Luminous Landscape Forum
The Art of Photography => User Critiques => Topic started by: seamus finn on August 13, 2013, 05:48:49 pm
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A carnival arrived in my neighbourhood the other night. I couldn't resist, being a child at heart.
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Like the first one. Some subjects simply need the color because color is the very nature of it.
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Like the first one. Some subjects simply need the color because color is the very nature of it.
That's exactly it, Harlem - colour is where colour lives! Thanks for seeing the difference.
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'Nother vote for #1. Really, really, really nice. (really)
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The color in #1 is interesting, though I'd like to know where that kid got such a red face. Is it face paint or is it a reflection from her red blouse?
#2 is an interesting pattern. Good composition, Seamus.
But #3 is the winner -- by far! Not only is it graphically interesting, it's good street. Look at the expressions on those two faces. What's going on? A fine shot, Seamus. Bravo!
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Yup. Nice set, especially 1 and 3.
In 3, I half expected to see another sign at the right that said "Far Out."
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Yeah, Russ, you're right - the colour on the face does look a bit odd, but that's the way it was in the moment. It's not make-up or painting. There was a lot of flashing light going on from other stalls at the time, the sun was very low in the late evening, the blouse probably added its bit and the overall scene was difficult anyway. It must be a combination of all those.
Let's take this as as an example of what happens in the field. I thought I had a reasonably good shot. I was using a Fuji X Pro1 which is not noted for its focussing abilities for fast action like this. I was putting it to yet another test. That's why I was in the fun-fair in the first place. Incidentally, the camera worked ok, but you have to get to know it intimately, and the good thing is it concentrates the mind.
When I came to the image in Lightroom, it never dawned on me that the face looked strange. It's the difference between being there and not being there - the yawning gap between subjectively and objectivity. These are two different worlds. Gary Winogrand knew all about that - the rush of the physical act of shooting the picture as against its merits a year later!
As an aside, I have a big problem with photographing children in the modern internet world. I particularly love to shoot kids, especially in the street, in the prime of their innocence and exploration of life - surely the purest condition of humanity. But the longer I live, the more I hesitate. When I press the button, I feel like a Catholic priest who is afraid to pick up and hug his nieces and nephews for fear of being suspected of malicious intent. And I'm a Catholic myself!
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Wonderful photos, all 3. I would like to the the 2nd and 3rd in color - although the B&W are very good.
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As an aside, I have a big problem with photographing children in the modern internet world. I particularly love to shoot kids, especially in the street, in the prime of their innocence and exploration of life - surely the purest condition of humanity. But the longer I live, the more I hesitate. When I press the button, I feel like a Catholic priest who is afraid to pick up and hug his nieces and nephews for fear of being suspected of malicious intent. And I'm a Catholic myself!
I understand, Seamus. I've always loved shooting kids too. I have four sons, nine grandsons, eight granddaughters, four great-granddaughters, one great-grandson, and three more great-grands on the way at the moment. When I'm with any of them I'm always banging away with the camera. It's okay to shoot the kids in your own family, but recently -- very recently -- I've begun to have the same problem you have. Nowadays everybody is suspected of malicious intent. I hang the blame for that condition on our wussy justice system. If we started having public hangings of child molesters there'd soon be a lot less child molesters (for two obvious reasons).
I spent more than two years dropping by our local penny arcade and shooting pictures there -- mostly of kids. Our penny arcade is one of the last of its kind in the U.S., and generations of kids in Manitou Springs, including my own, grew up with the arcade large in their lives. Some of its machines go back to the turn of the last century. This year I decided I'd collected enough pictures of the arcade to do a book. I did it with Blurb. Made three copies: one for the arcade's owner, one for his manager, both of whom are friends, and one for myself. You can see a bunch of the pictures that are in the book at http://www.russ-lewis.com/photo_gallery/Penny_Arcade/index.html. I'd like to go on shooting at the arcade, but for the reasons you state I now tend to shy away.
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Wonderful photos, all 3. I would like to the the 2nd and 3rd in color - although the B&W are very good.
OK Peter, here goes:
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I spent more than two years dropping by our local penny arcade and shooting pictures there -- mostly of kids. Our penny arcade is one of the last of its kind in the U.S., and generations of kids in Manitou Springs, including my own, grew up with the arcade large in their lives. Some of its machines go back to the turn of the last century.
Two years very well spent. A little slice of bygone days. Same here - but you probably wouldn't get away with it now. Across your shoulder, there might me a lawyer, taking notes.
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Love the first one!
I've begun to have the same problem you have. Nowadays everybody is suspected of malicious intent. I hang the blame for that condition on our wussy justice system. If we started having public hangings of child molesters there'd soon be a lot less child molesters (for two obvious reasons).
There is no reason to think that there are more child molestors now than there used to be.
What changed is the perception of people and therefore their reaction.
This reaction is just another sad side effect of the overall strategy of fear that generates paranoia accross the board.
Utter focus on security, regardless of the reality of "threats", makes society inhuman, as you are now experiencing.
And yes, I have a little girl.
Cheers,
Bernard
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I much prefer your funfair 7. For me the color version is more coherent than the B&W; I suspect because of the sky.