'Two Women'

This is 'Two Women', from a world famous mall/historical center, in Los

Angeles. 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

John, as you know, I don't rate but I will gladly give you a comments on this one. These scenes are of my liking. I love the human theatre of ideals, dreams, nightmares and human reality confronted as here. You have numerous times used that eye and found such scenes, often with success, as here. Well done.

I'm in a situation now where I absolutely can't help but see such things.

 

I went out that particular day and got about five or six of my last postable captures, and maybe more to come from the same shooting day. It was only a few hours long, but enormously productive.

 

I'm currently awaiting replacement equipment, so am not actively shooting for a short time now, and for a good time before this, but when I did go out, just for one day, I was 'hot, hot, hot'.

 

This is just one of my captures on my last download.

 

I am at the point now where I am astonished by what I can 'see'. I went out two nights ago without a camera, not even particularly looking for 'shots', but I kept seeing them and saying f*ck, that would make a great photo - I'm a photographer to the core.

 

I understand those videos in which Cartier-Bresson in interviews in his late '80s and '90s, supposedly no longer interested in photography, suddenly interrupts the interview and starts telling the interviewer (Charlie Rose for one) that he he has been framing him in various ways all along, only without using a camera.

 

I do the same, camera and lens or not.

 

I 'see' great stuff more and more often.

 

At the start, long ago, and also when I began posting here on Photo.net, I don't really think I 'saw' photos unless I had a camera in hand and a viewfinder to look through, but now I dream framing captures (as I found during a recent illness, when I was under heavy narcotics, as I wrote under another photo, and all in blazing Technicolor).

 

I remember vividly that particular dream, in a hospital, trying to frame a dream state performance artist with painted face against a museum wall with fancy, decorated exterior -- the artist with painted face swaying to and fro, and myself doing the same as I attempted to frame the artist as he moved, all in my sleep.

 

I guess photography is what I do.

 

(But I also do other things in my sleep too, and have in the past. At one time I actually did business that I never recalled from the middle of my sleep and it was GOOD, complex, legal business . . ... a form of sleepwalking? and very long ago. I even litigated cases in my sleep and when I awoke had no recollection of what I had done, BUT I had done so skillfullly, possessed of all my skills.

 

This particular photo is very pedestrian, but it is 'interesting' nonetheless, and I thought it was worth posting.

 

Thanks for the validation, from the land of the world's most expensive and pampered cows.

 

;~)))

 

john

 

John (Crosley)

 

John I think I could have written your text above. I experience strongly the same. I even see according to specific lenses. This is why I often go out with only one lens at time. Walking with a 50/1.4 I see everything "through" that glass and do seldom regret not having brought other lenses.

I had my work reviewed, almost by accident by a famous 'art' and 'photo art' critic and luminary.

 

He spent 6 months reviewing my entire output, photo by photo, at his request which overwhelmed me and mostly for free because he found my output 'fascinating'. He was friend and printer for Helmut Newton and others and had a Lucie.

 

I had stumbled into his office (I made the appointment based on a recommendation), and he turned a 15-minute expected appointment into about five or six hours, introductions all around to his colleagues, then to a world famous gallery to meet the owners (at an opening) the next night. They agreed to look at my work 'when ready'. It's just about ready. He's taken me to a number of openings since and made some introductions as he waits for me to produce a portfolio, and that time is almost here - in a month or so,I think.

 

So, while you may see things through the lens du jour, I am your antithesis in that regard. I see things through EVERY lens and focal length, and all the time.

 

What was sometimes so maddening for him, and at the same times so perplexing to this man who became my mentor, was that I shot 'everything' -- color, black and white, representatiuve work, and sometimes what could only be termed 'fine art' and shot those genres often from frame to frame without regard to any fixed 'target' in my shooting. I shot just whatever appealed to me, and still do. He fascinated ME, by separating my captures into so many genres, and told me 'these belong in museums as photos exhibitions and photo galleries and THESE belong in 'ART GALLERIES'. I was shocked,especially because he's a heavyweight. (I've been sick and am just recovering, or i might be at a different point in the process, but if he's still willing, so am I, I think, though the process of reproduction is very expensive and the gallleries are hurting, according to 'fine art' photographers I bump into.

 

I would walk around with a minimum of two cameras and sometimes three, with a range of focal length zooms, and just shoot whatever appeals to me, and I expect do that into the future.

 

I 'see' so many things, and if I see something 'close up' one minute, that doesn't stop me from using a zoom telephoto the next, or a 'superwide' the following moment and even a macro the following.

 

The only common denominator is whether or not I see a possible 'photo' that appeals to me and is not a cliche.

 

In a way, I think that fascinated my mentor, who was used to photographers belonging to one genre or another. He said it was rare, for instance, for a photographer to be 'strong' in black and white' and also 'in color' as he said I was. (I now post less in color, not because I cannot, but because I choose not to).

 

And although I post much 'street' I also have strength in portraits and do not even bother to show my landscapes or glamour. I only show a few nudes, yet one member says 'nudes' are my strongest point in his opinion. Go figure.

 

I say it's just all photography, and the fundamentals of good composition tie everything together. I always figured when I practiced law that if I understood fundamentals, I could put together anything, whether or not I had been schooled in it, and often would sit down and learn a subject and go up against world class experts toe to toe, and sometimes know more about their law subject than they did (because I was not bound by discarded or overturned ideas, having just learned the subject and the latest decisions, so my mind was not cluttered by the outmoded.)

 

The same applies to photography, and I hope every other subject I tackle.

 

I just like photography because it's not contentious (unless someone on the 'street' objects to my photography, in which case having a quick wit can be an asset.)

 

In law, as a litigator, everybody was fighting everybody else; life was one big chess game, and it takes a lot of fun out of life, though it can be vastly rewarding.

 

Photography decidedly is NOT rewarding to me in a monetary sense, but psychically, it takes the cake.

 

And, Anders, I do visualize and previsualize through ALL of those lenses -- from the widest of the wide to the longest of the VR telephoto zooms. - often within seconds from one capture to the next, and I consider it a missed opportunity to go on the 'street' with anything but a full range of equipment.

 

(Anders, no matter what, I do appreciate YOU and your photography, which I have always found personally and aesthetically appealing.)

 

Best wishes.

 

John (Crosley)

Thanks John for this answer which shows that you are approaching an extraordinary promising period of series of events. I sincerely expect to find you in exhibitions and art galleries also here in Europe.

I believe you are right in observing that my limited approach to what I carry, and consequently what I see, is not optimal if the objective is to be able to see and shoot all possible potentially promising scenes, but it is surely optimal for my back ! In fact mostly I equip myself with a 5D mark II and my 24-105 which can cover a vast scope of scenes in cities, especially when the light is there.

 

I hope your health problems are passed and wish you all success with your portfolio when it is ready. You surely deserve it. Keep us informed.

I suffer a great deal of pain every day for which I take very substantial pain relievers, so you may wonder how I can carry substantial cameras and lenses?

 

The answer is that the joy and satisfaction and the sheer concentration involved in taking what any moment may turn out to be a lifetime best capture is so engrossing and such a turn-on for me,that it is its own analgesic. It may be that if one could measure the amount of endorphins released during that process, that it would rival those of the strongest pain reliever.

 

It took me a long time to figure that out,,but the sheer joy of seeing metaphorically the moon, the stars, and the planets line up, for what sometimes is the 'perfect capture' -- which can happen all of a sudden and for me sometimes any time, is extremely satisfying to me and greatly engrossing. It's great medicine.

 

I thank you for your best wishes on a future in exhibition.

 

Much of my work is hardly of exhibition caliber; it will never go father than a photo sharing site, but some I am told is worthy and distinctive..

 

If I can afford it and have the energy (and if the market is willing), that is what I would promote.

 

Thanks for your good wishes.

 

I kind of doubt my work would be easily exhibited in Europe, because of privacy laws there -- everybody who is involved in exhibiting 'street' work there is too afraid of showing 'faces' without releases, even for editorial or 'fine art' work. Such a shame.from the the part of the world that gave us Kertesz and Cartier-Bresson. and numerous others.

 

John (Crosley)

 

 

Your last remark on "shaming" is not justified in my view. The difference between the US and European countries is an old question of difference between our respective cultures: The difference between Cultures of Privacy: Dignity versus Liberty. European laws protect against commercial use if photos without consents .

I thank you for the last comment.

 

However your view, and however correct legally it might be, I am informed reliably that newspapers, say, in neighboring France, are afraid to publish photos in which strangers appear in public for fear of being sued, even though they are not for commercial use.

 

The dampening effect on photojournalism, documentary photography, street photography, and otherwise is enormous, and France generally follows the laws of the European Community (of which I believe your country, Switzerland is not a member).

 

In reality, it is impossible to control what those millions of tourists do with their point and shoots and even their higher grade cameras, but when it comes to trying to publish shots of strangers, there is enormous resistance.

 

Two years I was at the giant Photo Fair at the Louvre in Paris and found that there was not one 'street' photographer exhibited among the hundreds, even thousands of photographers exhibited, except for those from the days of 'classic' street photography, long ago,such as Cartier-Bresson, Erwitt, and Ronis (and very, very few of those -- they were almost impossible to find).

 

I do understand it is OK to shoot whatever you wish in public, even though I 've had cops tell me otherwise, but I had the law of Germany (for instance) researched in that regard, and there is no restriction, but the ability to display and/or publish is vastly restricted without a release.

 

Further, just to play the 'safe side' publisher for fear of being sued, just will not publish such shots without releases, so there is the ultimate difficulty.

 

We do see 'great' shots from countries with legal systems which are undeveloped -- Iraq, Afghanistan, the Sudan, etc.,and most of Africa, in part because no one fears repercussion, but for shots made in the EU, publishers (I am told by those supposedly expert in the subject) won't touch traditional 'street' work). Ronis' published work from not long ago may be an exception, but most or all of his photos were taken before enactment of those restrictive 'privacy' laws.

 

(I tend to 'keep up' on this subject, as it is very, very important to me, and if you can point me to a contemporary, authoritative, original source that has a contrary point of view, I'd be most appreciative. (I am able to use translation software if necessary, so it need not necessarily be in English).

 

It goes without saying that a 'street' shot that features an individual should never be used in a 'commercial' setting e.g., to sell a product, without a releae.

 

My great thanks to you Anders.

 

John (Crosley)

You are fully right that the protection of privacy is the overarching logic behind most restriction of the use of photography in Europe. You can in general shoot whatever and who ever you like (there are local/national restrictions however) but you cannot publish it or sell it without consent of those people are the main subject on a photo. Even publishing here on PN could be a problem.

The main French web page on the question is here: http://www.dolphin2001.net/photo/legis/droit.

By the way I'm not Swiss but Danish of origin but live and work in Brussels and Paris.

Thank you for the link, and my personal apologies.

 

I will review the link to the legal site as a matter of course; I believe in being more educated than the gendarmes (les flics) who may interact with me, or the publication which may have objection, or an agent also who may have objections to showing my work in the EU, as that time may be coming soon.

 

Now my sincere apologies; I thought I had seen an indicator of Swiss nationality next to your name (on another site, perhaps) and labored under that falseness all the time I have been writing you -- hence the snide remark about bovine flatulence, as the Swiss are known for pampering their milk cows more than their poorer citizens. In fact, few creatures lead a more pampered existence than a Swiss dairy cow. I am sorry I wasted a good snide remark on a Dane living in Belgium and France, thinking he was Swiss. I am so sorry.

 

But you must ride the overpriced Thalys a lot, which is good if you don't have to pay the fare personally - it's just a purple TGV with a higher price and owned by a private company, now with no real alternative (no slow train anymore as I recall).

 

And I envy you for your choice of residences if you can afford to live in those cities; the life of a dweller in those two cities is a very good one, with great culture, great history all around, and always great shooting opportunities, almost everywhere - the Paris Metro is one of my all-time favorite haunts for photographing.

 

And get this - I have walked past phalanxes of les flics in the Metro, with huge cameras and huge lenses draped from my shoulders and neck and not one flic ever took notice even though at times in their presence I stopped to take Metro photos. So much for the anti-terrorist campaign.

 

However, be VERY CAREFUL if you take a camera out for any reason at Gare de 'L'Est, as the gendarmes will jump on you in a second. Somehow I feel they just didn't get the message that 'old' white American males with Nikons who are a sight just for their equipment (and larger bellies) are hardly the kind of person they're looking for as a 'terror suspect', and last I heard (last year) that attitude prevailed, and has now for years - but just in that one gare,, of all the places in Paris.

 

Go figure, to use a peculiar and difficult to translate American expression.

 

I have frequented Brussels various gare, but beware not the the southernmost gare, but a more northerly one. I once traveled overnight from France, and there was no food on the train from Strasbourg as advertised and I was famished as there was no food available at the few stops in early morning darkness.

 

Famished, I also only had one Euro, so I plunked it into a guaffre (waffle) vending machine and pulled the lever, expecting some sort of waffle-like nourishment to kill my hunger pangs as there was no exchange at the station and I had no hope of getting any other euros for several hours when I got to my final destination after a transfer.

 

I bit hastily into the plastic-wrapped waffle (guaffre) only to realize too late that it was encased in spider webs and other detritus - having possibly been in the abandoned machine on the platform there for months and perhaps years.

 

Yucccchhh. Spit, Spit. Spit Spit and worries about gastroenterological disease and even death, but even the spiders had died long since, and I lived.

 

Belgium is NOT Germany.

 

I guess that goes without saying.

 

But Belgium would be a much prettier place of the Germans had not systematically destroyed the entire medieval portions of Belgium after their victory in World War I - another shameful chapter in German history, now past and surely impossible to repeat. Even the Nazis were too ashamed to try to do that with Paris.

 

Thankfully.

 

My best to you and thanks for the link.

 

I'll have to find some other way now to 'send you up', Anders. No more Swiss bovine taunts, alas.

 

John (Crosley)

No harm done John. I spend much time in and around Switzerland too and like the Swiss if they are not too strict on what to do and not to do in traffic - like stopping the motor running when waiting at red lights or stopping at pedestrian crossings for people that haven't even themselves yet decided to cross!

 

As you might have noticed I'm especially shooting in Paris since the late 70's (but never shot in the Metro!!) but Brussels city has never inspired me in photographic terms.

 

By the way no-one would even dream of the getting the old slow train between the two cities back. It takes 1 hour fifteen now and before it took 2 hours and a half. If you use promotions which are almost always available, the return ticket cost something like 140 euros, first class.

 

Your culinary experiences in Belgium are according to my experience the anti-these of reality. Brussels has a great number of very good restaurants and even Parisian would reserve tables after a visit in the opera or seeing an art exposition. "Moules frites" costs you a maximum of 20 euros in any good place and is mostly "worth the travel".