The Silver (and Blue) Flute

This scene occurred in front of Paris's Pompidou Center for the arts

last week. 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

What a catch you have done here. It's great with the use of the narrow DOF and teh colors are so nice too. Nice 'cropping' too

It tells me I should visit your portfolio much more often.

This was shot at ISO 400 at f 4, and used a larger than minimal depth of field because I wanted the hand AND the body/clothes to be on focus, while still throwing the background into 'circles of confusion' -- out of focus in lay terms. The focal length on this 70~200 f 2.8 zoom was at 160 mm and that length should be multiplied by 1.5 to find an equivalent film focal length.

This is somewhat of a departure for me, but then I'm always departing somewhere or other because of something I see that requires a different approach than I've used before.

That's really what being a photographer is all about to me; to be able to capture any subject properly (and I hope well), without being typecast as a 'photographer of x x x ' only.

I shoot 'street' often and mostly post that, but also shoot nudes, studio, landscapes, nature most of which I just don't post.

If I did, I might have a somewhat different reputation here.

You are always welcome to visit/visitors are treated very well here.

John (Crosley)

Thanks for the note about the 'cropping'.

This photo was untouched by Photoshop, and was not cropped at all, other than in the camera, which I feel is the best way to crop ;~)

John (Crosley)

Thank you so much.

I blow a few with my post-processing (or is it just processing?), but sometimes I 'get it right'.

When I reviewed my captures, this one just 'blew me away' with its clarity and how it jumped off the screen.

You are the one person whom I would like to please with (at least) the technical aspects of my captures and (post) processing, as I am totally unschooled in the 'art' of digital processing.

John (Crosley)

THAT is what makes this picture (in my opinion). That and you put the whistle in the middle (or rather the hand). I don't know (or care) about rules but the fact that the body is to the left and the hand is in the middle and there is red to the right makes this work for me. The fact that it is in color is perfect.

I absolutely love this and the natural crop. Something about the fingers and the way he hold it.

It is just beautiful. You could have put it in FINE ARTS and it would have done just as well.

It is a beautiful image John. I like the delicate soft hold of the flute. accentuated by the shalow dof.very nice iamge.

I wanted to say thanks for you answer to me in your POW, and found out that it has disappeared, and I wondered why...

I took about three different photos with the body in a different position in one of them, but two were just two exposures of just this composition.

And yes, the crossed hand/fingers and flute right almost exactly in the center, does make this work, as well as the contrasting but also complementary depth of field. That's concrete in the background but it seems to complement the silver of the silver lady (woman) who's holding her flute.

I was surprised when I saw this because it took so little work but came out absolutely so well -- the flute (with blue) just jumps off the screen, and I said 'wow' when I was browsing my file.

I wish I had a 100 more shots as good as this were I didn't have to work so hard.

This was same day as my other posted Paris shots -- a well-spent day.

I always seem to find inspiration in Paris, but French laws, (home of famous 'street' photographers -- Cartier-Bresson, Ronis, Doisneau) are now against 'street photography'.

Tant pis (so much the worse in French, but I suspect the 'pis' refers to a bodily function . . . am I right French students?)

Anyway, I'm glad it pleases you; it did me also and has turned out to be a favorite.

Best to you, my indomitable cyber friend.

John (Crosley)

Thanks for the fine comment; I relish good critiques and comments from those I hold dearly for their honest comments.

I don't know about any excised comment in Photo of the Week comments, but I'll be looking.

My guess is that since much in there is personal they probably excised a lot of it.

Just a guess, without looking.

John (Crosley)