Playing to the crowd...

[John Angulat]

Caught this guy during a local Dominican Day parade.
He clearly was enjoyed by the spectators.

Life in New York...from my wanderings​

 

[fahim mohammed]

John, that is one 'decisive moment' captured. The exuberance of the crowd, and the innocence of the child along with the silent pride of his mother is beautifully obvious.

Just see the reaction of the crowd. Wonderful.

It would appear that the mayor of NYC can certainly throw a party!

Thank you for sharing your wanderings with us.

 

[Asher Kelman]

John,

There are 7 people interested in the kid. Have you considered taking away the edge of sharpness on everyone else and bring out those paying attention to the boy? Here I have the feeling that B&W might be something to consider so we just are experiencing the interaction and the importance of the energy of the people towards the boy.

What do you think? Worth a try?

Asher

 

[John Angulat]

John, that is one 'decisive moment' captured. The exuberance of the crowd, and the innocence of the child along with the silent pride of his mother is beautifully obvious.

Just see the reaction of the crowd. Wonderful.

It would appear that the mayor of NYC can certainly throw a party!

Thank you for sharing your wanderings with us.

Thanks Fahim, I greatly appreciate the comments!

And...as for our mayor, let's just say his politcal party made absolutely sure thousands of these placards were distributed. Election Day was looming!

 

[John Angulat]

John,

There are 7 people interested in the kid. Have you considered taking away the edge of sharpness on everyone else and bring out those paying attention to the boy? Here I have the feeling that B&W might be something to consider so we just are experiencing the interaction and the importance of the energy of the people towards the boy.

What do you think? Worth a try?

Asher

I like the concept of "selective de-focus" (or the opposite, as in this case). I shall add it to my "to do" list!
I'll also give a look at a B&W version, although I'm not sure if I'm keen on that. As much as I love monochromes I think this one might stand better with color.
Thanks!

 

[Asher Kelman]

I like the concept of "selective de-focus" (or the opposite, as in this case). I shall add it to my "to do" list!
I'll also give a look at a B&W version, although I'm not sure if I'm keen on that. As much as I love monochromes I think this one might stand better with color.
Thanks!

You'll be surprised John, by what you will discover. The color coding in a spontaneous crowd picture is almost always muddled as it depends on haphazard, often contradictory signals from each color and pattern. Although we're "used to" colored and patterned clothes it would appear, but not really. Our brains aren't wired for that. Texture is, I believe, more important.

Asher

 

[John Angulat]

Very good point Asher.
It certainy supports a try at B&W!
Thanks!

 

[John Angulat]

Hi Asher,

I gave it a go.
Thoughts?

 

[Wayne Stratton]

Hi Asher,

I gave it a go.
Thoughts?

As a newbie, I am reading this thread and really enjoying the color picture, I get to Asher's comment and think "oh no, this is the first time I disagree with Asher!"

Then you post this! OH MY GOSH! This is awesome!!!

 

[Asher Kelman]

Getting to B&W, distributing importance under the control of the artist!

Life in New York...from my wanderings​

Hi Asher,

I gave it a go.
Thoughts?

[/QUOTE]

As a newbie, I am reading this thread and really enjoying the color picture, I get to Asher's comment and think "oh no, this is the first time I disagree with Asher!"

Then you post this! OH MY GOSH! This is awesome!!!

John,

Thanks to Wayne, I see the B&W version you prepared that I had missed! What a treat. Both version have their own value. The original offers a wild, festive carnival experience with colors drawing our eyes in each and every direction without the control of you the artist. The B&W version, however, removes this superficial noise and puts much more of our attention on the boy and the crowd, the latter appearing more as a community unit rather than a collection of wild independent onlookers.

It's remarkable how just taking away the flashing demanding attention getting color signals allows one to devote more of the psychological real estate to the boy and not the festivity.

As a finishing touch, consider the value of slightly upping the pop in the image of the boy using an S curve adding contrast as well as a tad more luminance. Furthermore it can be helpful for the boys to be the sharpest item in the picture and then the woman with the outstretched arms. However, before you do this it's sometimes useful to print out several B&W copies on plain paper and sketch the features that will be made slightly more prominent, using a red grease crayon. This will allow one to more easily and naturally find the most pleasing and effective composition that is emphasized withing the B&W picture you have created.

Thanks again for sharing this vivacious parade picture and allowing us to look under its skin, to see what lies in the B&W realm of feelings.

Asher

 

[John Angulat]

As a newbie, I am reading this thread and really enjoying the color picture, I get to Asher's comment and think "oh no, this is the first time I disagree with Asher!"

Then you post this! OH MY GOSH! This is awesome!!!

Hi Wayne,
Thank you very much for the kind compliment, I truly appreciate it.
It's ok to disagree with Asher (or anyone else here for that matter)...it's what makes OPF such an interesting place.
Challenges are tossed about, opinions are offered and when it's all said and done, it just makes you think about the images you offer for comment and critique.
I will admit Asher's challenge on this this image sparked quite a debate in my head.
I really didn't think it had any merit as a monochrome.
But I gave it a go.
And I must admit I'm very hapy with the result.
...someday I'll just do what Asher asks without hesistation.
It's probably the easier path...
I need to work on my stubborn streak a bit more...

 

[Wendy Thurman]

Nice work, John. I never ceased to be amazed by the opportunities you find!

Wendy

 

[John Angulat]

Nice work, John. I never ceased to be amazed by the opportunities you find!

Wendy

Hi Wendy,
I'm truly at a loss for words...that's the finest compliment I've ever heard.
You've made my day!

 

[John Angulat]

Life in New York...from my wanderings​

John,

Thanks to Wayne, I see the B&W version you prepared that I had missed! What a treat. Both version have their own value. The original offers a wild, festive carnival experience with colors drawing our eyes in each and every direction without the control of you the artist. The B&W version, however, removes this superficial noise and puts much more of our attention on the boy and the crowd, the latter appearing more as a community unit rather than a collection of wild independent onlookers.

It's remarkable how just taking away the flashing demanding attention getting color signals allows one to devote more of the psychological real estate to the boy and not the festivity.

As a finishing touch, consider the value of slightly upping the pop in the image of the boy using an S curve adding contrast as well as a tad more luminance. Furthermore it can be helpful for the boys to be the sharpest item in the picture and then the woman with the outstretched arms. However, before you do this it's sometimes useful to print out several B&W copies on plain paper and sketch the features that will be made slightly more prominent, using a red grease crayon. This will allow one to more easily and naturally find the most pleasing and effective composition that is emphasized withing the B&W picture you have created.

Thanks again for sharing this vivacious parade picture and allowing us to look under its skin, to see what lies in the B&W realm of feelings.

Asher[/QUOTE]



Hi Asher,
As always, your comments and encouragement are deeply appreciated. Thanks so much for taking the time to examine this image. I guess it's back to the PS "darkroom" for me!
I fear however, that you are testing the limits of my editing skills!

 

[Asher Kelman]

Hi Asher,
As always, your comments and encouragement are deeply appreciated. Thanks so much for taking the time to examine this image. I guess it's back to the PS "darkroom" for me!
I fear however, that you are testing the limits of my editing skills!

John,

Your effort here pays off in future pictures as you are going to be more receptive to things the picture tells you. The key thing is that there are stages in making a picture for delivery. After the shoot, they can even restart at the bequest of the work you have created!

1. There's the need, inner or for a job
   
2. Concept
   
3. Plan to materialize that
   
4. Assembling the resources
   
5. The shoot
   
6. Then what?

​

This point is where most wedding, school photographers, product and other commercial specialist photographers hand over the film/files to a great lab. This is also the point where the best photographers might personally approve CMYK output to a printer. Unfortunately this is also the stage where a lot of us forget to continue the creative process informed by the limits and new possibilities of what we have achieved.

One should consider restarting the list above in the darkroom. The picture so far is starting to get its first breath in its nostrils. It has an identity different from all the other possibilities you might have chosen. Now it may speak back to you and ask you to reconsider it's every aspect and even modify your initial concept. But why should you do that if your concept was perfect in the first place? Well, the circumstances have changed. You have given birth to a new being, it has it's own voice that you now have to allow to talk to you.

So here, it's not important that this picture is perfect or any of these ideas for improvement work for you. However, the fact of working through possibilities based on how the developing image suggests, opens up new paths within our brains. It's openness to new options that makes the distinction between technically marvelous images and ones which have the creative mark of your own person developed to the nth.

So it's good that you explore. We should just remember that our composition, shooting point, lighting and lens system might do a lot of the work n distributing authority to various components and drawing contrasts, connections between them. In many cases, that's all that's needed for the most creative work. Still, it's up to us to consider refining these parameters in the darkroom before delivering.

Asher