Tea Time

bdcolen

Flyinggina

Haha! You got me with the "tea" time. Took me a minute to figure out what I was seeing.

I like the first one best. You caught a connection between the two people with the camera almost in their faces.

The second one doesn't do anything for me.

The third is OK - pretty girl, zoning out with her ipod, what's not to like?

Va

bdcolen

Perfect call, Va - I posted all three because I just wasn't sure about 2 and 3, but definitely saw 1 as the winner.

rutt

I think all your T shots are pretty great. you get so close and people don't react, they just do what they do.

damonff

rutt wrote: »

I think all your T shots are pretty great. you get so close and people don't react, they just do what they do.

I agree. You seem to be invisible when you shoot.

bdcolen

damonff wrote: »

I agree. You seem to be invisible when you shoot.

Thanks Rutt; thanks Damon. But here's a question for you and everyone. My daughter, whose photo judgment I tend to accept, really dislikes # 1. I think she's wrong, but here's what she wrote:

"i think ditch the first one. its makes me uncomfortable." So I asked what she meant by uncomfortable, as I have no problem with 'uncomfortable.' And she replied:

"There's good uncomfortable and just uncomfortable. This one is awkward and uncomfortable, in a way that I don't want to look at it - and not in a Rawandan genocide, not want to look at it kind of way - but in a 'like, omg, that girl is making the worst face kind of way.' I believe it goes back to the whole "be fair to your subjects thing." I do not feel this pic is "fair to your subject." "

Okay, now, first, as Rutt knows, what I say is that the one thing you owe your subject is 'honesty.' You have an obligation to capture what you see, and not try to make your subject look worse - or better - than they appear in the scene you see before you. As I told my daughter, I think this woman looks 'sweet.' The she and the man were having an intimate exchange in the midst of a crowd. She, in fact, gave him a peck on the cheek at one point.

So, does anyone see what my daughter was seeing, and if they do, what am I missing - because I don't see it.

rainbow

Took a few visits to appreciate some subtleties...

Like #1 the best as you capture what looks like the woman being pleasantly surprised by someone unexpected. Unlike your daughter, I find this to be a flattering shot of her.

Two is a role reversal -- the daughter is s'pose to have the piercings.

#3 is a compositional piece with the three people forming a nice triangle (and the middle one's hood helps with this viewing).

rutt

To me she looks uncomfortable and that makes it an uncomfortable picture.

She isn't likely to like this picture. Besides having caught her smiling as a defense, it's an unfaltering angle, the light is unflattering. The B&W conversion is unflattering.

But it's an honest enough picture. Maybe this subject just doesn't deserve such harsh honesty. It's not like she represents some great social evil or something like that.

Richard

Without actually seeing the woman in person, I don't know how one can tell whether it is flattering or unflattering. I like the pic when I can believe that the two of them are together--the contrast of expressions is interesting. However, the odd angle makes me unsure of whether she's interacting with him or someone else out of frame, and I find that to be a weakness.

damonff

It is uncomfortable. And, to me, it looks like she's about to get mugged but doesn't realize it yet. Uncomfortable.

bdcolen

Interesting....
Thanks, guys.

swifteye

I do not perceive #1 as uncomfortable. Her eyes tell me she is NOT responding to the man on the right, but to someone beside and behind him. The man's expression is incongruent with the woman's exuberant response. Perhaps this "uncomfortable" quality is set up by this juxtaposition? Subway shots are vignettes into peoples lives. We enjoy puzzling over what there lives are and there state of mind at the moment. We actually know nothing.

Seefutlung

I echo your daughter's initial assessment. I find it terribly awkward, not only the physical aspects of the angle, lighting, hair, clothing, et al, all unflattering ... but then again, if you don't want to be photographed with bad hair, clothing, et etera ... then don't appear in public as such ... but to this viewer her smile looks forced and her eyes scared ... like she was caught with her hand in the cookie jar ... a very uncomfortable position most of us have experienced, of which, most of us would rather not experience again ... and yet there it is ... awkward and uncomfortable.

I like #3, two opposite faces, one facing left the other facing right, one male the other female, one dark the other light, one in focus one out of focus; yet both are looking down, drawn into in their own world(s), completely detached from their immediate surroundings.

Gary

bdcolen

swifteye wrote: »

I do not perceive #1 as uncomfortable. Her eyes tell me she is NOT responding to the man on the right, but to someone beside and behind him. The man's expression is incongruent with the woman's exuberant response. Perhaps this "uncomfortable" quality is set up by this juxtaposition? Subway shots are vignettes into peoples lives. We enjoy puzzling over what there lives are and there state of mind at the moment. We actually know nothing.

Actually, she was indeed responding to the man - or interacting with him anyway. She was being coy, pecked him on the cheek. He was either not responding similarly, or was uncomfortable with PDAs...

bdcolen

Seefutlung wrote: »

I echo your daughter's initial assessment. I find it terribly awkward, not only the physical aspects of the angle, lighting, hair, clothing, et al, all unflattering ... but then again, if you don't want to be photographed with bad hair, clothing, et etera ... then don't appear in public as such ... but to this viewer her smile looks forced and her eyes scared ... like she was caught with her hand in the cookie jar ... a very uncomfortable position most of us have experienced, of which, most of us would rather not experience again ... and yet there it is ... awkward and uncomfortable.

I like #3, two opposite faces, one facing left the other facing right, one male the other female, one dark the other light, one in focus one out of focus; yet both are looking down, drawn into in their own world(s), completely detached from their immediate surroundings.

Gary

Thanks for the comment on # 3 - those aspects are what I was shooting.
As to the woman - hair, clothing, expression, etc....as you noted, go public that way and you may get photographed. I feel no obligation when shooting this way to try to make people 'look good;
what I see is hopefully what I get. But I am fascinated by the various reads on her expression, body language, etc..