A Tale of Two Hands Out

This is a photo of two hands belonging to two individuals in a

civilized, but poor, country. Your ratings and critiques are invited

and most welcome. If you rate harshly or very critically, please

attach a helpful and constructive comment; please share your superior

photographic knowledge to help improve my photography. Thanks!

Enjoy! John

It's a powerful photo. I might try burning in everything but the woman a little to get the viewer to see her quicker but otherwise excellent.

I made a mistake in choosing which version to post.

 

I had reworked this to make it more contrasty and to emphasise the woman, left, with her hand out, before I posted it, but somehow my cursor hit the wrong photo when I went to upload. Good eye on your part - your critique is exactly on.

 

Try refreshing your browser now for the 'correct' version. Admittedly it's still not too contrasty - this photo was taken after sunset on a city street/sidewalk, and tones at that time are very 'flat' and any light part tends to 'blow out' in the Nikon sensors if it's correctly exposed according to Nikon Matrix Metering.

 

Thanks for letting me know it's as 'powerful' as I hoped it would be. I worked at this for some time (some of my shots are 'grab shots' and others allow me some time). I have variations of this/some happier/others just as unhappy. None, however, is 'satisfying' from the standpoint of making the viewer 'happy'.

 

Thanks for your comment.

 

John (Crosley)

 

This photo is copyright 2007, all rights reserved.

I have always termed the repetition of an action, a color, a subject, a part of a subject or almost any other repetition in a photo 'mirroring'.

 

I am unaware of where I came upon that term, or if it's something I coined but failed to notice.

 

Can anyone give me any advice on this?

 

In any case, this photo is an example of 'mirroring' as seen through the repetition of two 'left' arms, crooked slightly at the elbow joint -- one holding a cigarette (a new fashion accessory in Ukraine where this was taken), and the other just an outstretched hand.

 

Mirroring.

 

Repetition.

 

Any ideas whether this is mainstream language for photo criticism or not?

 

John (Crosley)

John, I googled "mirroring in photography terminology" and came up with nothing so I guess you can lay claim to the phrase.

 

This is indeed powerful, not only for the contrast between the situation of each of the women but also for the oblivious passersby. I saw this frequently in Korea and never got over the shock. I wonder if you have ever shot from the perspective of the disabled person.

I hardly expected that I would ever be asking this question -- the term 'mirroring' just cropped up three or so years ago in my comments, as I tried to explain relationshipe between similar elements in a photograph.

 

They might be the number of subjects (3) mirrored by a second number of subjects (also 3) or a series of colors as found in my blind man standing on a plaltform at Amsterdam's C.S. (Centraal Station -- central station), in which the colors yellow, blue and white are seen in a train and also in a prominent advertisement (which the blind man cannot see and thus cannot appreciate -- something we can (as well as the babe wearing the outfit with colors is just that: a babe, and she bears an interesting message on her 'top')

 

It also appears when two elements such as part of a subject, seem to correlate, such as the left arms in the photo above.

 

I have seen the word 'echo' in relationship to such similarities in use but not the words 'mirror' or 'mirroring', but I just assumed I picked it up from someplace, but maybe I didn't.

 

I also Googled the term 'mirror' and its cousin 'mirroring' under likely topics under photography, but it may be found, perhaps, under a different topic such as 'composition', and it may be something that relates to art composition and have been picked up by me from decades of exposure to 'art history' and 'art critique' (though I was not seriously worrying about those subjects).

 

So, there you have it, if no one in several yearrs spots an earlier reference to the term than mine, three years ago, I will claim coinage, but until then the record is open.

 

Let's see if Photo.net users and my use of it creep into general discussion of photographic elements including composition, or if it is found elsewhere, such as art criticism.

 

Anybody who spots another early reference to the terms, please write a comment here, if you would kindly. I don't want to claim 'coinage' of something that is not mine.

 

I have seen the term 'echoing' recently, however, and 'mirroring' seems a close relative, Maybe I just coined a synonym or a near synonym.

 

Thanks for weighing in Hanna.

 

John (Crosley)

All my shots are taken from the perspective of a 'disabled person'.

 

Me.

 

Handicapped sticker on car and all.

 

Other than that, I just don't tell anyone -- why make a thing over it?

 

John (Crosley)

John, I was speaking of the disabled person in the photo and what their perspective would be.

I know.

 

Couldn't resist.

 

That person may NOT be handicapped; only her photographer.

 

She's destitute, not necessarily handicapped.

 

She had no obvious physical deformities, but in this part of the world a really successful beggar lies prostrate.

 

A handicapped person who may photograph them need not necessarily be destitute.

 

;-)

 

John (Crosley)

Okay, you got me there. In some countries, where people are paraplegics, they are forced to beg like that and I wrongly assumed this was the case here.

The old saying.

 

 

"Spell 'assume' and it comes out 'ass' 'u' 'me'."

 

;~)

 

But that's just a saying, and it does come in handy sometimes, but all in good fun.

 

I think very highly of you.

 

Just couldn't resist having a little fun, but no untruths from me either.

 

Again. ;~)

 

John (Crosley)