Jack -- 100% Cherokee

This is "Jack' who grew up on a USA Indian Reservation and was not

sent to 'Indian Schools' unlike his friends and fellow reservationists. He

now is 80, married and a retail businessman. 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.

(Best viewed in large format). Thanks! Enjoy! John

Nice portrait John! How old is the guy?

Thanks.

 

As he explained it to me: 'I'll be 81 my next birthday.' -- sort of gilding the age lilly.

 

John (Crosley)

I wish you had photographed him with hills and a dramatic sky behind. He looks so "real" indeed. It is as if he is reading some invisible signs above...

Incredible image, John. I can see his life on his face, and the smile is as strong as ever. I really like the perspective of this. This is a profound capture.

Very strong image.

You rarely stop by these pages to offer a critique or any observation so it's a 'red letter day' when you do.

 

I mark this photo a triumph just because of your approval.

 

John (Crosley)

You may or may not know, I'm a player of 'speed photography' and after driving by this guy sitting in front of his thrift shop and approaching him, I had taken this photo within three minutes.

 

I spent a total of less than 15 minutes (est.) with ths guy taking a total of maybe 30 photos most all of which were pretty darn good, both outdoors, indoors, portrait, doing business (with smiling, satisfied customer gloating over a great purchase - a 'steal'-- and 'Jack' pocketing the money), to full length and head and shoulders portraits of him filling part of the frame with his thrift shop merchandise filling the frame -- which show wonderfully in black and white and color.

 

Total Time: Less than 15 minutes from stopping to driving off to the rest of the country -- and more photographs.

 

I also would have liked to take him with 'hill and a dramatic sky above' as you suggest, as he is a great subject with a wonderful, triumphant face and a great personality. He has a great, cooperative attitude and liked this and several other photos as well (all of them really).

 

We talked a little about life, history and philosophy before I trundled back into my car (all within that stated time).

 

Speed photography.

 

Not out of any philosophy -- I just had to be going, and I'd done as well as I could without taking him out to the hills to await a day with a good sky maybe with proper, dramatic clouds, or some such.

 

I thank you so much for the compliment in your remark. And I also thank you for viewing.

 

Please come again.

 

Anytime.

 

John (Crosley)

Yes, his life is on his face, but it has not been a bad life (no separation from momma to go to Indian school like the other Indian children, so he comes by that smile easily, and a ,loving family -- I met his son who was very nice.)

 

I took various perspectives and this is the first I chose.

 

Profound?

 

Yes, I think, 'profound'.

 

Maybe half by mistake and half by intention.

 

And half by sheer intuition (yes three halves -- like magic).

 

Thanks for letting me know your observations.

 

John (Crosley)

Yes, very strong.

 

I think he'd look good on a US coin - maybe a quarter when we finally take George Washington off of it, or for a commemorative.

 

He's really one handsome SOB (son of a bitch in case English is not your best language).

 

He says his wife had to run behind him with a stick 'to keep the other women away', half jokingly.

 

Maybe she still does . . . I am unsure . . . as I didn't pursue the matter.

 

;~))

 

I should be so handsome, if a little less leathery.

 

Thanks for letting me know your feelings.

 

John (Crosley)

I drove by, saw this guy, drove around the block, parked and asked him if i could take his photo.

 

I stayed 15 minutes maximum, (I didn't look at times in EXIF, but that is my estimate).

 

We even talked about life, history and philosophy, and reviewed these captures.

 

Which he liked very much.

 

If anyone wants more photos of him, I can get them -- released, I think.

 

;~))

 

John (Crosley)

I know others already have sung the praises of this photo, but I'll still chime in, too. I can't think of the last time a portrait made such a strong impression on me. *And* I like it as it is in black and white, which, for me, is quite unusual. Congratulations.

Wow!

 

That is a strong testimonial to this portrait's power -- and that of the model of course.

 

Thank you so much.

 

I am very heartened by reaction to this photo--a full-frame, unmanipulated shot (but with lighting, highlight/contrast adjustments -- no selections anywhere--easy as can be to process from raw (NEF).

 

John (Crosley)

 

 

Great detail and soul in this portrait. I do prefer this background instead of the more predictable and unoriginal approach 'native American contemplating his former wild lands of glory'.

Both backgrounds have their place, but when you're shooting across the country, pulling into one end of a town from the Interstate, driving through looking for 'photo opportunities' them pulling back onto the Interstate to exit at the other end, you don't have luxuries such as staging your shots.

 

You take 'em as you get 'em.

 

This was my first that trip.

 

The others posted all were taken in two days.

 

More to come.

 

Have a look and see what else you can identify, maybe.

 

Thanks for the compliment on the portrait.

 

(a 'street' portrait - he was sitting on a bench on the 'street' -- really -- when I took this.)

 

John (Crosley)

very nice documentary shot

While not intended as a 'documentary' per se, I suppose it has become one -- it's at once a 'street' shot (portrait), a portrait (environmental) and a 'documentary' shot, depending on how you want to characterize it.

 

But categories are for librarians, maybe, and I shoot whatever I wish, no matter what it's called.

 

I'm glad you like it, and thank you for telling me so.

 

John (Crosley)

John,

I don't comment often because I am addicted to taking photos. I appreciate guys like you that are as nuts as me about our love for photography and have to show my appreciation once in awhile even though it cuts into my photo taking efforts. How you take the time to comment on other peoples work and take the photos you do is beyond me. I for one appreciate it greatly.

I share the same love.

 

I guess I just type fast, a leftover from my days as a journalist.

 

I once could type 88 word per minute . . . . faster than the AP teletype could read them . . . . preparing newscasts, word for word to be read by radio announcers across one state, which was punched into teletype tape and then read over a tape reader. There was no going back. You learned to do it fast and get it right the first time. (You could XXXX out whole lines of tape and redo it, but that was wasted time). At first the teletypes printed at 60 words per minute, then they installed a 'booster' gear to drive them at 66 words per minute (part of an 'efficiency drive'), but I (and my partner) just kept plugging along writing like the wind.

 

Total time for this comment: about two minutes or less.

 

That's how I can keep up my output in writing, plus as noted above, I do my photography rather quickly, and term it 'speed photography' -- just as I did my writing. Get it quickly (no do-overs in shooting 'street'), get it right, or its gone.

 

You shoot 'street' sometimes, so you know.

 

But I think you get paid for much of your work; which separates you from me.

 

I know it doesn't diminish your love of photography; you craft each photo with care that comes from love of the craft/art.

 

Thanks for the kind words. As noted above, coming from you with your accomplishments, they are especially appreciated.

 

John (Crosley)

This gives me goose bumps! I love tht you shot it from below!

Thanks for the compelling comment.

 

If you knew the status of my knees, back and feet, you'd be amazed I could even get that low; anything to get a good photo. I think Jack had to help me up (he's pretty darn strong).

 

Getting up from a crouch with bad knees and a bad back with two huge cameras swinging around your neck can be quite a trick since if one bends over, those cameras will scrape the ground, so one has to employ tactics different than if one were not carrying cameras.

 

Frankly, I'll do most anything to get a good photo; there were many others of Jack shot in a short time, but I liked this one especially, though all the others were pretty good and good enough to post.

 

Thanks Diana. Forgive me for griping about bad knees, etc., but that's part of the process of photography; my doctors would wonder that I can even get down that low -- only for a great photo and absolutely nothing else then off to therapy . . . .

 

I really will do just about anything to get a great photo (though I did pass one up today because I was in a Homeland Security secure facility. I had to pass up a world class portrait of a truck drive in his cab from cab height with a worn and drooping US flag behind him in his cab because of care about not trespassing on Homeland Security rules.

 

(Such restraint, too, as I was there, had a camera, the guy would have waited for his photo to be taken, and liked it, but photos were 'forbidden' and I just couldn't jeopardize other business I was doing for that great photo -- one of the few I've passed up that I clearly knew was a 'great' photo beforehand).

 

Don't be a stranger, Diane. You're always welcome here.

 

John (Crosley)