Intimate Discussion

[RSL]

An intimate discussion over lunch, 2017.

[BobDavid]

"Smart" phones are virtual forcefields.  The photo captures that.  Even the third character, the guy in the background, is inside a bubble.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

As Basil Fawlty would say, "Typical! Absolutely typical!"

Good catch, Russ.

[Kevin Gallagher]

 Great catch Russ! I so agree with Bob and Eric!!


Kevin in CT

[RSL]

Thanks all. Actually, the thing that made me lift my camera off the indoor table where my wife and I were having lunch was the quality of light on the girl's face and hands. It wasn't until the camera went click that I realized each was in a world of his or her own.

[Rob C]

What you've done, Russ, is make a photographic Edward Hopper better than Hopper did Hopper. You've remade Automat on a more generous canvas.

Kudos.

On another plane: glad you survived the weather!

Rob

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

What you've done, Russ, is make a photographic Edward Hopper better than Hopper did Hopper. You've remade Automat on a more generous canvas.

Kudos.

On another plane: glad you survived the weather!

Rob

+1.

[RSL]

Wow, Rob! Comparing that shot to Hopper makes me feel humble. He's my favorite painter. Always has been since the first time I ran into him.

[Rob C]

Wow, Rob! Comparing that shot to Hopper makes me feel humble. He's my favorite painter. Always has been since the first time I ran into him.

Don't be humble; nothing about which to feel that way: be überproud of the image and of yourself for making it!

The first thing that hit me between the eyes was the colour - that pretty much painted person in the background set off the emotion, and then the woman and man, both frozen in what they were about, completed the connection to Hopper. It's one of the most striking photographs I've seen. It transcends photography, especially in the way that the frozen people are frozen: it doesn't look as if it's just a result of shutter effect at all; it speaks of a frame of mind - a suspension of motion within the scene - as if the place itself was holding its breath.

Apart from Automat, it's also Nighthawks.

Wish things like that hit me once in a while!

Rob

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Great capture, Russ.

I was initially tempted to suggest b&w, but then I realized that actually color makes it, leads the eye between complementary colors blue and yellow, with the neutral in between, serving as a bridge.

But... since this is posted in the Critique section, may I kindly suggest, gasp,... cropping it to a square?

[Rajan Parrikar]

Excellent.

[churly]

Yep this one is classic Russ.
Chuck

[Harald L]

Nice pictures which nails the worst habit of our modern world.

I use to stop talking immediatly as soon my counterpart looks at his phone and if he looks astonished at me I'm answering: "You're not interested in our conversation anymore, don't you?". Sometimes that works...

[Alskoj]

As Basil Fawlty would say, "Typical! Absolutely typical!"

Good catch, Russ.

Weird!  My wife is currently watching Fawlty Towers right now!  My wife and daughter love all things British.  Also, I think that Top Gear is the greatest show ever!

[BobDavid]

The woman's profile is what initially caught my eye. Then I wondered if she's wearing a wig or not. Then I "zoomed out" and studied the frame. Good capture, Russ. It's a tableau of sorts.

[Rob C]

And the funny coincidence is this: Russ likes Crewdson, and all of the Crewdson images I can remember are in the style of Hopper and decidedly not of Rockwell.

[RSL]

In view of Slobodan's suggestion I probably should point out that I cropped the heck out of this picture. I was sitting at an interior booth across an aisle and another (fortunately empty) booth next to the window. Since I'd been working the street, what I had with me was my Pen-F with a 25mm (50mm equivalent) Summicron. The sun was starting to fade as a cloud rolled its way. I focused and shot quickly, and the original isn't even straight. The cropped .PDF is only 16 meg.

But I don't think square is the right format for this picture, so although I cropped it, I'm not going to crop it any more.

[Rob C]

In view of Slobodan's suggestion I probably should point out that I cropped the heck out of this picture. I was sitting at an interior booth across an aisle and another (fortunately empty) booth next to the window. Since I'd been working the street, what I had with me was my Pen-F with a 25mm (50mm equivalent) Summicron. The sun was starting to fade as a cloud rolled its way. I focused and shot quickly, and the original isn't even straight. The cropped .PDF is only 16 meg.

But I don't think square is the right format for this picture, so although I cropped it, I'm not going to crop it any more.

.
Agreed. The bold vertical line sets the dynamic. If you cut that, you lose its power. Anyway, as tighter vertical shot, it also borrows from Charles Rennie MacIntosh, which is no bad thing.

[BobDavid]

I like the "look" of super cropped files--mood takes precedence over technical perfection. ... "Lunch Discussion" works on different levels as a quiet tableau.

My only nit is the title: How about substituting "texting" for 'discussion.'

[32BT]

My only nit is the title: How about substituting "texting" for 'discussion.'

No, but I might go with a more friendly sounding "Lunchconversations", plural.