samrat

I have interpreted this photo at different levels. The man in front is a

street performer...one of those who can spend hours maintaining a pose.

He keeps a bowl in front for passers by to drop coins into; his hope at

the end of the day is to make some sort of a living from his art. Contrast

this with the man sitting and watching him. We do not know what he

does for a living, but he seems rather better off than our street actor but

probably without the talents of the latter. Most passer byes do not stop.

While the talent and patience of this man is indeed a class act,

economic classes do stand out, fairly or unfairly, even in "advanced"

countries. Thank you for your constructive comments on this photo.

I saw this man in the morning, then in the afternoon and finally in the

evening when I took this photo. He stood/sat much in the same place and

(from what I saw) barely moved more than 10 yards throughout the entire

day. I did not speak to him but he interested me enough. Why did he

spend the day like he did? To what direction had his life taken him? Thank

you for your constructive comments on this photo.

"For after the "best" moment, there mostly simply isn't another "best" one..!" This statement from you sums up the decisive moment so very well. This is a perfect capture with the lady's expression (of that of distraction) and the apt background. It may also convey the idea (rather than losing the remaining ice-cream to the girl behind) that the lady says "I don't like it any more...you may have the rest" with the raised hand moving up and over her shoulder.

I confess being guilty of not being to your photos in a while; I aim to correct that starting now.

What can I say? Mesmerising? Magical? Fascinating? Probably all of these and more. I love the atmosphere created and especially those dew-like drops spread all over the surface. This re-inspires me about colour once again...

Oh, and did I say I love the caption too?

Regards.

Thank you for your rather interesting take on the photo. You have noticed that I have recently started providing a bit more storyline to the photos. The intent is not to manipulate the viewer; I have always maintained that a photograph is potentially open to lots of interpretations. All I want is to let people know what I was thinking of at the time; or even what thoughts came to me when I looked at the photo before posting it. It may well be that I took the photo because something in the scene appealed to me in the first place.

You are right in thinking that John has influenced me in some ways. However, I am not consciously imitating his style; and as you have rightly mentioned with regard to the quality of his photos, I have no idea if and when I will be able to match up to even a fraction of his work. However, you will also see that I have often interpreted his photos in an entirely different way to which he had interpreted it himself and I have subsequently tried to learn from his and others' (including yours) views.

But I thank you for the complement that my photos are improving. It is very inspiring to know that and it is entirely down to all I have learnt from the members of this site.

Please do keep reviewing my photos. I really do appreciate it.

Regards.

Thank you both for your comments. I wanted to concentrate on the texture and colour contrast. I have another shot of the far away blue window...more face on; that should show the texture a bit better. But this shot seemed better composed and so I uploaded this.

A still from a fruit/vegetable shop in the hilltop village of Le Baux de

Provence. Thank you for your constructive comments on this photo.

Looking up from one of Avignon's alleys, I noticed the latticed windows all

around. I decided to frame them once more. Thank you for your

constructive comments on the photo.

I have often been faced with the dilemma of how much to tip in different

eateries wherever I have been. Of course there is an expected level of

service for tipping but where due, I have decided to follow an estimate of

10-15% of the bill. The photo shows a waiter collecting his tip, the giver

about to leave while the couple (probably) thinking how much to tip. Does

this resonate with you? Many thanks for your constructive comments on

this photo.

People lose weight smoking; through malignant disease or otherwise.

Others try to lose weight but may not be able to do so either due to some

physiological/genetic problems or difficulty in controlling the urge to eat.

This photo just shows a connection at some level between the subjects

without definitely trying to state who is in what state of affairs. Thank you

for your constructive comments on this photo.

My caption says it all, and is actually a repeat of all that has been discussed above.

I see that there have been a couple of differing viewpoints with regard to the background. I personally think the man's face works well for 1. as you have explained, it is symbolic of people looking at them/scrutinising them either from their physical appearances or state of affairs or both; 2. being symbolic also of the slick and polished capitalism which creates the have/have not divide; and 3. providing us some idea of where they are (not certainly in a nice, comfy home) and therefore has added value.

If the twins were photographed singly or together with a washed out background, it would still have made a powerful photograph. However, the man's face in the background provides a little extra scope/imagination to interprete the photo. If the twins were not there but in front of some bland signboard, then we'd have had to accept that.

Thank you for letting us know there was a happy ending. It is as important as the photograph itself. Regards.

Thank you both for your interest. I think the photographer's view should be incorporated while submitting a photograph to enable others to see/view the image in the same light. Probably easier said than done, and I have been guilty of just uploading photos without any relevant explanation.

Thank you for your input. I think once you explain a photo, viewers can see what the thought process behind the effort was. They can then agree, disagree and/or hopefully constructively critique/discuss.

Back to your mirror/reflection photos (remember the ones from Belgium?). However, I think detail has been lost out. Having said that, I like the lamps and staircase on the right side...reminds me of some surrealist photographs of yore.

...and I like that comb on the mirror ledge. The reflected red bit is very powerful...draws the eye in effectively.

Great shot, Rajnish. I like the casual manner the man is holding his cigarette/bidi and conversing with the lady. Apt conversion to b/w with great tones.

Is the person on the right you? :) Regards.

Though posted in "Street" category, it is not literally street but a candid

photo. The Avignon Train Station is decorated with several famous

photographs of which this is one. It portrays a man admitted in a

psychiatric hospital. It seems he is keeping an eye on this rather mad,

unruly world. Thank you for your constructive comments on this photo.

Two men across the street in a small town in Provence. Thank you for

your constructive comments on this photo.

Three men; related by sight, or rather, lack of it. The only person capable

of looking at the camera is the reader; he is too engrossed. The statue

"looks" away but it is the man on the magazine who "looks" straight at the

camera/viewer. Thank you for your constructive comments on the photo.

I chanced upon this photo while viewing your recent "gentle giant" upload. The only comment so far has summed things up very nicely; I could not find anything new to contribute there.

The first thing that struck me was (in addition to your caption) that of man being more and more converted to an item in a universal toolbox. The busy lives we pursue day after day has turned most people into some kind of machine. The brute force of modern life has turned people into some mechanical, emotionless, robotic beings (not unlike Chaplin's opening shot of "Modern Times"). We have been turned into people who tick-box things and are satisfied with such achievement.

In this photo, the timing of the shot is more than just to represent how his mind is occupied. It is also a reflection, an mirror-image of his mind, where, rather than the softness of a paint brush, hard realities predominate.

The dry tap (emptiness), wrench (manipulation), lock (imprisoned) dominate the presence of a key (a ray of hope). Metallic items are rather cold and harsh, much like the realities of life. The grain in the image contributes a measure of grittiness.

Rather surreal photo, with some hope incorporated amongst the misery; only for those who can find it.

Best wishes.

Thank you for your appreciation. I think I may have over-processed the photo somewhat. Do you feel the same? Regards.

Thanks for your comments. The only light source, as you see, was the one from the top. Perhaps I should have done more post-production work but it would help if anyone helps me with some suggestions on how to do this optimally.