'Behind Bars'

This youth is caught behind bars - at age 2 or 3 - just a little young even

for precocious California youths. 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

It breaks the symmetry AND the geometry, as Cartier-Bresson liked to describe what was special about HIS photos. Mine also have 'geometry' with is to say 'composition'. (of course mine do not compare to his, but his lesson does apply to us all.)

The hand is dead center but the FORCE pulls it off-center adding dynamism, and I like that for its graphical strength.

To crop the right also breaks the repetition, on which this photo is based. One's view is that the bars are repeating and without seeing them repeat at the right, one could then only guess. At the same time, the photo has a strong leftward power exerted on it from the unseen body attached to the arm and hand.

Your suggestion just doesn't work for me.

I want it the way I composed in the viewfinder -- which most often is the best for me anyway.

I try to be quick in acknowledging improvements to my photographs when I do come across them (I'm not 100% perfect on that of course).

Thanks for viewing.

John (Crosley)

Hi John,

My eyes are so drawn to the center of this photo at first I had to blink a few times to make sure I was looking at it right.

It's a very powerful image for me. The focus is perfect on that one bar.

The hand doesn't look like it's gripping to tight to me, but you can't be sure.

I read a lot into this, and I really love it.

Inspiring as always.

Joe

It will be useless to explain this image, so I won't.

It should be 'read' or interpreted just as it is.

Gripping (in more ways than one), especially given the young age of the 'gripper', hunh?

I too am sometimes spellbound by this one, which often is overlooked by viewers/raters.

Their loss.

Maybe too simple for them.

Notice the uprights are crossed by the horizontals of the fingers?

Little 'contradiction or contrast' there; that nobody noted.

I save little comments or notes like that for people like you who really look AND feel.

Best to you and thanks.

John (Crosley)