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© Copyright 2009, John Crosley, All Rights Reserved

"The Wary Eye(s) of Two Viet Nam Vets: 'We Weren't Always This Way -- We Used To Be Real..."


johncrosley

Signs of the times, skid row,anytown this winter in harsh economic times. Camera Data withheld, as is city and state. Image is totally unmanipulated in-camera B&W JPEG conversion from JEG and NEF capture, posted with only resizing. (Photographers used to be derided for photograhing 'down and out' people, but what did 'Dorothea Lange' do with 'Migrant Mother'? to help highlight those harmed by the Great Depression?)JC

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© Copyright 2009, John Crosley, All Rights Reserved

From the category:

Street

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These two street dwellers 'used to be real people' once, according to

both of them, having worked in many jobs, such as at Caterpillar and in

the aircraft industry, but have fallen on hard times in what has been 'the

worst of times' in recent memory. Each was suspicious of the

photographer, wondering aloud of he wasn't from the 'FBI' the 'CIA' or the

police, which of course,I am not. 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

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How to take such a photo.

 

Drive by.

 

When two guys in doorways wave a little wave, drive around the block and cautiously (very cautiously) get out.

 

State you name first and your business. 'I'm a photographer and I like to try to take good, dignified and interesting photos. I think you two would make very good photo candidates. There's good light here. I call it side lighting (this was under a bridge approach).

 

It worked (because it was true, we shook hands first, and they allowed me to take 10 photos all at 200 ISO and about 1/4 to 1/5 second exposures as they smoked and had a brewski (beer), while inquiring if the photos were for police.

 

And I replied truthfully, 'no' but possibly, if good, for the Internet (no lying, ever, about that.)

 

Although somewhat mistrustful, they agreed, they liked their photos and were flattered by the attention.

 

They asked ruefully, if I could send them photos: Four blocks down, underneath that next bridge.

 

I smiled wanly.

 

Only about one in four has good focus due to subject movement.

 

But the winners are very good winners with great detail and wonderful light.

 

I knew that going in.

 

Thanks for your kind comment.

 

John (Crosley)

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Thank you for this story and good adwise ,I will remember this and if I have same situation , I will use it !!! I like this photos ,there is always something intresting !

 

Regards Aivar !!

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Maybe I'm not the best or most perfect photographer, but I am a good communicator, and my photos often tell stories or have stories behind them, often of the subjects, the events depicted or just in the manner of taking.

 

I try to tell the 'inside story' so the images are not barren.

 

We're a community of photographers, and this is a 'sharing site' -- at least for me.

 

I think I get a lot of viewers who just like to read the comments because they learn or feel kinship with me as a photographer who has 'street' or 'photographic' decisions' to make, and I often explain how I make them -- so members can understand they're not alone.

 

Many write in comments (or e-mail) questioning how I make a certain shot or get a certain 'look', and I endeavour to answer those questions in advance sometimes . . . . which a search through my thousands of comments under photos and under my portfolio will readily reveal -- kind of a university level course in the practicalities of taking and making photographs that I hope are 'interesting'.

 

I also learn from the writing of those comments; it helps me bring my thoughts together.

 

So, there's a dual purpose: someday I may actually write a book about it all. Frankly, all I have to do is distill these comments and publish a few of these photos.

 

Best and thanks.

 

John (Crosley)

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No longer anon, neither you nor the ratings (you never were really anon, Google. seems to be full of you, and you have been shooting recently 5 times the length I have, and have a well-developed fine arts sense with some wonderful work).

 

Thanks for taking note and for letting me know.

 

John (Crosley)

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You are proving my point that photography is so much more than having good camera/lenses and technical skills, particularly if dealing with street life photography, it takes courage, experience, psyhology and sociology skills as well. Your comments I appreciate as well as your photos...Ton Mestrom: ..."There’s no substitute for experience. I think most successful street photographers have exceptional people skills either because they were born with it or they developed them. "
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The interesting thing is that I could take pretty great photos right from the start - -my first roll had a keeper, posted right here along with the rest, taken at age 21 before I long abandoned photography. I think you know what it is.

 

Some of the photos even were more close up, but the skill to get in close to guys like this is a product more of age -- people don't mess with me, perhaps for fear of picking on 'older guys';~)) (and bigger guys).

 

I'm hard to move or push about, because I'm large.

 

A female photographer would have to employ the same skills but in a more cautious way, or a different way, I think just because of physique., When I was 21 I weighed a good 100 pounds less than now, or even less.

 

That affects the approach too, as well as age.

 

In fact, everything affects everything else and it is the adaptive skill that is the most valuable, I think.

 

Just my view. People skills are a good part of it, though if I never spoke to a person I could take great photos sometimes (occasionally).

 

(1 of 1,000?)

 

That's actually pretty good and I'm doing much better than that.).

 

Thanks Vladimir.

 

I always appreciate your thoughtful comments, and now they're cross-referencing the comments - always good to cross-pollinate.

 

Thanks so much.

 

John

 

 

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They do not look very homeless, nice clothes, ,clean, trimmed beard. I'd guess, at most just unempolyed. Whatever they are they fortunate and far from the bottom. The man in the background is certainly too young to be a viet vet. That war ended 34 years ago...unless this is a very old photo in which case the one in front was too old to be a vet.. (and they have all their limbs unlike Gary who did not come marchin home again, hurray). What and whoever they are, they made there own choices and this is where it got them. I have shot these people for 20 years. I know just about every story there is. FBI, CIA?? That would imply that they are mentally ill.
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