Content vs. Technique
Aug 31, 2019 11:26:16 #
I was intrigued by a discussion several days back having to do with content vs. technical excellence of a photo and was reminded of a photo taken several years ago in Kiev, Ukraine. We were on a tour bus and my wife, a non-photographer, was in a seat ahead of me. She suddenly pointed out the window in back of me and shouted, "take that!" I managed to get off one shot of the scene I assumed she was referring to before the bus moved out of range. Here is the shot. I'm wondering whether it speaks to any of you.
Aug 31, 2019 11:28:08 #
Yes, it speaks but it would speak better if it were compositionally different.
Aug 31, 2019 11:31:40 #
Fotoartist wrote:
Yes, it speaks but it would speak better if it were compositionally different.
For an off the hip shot I think it speaks well for composition. Good catch.
Aug 31, 2019 11:32:18 #
The contrast between the group of youth and the elderly woman speaks volumes. Yes, it could use some additional/different composition, but what a tale it tells.
Aug 31, 2019 11:46:42 #
FrumCA wrote:
For an off the hip shot I think it speaks well for composition. Good catch.
Aug 31, 2019 12:07:22 #
windshoppe wrote:
I was intrigued by a discussion several days back ... (show quote)
Yes it speaks of the old days compared to modern times.
Aug 31, 2019 12:14:48 #
lsupremo
Loc: Palm Desert, CA
I love it, it tells a real story of the difference in generations and luck in your life.
I wondered whether it might tell it’s story stronger in Monochrome.
Thanks for the story, Frank
I wondered whether it might tell it’s story stronger in Monochrome.
Thanks for the story, Frank
Aug 31, 2019 12:43:21 #
I think it is a really good image with a lot of interesting details. I think the one young man is playing a harmonica, for instance. The other young man is paying attention to him, rather than to the group of young woman. Notice the empty booze bottles, and the pile of coins next to the elderly woman, and the newspaper she is sitting on. The gesturing by the one young woman suggests a passionate discussion is happening.
I like the composition - the group of young people, the elderly woman, and the empty bottles are the main elements and they tell a common but compelling story.
Mike
I like the composition - the group of young people, the elderly woman, and the empty bottles are the main elements and they tell a common but compelling story.
Mike
Aug 31, 2019 13:54:34 #
windshoppe wrote:
I was intrigued by a discussion several days back ... (show quote)
Yes! It definitely speaks to me. An excellent example of content that overshadows technical deficiencies.
I've always liked interesting juxtapositions of interesting subjects. This is one of those.
Aug 31, 2019 15:23:12 #
The Professional Photographers of America has their 12 elements of a merit image. I think your image includes these aspects. Other aspects may apply also. A lower camera position would have improved the composition. The camera position from the bus is a little too high. I would crop away some from both sides as the grassy areas don't really add anything to the photo.
Aug 31, 2019 16:02:01 #
Thank you all for your comments. This was a technical nightmare given the fact that composition was what I could grab in the moment from my stationery position in a bus seat. Additionally, I certainly didn't perceive all of the various elements in the scene before hitting the shutter button, although my wife probably did, so whatever content merit exists was mainly fortuitous on my part. I titled the photo "contrasts" because what I later saw when having the luxury of studying the photo was: the contrasts between youth and age, black and white modern dress of the kids and the traditional colorful garb of the woman, the animated interaction of the young group and the solitary contemplation of the woman, the empty booze bottles probably left from the night before and whatever little thing in her hands it is that the woman seems preoccupied with. Perhaps I'm reading more into the scene than is there, but I've always found it a rather moving subject. Thanks for looking and for your insightful comments.
Aug 31, 2019 19:38:19 #
bellgamin
Loc: Ewa Beach, Hawaii
Your wife is a genius. You are one VERY lucky photographer.
I adore that amazing shot!!!
I adore that amazing shot!!!
Sep 1, 2019 07:40:25 #
Yes, good catch. If you took the time to make all those manual adjustments and think about composition, you would have lost the shot.
Sep 1, 2019 08:09:29 #
windshoppe wrote:
I was intrigued by a discussion several days back ... (show quote)
Knowing the history of the area fleshes out greatly what we are looking at. It contrasts the hopes of youth against a survivor of the past.
Thank you for presenting what photographs provide of our ever changing environs. The story does supersede the technique in this instance.
Sep 1, 2019 08:22:17 #
lsupremo wrote:
I love it, it tells a real story of the difference in generations and luck in your life.
I wondered whether it might tell it’s story stronger in Monochrome.
Thanks for the story, Frank
I wondered whether it might tell it’s story stronger in Monochrome.
Thanks for the story, Frank
The colors are an important aspect of the story, especially to Ukrainians.
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