Day of rage-Strange bedfellows

[RBSinTo]

Taken yesterday (December 9, 2017) at the Palestinian Day of Rage protest rally near the American Consulate here in Toronto.
While walking around and through the crowd, I notice an extreme Orthodox Jewish man protesting with the Palestinian faction, and realizing that this scene was proof of the adage that "politics makes strange bedfellows" grabbed this shot.
Nikon D3
Vivitar 17~28 f4.0-4.5 manual focus
1/40th @ f16, ISO 640

[Shadowman]

Nicely seen and captured.

[RBSinTo]

John,
Thanks for commenting.
Robert

[DanK]

Neturei Karta. It's a small, fundamentalist group that is anti-Zionist for religious, not pro-Palestinian political reasons. They expect the Jewish people to return to Israel, but not yet, and not on their own initiative. You can find their web address in the image. It has this explanation:

Accordingly, we are opposed to the ideology of Zionism, a recent innovation, which seeks to force the end of exile. Our banishment from the Holy Land will end miraculously at a time when all mankind will unite in the brotherly service of the Creator.

Nicely captured. I can't extract exif information, but I'm guessing you shot this wide. Do you think it would be worth some perspective correction? In any case, I think it's tilted, and I think it would look better if you straightened it.

[RBSinTo]

Neturei Karta. It's a small, fundamentalist group that is anti-Zionist for religious, not pro-Palestinian political reasons. They expect the Jewish people to return to Israel, but not yet, and not on their own initiative. You can find their web address in the image. It has this explanation:



Nicely captured. I can't extract exif information, but I'm guessing you shot this wide. Do you think it would be worth some perspective correction? In any case, I think it's tilted, and I think it would look better if you straightened it.

John,
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
It was shot at as focal length of 28mm, and yes is tilted. I expect that happened because I saw this scene from a distance and sprinted through the crowd to get to the subjects, and having to work fast, as people wanted the Orthodox Jew to pose, shot very quickly to get it. A bit sloppy I guess.
I actually did try in Photoshop to rotate the shot to straighten the horizontals but that resulted in too severe a crop to the flag, and the loss of most of the surrounding people which I felt were necessary to tell the story, so I left it as I shot it.
The only time a tilt bothers me is when an horizon is just slightly off which indicates it was not deliberate. A more severe slant likely means it was done on purpose for artistic effect, which is often an interesting compositional element.
Robert

[Shadowman]

John,
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
It was shot at as focal length of 28mm, and yes is tilted. I expect that happened because I saw this scene from a distance and sprinted through the crowd to get to the subjects, and having to work fast, as people wanted the Orthodox Jew to pose, shot very quickly to get it. A bit sloppy I guess.
I actually did try in Photoshop to rotate the shot to straighten the horizontals but that resulted in too severe a crop to the flag, and the loss of most of the surrounding people which I felt were necessary to tell the story, so I left it as I shot it.
The only time a tilt bothers me is when an horizon is just slightly off which indicates it was not deliberate. A more severe slant likely means it was done on purpose for artistic effect, which is often an interesting compositional element.
Robert

Dan commented on the tilt, I noticed it but didn't comment but thought at what elevation were you to take this shot. My other thought was "did he rush this shot and was it necessary to do so...", I think those observations make or break a street shot, but this particular shot is an observation of life, also perhaps the photographer's inclusion of themselves into the social commentary. Perhaps it reflects Robert's viewpoint on the conflict or perhaps the angle of view has nothing at all to do with personal feelings.

[LePetomane]

Netueri Karta is an interesting organization.

[RBSinTo]

Dan commented on the tilt, I noticed it but didn't comment but thought at what elevation were you to take this shot. My other thought was "did he rush this shot and was it necessary to do so...", I think those observations make or break a street shot, but this particular shot is an observation of life, also perhaps the photographer's inclusion of themselves into the social commentary. Perhaps it reflects Robert's viewpoint on the conflict or perhaps the angle of view has nothing at all to do with personal feelings.

John,
I was not trying to inject my feelings on this conflict into the shot, but merely document the event.
Robert

[DanK]

you shoot film, so you may be reluctant to edit, but since you have to convert to a digital image to post, I thought I would take a look at it once straightened. It's tilted enough that one has to loose a lot to straighten it, but I still think it looks better. The issue I saw I misunderstood; it's almost entirely tilt rather than perspective distortion. I slightly brightened it and added some contrast at the same time.

If you object to people trying and posting edits, please say so, and I will take this down.

[Jim A]

Well captured shot and it has elicited some very interesting reading. Taking in regard the circumstances surrounding your taking the shot I think you did well, Robert. I like Dan's edit and to clone the white areas should be pretty easy.

[RBSinTo]

Dan /Jim,
Thanks for taking the time to comment.
Dan,
In the last couple of weeks I replaced most my film SLR's with two D3 bodies, (although I'll still shoot film with my Nikon rangefinders), and these shots were among the first taken with the Digital cameras.
As for your edit:
I did the same rotation and crop as yours and didn't like it. Too tight and crowded compared to the original.
Your brightened version looks slightly over-exposed to me, (although that could be a difference in the calibration of our screens), and seems brighter than I remember the somber, overcast day to have been.
As for editing my pictures? I may not agree with your changes, but appreciate that you took the time to do so.
Jim,
The fact that the shot has generated discussion gives me great satisfaction, because my Photographic Mission is and has always been to tell stories with pictures.
Robert

[Jim A]

Tell stories with pictures, you certainly did that++, Robert. Methinks that you should look to photojournalism competitions etc to project this particular work.

[rpcrowe]

I also tried rotating this image because I have a fetish about straight verticals. However, IMO, a straightened shot seems to lose much of the energy of the original...

[RBSinTo]

I also tried rotating this image because I have a fetish about straight verticals. However, IMO, a straightened shot seems to lose much of the energy of the original...

Richard,
Thanks for commenting.
I don't know about the rotation, but perhaps you could have improved the shot by cloning in a dog.
Robert