New Orleans "Fixture"

Well, of course, I am SO completely focused on shooting things like landscapes and architecture that I forget to look for other opportunities. This gentleman saw me come around the corner with my camera (of course, he didn't know that I was looking for a better angle on the St. Louis cathedral that you've seen in my other shots). He was standing there with some other men. I am pretty sure that he wasn't sober. He started begging me to take his photo. So I took just this one ... to appease him. I then went back to shooting the cathedral.

 

Since I don't do much "street" photography, I would hope that you will be brutally honest with me about how I could have done this shot differently. Thanks!

 

(By the way - the story is finished on the next image ... the one with the three men sitting on the bench.....)

One in a series of two images (same folder). Any comments or ratings

are appreciated! :-)

Well this one's a winner in anybody's book. I think it's just stunning, not only the range of tones in his skin and the wonderfully white tee shirt but that "devil may care" pose is perfect, the shoe falling apart, the angle of the cane and arm. Now this is going to embarrass you but I'd clone out the front of his jeans and make "all" that area dark. He looks a bit like Will Smith the actor.

totally agree with Susan. it's a wonderful shot. perhaps you'd consider branching out a bit and shooting street a bit? - best regards, john

Wow - you folks are going to give me a big head. :-) Well, when I am back in DC, I ought to start trying the street photog thing......

Lou Ann enjoy the accolade, it's a great image with a wonderful tonal range. Well done.

This is a very good street shot for you having taken it on the spur of the moment. Let me know whenever you are planning on coming to the Seattle area and I'll get drunk so you can take my photograph...

New Orleans is a colorful place, but i think it is the colorful characters that truly make it so. great shot. excellent conversion!!!

The opportunites avail themselves when you're seriously looking for images. By good natureedly going along with this guy's request you ended up with a heckuva picture. Personally I would crop about 3/4 of an inch down from the top but the photo is good just as it is. The tones are great and the white t-shirt really makes the shot.

I too saw the same crop that Jack has mentioned, but then decided the image is quite good as you've shown it. If it were mine, I'd do the crop.

I agree. I love the way the white t-shirt "pops", and you found an expressive, charismatic subject (I wouldn't find him so charismatic had I been there and a drunk guy was hounding me to take his photo, but it's funny what comes through on film).

Doug - it is definitely funny in retrospect. But as a single woman who does a LOT of solo travel ... I often wonder when "my time" is going to come and someone will give me a problem that I can't handle by myself. I definitely walk the line sometimes ... that day in question when I took this shot, I found myself wondering how wise it is to walk around with expensive looking camera equipment in the downtown area of a big city talking with drunks......

I feel that way myself sometimes, and I'm 6'3", 210 lbs, so I understand how you feel.

I am not as tall or as big as Doug, but this last autumn I decided to QUICKLY move out of a lovely secluded park in downtown Seattle just because I had over $5,000 in camera and lens around my neck and I did not like the way a few persons were looking at me. I often feel safer in the woods where there are bears and cougars.