Moderne Girl

NoCard · February 16, 2012

Montlucon, France

Nikolai · February 16, 2012

Great capture, very apropos B&W conversion, smart title!

FlyNavy · February 16, 2012

Wonderful capture!

bdcolen · February 16, 2012

VERY nice! Closer to perfection - and it's not far off now - with a bit of work to make her stand out a bit more from the background, and if it had been shot a half-step earlier, so that she was centered between the two windows. I might also crop out the bricks at the bottom, as I find that curving line distracting. But I am being picky - precisely because this is so good. This is one of the better street photos posted here in some time.

black mamba · February 16, 2012

Exceptionally good photo. It's a stunning example of street photography.

Tom

Richard · February 16, 2012

OK, forgive me but I'm going to rain on this parade a bit. The two posters are striking. It's a fantastic spot for a street shot, and I would have spent a long time there waiting for the right opportunity. Definitely my kind of setting and shot. But from sad experience I have learned that a person walking by a fantastic setting doesn't really make it. There needs to be some sort of connection between the people and the posters--interaction, juxtaposition, irony...something more than just proximity. For example, a woman applying makeup or a man checking out the woman of the poster on the left. Or...you name it, but something. Definitely worth a second visit, but be prepared to wait for the right shot.

bdcolen · February 16, 2012

I usually agree with everything you say, Richard - isn't that the deal

rofl - but not this time. I think the - to me - downcast, forlorn look of the not-at-all glamorous, definitely not large busted woman caught between those two posters, works quite well. You are right that a day of sitting might turn up something better, but...

Richard · February 16, 2012

She just looks like a normal woman walking down the street. Not glamorous, certainly, but I think forlorn is reading between the pixels. I think NoCard could do better with a little patience--while it's true that there's some interest in juxtaposing the glamorous with the ordinary, it seems like settling for too little. It could be a killer shot, so I think it's worth the effort.

Nikolai · February 16, 2012

bdcolen wrote: »

I usually agree with everything you say, Richard - isn't that the deal rofl - but not this time. I think the - to me - downcast, forlorn look of the not-at-all glamorous, definitely not large busted woman caught between those two posters, works quite well. You are right that a day of sitting might turn up something better, but...

My thoughts exactly

It is the juxtaposition of the world of fashion/glamour industry "standards" and the real life that gets my vote on this image. Having Pam Anderson circa 1982 over there would probably make a good paparazzi catch, but this one speaks to me on so many more levels...

NoCard · February 16, 2012

Thanks for all the positive comments for this image.

Perhaps, I can help with the title - "Moderne Girl".
Which is the real "modern girl", the girl or the advert? That's all, nothing very deep.
"Moderne" rather than "modern", is a homage reference to the French location.

Nikolai · February 16, 2012

NoCard wrote: »

Thanks for all the positive comments for this image.

Perhaps, I can help with the title - "Moderne Girl".
Which is the real "modern girl", the girl or the advert? That's all, nothing very deep.
"Moderne" rather than "modern", is a homage reference to the French location.

Hear ya loud and clear on all points, including an extra E :-)

JAG · February 16, 2012

ok as a woman I can identify here what this lady might be feeling. It is a great shot and I have to side with those who felt the down-cast of the walking woman. It is something that I know I do and a lot of other women do when they see these over the top gorgeous women ads. We make no acknowelege of it existing, because if we do then we have a mechanism inside us that just possibly will make us feel alittle less than what we really are.

The only nit I have with this image is I would think it could benefit from a little cropping. The windows at the top are useless to the image. And the sidewalk pavers at the very bottom seem to slope at one end giving the whole picture just a tad off kilter feel. Not major issues, but just my 2 cents.

Juano · February 16, 2012

Richard wrote: »

OK, forgive me but I'm going to rain on this parade a bit. The two posters are striking. It's a fantastic spot for a street shot, and I would have spent a long time there waiting for the right opportunity. Definitely my kind of setting and shot. But from sad experience I have learned that a person walking by a fantastic setting doesn't really make it. There needs to be some sort of connection between the people and the posters--interaction, juxtaposition, irony...something more than just proximity. For example, a woman applying makeup or a man checking out the woman of the poster on the left. Or...you name it, but something. Definitely worth a second visit, but be prepared to wait for the right shot.

I'm with Richard on this one. It is a good shot, but to make it exceptional there has to be more.

RSL · February 16, 2012

bdcolen wrote: »

I usually agree with everything you say, Richard - isn't that the deal rofl - but not this time. I think the - to me - downcast, forlorn look of the not-at-all glamorous, definitely not large busted woman caught between those two posters, works quite well. You are right that a day of sitting might turn up something better, but...

+1

Not only does she look dejected, she looks as if she's deliberately refusing to look at the signs. I'm with BD on this one. It's a fine street shot.

Earache · February 16, 2012

Richard wrote: »

OK, forgive me but I'm going to rain on this parade a bit. The two posters are striking. It's a fantastic spot for a street shot, and I would have spent a long time there waiting for the right opportunity. Definitely my kind of setting and shot. But from sad experience I have learned that a person walking by a fantastic setting doesn't really make it. There needs to be some sort of connection between the people and the posters--interaction, juxtaposition, irony...something more than just proximity. For example, a woman applying makeup or a man checking out the woman of the poster on the left. Or...you name it, but something. Definitely worth a second visit, but be prepared to wait for the right shot.

OK - gotta jump in. NoCard has a great eye and this is a very nice shot, but......
I had the exact same reaction on first view as Richard - before I read any comments - and agree strongly that there is a lack of connection between the woman and the posters. I know this is subjective, but a more tangible juxtaposition would help.

And, regarding the various theories of her demeanor, I'd like to assert Occam's Razor and suggest that she may be simply watching where she is going, or deciding whether to to pick up that coin that is most obviously on the sidewalk in front of her.

Regardless, this is a fun thread!

Quincy T · February 16, 2012

I infer from the shot the very same dejected stare that others are mentioning. It takes a moment of observing the image to get this, but that's alright. I agree with JAG. Crop it a bit, make your point a little more obvious.

This image is certainly in keeping with the good quality of all your recent posts Card.

black mamba · February 16, 2012

Seems to be two distinct camps in regards to this shot. I'm with BD and his thoughts here. I feel the lady walking is the perfect foil to the posters. As far as the range of reactions being expressed, haven't I heard many times on this forum that ambiguity is the hallmark of a great street shot? If that's so, then this is certainly a great shot.

Tom

Ed911 · February 17, 2012

I would suggest that this is an image about contrasting life styles, nothing more, and that it works rather well. We don't know what she is thinking...and who cares.

1. Some people walk with their head down for various reasons.

2. Given her path and the presentation of the window images, unless she actually stopped to view them, she probably didn't even see them.

3. The contrast is glamor versus mundane, and all the things associated with each. There is so much more than boobs in the image, BD. And, only one of the window images has her boobs pumped up...the other...quite average for a woman her age...so, BD, we know what you are looking at.

4. I, also, would like to see her centered between the windows. Although, being centered doesn't bother me as much as the position of her feet. I might like to see her in mid-stride.

5. This image needs no personal interaction to be complete and effective.

All in all...a nice capture.

RSL · February 17, 2012

Richard wrote: »

OK, forgive me but I'm going to rain on this parade a bit. The two posters are striking. It's a fantastic spot for a street shot, and I would have spent a long time there waiting for the right opportunity. Definitely my kind of setting and shot. But from sad experience I have learned that a person walking by a fantastic setting doesn't really make it. There needs to be some sort of connection between the people and the posters--interaction, juxtaposition, irony...something more than just proximity. For example, a woman applying makeup or a man checking out the woman of the poster on the left. Or...you name it, but something. Definitely worth a second visit, but be prepared to wait for the right shot.

Richard, forgot to mention that although I don't agree with your evaluation I'm delighted to see that someone on this forum is willing to rain on a parade. It's discussions and disagreements like this that teach.

rainbow · February 18, 2012

I think this is a good shot, but does not approach "great". It is the shot that many of us would have taken (and Richard would have spent much time waiting on...

). But it is a tenuous connection between the two. I can stretch it to say that she is reflecting on the posters, but that would be an extremely big stretch. Much easier to imagine her being totally oblivious to the posters than to imagine her engaging in a philosophical debate comparing herself to a model. (And philosophically, I do not judge one or the other as "better").

Where it falls short is that this if any number of people with cameras saw this shot and wanted to take a picture of it, they would have almost the same shot -- not because it is the best angle, but because it is the obvious angle. I would explore going much closer with the widest angle lens available. That will give more prominence to the person in the frame versus the posters taking center stage. And there would need to be a more solid connection between the posters and person in the frame (how about a street walker at night?).

Moderne Girl

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