Conversation... C&C Welcome

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[Mike Buckley]

This is the look that I hope you eventually get your image, "shadow of his former self," to be. Perfect balance of contrast, detail in the subjects, negative space, etc. The other image is inherently far more compelling than this one, so I hope you don't give up until you have achieved the success of this one.

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Thank you Mike. It's your comments, suggestions and critiques that encourage me to produce the best possible image. And no, I haven't given up on the other image, just struggling to 'get it there'.

[dedro]

nice Jack....

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Thanks Dedric!

[Shadowman]

Very nice, caught at a moment when they appear concentrated only on the next step taken.

[travis4567]

Really like the composition and the black and white.Good stuff.

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Thank you John.

Thank you Travis.

[FootLoose]

You have a good eye for street work, Jack. I am struck by the contrasts between these two figures: young v. old; fashionable v. practical (although the practical may once have been fashionable). The older woman seems better prepared for the cold - the wisdom of experience, perhaps. But her bag is a standout; it looks a relic from the hippy era. Is she an aged flower child; is she want the trendier looking young woman will one day become?

[flashback]

Thank you Greg. I appreciate your comments, and interesting observations as well.

[Manfred M]

I find that this image does not work that well for me; and it is essentially due to the conditions you were shooting under; around mid-day in full-sun. The short and hard shadows are the give-away.

The two women are back lit, so their faces are rather subdued. Our eyes are drawn to the brightest part of the image; which is the sidewalk. Our eyes are drawn to it, rather than the two women. I suspect that this scene would have worked better had you shot later in the day, when the light was more diffuse and the shadows longer and less harsh.

[flashback]

Manfred, thanks for the comments. We can't always control the scene or the lighting, that's the nature (and challenge) of street photography I guess. That being said, I'm not all that sure that the image fails in the way you say. Granted there are the bright sidewalks, but think of it this way, it forces the eye to seek respite from the brightness: the two women. Or not.

[rpcrowe]

I really like how you capture these vignettes of life around you...

[dabhand]

How often does one walk down a street and only see what one is looking for and not see what is really happening all around ?

I find your images capture the essence of what one may not normally see and provide one with the opportunity to spend some time considering what could lay beyond the image rather than the technical qualities of the image itself - much as Greg did in his response.

steve

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Thank you Richard.

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Thank you Steve.

[tedpartrick]

It's not so much the hard shadows for me. The expanse of the bright pavement pulls my attention away. Perhaps cropping it or burning it would make it less distracting. I like the two ladies, but they aren't the focus.

[flashback]

Ted and Manfred; I do see your point about the brightness.
Manfred, if I somehow came off sounding...less than appreciative I apologize, it certainly wasn't my intent. Just like Mike kept pointing out ways to improve another shot of mine, I appreciate both your suggesting ways to improve this one. In that light, I am posting these two, each a slightly different crop from the first but with the adjustments to the brightness as well as trying to bring more detail to the women's faces.

[IzzieK]

Now this is more like it, Jack...

You know...I really like that you have gone (not totally) into street photography. These series that that you are putting out lately had improve not only your view of photographing your subjects but also mine. I am just wondering how you do it: Do you stand in the corner of a sidewalk and just photograph these people or do you ask permission first?

[flashback]

Isabel, thanks again. Actually all I do is roam the (NY) City with my camera. I don't stand around waiting nor do I ask permission. I do two things: I have my camera (usually) set to either manual or to aperture priority with Auto ISO and set at F/11 (it gives me a DoF from ~9ft. to infinity with auto focus off and lens pre-focused to ~20ft.) and; I wrap the camera strap around my hand and wrist in way that secures it in my hand with no effort to hold it and in a way that my finger rests on the button. This way I can shoot from the waist, hold it up to my eye or a quick side shot. It's all rather surreptitious on my part. I'm still experimenting with various methods of shooting.

The only other thing I can tell you is that when I shoot, it's because there is something about what I'm seeing that draws my eye. I'm usually surprised by what I shoot, and sometimes even more so once I've downloaded the images to my laptop and can view them. One example was of the older woman eating alone in a restaurant: Reflections...on a life lived.