*Mmmmmmmm, Furry...* Photo

Photographer’s Note

Hello Allll...

Recently I posted a response to one of Georges (Polonaise) photographs. In this Critique I spoke about the stares that burn into my skin everytime someone sees that I have a camera. Now, I'm not sure why this has become the habit of people in the states...but it seems as though everybody is on the lookout for camera wielding infidels...or, maybe it has something to do with the fact that this giant monster of a camera is pointed right at them from 4 feet away...

Nah, that's not it...

You would think though...that given the overabundance of digital photographic equipment, people would be used to cameras...shoot...chances are your on "film" 75% percent of the day (I made up that statistic). Soooo, what the problem is!?

Now I've had a few run-ins with photo angry citizens...there was the building in Charlotte NC which was way too attractive for anybody to be able to take photos containing its amazing architecture....wouldn't you know that it was a bank...and my bank for that matter; tens years of stealing my money and I don't even get a picture.
I also attract the attention of gangs of pre-teen hoodlums...always complaining 'cause I took their picture as they circle trying to figure out how they can relieve me of the burdon of my camera. Twice...one time they were on bikes...not too easy to get away from that.
A friend took a friendly picture of one young lady...she was not too happy; "what the hell?" spewed forth after the click of the shutter. I don't understand, he kept his distance...inches at least!
And yet, the anger continues...when will it end.
For that matter, I'm not sure why this lady has a problem...she's only has half the worlds population of small furry mammals draped from her neck and wrapped, ever so nicely, around her ankles.

Speaking of small furry creatures...a recipe.

Squirrel Brunswick Stew.

You'll need...

2 Squirrels (or chickens if your scared) cut up, 3 slices bacon, 1 onion, 1 quart peeled tomatoes, 2 ears corn, grated; three potatoes, 1 handful butter-beans, 1 pod red pepper, 1 tablespoon butter, 1 tablespoon bread crumbs.

Put squirrels, bacon and sliced onion on to boil in a gallon of water about 4 hours before dinner. Stew about 1 hour, then add other ingredients and stew until the bones of the squirrels can be readily removed. Then put in the bread crumbs and butter.

Galt family receipt
Elizabeth W. Bond Baltimore

Shot at 18mmmmmmm.

Thanks,
Chris.

Roly, AiresSantos, ribeiroantonio, siolaw, Clairedelune, syd1946, riclopes, thierry37, hay_kes, singuanti, padeg, parbo, bakes888, thaprem, Brian has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

Clairedelune (4885) 2007-02-26 21:44

Ha! Ha! Ha! Ha! That George will bring the entire TE community into troubles! Everybody want to have a closer look at people now! He started a new trend! A new fashion! A recipe! Oh no! That's you who have started that nice habit of giving recipe. But, I guess I am some sort of rebel. I started the How far... and I hate cooking! LOLS!!!
Ok, lets come back to your photo. What a nasty weather you had! No wonder the fur(r)y Lady was in that nice mood. Nice look of concern on her face. But I also like the young lady in the foreground. Maybe because I feel the wind. Total white sky is kind of good here. I wonder about the post though. I would have prefer if it was not going out of the head of the fur(r)y lady. Not sure about a total clone out either.... Well... Ideas... ideas...
Pre-teen hoodlums.... Hey, you take care Chris, ok?
Claire

designsoul (21394) 2007-02-26 22:07

Oh I can feel with your mood, Chris--even being a woman doesn't prevent the occasional dirty look when you hold the lens to your eye... though it is an advantage, I can well sympathize! Yet you have the advantage of "cool" shots, no smiles, nothing feigned, but the lean and mean stare you so well describe here... Gosh, that recipe turned my stomach unfavourably after a good dinner... but the shot helps to balance it out... a great candid one, caught on the fly...
sasa

jinju (14265) 2007-02-26 23:59

I like this shot because of the stare. Infact I have a photo of a stare that will go up tomorrow....talk about a stare that could kill...check it out when you have the chance...

Overall a good shot. I like the harsh b/w a lot, the burnt out sky is something some people dont like but something Ive come to really appreciate as a mood setter. I have one grip only and thats the sign coiming out of the head of your main subject.

siolaw (25726) 2007-02-27 0:00

Hi Christopher,
A realistic compo showing people mood in the west.. not same as in Asia...Good angle, B&W fitting the subject well... line up of the diagonal three woman looks good..
TFS
Laurent

ahmetgedikli (21841) 2007-02-27 3:07

Hi Christopher,
Very beautiful composition. Excellent black & white working.
Have a good day.
Ahmet

ribeiroantonio (21891) 2007-02-27 3:09

You got a real look! The lady looks absolutely surprised by the camera. Not because she is wearing furry stuff but because she would be afraid of “paparazzi”. Also, in these days there is also something called the “security syndrome”. Everyone with a camera is a suspect (of what?). I like you choice of B&W. It just stresses out the feeling of doing something not very good (in their opinion). Well done.
Antonio

AiresSantos (41970) 2007-02-27 4:22

Hi Chris,
Another very beautiful composition in the B&W format. I like the POV and how you framed the picture. Interesting note
Have a good day.
Aires

syd1946 (17869) 2007-02-27 12:08

Hello Chris,
I like this one,it is a very successfully follow up to your last uploads.I like again the point you choose for the shot,a vertical frame now.You captured the motion so well,but most of all you captured a real scene and moment.Good eye friend,congrats!

Thomas

Angshu (33607) 2007-02-27 22:50

Good evening Chris
Interesting as usual...the picture gets a different meaning after I read your note. I liked the diagonal of the pedestrians & the white sky which helps for a change. The lady is indeed giving you a stare, but I guess it's more quizzical as if thinking what on earth is this guy doing in the cold wind with a camera? For all you know, I can see a bit of amusement on her face as well. I also think that the road sign is in a wrong place, as if jutting above her head..but then considering the circumstances & time you get to shoot such pictures, well I guess I'm asking for too much. A fine effort my friend with 18 mmmmmmmmmm
Regards
Angshu

riclopes (32971) 2007-02-28 3:35

Well Chris, you know better than us, because you were there after this moment and we weren't, so we only can guess. I would say that she hasn't any problem and just looked at you in the moment of shooting, but after that, she turned the other way, like the first girl on the row. First, look down; Secondly, look straight to you and finally look the other way. It's like a sequence of the same person in diferent stages of life. That's what I like on the way you get three female persons here. A good quick shot with a nice winter mood and a story to tell, or for each one to imagine. I laughed with the food category. Love the b&W.
Best wishes,
Ricardo

hay_kes (28562) 2007-02-28 11:19

Hi Chris,
What a great B&W composition.Good point of view.Excellent work my friend.Congrats!
TFS.

hAyAti

tabora (13638) 2007-02-28 12:44

hello Chris,
Voila que tu fais dans le défilé de mode, en paparazzi. ;d)
on dirait qu'il y a beaucoup de vent,les modeles ne sourient pas hélas.
Beau shot de rue.
A+ Joseph

ninaL (19456) 2007-02-28 14:10

Hi, Christopher.
Very good rainy and wet atmosphere.
Good choice of W&B.
Best regards. Grazyna.

cam (8880) 2007-02-28 19:59

Hi Christopher
Well'i must admit you got me there in commenting a photo that doesn't talk to me,an everyday scene from a north american cities,a scene that is lived and relive almost everywhere,a scene I have seen so often,so much that I do not see it anymore,so,why am I here still talking you will say.
Well,your text did that,how else.You are trowing in my complacent face the exact rweason why I am not really in street photography.I am not sure that I run as fast as I use to do in my younger age.I surely do not want to antagonize anyone,so,I do not do it.Lets admire your courage,your bravado or your inconscience,as my girl friend used to say in those years I was going down with my mountain bike,too old for that now...Wiser?that is another questions.
Lets talk about the paranoia that is taking us to the throat in our respective countries,a paranoia that has transformed a law abiding citizens into a abominable monster,by the kindness of a technological wonder,that we called a camera,relegated to the taking the pictures of the members of our own family,but for how long,before even this wil be consider criminal.
well,I will stop here.
Hope I did not bother you too much.
Not bad for a photo that doesn't talk to me,so I did the talking.
Take care
Charles

faubry (32281) 2007-03-01 3:29

hello Chris, i can read you had some pbr with camera pointed too near... yes sometime, better is lens 70/200....
i like this shot, natural, BW conversion, and expression from this woman is very ungry... may be bacause it was wind and rain..
soon
francine

t0mmm1 (5434) 2007-03-01 14:52

Hi Chris,
also I can give you one simple recipe how taking picture of the people... well, maybe just more like an advice: take the pictures of the people that is smaller and slower than you ;)) But there's allways a bad part... you still can't shut their mouth ;))
I like the photo, nice the foreground girl and the pointing eyes of the fur lady. Well captured the moment and nicely exposed. I like the visible faces and the white sky really adds to the atmosphere.
Have a nice day,
Tomi

singuanti (15240) 2007-03-01 22:47

Hi Chris. I must say I had a good laugh when I saw your title! The dynamics are good here with the moving people. You might be able to up the contrast a tiny bit more. It makes for a better story with the look you got versus a standard smile. tfs Chris.

rushfan2112 (2965) 2007-03-02 19:13

Nice shot Chris and interesting interaction with the woman in the fur coat. Interesting recipe - pity we can't stew the people who kill animals to wear their skin - and feed them to the animals. Regards, Paul.

parbo (10968) 2007-03-04 2:13

Hi Chris,

Sorry my late visit, I was busy and gave a break since one week and you already posted beautiful photos.

I don’t know exactly why but peoples are scaring from camera also here. It’s very hard to capture them naturally many times. You very well captured an interesting moment in action and it’s not easy to explain them "what the hell?"… Your recipe seems very delicious and reminded me another style with using different kind of red meat but almost same vegetables. Congratulations.

Friendly Regards,

Ertugrul

Scharan (13951) 2007-03-04 19:09

Olá Chris

Belíssima foto na vertical e acertada opção pelo B&P.
Fiz um WS, espero que não se importe.
Grande abraço,
Vera.

[workshop] [compare]

Manamo (3472) 2007-03-04 22:20

Hello Chris,
I'm a bit ambiguous on this one. There are good things about it. What I like the most is the burnt out sky which gives a high-key effect that is kinda hard to obtain in studio sometimes...Second, I like the diagonal the persons and sidewalk make in your compo. Finally, the face is just perfect to follow that theme by George.
BUT, I have some reserves (you will think all my critiques are negative on your pics and that I don't like that-false! It's just that I want to find something interesting to say, so I won't critique pics I find perfect;) ). First, the pic does not talk to me that much. I mean, the face of the girl is interestinf, but still, the story is limited in its "range" (is it the right word?). Second, as much as I like the high-key effect, I would prefer the opposite angle (on their left shoulder) so there is a wall or something behind because the street looks so empty in this picture. But what I really don't like is the street sign in her head...I know you don't like sci-fi pp, but I think it could easiky be cloned out...
Fur...I hate fur coats.
Have a good evening my friend,

Marc

bakes888 (18155) 2007-03-07 1:16

Hi Chris. Yes I know what you mean, women especially spend hours in front of the mirror making themselves into gorgeous creatures and get angry when you want to capture that beauty, go figure. Great photo by the way. Well captured and presented. Thanks for sharing.
Cheers, Paul.

robertosalguero (110) 2007-03-07 2:48

Lots of fur for sure. A windy day as I can see. The inclusion of the three women is quite good. I find the note quite amusing because i don't seem the find the same attitude toward cameras qhere I live. I guess people in my city are way too busy to notice that someone is snatching pictures of them. Good work Chris, but I won't try the recipe :-)

Roberto

chc (1468) 2007-03-08 3:06

Hi Chris,
A very dynamic shot where the direct look is indeed essential. The totally white sky adds something interesting delineated the scene. Well done
christophe

Furachan (0) 2007-03-22 2:40

Americans but not only they (Westerners in general) now think that their very face is a walking "copyright" board - the proliferation of shyster lawyers, very much a US phenomenon has produced this overabundance of rights which is, frankly a giant pain in the @ss, Steve.
Having said that let me commend you NOT just for "getting CLOSE" in the George sense of the word but simply for a neat compo where the closest subject is large in the frame and every one after that gets smaller, with your bead, naturally, on the fur wearer (not very PC of her, is it?)
Good work,
Francis