And now, the REST of the story....

bdcolenbdcolen Registered Users Posts: 3,804 Major grins
edited August 8, 2010 in Street and Documentary
...Right out of the camera...

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bd@bdcolenphoto.com
"He not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Dylan

"The more ambiguous the photograph is, the better it is..." Leonard Freed

Comments

  • FlyingginaFlyinggina Registered Users Posts: 2,639 Major grins
    edited August 6, 2010
    Uh oh. Looks like a relationship in trouble.

    Evocative series, BD. It tells a story (whether the one I see is the true one or not, I'll never know).

    I do hope, though, that the man and/or woman don't frequent dGrin. I sure wouldn't want a series like this posted of me!

    Interesting how it makes me feel uncomfortable about some (many) of the street photos I've taken over the years.

    Anyone else have this response?

    The series reminds me of a set taken by a friend of mine some years ago of a young couple having an emotional disagreement while standing on one of the bridges in Paris. He was quite close to them and took a whole bunch of pictures before they noticed him.



    Virginia
    _______________________________________________
    "A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you, the less you know." Diane Arbus

    Email
  • bdcolenbdcolen Registered Users Posts: 3,804 Major grins
    edited August 6, 2010
    Flyinggina wrote: »
    Uh oh. Looks like a relationship in trouble.

    Evocative series, BD. It tells a story (whether the one I see is the true one or not, I'll never know).

    I do hope, though, that the man and/or woman don't frequent dGrin. I sure wouldn't want a series like this posted of me!

    Interesting how it makes me feel uncomfortable about some (many) of the street photos I've taken over the years.

    Anyone else have this response?

    The series reminds me of a set taken by a friend of mine some years ago of a young couple having an emotional disagreement while standing on one of the bridges in Paris. He was quite close to them and took a whole bunch of pictures before they noticed him.



    Virginia

    I can't disagree with you; it makes the non-photographer side of me cringe a bit. On the other hand...You can't get more public than by sitting in a busy restaurant/bar in front of a plate glass window, especially in the age of 8 mgp cell phone cameras and video cameras. Want privacy? Stay home and 'interact.'mwink.gif
    bd@bdcolenphoto.com
    "He not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Dylan

    "The more ambiguous the photograph is, the better it is..." Leonard Freed
  • DonRicklinDonRicklin Registered Users Posts: 5,551 Major grins
    edited August 6, 2010
    A much stronger set of images and chance of multiple stories in the shorter B&W set.

    I wouldn't have the courage to try to shoot a set like this. But, then look at what I'm shooting! :D

    Don
    Don Ricklin - Gear: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, was Pentax K7
    'I was older then, I'm younger than that now' ....
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  • FlyingginaFlyinggina Registered Users Posts: 2,639 Major grins
    edited August 6, 2010
    bdcolen wrote: »
    Want privacy? Stay home and 'interact.'mwink.gif

    Yup. I know that with my head.

    Just the same, I think it is not a bad idea to respond by getting that queasy feeling from time to time. It helps keep one both honest and humble.

    Virginia
    _______________________________________________
    "A photograph is a secret about a secret. The more it tells you, the less you know." Diane Arbus

    Email
  • lizzard_nyclizzard_nyc Registered Users Posts: 4,056 Major grins
    edited August 6, 2010
    Flyinggina wrote: »
    Yup. I know that with my head.

    Just the same, I think it is not a bad idea to respond by getting that queasy feeling from time to time. It helps keep one both honest and humble.

    Virginia


    I'm all about not airing my dirty laundry in public, my mother instilled that in me from an early age, so I don't feel very bad for this couple being photographed in a bar.
    What I can't get over is what a piece of wood he is, completely indifferent to her, how frustrating.

    Again this extended version of the original 4 piece series just works, even in color, I am not too distracted by it. This is some great storytelling.

    I have seen some things I want to photograph at a very close distance in a quiet place, and my noisy shutter has kept me from doing it.

    Again, just great clap.gif.
    Liz A.
    _________
  • michswissmichswiss Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 2,235 Major grins
    edited August 6, 2010
    Flyinggina wrote: »
    Yup. I know that with my head.

    Just the same, I think it is not a bad idea to respond by getting that queasy feeling from time to time. It helps keep one both honest and humble.

    Virginia

    I agree Virginia. There's the need to have taking the image become visceral and charged. I think this is the feeling that those new to street / documentary shy away from. It's no more comfortable for most of us.

    B.D., I think a four image set works better. It might be interesting to try a few different combinations. Of the nine, I only thing the eighth is marginally weak.
  • SurfdogSurfdog Registered Users Posts: 297 Major grins
    edited August 6, 2010
    "The Rest of the Story" definitely gave me a different perspective on the story. The 4 pic set let me to believe it was a relationship in trouble. The full set looks as though husband was late in meeting wife for a drink, and had a really crappy excuse. Probably won't be the last drink he will be ordering.
    http://www.dvivianphoto.com

    Don't worry. I can fix you in photoshop.
  • bdcolenbdcolen Registered Users Posts: 3,804 Major grins
    edited August 6, 2010
    Surfdog wrote: »
    "The Rest of the Story" definitely gave me a different perspective on the story. The 4 pic set let me to believe it was a relationship in trouble. The full set looks as though husband was late in meeting wife for a drink, and had a really crappy excuse. Probably won't be the last drink he will be ordering.

    No ring on the woman; a marriage is unlikely. I'm guessing it's the last drink of a relationship. But who knows? Good luck trying to figure out someone else's life - I have enough trouble with my own. rolleyes1.gif
    bd@bdcolenphoto.com
    "He not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Dylan

    "The more ambiguous the photograph is, the better it is..." Leonard Freed
  • lizzard_nyclizzard_nyc Registered Users Posts: 4,056 Major grins
    edited August 6, 2010
    Funny--he went to the hard stuff first--liquor wise and it looks like she not-so-patiently waited until he got there to get a drink (I think she was drinking water before that)--was he buying?
    If I was that angry/hurt, I would have needed a drink sooner.

    You certainly caught that nasty underbelly of a relationship.
    NICE:)
    Liz A.
    _________
  • bdcolenbdcolen Registered Users Posts: 3,804 Major grins
    edited August 6, 2010
    Funny--he went to the hard stuff first--liquor wise and it looks like she not-so-patiently waited until he got there to get a drink (I think she was drinking water before that)--was he buying?
    If I was that angry/hurt, I would have needed a drink sooner.

    You certainly caught that nasty underbelly of a relationship.
    NICE:)

    It was really interesting to watch. She had a big martini sitting there while she was waiting but she didn't drink it. He sat down and dove in.mwink.gif
    bd@bdcolenphoto.com
    "He not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Dylan

    "The more ambiguous the photograph is, the better it is..." Leonard Freed
  • FlowermanFlowerman Registered Users Posts: 141 Major grins
    edited August 7, 2010
    B.D. - Fantastic in color or B&W- this series is "Street" at it's best in my opinion. Each shot is expressive on its own and in the series.
    Here is my captions in order presented - purely as I see it.
    It's 4:00 P.M. - where is he?
    Still don't see any sign of him.
    5:00 P.M. - what is happening?
    This is realy not good.
    It's about time - Why are you so late?
    What is the problem?
    No!!!!! don't say it - goodbye - why?
    What's your problem?
    Sayonara honey.

    ED

    P.S. As sneaky as I am I would not have had the guts to take so many shots - maybe two - then I would have ran.
  • Wil DavisWil Davis Registered Users Posts: 1,692 Major grins
    edited August 7, 2010
    Sorry B.D. but that's a bit too "Ray Bellisario" for me...

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    - Wil
    "…………………" - Marcel Marceau
  • bdcolenbdcolen Registered Users Posts: 3,804 Major grins
    edited August 8, 2010
    Wil Davis wrote: »
    Sorry B.D. but that's a bit too "Ray Bellisario" for me...

    ne_nau.gif

    - Wil

    Fair enough, Wil - sort of. As I've said, I did creep out myself a tad on this one. On the other hand:
    Public place. Sitting at the bar, as was she. Camera on the bar in front of me, not hidden; camera in full view of her. Did I try to be unobtrusive? Of course, that's why I shot from the bar, rather than bring the camera up to eye level - on the other hand, it was pointed right toward her, and though it's a small camera, I use it with a lens shade that adds to its bulk, and it has a bigish finder in the hotshoe.

    I wasn't doing the Bellisario thing of peeking through the bushes onto very private property, or shooting the Princess on the Royal yacht using a lens the length of the Mt. Palomar telescope. I understand some people's aversion to shooting things like this, and to viewing them. And I am a big believer in maintaining our concept of privacy in this age in which its under assault from every direction, to such a degree that we have a generation that really appears to be having a hard time even grasping the concept. However, I do think that if you have an expectation of privacy, you should go to a private place, which a seat at a bar, in front of a plate glass window, on a very busy street, surrounded by people, most assuredly is not. :D
    bd@bdcolenphoto.com
    "He not busy being born is busy dying." Bob Dylan

    "The more ambiguous the photograph is, the better it is..." Leonard Freed
  • FlowermanFlowerman Registered Users Posts: 141 Major grins
    edited August 8, 2010
    B D : What you have said is all well and good if you were on public property - sidewalk or street - and shot your photos. However, you state the photos were taken while you were seated in the same private establishment as she was - IMO that is a no no. Here why: when someone enters a private establishment they assume some privacy from prying eyes - cameras. Again, IMO "Street Photography" is just that - taken of or from a public location.
    I still think it is a great series of photos - I just hope there are no bad repercussions from it, from the people photographed, or the owner of the establishment - if it is identifiable.

    ED
  • RichardRichard Administrators, Vanilla Admin Posts: 19,961 moderator
    edited August 8, 2010
    Tricky business, this one. One has to separate legal matters from ethical ones, for starters. In the US, it's not illegal to take pics in a bar or restaurant, but the owner can ask you to leave and have you arrested for trespassing if you refuse. In other countries, different laws apply. But does that make it OK? I don't have a clear answer for myself, but I tend to believe that what you are capturing is more the crux of the issue than how you are going about it. This set makes me a little uncomfortable in that regard--I don't think I would like it if that had been me and my wife--but I don't think it clearly crosses the line. Private moments happen in public places all the time. I don't think that saying that saying people should be aware of the possibility of being photographed absolves the photographer of all responsibility. Clear as mud? Yeah, I think so too.
  • Wil DavisWil Davis Registered Users Posts: 1,692 Major grins
    edited August 8, 2010
    Part of the danger of interpreting a series of pictures such as these, is that the viewer is only getting a minute fraction of the story.

    Are we to assume that the two people are related? …by blood? …by marriage? …by profession?

    They may have been together, but he had to park the car…

    They might be related, and have just received some sad news…

    …bereavement, lay-off, Red-Sox losing… …just clipped another car whilst parking; …just got a ticket for abusing a traffic-cop

    Her hand gesture seen in #5 might have been to someone else, out of the frame…

    There is just not enough information, to hazard even a guess, but it certainly is fun to try…

    So B. D., what's the real story?

    thumb.gif

    - Wil

    BTW: I was at a sound gig in NYC and met another engineer. We got to talking about the UK, apparently he lived there when he was a kid, and strangely enough his uncle is none other than the infamous Ray Bellisario, who used to take him on some of his photo escapades when he was a kid (young kids provide great cover for paparazzi apparently). There's an interesting Tessa Mayes interview (from 2002) with Uncle Ray here.
    "…………………" - Marcel Marceau
  • bfjrbfjr Registered Users Posts: 10,980 Major grins
    edited August 8, 2010
    Boy you Folks get all worked up :D

    It's a well seen & captured imgaes/story, like it or not.

    B.D. meant no harm and committed no foul.

    As far as all the interpretations.....well part of the point, nez pa?

    Personally I think it was all staged rolleyes1.gifblbl.gifrolleyes1.gif
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