'Supermarket Scene'

This is the scene in a supermarket checkout in a small American city

when a mother and a very large number of children and lots of food

moved throughout the checkout register one night. 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

is that we are looking at a war scene through the eyes of a reporter. I think the sign "FOOD" and all the background offer a very good narrative "carpet" on which we can read this work. Thank you John, Giuseppe

You show remarkable perception in your brief analysis of this photo. Mother, or leader, distance, brought several kids, and several shopping carts, and the kids were pretty out of control but wanting to help.

 

This girl was one of them, going for contents of a second (or third) basket, when she spied me and my equipment, (photo taken without using viewfinder at end of strap, shooting 'blindly' after prefocus, etc).

 

It was just like war with these kids, or a riot. You hit the nail on the head. Mom may have 'thought' she was in charge,but the little inmates really were running Bedlam,including this open-mouthed young miss, here.

 

Notice there is geometry to this posting despite all the 'chaos'.

 

And a great expression.

 

;~))

 

John (Crosley)

Well, not being very original a scene, it is undoubtly interesting and well captured

Those terms may be contradictory -- 'not very original' and 'interesting' and 'well-captured'.

 

This scene, taken in an 'ordinary place' has transcended the ordinary, I think because of the expression, movement and placement of the little girl.

 

No other reason for posting it.

 

That being said, then it's 'far from ordinary' -- only the surroundings, and then only to an American resident, I think (or some more highly developed countries -- with words 'highly developed' in quotes if you get what I mean).

 

John (Crosley)

What Giuseppe said: a surprisingly effective composition, with a strong central subject. I see it also as a real documentary picture, one that in the years to come may really give the feeling of the time when it was taken. Well done! L.

This, indeed, may fulfill the vision you have of it.

 

These are not rich people, but they have carts full of food (and there are a lot of kids, all little anarchists, but helpful too)

 

This helpful little kid is out of control but wanting to be helpful; there's hope for her.

 

This is a very low end warehouse type supermarket so it may look the same in 40 years; it's designed to look 'low end'.

 

But as a photo of the times, I agree entirely. Plus it's very interesting with her unusual expression up close and with geometry.

 

I think Henri would have liked this one (not loved it, mind you but not yellled at me which he did re: work of other photographers shown to him for his hoped-for 'blessing' from time to time. He had no patience with new photographers or those without talent or only with latent talent.

 

John (Crosley)

Ooo, my goodness one hell of a good documentary shot of the modern world. Yelling kids, because they don't know how to react normal these days.

A other point of view than Giuseppe? But well said by him.

With regards

 

Joke, I'm not so sure it's another point of view than Giuseppe P. And, this little girl was not yelling.

 

Her mouth is agape at seeing my giant cameras. (heh heh, real attention getters walking around with a 70~200 f 2.8 E.D. V.R. Nikon zoom on one camera with huge lens hood and a second camera with a large lens and hood also.

 

I have to be fair to young miss here; She was trying to behave and it was late.

 

It does look like a war scene and even did there too. with too many kids from a very reproductive family.

 

But we older folks like lots of younger folks; they;ll pay our Social Security (if they don't vote it out of existence).

 

So, she looks like she's screaming, but she's not; she's 'stunned' at the many cameras, on this guy very near her. This look lasted about a second and a half (and I got two photos, from a camera hung from my neck;no focusing or framing.)\

 

;~))

 

Best to you.

 

John (Crosley)

I just like it!

The first thing i thought when i saw this photo was; I would not have the courage to take my canon and 70-200 lens to the grocery and take a photo :)

Because here ,people can react almost angry when you want to take photo's of them or there children.Anyway it came out beautiful.....so well done John!

I have taken my 70~200 and an equally large lens and three cameras through the center of the largest cities in your country and focused them up close at people and no one said what we call 'squat' to me. The Dutch value their freedoms and are not likely to be too upset for others exercising theirs (with some common sense), I found.

 

In any case, in Holland, no problem to my experience, though it's been about two years.

 

Still I expect the same reaction today or tomorrow.

 

Of course, if I had raised my camera to eye, I probably would not have had time or a chance to take this photo here.

 

My camera(s) -- both of them -- were hanging from my neck and I had the camera with the wider angle lens, the 17~55 mm f 2.8 aimed directly ahead with my finger on the shutter release just in case with the zoom lens at maximum angle.

 

Well, 'just in case' did happen, and I had it pre-framed and pre-focused and the widest angle chosen.

 

So, all she had to do was approach, go 'wow' and look up at me (notice she's looking UP above the camera -- because he's looking at my face -- fearsome thing I've been told. My face is not on the same plane as my camera).

 

I seldom shoot like that, but I'll get a photo any way I can, short of chasing people into toilets (though there's a French toilet shot way down in my portfolio if you look hard enough, but without people --'Le Pissoir est Mort'.

 

And of course you have them (pissoirs) in your country too, in Amsterdam, down by the canal(s) -- I've used them.

 

Goes right into the canal through a pipe.

 

Ugh.

 

And I had the wonderful chance before I was photographing of finding a Dutch wife spy her husband in the 'Red Light District' coming out of a prostitute's door, start yelling at him, them in a final 'huff' throw all, yes, ALL his clothes into the canal (she had brought them from home).

 

He had to dive in to get them.

 

Double Ugh!!

 

Even the even-tempered Dutch don't always like having their liberties exercised.-- wives worldwide don't like finding their husbands visiting women of 'easy virtue'.

 

Now, as a photographer, I'd have given a lot to have had a camera then, but it long predates my present days as an active photographer, plus cameras in the Red Light District set off all sorts of alarms among the whores . . . er prostitutes.

 

I've lived there for a while, right down the main canal and around a corner from the ill-famed 'Casa Rosso', so i know a little about such things.

 

So, here the camera is pointed at young miss, and she's looking and reacting to my face (looking up) and has no idea her photo is being taken, nor does anyone else.

 

That's my kind of photo.

 

And, I am no threat to kids. I have a number of kid photos in my portfolio and old men and old women, middle age men, middle age women, younger men and a few, but not so many younger women . . . . I've actually been shy about taking 'street' photos (or at least posting them) of pretty young women.

 

Mostly they aren't so 'revealing' about human nature, or I just haven't hit onto the correct shooting formula yet.

 

Watch this space, however; I'm getting 'hot' again.

 

I always enjoy when you stop by Ellen.

 

I was shooting a 'kid' the other day near poppa and he started to slip through slats from a pier into the Pacific Ocean where he would have drowned; I pulled him out of the situation and promptly called poppa over, though he had almost been within reach.

 

That's the only instance I have ever touched a child . . . to save a life.

 

And if I were photographing a kid, (or otherwise) and harm threatened, I'd lay down my life to keep 'em safe.

 

No matter what overanxious mothers think.

 

In Ukraine, parents are very flattered if you take a photo of their young boy or girl -- they assume a good heart, and in my case they're always right.

 

And they KNOW their kids are better looking than average (to use a favorite expression of Garrison Keillor, America's poet of the upper Midwest).

 

Stop by again, any time.

 

Some day you may see me walking down a street near you 70~200 mn lens on one camera and another large lens (with hood) on another. And people will be shaking my hand and talking with me, perhaps rather than ganging up on me.

 

Kind of like the pied piper of Amsterdam, Rotterdam, Haarlem, or other places thereabouts.

 

John (Crosley)

very nice!

This is a 'love it' or 'hate it' photo.

 

I happen to like it, but I understand those who don't.

 

I am glad you like it.

 

Best, and thanks for all the choices and critiques today.

 

John (Crosley)