Dressup As a Way of Life

Russian, onetime Soviet and Ukrainian women always have been

famous for their beauty, and today spend an outsize portion of their

income for stylish clothes, makeup and other accouterments which

show off their famous beauty. It seems like that this onetime Soviet

woman, now a Ukrainian senior citizen, probably was a beauty of her

day, and still likes to dress the part. 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

A very good photo. I might have blurred the background.

 

greg

Hi John, This is a very interesting capture. You seem to have captured more than just this woman, but a type of life and "mind-set" expressed by this particular woman representing many others. Terrific shot. Also good contrast to the modern dressed girls in the background again and thus even more emphasizing that "woman type" you are portraying. It's a beauty of a shot. Well done. Regards - Sigmar

I looked at your suggestion about blurring the background, then looked at the comment below.

 

I guess it's a tossup, don't you think?

 

Depends on which you're going for - pure aesthetics or trying to create some sort of image that relates to the dress of the young women behind.

 

Thanks for the helpful suggestion and taking the time to rate and comment. I appreciate that very much.

 

John (Crosley)

 

This photo is copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved, John Crosley

I am pleased with your comment because it shows that you exactly understood the intent of the posting -- to show not only the woman, with her fancy suit and her flowing scarf, but also to show her as indicative or her times -- a one-time 'beauty' (one supposes) who has a certain mindset.

 

A former assistant, then age 21, from Moscow, a similar city in many respects, where they also speak Russian and have an analogous culture in most respects, said her mother, in her '40s, would NOT go out without wearing high heels. She just would not, despite any pain it might cause her. Even among young women in Ukraine, high heels seem de rigueur, or wedgies which raise the rear of the foot just as much as any stiletto or pump, which now seem to be in fashion.

 

In Russia and Ukraine and in many Eastern Europe countries, women are expected to show their femininity, even though these were the countries where women first were doctors, lawyers and in other learned professions. And the Prime Minister of Ukraine is a woman, a former model and actress -- and a student activist who was a instrumental in overthrowing the previous government (Julia Timoshenko). She still looks like a model and dresses the part, but inside is a cunning politician.

 

In a way, men THINK they rule the country, and mostly occupy the power base, but women make the country work, I think through long, hard work.

 

Women's Rights have a long way to go here, but women seem far more interested in getting married by age 21 and starting a family right away so as not to disappoint their relatives who want grandchildren right away . . . . go figure . . . none of this American business about serial relationships until the near end of fertility in the mid '30s then a rushed marriage and a rushed race to have a baby before the fertility time clock runs out.

 

Things are different between the West and Eastern Europe, at least for now.

 

The men DO seem to appreciate greatly the great beauty of the women around them, but regrettably seem to take it for granted, and IN GENERAL their behavior toward their women is poorly regarded (their are many dramatic and important exceptions, and many good husbands). Regrettably a good husband and good provider is apt to find a young, ambitious woman seeking him out, even if he is happily married, and the happily married wife of advancing age must be on constant lookout, I am told, by more than one unhappy child of such a marriage that has suddenly fallen apart.

 

John (Crosley)

It seems to say "I am beautiful and am worth it." ;)

You should be in advertising.

 

;~)

 

John (Crosley)

GREAT! And I'm not shy, ;-)

with regards

We could look so great when we reach her (presumed) age, hunh?

 

This woman's got style.

 

In a city center (Kyiv, Ukraine) where so many old women are beggars supplementing their inflation eroded pensions, this old woman thumbs her nose at poverty and dresses in her finest. She may actually not have a kopek and only have one nice dress, but oh, how she wears it. (who actually knows . . . .?)

 

In reality, Ukraine is notable for it's economic potential, with a growing economy, stalled temporarily by world problems, but with a huge potential and a democracy with a track record, even if stalled somewhat. Business seems to be growing, and the country's growing as it looks forward to hosting that bonanza, the co-host with Poland of FIFA (the International Soccer competition) in 2012, for which it is sadly unprepared right now and for which it must truly go to work overtime in over to accommodate all the visitors, athletes and advance and support people. That alone will pump hundreds of millions or billions of dollars into the country's economy, which already is growing.

 

For me, it's the 'place to be' and for someone with ambition and ideas, it is a place that could continue to grow for a long time, since (in the country at least) it starts at a very low starting point.

 

And most Ukrainians consider themselves 'Middle Class', though by International Standards, most are poor or poorer, but with aspirations. They are 'middle class' in their minds though . . . . not objectively but subjectively. And they look and dress the part -- they are a beautiful people (the ones with hope at least), and among the best groomed people in the world (as well as some of the most beautiful, and they know it, but are NOT stuck up.

 

So, when I post a photo of a beggarwoman, don't forget I also post a photo of a woman like this, or a beautiful young woman like Nina, posted in my faces folder earlier, or the two playing young children posted in my Black and White, Then to Now folder.

 

In other words, although I take some pretty noteworthy photos of unfortunates, I do take (and post) pretty much everything that I encounter . . . it's just that I don't go to the high-priced resorts, or I'd be posting photos of those too.

 

I always enjoy seeing your name on a comment; again, don't be a stranger.

 

John (Crosley)

 

Dear John,

 

I’m not shy or a stranger. I’m not such a great stories teller and my English isn’t that well I can write everything I feel.

But that I see and feel, no any doubt about that!

Even in my own language it is some times difficult to explain things in my own words.

Yes the woman got style!

Your photo also!

 

with kind regards.

Joke, you also got style!

 

Did you notice that nobody so far has commented on the composition of this shot?

 

It is not by accident that her arms and her head form the better part of a triangle, and I think it can be called an isosceles triangle at that. Now in photography I regard the triangle very highly, as it is at once in structures the most stable form, yet visually a very unstable form with very little going for it in the way of symmetry.

 

That's one reason I so often choose the introduce triangular elements in photographs and one reason so many other photographers do also. Ever notice how many photographs taken of a street scene end with the sidewalk/building/curb etc., exactly coming to an end in the lower right or left corner of a photo frame?

 

The line that does that is the beginning of a line that creates a triangle with the remaining lines of the frame -- actually it may bisect the frame into two triangles -- making for a very dynamic composition.

 

Now, if she were exactly triangular, I might have passed it over as too obvious, but she's a little cattywumpus (not quite symmetrical in American slang), so that just makes the shot more attractive to my semi-trained eye.

 

I can't plan every shot thusly, but when I go to pick and choose for posting or printing, that's one thing I might look for.

 

And Joke, no doubt about it -- you got Style. (with a capital 'S')

 

John (Crosley)

 

 

That this woman's mouth, an inverted smile, serves as an extension to the line created by her arms and shoulders -- in other words, it completes the line of the top of the body.

 

Further, the mouth also seems to create an oval shape with the top of her scarf/neck conjunction for another geometric shape from this unusual facial feature.

 

Sometimes such subtle nuances are not observed, but are the underpinning of why a particular photo seems to have 'appeal'.

 

John (Crosley)

 

This reminds me of that Silvester Stallone movie, "Stop or my mom will shoot you"

:-) regards

The 1992 Stallone film with Estelle Getty, the perennially (seemingly) frail old woman who always was stronger than she looked, that was critically panned, and earned three Golden Raspberries which included Stallone as 'worst actor'?

 

What else is new for the Italian Stallion -- a moniker he managed to live down from his porn days -- that moniker appears to describe his Rockie Balboa character in his latest Rockie movie, which was quite a bit better than the others -- maybe because he lost -- and it seemed to terminate the franchise?

 

I'm not sure who's older, Rockie Balboa or me.

 

Or Schwarzeneggar.

 

Regrettably the two of them are considerably more wealthy (and fit).

 

While I'm still taking photos of an Estelle Getty look-alike on the streets of Kyiv (and enjoying the heck out of it).

 

Thanks for awakening old memories.

 

Suppose this old broad's got a machine pistol under her wrap?

 

John (Crosley)