mjerabek

I would like to invite you to have a look at my two recent series of photos: one

I called <a href="http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=782179">"Rainy Day

in Sidon"</a>, the other <a href="http://www.photo.net/photodb/

folder?folder_id=783543">"Sour - les derniers jours de l'automne...

les derniers jours de la normalité".</a> The photos don't always fall within the

category of "Docu" or "Street" or "Photojournalism", but as a whole, I think

they do.

<p>

As you may or may not know, we are currently having a major problem in

development in Lebanon (started slowly some two years ago) that everybody seems

to be fed up with, but nobody seems to be able to stop.

<p>

My "mental" project in consideration is to "snap" basic, ordinary (or even

boring) photos of "normalité", as long as it lasts. The target is to have around

15 - 20 representative photos (out of the two folders, and as I hope, out of

more to come).

<p>

Your comments and ideas both on single photos and the series and on whatever

aspect concerning them are very welcome and I would appreciate them a lot.

<p>

Michal Jerabek

It is a very good collection of photographs and I agree with those who say some of your pictures are very good (the Aquarium is my favourite). I also like the simplicity of the web site interface. Thanks for sharing.

To <strong>Denis Sutherland</strong>: Very hard to tell. Here they look shy, but as you say, it is a part of they role-dance. So I find it OK. But I am sure they must have beautiful eyes, though - therefore with they eyes wide open it might have been different but surely still (and again) good picture. Regards. MJ.

<strong>John Falkenstine</strong>: Oh, thanks, that's a very good link indeed. MJ.

<strong>Allen Herbert:</strong> I like something in both - from my point of view the Audience I has stronger composition whereas Audience II has more of "human touch". I wanted to place only one out of the two into my <i><a href="http://www.photo.net/photodb/folder?folder_id=513226">Harare - Street Life and Some Other Very Short Stories</a></i> series but I could not make up my mind. Therefore I have included both. Regards, MJ.

Mel Resnick: I do not think there is any limit for the number of pictures presented within a forum thread. As I learned you can post a picture directly as an attachment (511 pixel limit) - always just one per answer, but there isn't any problem to send more of them, or as a link (<img src="address here">) from your portfolio on Pnet or another site. Regards, MJ.

<p>Thanks to all that joined this discussion thread. Special thanks for your picture contributions. I thought that this issue might offer a topic for a sort of interesting brainstorming. I am happy to say I was not disappointed.</p>

<p>Now in a more personal way:</p>

<p><strong>David Higginbottom</strong>: Yes I agree - the sum of the two might have been interesting, yet the street is merciless and we must do with whatever it offers.</p>

<p><strong>Bruno</strong>: Thanks for your appreciation. With the "tree issue" in "Audience I" you made a very valuable poit. It did not occur to me but I think you are right.</p>

<p><strong>Steve Unsworth</strong>: Fine pictures. The "Le Pen" one is really interesting and not only from the photographic point of view.</p>

<p><strong>H. C.</strong>: The issue of intent with the street documentary photo is a tricky one - I think something is possible to predict but I find the street capricious. Sometimes I "discover" my own pictures only after taking them.</p>

<p><strong>Guy Hammond</strong>: Looks like the eye contact can sometimes be invaluable. Good picture.</p>

<p><strong>Beau Hooker</strong>: Oh, why the man looks so sad? About your photo - I can see his eyes but wonder at the same time, whether or not he noticed you or anyhting else around him. He really seems to be lost in himself. Interesting one.</p>

<p><strong>Jamie J.</strong>: Thanks for your comment. I like the wide lens because I enjoy to be part of the story or event as it unfolds. Wide lens allows me for that. Not always I manage to be sucessful and meet even my own meagre criteria but, of course, I try as best as I can. And yes, I live in Harare (but just now I am packing and ready to change the scene - which actually pushed me month ago to venture into the Harare street photo project).</p>

<p><strong>David Pratt</strong>: There is something else that makes the second photo interesting for me - the triple social interaction: the mother watches something (rather interesting) and together with most of the people in the picture does not take much interest in anything else - nevertheless she is keeping the contact with her daugther by putting her hand on top of her daughter's head (sort of protective gesture I feel): the girl looks at the photographer but at the same time is protecting her doll: the doll is not animated of course but as a matter of fact it looks (to me) like it is enjoying to be protected. But well, this is only my interpretation of the event.</p>

<p><strong>Jenna G.</strong>: I find the composition of the first picture "geometrically" stronger (but as mentioned above, I agree with Bruno's comment on the tree), the second one is stronger in my opinion in its subject. The hip shooting is necessarily a matter of personal style - I wouldn't go for that. With a lot of practice you can of course guess a lot about what will be on the picture but really compose the picture you, I believe, can't. You can fix the problem afterwards by cropping the picture, true - my problem is that I don't want to crop (psychological barrier of unknown origin :)).</p>

<p><strong>Barry Fisher</strong>: Thanks for making your poit. Of course this thread was not intended as a means to find the "definitive answer" to anything - there isn't such a thing, I am afraid (apart from the application of the "42" rule, which doesn't seem to help much here anyway). But a bit of interaction within the forum is fine, isn't it?</p>

<p><strong>Yance Marti:</strong> Thanks, nicely explained. I agree into some degree but believe at the same time that "misunderstandings" are very hard to avoid in this genre (unlike the staged photography) because the photograper is (sometimes at least) less of the main story-teller and more of a sort of "medium". And I think that photos needn't be simplified to the point of allowing one interpretation only.</p>

I have now two rather similar photos that differs mainly in one thing

- the eye contact of the main subject with the photographer. What do

you think about this issue?

<p>There are other issues as well. When you look at those two photos,

what do you think? Which one do you like more? If you don't like

either, would you please tell me what are your objections or feelings?<p>

<p>Thanks for your time.</p>

 

<p>

<strong>Audience I</strong>

</p>

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/3634818-md.jpg">

<p>

<strong>Audience II</strong>

</p>

<img src="http://d6d2h4gfvy8t8.cloudfront.net/3639924-md.jpg">

Great Little Man Carter! Excellent stuff. Regards MJ.

Bruno, there are indeed some pictures in your NY file that are interesting, yes, may be the "telephone girl" or the "lady-student" are the best there: but frankly, none of them gets even within a shooting distance to those in your "Cuba files". The "Cuba" photos are excellent by the way, and I do not think it must be because "anybody can take good picture on Cuba" (well, I have never been there, but I have some travel experience - it is not about the place, but more about YOU in that place) - it seems you somehow operated on very different waves when on Cuba compared to most other places, by which I do not say that all your photos taken outside Cuba are automatically inferior to the Cuba photos - just that you managed to communicate the spirit of the place enormously well, whereas specifically the NY photos look more like a photo excercise, although a good one.