need an entire staff, and a photo processing machine other than my two laptops which I carry with me everywhere and my several terabyte hard drives.)

I can only view a few of my captures -- who knows what gems I've buried because of my own myopia -- I can't see or know everything even about my own captures.

(There are no dog or cat captures, however, very few sunsets, and none that will be posted.)

And, if it counts, I think I'm getting better. I feel like I can go out any day and get a good capture almost anywhere in the world. That's partly because I focus a lot on individuals and their foibles, and individuals are infinitely complex in their actions and interactions, and they are almost everywhere, all the time.

John (Crosley)

Same comment; I couldn't have posed it better, which is why I NEVER pose shots (or I'd say if I did). I'm just not inventive enough to compete with real life. I never could have thought of this scenario -- it's almost right out of a Woodie Allen film, isn't it? (though not, of course, in Paris)

John (Crosley)

Thanks.

The glasses were what attracted me.

Optomologists tell us that the human eyeball is the surest indicator of aging, and this man's inability to focus up close is why he has perched his glasses atop his forehead -- he tried to get a look at the fairly large type of this particular 'guide' book.

And this guy's age is part of the story; an older guy looking (it appears to me) for a tryst, -- or at least he's got the guidebook open to a particular page which indicates that I suppose he's looking for (and with a wife? a lover? and if a lover? of what sex?)

All are unanswered questions, and of course, maybe he just has the book opened randomly (without meaning), and my thoughts really are speculative -- who knows?

I'm happy to have made this capture.

It's more 'pregnant' than it appears.

John (Crosley)

I'm more than a little surprised by the reaction to this 'little photo'. I posted what I thought were some more 'thoughtful' photos today, and expected they'd be the high scorers -- including one that to my mind was priceless -- taken two days ago.

I sat on this for four months and just posted it on a whim because it was in an 'available' folder instead of the photo I was looking for.

Go figure.

Thanks!

John (Crosley)

The ratings and comments reveal that this photo resonated with viewers rather strongly.

While it was a favorite of mine, it sometimes surprises me about the collective

'wisdom' of the raters. For that, they are like 'jurors' sometimes. While this or that rating may be all wet, when the totality of ratings comes in they reflect popular taste, especially if they are not in wide disagreement, as here.

Some photos I post have a range of popularity of 3/3 to 7/7 and wide variation in between. Ratings don't tell much in the case of such photos. This photo is different.

Jurors may not be so 'smart' individually, but collectively, the know and see almost everything and listen to and remember almost everything -- the jury system is a masterful thing, though deeply flawed sometimes in certain instances (just as this rating system is).

I appreciate that raters had greater insight into this photo than I did. I would not have expected it to rate nearly so highly.

John (Crosley)

My comment above, came in over yours and without having seen yours.

Thank you for the compliment; I always thought of this as a little photo to be posted after midnight some Saturday/Sunday a.m. before the roosters started crowing -- just to satisfy me that I'd posted it and not to garner some of the best ratings of the year.

It just goes to show that I am not so full of myself that I really know what's going on. . . . or even reallyt think I do.

I still post what I like and let the numbers and comments work themselves out.

Thanks again.

John (Crosley)

sometimes a photographer gets that 'moment' when everything falls into place -- here it was the guy's face -- his peeved expression as he was going through this guide and passing the page for a 'spa' or some such, 'ideal for couples' -- my quotations, not theirs.

This was just such a moment, captured forever.

I like it very much, but am very surprised, not by the truth of his expression (that goes unsaid) but that the raters and members/subscribers recognized it so well . . . it just goes to show you; never underestimate the raters.

Thanks for the nice comment.

John (Crosley)

I seem to have more 'fans' than I knew.

And this 'little' photo seems to have brought them out.

Who knew? This was just my little jest?

My almost private joke I thought would get a bunch of 3/4s or scores like that.

I'm a total dud at predicting sometimes.

I admit it -- a total dud, sometimes.

There, I said it and you can quote me.

And I thank you for helping show me a dud with your comment; it makes me feel very good.

I will have a harder time underestimating my audience next time, and your comment and others' makes me feel that I have a great number of sympatico individuals out there I was somewhat unaware of.

Felicitations.

;~))

John (Crosley)