'Life's a Gas!'

Life's a gas for this truck driver, entering Manhattan, obviously amused.

I find his smile infectious -- how about you? 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

I'd been waiting for a free moment to post this photo, taken last week.

Sometimes just an expression caught dead on is enough.

I submit this photo as proof.

Thanks for sharing your impression; I am always indebted.

John (Crosley)

The truck, as I recall, is exiting Manhattan, not entering, as stated in the request for critique.

John (Crosley)

John you sure capture the right moment. The picture look very natural. You got the soul and character of a person, when I see the picture it makes me feel like I know the person it looks like it could be any of my friend.

Congratulations

Alex

Actually I shot this while driving if you can imagine and while traffic was moving slowly. He was going the opposite direction and also going very slowly.

He did see me, and I was still driving. I took about four or five photos, and all of them show him like this as I slowly passed him as he waited in a backup near a tunnel I was exiting. This is the best.

Thank you for such a wonderful compliment.

John (Crosley)

Is my usual rule . . . it makes a photo too predictable and not complex enough. People's eyes go directly to the subject and then predictably they lose interest.

If the subject's not in the center, then the viewer's eyes must move around the frame a little bit, keeping their interest.

The sign of a successful photo, in my view (and others I presume) is that the photo conveys a message and in doing so it also keeps the viewers' attention.

Here the subject is almost smack dab in the center (just a little to the right) but he is partially obscured by his driver's side window and almost blocked by his large semi-tractor rear view mirror - and framed by his truck body and window frame.

Those things add additional interest and complexity and make this an 'environmental portrait' of this man, as opposed to just any old snapshot.

I think.

For me it's a success; my generous industry-leading mentor of last year ending early this year taught me to go 'for the spirit of the photo' and to pay little attention to conventions.

How right he was in my view, and I thank him again for his generosity and for those kitchen-table seminars (master classes really) on what constites good and/or 'great' photography as well as when photography crosses over and becomes 'art' worthy of being shown in galleries as 'art' not just 'photography'.

This is a good example of a photo that I believe has 'spirit' - it has that 'naturalness that I hope will be the hallmark of my better photos.

John (Crosley)

Sonrisa y virado perfectos.

Saludos.

Thank you for commenting so nicely on the smile and the photo.

This is a liittle 'gem' that is easily overlooked when sorting through what one hopes will be 'important' photos.

But it now is one of my most happy and favorite photos.

It has 'life' to it. Not all of my photos are from 'beggars and poor people or life's unfortunates..

Saludos y gracias.

John (Crosley)

Life IS art if one is selective, watches carefully and knows how to (1) recognize those moments worth preserving, (2) have the guts to point a camera and shoot --(3) possess the personality traits to engage in such a pursuit, (4) the artistic sensibility to frame it correctly, often in as little as a second or two, and finally the ability to move quickly before the moment is gone (for which practice will help considerably).

I actually don't shoot so much, it's just that I always have a camera with me during my peregrinations. And I think a lot about my captures since I must process them and I am looking maybe to galleries - I have been urged in that direction by well-known pros in the field.

If I shot 4 hours a day, I would probably be the most prolific photographer ever (except for Garry Winogrand).

Best to you in sharing this wonderful lifestyle of shooting 'street' and capturing those wonderful instances that keep us shooting, as above.

John (Crosley)

This photo is a new favorite of mine.

It has all the life and spirit that I think makes a great photo, at least from my perspective.

And it captures the moment. It may not be Cartier-Bresson's 'decisive moment', but it's good enough for me.

John (Crosley)