alt.street The Big Chill

It's Winter in the Northern Hemisphere, and a tough one at that over

most of the US and Europe, with snow and ice over great parts of many

countries. This photo is not especially from any particular city or

country, and represents all of them in a way. 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

GREAT! Nothing more than that.

With regards

I LOVE this one.

 

You either fall in love with this one or maybe pan it or ignore it.

 

It's that kind of photo.

 

I think it's 'art' maybe even with a capital 'A', but see the other evening 'Chill' photo I posted, in color -- it's definitely 'art' as well as 'street, taken almost at the same premises (less than a block away, at the corner of this same property on another day).

 

Photos are where you take them; you needn't go on an expedition to find a chance for a great photo, in my opinion.

 

I have been influenced heavily by the attitude of Mr. Tim Holte, who is a superior photographer who exhibits on this service and elsewhere, who doesn't seem to travel much, but always gets the most out of just about everything he photographs, and he photographs just about everything, always with artistic vision.

 

And of course, all you do is superior, in my view.

 

John (Crosley)

I like the blur in the scene. Gives a good "motion" effect. The movement traces of the street lights sort of take away from the effect. Maybe remove them with photo shop?

I generally post with the most minimal Photoshopping.

 

I hope to get hints from members after posting photos in their most original versions before being more aggressive with image editing.

 

I take a lot of photos, and why waste time with lots of work, if a photo has no appeal -- if it just doesn't 'connect' with others?

 

Sometimes (rarely) a photo I see not so much in will prove to be a huge success with viewers, and I may then want to spend much more time refining it.

 

If a photo has potential for something further, I hope members will make suggestions, as you have here about removing the motion 'trails' from 'camera movement' as I was slip-sliding away on the ice and taking this photo of these two also slip-sliding on ice.

 

I probably would do a rare thing for this photo and remove those motion trails, as I agree, they do detract from an otherwise good photo, but would do so only if this photo is good enough to go further.

 

Working this photo to remove those trails will be very tedious work, and something I may ask another to do - someone with high skills and 'time to burn'.

 

It takes some guts to put a photo like this up for exhibition on a site like Photo.net which rewards technical excellence with high rates but is very severe on what members see as 'technical deficiency'.

 

However, I am undeterred. I believe it has, underneath it all, what my former mentor called the 'spirit of the photo' or some such words, and he was a true genius as well as a worthy guru.

 

Helmut Newton trusted him, and he undertook to teach me a thing or two.

 

I think he succeeded, and that may surprise him a little. (I hope he reads and sees this.)

 

I like to see reactions to my postings, and sometimes am surprised and overwhelmed -- which is why I show so much and so many different varieties of captures, as well as so many that appear to 'break rules'.

 

This one 'breaks a lot of rules', in one sense, but 'I think I got it right' -- rule breaches or no, and your suggestion for improvement appears a good one.

 

I may take it, if others agree this photo's 'spirit' is good enough to take image editing to another level.

 

I had considered the move ante posting, but decided to gather views beforehand.

 

Thanks.

 

John (Crosley)

bunring/cloning? I think burning is a harder way to go than cloning. See ATTACHED...I am not good at cloning nor do I have the patience.

Hi John, I looked at this image for a while and came to the conclusion that it is a very good photograph. It appeals to me...I would say it has a certain energy/dynamic and raw quality to it. I also find that the blurring motion contributes to the photograph rather than distract from it. I can tell that the young man and the girl are laughing about something and that they have purpose. There is also chaos or what looks like it on the street with all the cars. I read somewhere that the rules of composition do not necessarily apply to street photography (I think his name is Resnik and teaches photography in New york). Also when I always look at the Magnum Photos website I usually see a lot of interesting street photographs taken by many eminent photographers (e.g. Bruce Gilden etc.) that shoot street by not only breaking the rules but by also using blurring motion etc......In any case, I usually do not judge other peoples works by standardizing them and applying the 9 rules of composition to them or if the picture is blurred etc. especially street photographs. I view them for what they are.... freezing life situations and instances in fractions of seconds. Also for their content and context and the interest and appeal that they have for me (subjective). Interesting and original work.....Best Regards.... Dara

I think you hit the nail on the head: Thank you so much for the detailed exposition; it is my view but better explained.

 

I make no excuses when I post a photo like this.

 

I knew from the moment I took it that it was 'good' but wondered whether this forum would accept it for that worth.

 

Some members, such as yourself, will.

 

I might clean up those 'trails of light' a little in a further exposition, but otherwise leave it exactly as it is.

 

Because I like it very much.

 

It's a baby that you don't throw out, no matter how unusual looking.

 

Because it has the 'spirit of the photo' in it, I think.

 

I thank you for your learned essay; it's very worthy, and I commend it to others to read.

 

John (Crosley)

Am I the only one to get the symbolism of your title? This is the classic scene of a couple's fight, right? He's giving her the "Big Chill", and she's running after him to ......? Anyway! I don't mind the light streams, the image stands on its own as a "documentary" of sorts for me. I think it would have been too cutesy and unbelievable, if it had not been blurred. Great work.

I can't verify they were having a fight. Just fighting the ice where there seldom is any is a major feat, but it's a good premise. Maybe there were having a mock 'altercation' -- they certainly weren't raising a ruckus.

 

Yes, without the blurs, it would have been a 'nothing' photo, and especially without what the motion blur effects did to their legs and to the flow of lightness in the photo. They were a gift from some minor photo god.

 

You said much in a few words, and I won't add to that, except to say, thank you.

 

So very much.

 

John (Crosley)