The (Friendly) Finger

Sometimes words mean everything and sometimes expressions mean

all; here the man's friendly facial expression defeats his otherwise

hostile gesture and turn it into a more friendly gesture. 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. Thanks! Enjoy! John

Yes, that's a friendly finger...nice expression on his face. Despite the finger, which is the first thing to watch here, my eyes move towards his eyes and stay there when viewing this one. I would say this is an interesting and quite original portrait. This is quite tight crop, did you shoot it this way or crop it later?

Although I think the image is well done, I have to wonder about the value of such an image. In a society where giving the finger to someone is as casual as saying hello, where civility is almost a thing of the past, I find that this type of portrait more and more distrubing. Perhaps I am getting old and grumpy, and while I am not a prude, I wonder what it is this person wants to project about himself. To me, it doesn't project friendliness despite the smile and his eyes. It projects just how immune we are to anyone else's feelings. I see this all the time now, and hear people swearing like combat vets in public malls, disregarding everyone around them, as after all, we seem to think we are the only ones of importance. Now perhaps this is the feeling you want the viewer to have, but it is so common now even in photos that it is only disheartening to me. So what is the purpose of phototography? Is it merely to show us our decline as humans, or perhaps to help uplift us when everything else we are bombarded with is depressing? Sorry for the rant, but I guess I was just in a low mood. I would be interested to hear as the photographer why you like this image, both technically and for it's content. Thanks-

Mark

Thanks for a nice comment; I won't elaborate here, except to say this is posted here, full frame. No cropping. I prefer that greatly in my posts. Hardly any processing at all. Just a little contrast adjustment and desaturation was done in-camera.

 

Best.

 

John (Crosley)

1. Good tonalities and the subject matter has a good face with good expression. The beard has a good range of grays and blacks with complexity. The finger is a counterbalance to the 'weight' of the head, as it fills in the left corner of the frame. Focus is on the face, not the 'finger'.

 

2. The composition, though rather simple, holds together. The finger forms a diagonal in conjunction with the line of the nose.

 

3. I record life as it is; I have no illusions about my 'mission' as a photographer and some idealistic world.

 

4. I probably qualify more for the category of 'grumpy old man' than you, except I'm maybe less grumpy (just maybe older), but I have a good outlook on life and the people I photograph and it shows in a plenitude of good captures and good relations with most subjects, and it results in photos like this in which the subject matter belies the true message of the photo (incivility vs. civility).

 

Enough said?

 

Thanks for the questions.

 

John (Crosley)

I have to agree with your technical assessment (it is good!) and I understand your philosophical reasoning as well. I also think your portfolio is great, and this image seems to stick out by it's more, umm, anti-social nature. I guess I was just in the wrong mood when I came across this image, having run into some very rude people just before seeing it. While there is something to be said for just showing the world the way it is, I do sometimes think that it is a shame that photographers and artists don't present a more uplifting outlook to the world (I do not mean you here - your portfolio is filled with these great images.) This is not to say I want a polly-anna outlook, but rather a meaningful look at problems that offer some piece of hope for the viewer, as after all, we are constantly bombarded through the media with plenty of awful things we can't do anything about. At any rate, I thoroughly enjoyed your portfolio, and my questions were to just create a conversation about the nature of photography. Thanks so much for your well considered answers and for indulging my grumpy mood! Happy shooting!

Mark

There, you see.

 

You came with a negative attitude, showed it a little with some peevishness, but when confronted with a factual analysis, and some reason, you were open to it.

 

Good for you.

 

If only the rest of the world were so easy to get along with, there'd be no reason I want to make this self-same gesture to someone else at this very moment!

 

Not you or anyone you ever will come into contact with (and the feeling will go away in a week or so, I'm sure . . . ;~))

 

Thanks for indulging me. (and there's a smile in reading your response if not when I contemplate giving this gesture myself to someone else -- a real live person whose identity will never be revealed. I actually say very little when confronted by small minds, but occasionally will give such a gesture myself and without this guy's good humors. (a boon of age perhaps?)

 

Or is that why young people seem to be attracted to me, after first wondering whether because of my age if i'm to be trusted?

 

John (Crosley)