'As Good As It Gets'

'As Good As It Gets' is a 'street' photograph, precise location withheld,

because it appears fairly unimportant -- maybe to be revealed later.

This continues my sometimes emphasis on use of backgrounds, for

which I have a huge Presentation: 'Photographers: Watch Your

Background' which is perpetually being updated and into which this will

be placed (viewers invited). 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

Those who are familiar with my liking for 'threes' in my compositions (just a natural affinity) may be surprised that this photo, featuring four subjects, also is a 'threes' photo.

 

Look at it, then also look at the reflection.

 

Left to right, lower line, is the Indian man (Sikh), the girl AND her reflection = three.

 

Same for the upper row.

 

Result = two sets of threes.

 

Double threes.

 

I'll eventually add this to my Presentation of 'Threes in My Photography', I think, as it features some ingenious examples of how the subject of 'three' works its way into my photos, usually without any consciousness from me.

 

John (Crosley)

Great!! 6/7

I focused, and had all my adjustments and framing perfect.

 

Then he turned.

 

I got off two or three frames on continuous drive, and stopped.

 

It took two or three minutes for him to turn, but he did. It may even be hard for some to pick out which is the 'real' and which is the 'depiction' here.

 

Does the photo 'tell a story' as so many of my photos do? A. Not in so many words, but perhaps something about heterogeneous cultures -- that appears to be a flight attendant in the background, doesn't it, and that involves interfacing with people of all races, nationalities, faiths, sexual orientations -- just about everything.

 

And keeping good humours (most of the time).

 

Or at least equanimity.

 

Now to when the man turned,

 

I knew what would happen.

 

It worked out exactly as I expected and hoped -- just exactly.

 

The color version is equally as good -- perhaps better, as his turban is royal blue, and his skin is very swarthy, contrasting with the milky tones of the youths and young woman, adding contrast. I had an issue which to post here -- black and white or color -- and may post the color version later, guided by this photo's reception here.

 

Hope you enjoy.

 

This photo's caption/title sums it all up for me: Taken from the Jack Nicholson movie of the same name.

 

John (Crosley)

I can't do better, I think.

 

Thanks for calling it 'GREAT!'

 

I felt the same even before I captured it.

 

I just lay in wait and it 'fell' into my camera.

 

I just was there to 'catch' it -- maybe that's why they call them 'captures'.

 

John (Crosley)

compliments for this very good work, Giuseppe P.

Thanks for a 'tip of the hat' (chapeau).

 

Or are you referring to his chapeau (turban)?

 

I am very appreciative.

 

You can't believe how many 'not very good photos' I took to get one like this.

 

Sooner or later, ya gotta get something good, I always reason.

 

Even if more 'heart' goes into lessser photos, 'heart' does not score well, generally.

 

It's the photo that counts, and without good subject and composition all the heart in the world counts for naught, I think.

 

You, of all people, know that.

 

Thanks for the comment.

 

John (Crosley)

Great work, John...The expressions and tones work so well together....There is something deliciously disconnected about the image...no one is relating to anything that the viewer can see...Good work..Marjorie

I think better to crop off some of the left close to her collar but don't remove all of her sleeve.

It's almost as if they had their own territory to defend against invaders, isn't it? Each surveys intently his/her own territory, and there are 'rays' from most of the views radiating outwards to help guide their vision and indicate it. What more could a photographer want?

 

Thanks for your kind remarks.

 

John (Crosley)

A very good work!The expression of the man seems to be bothered or..... surprised!Regards...

The Sikh (older Indian man) stood facing (but not seeing because he was too close) this poster for about three minutes with me behind him, waiting.

 

I waited, from a little distance, with my camera's zoom (small APS-C sensor) and zoom lens set at 22 mm and everything pre-framed.

 

He did not turn and still did not turn.

 

I waited longer.

 

Finally he turned.

 

I had him framed with the whole scene, camera near (and then to) eye and took this and another, then turned and walked away (he didn't appear to understand English judging from someone who tried to talk to him or I would have tried to converse with him about this photo and showed it to him).

 

So, the look may be one of surprise, but not irritation. He absolutely did not have time to form an irritated gaze at all. Surprise yes, but irritation, no.

 

He's probably still wondering why his photo was taken, but I don't speak his native tongue, and it became apparent he didn't speak English well enough to converse.

 

Ah well.

 

Thanks for observing well enough to notice.

 

John (Crosley)

the uppermost (on the right) girl's expression. She certainly seems a little perturbed or out of sorts, doesn't she?

 

Much more so than my older man, who's merely more surprised or startled than anything.

 

It's a good thing I can 'recognize' such scenes, as I could never dream them up to pose them.

 

Best wishes.

 

John (Crosley)

If I don't make a capture like this or my various other captures, how would they be recorded?

 

Who would make them?

 

How would they ever be in existence?

 

This photo is just one exemplar.

 

I don't go with the pack of reporter/photographers chasing newsworthy events, so there are not duplicates of all my photos hidden in news organization libraries.

 

Each is one of a kind.

 

Without my capturing them, there would be nothing.

 

I know of no one else with the vision, the imagination, the perseverance, or the opportunity to do so, and to span the world in gathering such images.

 

Each posted image is like a 'gift' then to you, my viewer.

 

John (Crosley)

A wonderful capture! Your use of the background is absolutely terrific. Thanks for sharing.

M. Ts.

maybe you mean "if not me, who"? I think the translation to English acutally goes something like: If I am not for myself who will be. If I am only for myself what am I.

I consider (for compositional purposes) this one of my all-time best photos. It has a great possible number of meanings, and that is left to the viewer -- there are lines from most of the subjects' eyes or faces separating their gazes (and their territories?).

 

This was a photo that just had to be taken, once recognized. When I came upon it, the Indian Sikh was standing back to me, right where he is in the photo and all he had to do was turn around, so I framed and patiently waited, and waited and waited.

 

Eventually he turned slightly, and apparently caught sight of me with camera aimed at him and turned some more.

 

Voila!,

 

This photo.

 

This is what one expert who helped me form the concept [well understood by experienced photographers by without a known name in my lexicon] called 'previsualizing' -- an important concept that I used but did not have a name for.

 

You form the photo in your mind, then almost by force of will power try to force it into being, and quite often the actors do move as you 'will them'.

 

That is facetious of course; you just place yourself where you have eliminated other chances from happening and trust to reduced chance of your actor/subject doing lots of other things that will not fulfill your photographic purpose.

 

Here the subject moved exactly as I wished. I could have actually said I 'willed' him to move that way, if I were psychic, but I'm just not psychic -- or at best I'm unaware of any psychic powers, at least until I watch a few more lost episodes of 'Charmed'.

and maybe find something in the 'Book of Spells' that relates to 'Street Photography.'

 

;~)

 

My very best to you.

 

John (Crosley)

Your "expert" gave you the wrong information unless he is into the mystic or somthing. Ansel Adams "advocated the idea ‘previsualization’, whereby the final image is “seen” in the mind’s eye before taking the photo", You already know this. Nothing psychic about it. In an interview (only one I ever had) I was asked if I previsualized. Yes I do according to Ansel; and no I do not according to your "expert". Did I ever stand there as you describe waiting for the person to look at me so I can take the picture? Yes I have and it does feel almost like I willed it. For some uncanny reason people often seem to know when they are being stared at (bad english) -everyone except me.

Great photo John! It doesn't seem to me to be a street photograph though, even though it was technically taken on the street. It seems to be more of an artistic, posed shot. Which is why I think I like it so much. Well done!

Definitely NOT posed.

 

If you read above, I came upon this poster and this guy, and he had his back to me.

 

After a while, he turned a little, then some more, and 'snap' I got the composition.

 

It was well conceived and executed, I'll admit, like in a studio, but in the concourse of a world class airport.

 

Which is why I like it so much.

 

Studio shooting exhausts me mentally because I have little imagination.

 

The 'street' fills me with imagination -- every new situation begets another, then another and so forth.

 

It just 'looks' posed.

 

It wasn't.

 

It's entirely taken in a fraction of a second, though contemplated for some time prior.

 

Thanks for the endorsement.

 

John (Crosley)

As usual you have confused what I have written or conflated one idea into another and come out with an untruth. That seems to be nothing different than behavior of yours I complained about previously.

 

Your remark completely misreads the previous remark, and thus is without substance.

 

Your remarks, as we discussed over a month ago, are not welcome here because of posting transgressions and ad hominem attacks, and at that time I first made complaints and pressed them to you personally you said you would post here no more.

 

You have not kept your word.

 

I will disregard your remarks as being not responsive to the words that were posted or the ideas and completely misreads them, and urge others to do the same.

 

John (Crosley)

 

 

 

First John you use big words that I do not understand and I have not English Dictionary... Second, I think that often agree with you. Third, my remarks are not meant to offend. We come from very different cultures and you do not understand mine I think. People here I am sure are different probabably as in the Ukraine too. Perhaps this is a the reason that we both misread and confuse each other. We have exchanged personal emails outside of this forum and aside from the issue of "time" I do not see that we did not get along well. I find your dialog with others interesting and therefore I read them and when I disagree I say I disagree. I say I disagree and agree same as others say that they agree happen to disagree more often. You make comments that offend me too but I don't stop reading because of this. I simply object same as you. This is very normal here where I live. An American (I too have citizenship) once told me that Israelis are the most obnoxious and arrogant of people. I do not know if that is true but you seem to think so and I do not mind.

 

 

Thank you for commenting on my Yosemite tree. Your eye for the moment, creating moments, capturing moments and sharing them has inspired me this evening, thank you.

Excellence is its own reward. I merely happened to be moved by your example, which was head and shoulders above any other post, so I told you so.

 

It might have been that you returned the favor, and maybe you sought to do so, but I doubt if it would have succeeded it you had not been genuinely affected by the photos I have posted -- they seek to approach my the 'truth' as I saw it each particular moment in time. Altogether, this vast collection of photos is my statement on the condition of humanity, as variegated as it is.

 

I am pleased you have visited here, and more pleased you are affected by what you have seen. I very seldom note good work by others (or rate others' work) because I'm so busy with my own, but I was moved by a very, very good photograph, which from me is a very fine compliment to your work.

 

Best.

 

John (Crosley)