Party Play

Two children, an older sister and brother, play 'chase' at a party.

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 photographic knowledge to help

improve my photography. (This photo is meant to be viewed 'as a

whole, not broken into parts). Thanks! Enjoy! John

... the fleeting moment, the motion, the joy and above all the familiarity of it all. This could have been any of our childhoods. It is like going through a shoebox of old photos of people that you don't know and finding something wonderful. I'm glad your photographer's professional eye didn't correct the composition, and that you didn't overthink, but that you trusted your instinct on this one.

I learned to trust my instincts from Michel Karman. He had a shot posted of some girls chasing barnyard animals (lambs, chickens or something in a barn), and I asked him who took it, and his answer was 'who knows? -- it's just a great photo -- see the spontaneity of the photo -- it really was taken by nobody famous but it's a wonderful photo.'

 

And that is what I sought to capture with this photo -- which follows the lesson I learned from Michel with that photo and is similar in spirit in many ways to that photo.

 

He trusted 'the photo' rather than the 'technique' or the 'photographer' but the 'spirit of the photo'; that was the gift he gave me, whether he knows it or not (I suspect he reads these things, and he will silently smile when he reads this, for he will know that I learned my lessons well.)

 

This is THE MOMENT and no amount of post processing could make it better - it could only make it worse.

 

I took this to the children's father yesterday, a photo professional, and I am sure he'll cherish this photo, because although he has wonderful photos he's taken of his children, this one is one good one that someone else took -- and captured that 'magic'. In any case, I hope he's touched at the gift I gave him -- he's a dear fellow and very important to me.

 

Thanks for letting me know your impression -- it tells me how much farther advanced than I you have been all along for I just have reached the stage where I can take and appreciate a photo like this (AND KNOW IT INSTINCTIVELY). Before, I could have taken such a photo and wondered . . . is it good or not, and worried about technical deficiencies.

 

This is one for my best of my best, ratings or no ratings.

 

John (Crosley)

 

Copyright notice -- this photo is copyright 2008, all rights reserved, John Crosley. A revokable license is hereby granted to Patrick Works and his wife and children to reproduce this work purely for personal and family purposes only and not for commercial purposes.

This photo copyright 2008, John Crosley, all rights reserved.

 

This photo taken at 1/30th of a second after sun had fallen below the horizon at ISO 1000 or above with a 17~55 mm at 30 mm f 2.8 (wide - 'normal') set at f 3.5.

 

NEF (Nikon raw) color capture converted to B&W through Adobe Camera Raw in Photoshop CS3 by checking (ticking) the monochrome button.

 

Basically this photo is unmanipulated and is submitted as such.

 

It is full frame.

 

John (Crosley)

... and still exercise judgment; man that's the hard part. In fact, I think it is at the heart of all that is important in any art. I don't think anybody ever masters that ability, it is the constant struggle for every artist.

It was maybe the greatest gift that Michel Karman gave me, and maybe why he failed in his promise to 'select' photos for gallery presentation to me; I think he was overwhelmed by the vast selection of choices -- his vision of what my work is from the vast choices versus my own vision.

 

He could attempt to impart his vision, something for which he was mostly successful, but he needed to make me self-sufficient, whether he could have articulated that or not (I suspect that he spectacularly was unable to articulate that at all, but knew it in his heart, as he is a very 'feeling' person who goes by his very well trained gut, even though he is a very 'articulate' in all else.) When there is a 'conflict' his seasoned 'gut instinct' rules over 'logic' and 'articulateness'. That's why he has a position of such prominence in the photographic arts.

 

I think the burden of 'choosing' what would be my art presented to galleries had him stymied in view of the vast choices -- on the one hand, he might have chosen one path, but what if it failed, or if it did not sit well with me?

 

By letting me make the choices, but helping me develop the judgment, he has given me a rich gift -- one for which I will be ever thankful.

 

And it's a richer gift than his having finished the task of 'choosing' this or that selection of photos for presentation to a 'art' or 'photo' galleries.

 

I'd suggest he'd have choosen this one right away.

 

John (Crosley)

Brilliant! This dynamic capture transports me to happier times when games and play were the agenda all day long. For a split second I felt like the kid smiling in anticipation.

Sometimes technicalities be damned . . . this is a good one . . . blurs and noise/pixellation and all.

 

Hardly any better in my portfolio.

 

This one I could classify as 'fine art' compared to some of the others or at least 'high photographic art'.

 

And all for attending a photographer's opening of his new studio.

 

I'm glad you like it . . . if you didn't like this one, I'd have to completely rethink your judgment about my work ;~) [fat chance]

 

That's because all the rest of your kind words boil down to whether you can spot the 'best of the best' when it's not 'traditionally' good -- a posted photo has technical 'issues' but which are not 'problems' -- just things to take note of, and then dismiss because they're of 'no never mind'.

 

You're always welcome here.

 

John (Crosley)

Dennis summed this up perfectly. Well done! Doug.

Sometimes with experience (helped with mentoring by Michel Karman), I can instantly recognize a 'winner'. This has all the earmarks despite the technical 'isssues' which formerly might have caused me to hold it back.

 

Eventually it would have got posted.

 

I've been undershooting the last week, but to get a prize like this is well worth the waste of shots earlier in the week -- trying for some hopeless character/family shot of the party's 'star' and one of his children -- tens of wasted shots.

 

This is the 'real' shot.

 

And it came in a fraction of a second.

 

That's just the way things are with my photography.

 

I always appreciate either a critical or a kind word Doug -- you can have your choice anytime and nobody will feel bad if you're critical either. I can take criticism like a man, yet I will defend what I think is right or misunderstood -- with some vigor and not just lay idly down and 'take' criticism that is ill-founded or which misunderstands what I was doing.

 

But actually, I invite criticism and often agree with my better-informed critics.

 

Best to you; come on back -- and wear a critic's hat if you wish; it's good for piercing an ego if it gets too big.

 

;~)

 

John (Crosley)

John, that sounds like an invitation I just can't refuse! Nothing like a artistic work of art to start the exchanges of compliments and critiques! We all see and interpret photos and "art" differently based on our own experiences of life. I think that is why I enjoy the pursuit of the "photograph."

 

I think we all like to create, on some level at least.

 

Photographs for me allow that connection to the past....or present, and allow that creation I spoke of. Yet, how a photo is viewed 5 years from now, or 20 years from now is a interesting thought.

 

The photo above, have we each not lived it? Does each of us remember the time of youth of running around the house playing tag or "cowboys and indians."

 

I think the majority of viewers will relate to this and touch a memory. And that sir is a real compliment in my humble opinion.

 

Regards, Doug

But I'll accept accolades as well, especially for this photo.

 

It's special.

 

It has the 'je ne sais quoi' that the French speak of (the 'i don't know what') - perhaps it captures its 'spirit' without the photo's being overly technical.

 

In fact, for all it is, this photo seems to transcend the technical, or is anti-technical, and I will be curious to see if my cyberfriend and critic Luca R. remarks on it, and what he has to say, if anything.

 

His criteria, perhaps, are the toughest on Photo.net, and he's the one I strive to satisfy with such postings.

 

If I can make it with a guy with his taste, than I feel I've made it (same with Dennis Aubrey, above, who is a guy who transcends art -- who has lived it all his life -- and whose experience in the field is something he's got in his genes, whereas I'm still a 'visitor' (although I hope with some 'nascent talent').

 

If you find a photo for critique that bears some improvement, and you can see its flaws, don't hesitate to point them out.

 

Chances are, though, I already know what they are.

 

John (Crosley)

Years of reading police accident reports introduced me to the terms 'curb-line extension' and 'center-line extension' which means in effect, where a line is not painted or otherwise indicated, it may still exist and have significance if it is the 'extension' of a line that is in existence.

 

If someone's vehicle creeps out past the curb-line extension, he may find himself (or herself) in the stream of cross-flowing traffic and also in violation of law, even though there's no physical line painted there.

 

The term - extension - then is handy shorthand for talking about a line that isn't there, but is implied by surroundings.

 

In essence, it is an 'inferred line'.

 

In this photo there is a common geometric shape (inferred) but which is not expressly created. That shape is the triangle, and as my experience shows, the triangle is a most dynamic shape (as I've remarked) because it only has three points.

 

Structurally, it is the basis for the most stable structures, but to the eye, there is little symmetry in an ordinary triangle, especially one that is not a 'right triangle' or one with equal angles, and so to the eye it is inherently unstable and thus dynamic.

 

In viewing such a triangle our eyes tend to go from point to point, rather restlessly, because the geometry does not invite the eye to rest.

 

This photo embodies a triangle if one looks at the various lines and masses of the subject(s).

 

I'm not a believer that all 'art' is composed of geometric shapes -- far from it -- but I find that often very successful photos I take embody some elements of geometry.

 

Henri Cartier-Bresson famously liked to say that the success of his photos was because of 'the geometry' when in fact, I think he really meant 'the composition' which not only was geometrical, but embodied things such as spacial relationships between subjects very often as well as his own visual jokes, puns, and interesting observations (among many other things), for his photos taken as a whole are very rich and show a very rich and intelligent mind.

 

I like to look at my captures often after they are received well, and see if there is some element to them that is inviting that I didn't recognize, and in this one (in addition to many other things) find there is an 'implied triangle' -- that most dynamic of shapes and the one that keeps the eye busy, going from point to point, thereby engaging the mind.

 

John (Crosley)

A provoking and thorough analysis. Indeed I see that but also I see a scalene triangle with one of the points not ending at the boy's foot but continuing past his left arm and extending outside of this picture.

 

In addition our boy is located right at the point where the two walls (or sides) from the house converge. The house forms a "V" that contributes to the appeal of this composition.

The scalene triangle was exactly what I was trying to point out (if I understand correctly what you have written).

 

As to the convergence of the walls, that's just another point in this photo's favor.

 

It's interesting (funny in the vernacular), how sometimes photos that appear 'successful' from an 'appeal' standpoint, sometimes appear to have geometric underpinnings that aid in their appeal. Reference 'The Bike Trick' which was quite another photo -- all sharpness, lines, and angles, but which also revealed 'triangles' within its framework aiding its general appeal.

 

(I sent you a totally tasteless photo that is unpublishable -- open at your own risk -- someone has to see it beside me who appreciates the absurd, and it is absurd -- or at least pathetic.)

 

John (Crosley)

Well, it certainly was as you described, although I don't think that type of behavior is very uncommon.

 

John, another triangle exists within this picture by connecting the girl's head all the way down diagonally to the boy's right foot; then to the girl's left foot and finally up to her head.

 

 

As you know, I drop by your pages not only to admire but also for the lessons to be had. Thanks for this one. The spirit here says it all and you nailed it. This photo has a beautiful family album feel to it. That in itself adds magic to the image as we are left with the feeling that we have been given a privileged glimpse behind the curtains of youthful joy and family life.

Your most positive comment has put a glow on my face.

 

I admire you and your work so much, so praise from you holds special merit for me.

 

Thank you so much.

 

John (Crosley)

I didn't specifically go to this event, a party opening a studio for a fellow photographer, with the intent of making photos of 'family', but I am always equipped for any event - with two cameras, one with a wide to moderate tele lens and another with a moderate to farther tele lens, both large aparture.

 

So, when these extremely well-behaved kids reverted to being kids, and especially the eldest daughter engaged the young boy in (very civilized, non-disruptive) play, I was ready. I had been talking to a very famous photographer in his own right, the now-retired former head photographer of Ladies Home Journal and another famous publication -- Harpers Bazaar, I think, and i disengaged for a while to take a few photos. He never saw these, but I think I will show them to him. He has been a backer of mine, as has the photographer whose studio was opening that day and being celebrated (and whose well-behaved kids these are).

 

Everybody knows (or soon learns) that John takes photos and takes cameras wherever John goes and so I think no one was surprised when John quietly stepped to one side and began observing with wide-angle camera raised.

 

I had taken an extraordinary number of worthless shots that late afternoon and was feeling pretty worthless as a photographer, and when I saw this, it looked blurry and indistinct, but appeared to 'have promise', but I really couldn't show it to anyone.

 

Later, I dropped by the photographer's photofinishing shop and made a copy of this for him, and he copied and developed it on his computer (and another) and saved it), but said literally nothing in regards to its quality.

 

But I knew it was as good a gift as I could give him -- far more personal than any 'housewarming' gift for his new studio.

 

He's a great photographer who far outpaces me in his talents, and he's multitalented (and a commercial pro of longstanding, who has forgotten more than I'll ever know), but he has been generous with his criticisms and his help, and for that I'm most thankful.

 

It's partly through his encouragement that I continued on Photo.net -- he's a spokesman for the local photo community and an able photographer of just about everything -- much as I seek to be.

 

It is through him that I have met that seasoned magazine pro mentioned above, now retired (at least from magazine work), who also is helping promote my career and providing advice.

 

With regard to this photo; just when I felt I couldn't take a decent photo, I take one like this -- and I must admit that this one is one I can sit and look at for long periods -- unlike many I take. Somehow, for me, it has that 'magic' that makes a photo come alive and may somehow make this photo timeless.

 

I predict that among my latest captures, this photo will be among the most timeless (watch these words and this photo in five or ten years and see if I'm right).

 

This photo also is unconnected to anything in particular', which makes it a good candidate for 'stock photo' sales, I think. I finally tracked down the stock photo agency which took photos from me in the '70s and found they were still selling from those photos into the '90s and owe me money (imagine that!), and they'll send it to me soon after I fill out some paperwork.

 

John (Crosley)

The only 'sharp', non-blurred and in-focus part of this entire photo is the face of the young girl.

 

This photo was taken as evening approached, out of doors, and in failing light with a 'fast' zoom lens, and these kids were NOT posing. This was a party and they were playing, genuinely (and with outstanding good behavior -- a tribute to their two wonderful parents).

 

The 'sharpness' of the girl's face I think helps add to the photo - something must be sharp, and it was lucky that her face was what ended up with sharpness - one can see her delight at being chased by a younger brother. The chase is emphasized by its blurriness - capture without blurriness might have ruined this photo.

 

The rest of the photo is blurs with pixelation and digital 'noise' -- all somewhat amorphous, so the focus is on the 'action' and the obvious 'fun' they are having -- all ingredients for photographic success.

 

What is wonderful about this photo is not just the photo itself, but the freedom I now have, having been mentored by Michel Karman, to be able to 'know' absolutely that it is a good photo.

 

Before meeting, spending time with, and temporarily living with Michel (no, he's completely heterosexual), I had precious little to judge photographic worth, even though I was a onetime photo editor.

 

But that was a journalistic photo editor, and blurring had little place in the photojournalism I handled -- unless it was the only capture of a world historical event, such as those kids thrown by their momma from a burning building, caught in the midst of their deadly fall, a photo which ran in the New York Daily News, and which captured the Pulitzer (and on reflection, I understand it was a crop from a Speed Graphic or similar 'press camera' which too, probably was a 4 x 5 or 3-1/4 x 4-3/4 negative).

 

Although ostensibly Michel was to spent time with me going through my captures on hard drives, we actually would start out to do that, but our conversations often turned quickly (or got diverted) into intense dialog (or monologues from him) about my photos, photography, art, and the values of art within photography (and otherwise) (as well as current events -- Michel is a current events aficionado as I am.)

 

In a sense, it was like being in a Masters Class for one -- being the only individual in a Masters Class within an expert who's been bottled up unable to clearly articulate to anyone he judged 'worthy' for some time about his true love -- in this case art and reproductive art.

 

For in fact, Michel is more of an 'art lover' than photo lover. He loves and appreciates fine photography of most genres, but he has greater respect for what he would term 'art', whether expressed photographically or otherwise.

 

So, even though we would start out to review captures, that was boring, tiresome work, and it often evolved (or devolved) into animated discussions about art and about the relationship between life and art . . . . something that one must have experienced to have an appreciation for -- and something for which I am very grateful.

 

I learned an enormous amount from those discussions -- they certainly did not fly past me and were not over my head. I am pretty good in discussion, with just about anybody on a large variety of subjects, and Michel was challenged by that, and I think just a little unnerved that in just over 3-1/2 year (when we started) that I had such a varied and enormous number of captures -some of which he termed 'fabulous' on a frequent basis -- and it literally buried him and burdened him to try to pick out what was the 'best of the best' even though he has wonderful judgment.

 

In the end, it was all left up to me, how to present myself to the art world.

 

I think that is all for the good; I didn't feel good about monopolizing his time or his energies, since he worked so hard during the day.

 

And to him I owe great gratitude for having opened my eyes and given me his own private Masters Class and having felt me worthy of mentoring and sharing.

 

Because of our intense and extensive discussions, I have a much clearer vision of the place of photography within the art world, as well as a very good working knowledge of the business of how 'art' is seen and chosen by gallery owners, collectors, and professionals in the 'fine arts' world as well as the photography world including fine arts sales and collection and photographic arts sales and collection and also how curators, gallery owners and collectors of this world function intellectually as well as from a practical vantage.

 

Thank you Michel.

 

(I am committed and following through more than you ever could have guessed.

 

John (Crosley)

a cool study of motion and more. homage a cartier-bresson?

Words to my ears. I just sent off a submission to Cartier-Bresson's Agency, Magnum Group and we'll see if they take notice.

 

I think it was strong, but this photo was not on it; it didn't make the cut of a maximum of 80 photos. Deadline is postmarked midnight today for this year . . . . in case you're thinking of submitting.

 

Best to you and thanks for the highest compliment ever.

 

John (Crosley)

Nearly every photo I take and post (not all, but nearly all, especially 'street') is an homage to the tradition of the great documentary/street photographers of the Magnum Group Photo Agency founded by Cartier-Bresson (and several others) in 1947 to market their work and help protect their rights in their work during and after publication, and especially photographers like Cartier-Bresson and Elliott Erwitt -- two photographers of inestimable 'class' -- as well as their most highly regarded photographer from India -- go to their site and see if you can identify him and his work, which is fantastic.

 

Best of luck and thanks.

 

John (Crosley)

This copyright notice is stated above, but is repeated here in the interest of completeness because PN has had some issues relating to 'dropping' such notices. This photo is copyright 2008, John Crosley, All rights Reserved.

 

John (Crosley)

a full instant of life

 

 

and you made it !

 

you captured it like a butterfly

 

thanks for sharing now

 

regards

 

b.