Subway Serenade - C/C welcomed

[The_Traveler]

 

[amolitor]

Very nice. It feels like a modern "grunge/tonemapped" processing has been lightly applied, which I think works well. The frame itself feels a little unbalanced, I might consider taking a sliver off the right edge, or if there's room to recrop, slide the whole frame left a touch. You could also go in a little tighter, to eliminate the sensation of a "mostly empty subway car" which this has now. That sensation is not a bad thing at all, I quite like it, but it might interesting to take a look at that alternate.

The content is marvelous, of course. Well done.

 

[The_Traveler]

For those who are interested, this is how I saw the editing progressing.
This is the original.
I had hoped to include the other player but the perspective made him too distant and his figure was too far away for any impact.
Additionally the bright poles and the seated figure just were way too distracting.
Clearly the large amount of white walls didn't help anything.

I saw this as a picture with two obvious centers of interest but I wanted the woman to set the tone.
The original picture was a bit too flat and clean and oddly colored to give the impression I wanted.
So I searched around for some method to give this the 'grunge' look I thought would be good.
The problem with lots of 'effects' is that the effects take precedence in what the viewer sees.
I didn't want that.
The final is done with a grunge method, as Andy said, but the layer opacity is dialed back a lot so that the look doesn't overwhelm the content.
Now I think the eyes are drawn to her face and the bored, disconnected expression.
The guitarist's face had a bit more highlighted areas and was too prominent because of them so I burnt that in a bit so his face doesn't draw as much attention.

 

[The_Traveler]

Sorry, Andy, for not acknowledging your comment.
Your comment hit an instant before my second post.

Two additional comments:

I did not think this out in clear short sentences.
It was a muddled thinking around about how to uncover an 'image' trapped in a snap shot.

Second, I think this is a good example of how I think street work is best done.
Get the image, based on an instinctual feel that something good is lurking there.
Spend a good deal of energy clarifying the idea until the final product emerges.

That may certainly sound pompous but that is the best description of how I work in retrospect.
The situation/expressions/arrangements may only last an instant so get them now and sort out the goods later.

 

[The_Traveler]

Here is a small question intended to provoke responses.

What about the shadow of the player in the window of the door?
Adds, detracts, no impact.

There is no right answer but I am interested to hear people think through details.

 

[limr32 1]

I didn't even notice the reflection at first, but when you asked about it, I went back and took a look so I could think about it. I like it in the picture. Adds to the realism. Those reflections on the trains...staring at yourself without even realizing, or people-watching without having to look at them directly...that's one of those things that you take for granted but then without it, things would just be weird. Kind of like the steam at street level.

 

[pgriz]

Subjective:
· What it the overall feeling when you first look at the image? The disconnect of urban life.
· What attracts your attention? The tired look in the lady's eyes, and the lack of interest of what's happening besides her.
· Is there a story or narrative that the image evokes? She looks like she has had a hard day and can't wait to get home, and doesn't react to the attempts of the street musician to get a reaction (and some pocket change).
· What does the photographer reveal or show to you? Two people, sharing a space, yet as distant from each other's reality as could be.
· Is there a specific aspect that makes you want to look at this image again? The interplay between the two people, despite their obvious indifference to each other, and the grungy tonality that accents the interaction.
Objective:
· Are the camera choices (exposure, aperture, shutter speed, focus position, DOF, focal length, filtering) supporting or detracting from the overall feeling? Everything is sharp, in focus and well exposed. There is nowhere to hide.
· Is/are the position(s) of the main subject(s) in the frame supporting or detracting the overall feeling? The positioning of the two in the frame emphasizes their physical closeness, while the vertical rail serves to separate them both visually and physically.
· Is the light arrangement contributing positively or negatively to the image? The light is both relatively bright and (in the processing) fairly even, allowing us to recognize the environment, but creating a tonal difference between the points of interest (the faces) and the background.
· Are the post-processing choices contributing to the overall feel or distracting? The processing is brilliant, extracting the most amount of "feeling" from the situation. Grungy, gritty, shiny hard edges, and un-natural light. Creates a place that is not personal or comforting.
· Are the elements that are not the main subject(s) supporting or competing with the main subject(s)? Despite being in excellent focus, the tonal trick separates the areas of interest from the foreground/background and provides a strong sense of context. Even the little bit of extraneous object on the seat at the right lower corner contributes (in my mind) to the feeling that this is not a comfortable place.
Bottom line: Is it an interesting image? Oh yes.

To answer your question, Lew, the reflection is a necessary part of "there, but not really there" feeling.

 

[amolitor]

I think the reflection, and more generally the window itself, provides a necessary region of darkness that pulls the two figures together. I tried visualizing the picture with just more whitish wall continued behind the guitarist, and i felt that the picture, while still strong, was less so. We get, here, a little grouping of three figures, and more importantly an almost single-dark-mass in the center of the frame.

The two figures are pushed together, graphically, and split apart emotionally, and I like that.

 

[tirediron]

Outstanding; I think the best image you've posted here in a LONG time Lew!

 

[sashbar]

I think that the reflection definitely adds to the composition, because it "looks" the opposite way to both subjects here, one can even imagine that it looks at her, while she is looking away. So it balances the composition/dynamics of the scene and helps to connect two persons here graphically. It opens the image to various interpretations p.e. you can imagine that the reflection is the true inner self of the musician who dos not want to be there.

 

[Granddad]

Sorry, Andy, for not acknowledging your comment.
Your comment hit an instant before my second post.

Two additional comments:

I did not think this out in clear short sentences.
It was a muddled thinking around about how to uncover an 'image' trapped in a snap shot.

Second, I think this is a good example of how I think street work is best done.
Get the image, based on an instinctual feel that something good is lurking there.
Spend a good deal of energy clarifying the idea until the final product emerges.

That may certainly sound pompous but that is the best description of how I work in retrospect.
The situation/expressions/arrangements may only last an instant so get them now and sort out the goods later.

I never thought about it consciously but when I read this description of your method I thought "Hey! That describes how I work with my live dance shots."
You have a nice turn of phrase as well as being a damn good photographer.

Re the shadow/reflection of the player... difficult to say for me, I think adds in a small way.

 

[cbarnard7]

I love it, Lew! I think it's just a little too grainy for my taste, but that's subjective. I love how he's playing the guitar and she's just not interested at all- kind of the reason I dread public transport at times...I just want to relax. I understand this picture a lot and I like the crop!

 

[RichieT]

As someone who used to ride the NYC subway regularly, Those reflections are as much a part of the subway as the rails and seats even though they are constantly changing. It fits perfectly within the picture.

 

[The_Traveler]

Thanks, all, for the comments.

Everything that pgriz sounds eerily right although I can guarantee I did not have anything near that coherent thought.

As someone who used to ride the NYC subway regularly, Those reflections are as much a part of the subway as the rails and seats even though they are constantly changing.

This also is so true.

My reaction to the reflection is, although it certainly wasn't planned on my part, it adds a note of verisimilitude.

 

[Rick Waldroup]

Lew, I think your crop was certainly the way to go on this particular shot. I think most street shooters instinctively visualize emotionally and intellectually how a scene appears to them right before they press the shutter button, as you so aptly described earlier. And usually this thought process takes place in a split second. It is then up to the photographer to bring that vision to a final presentation. This is a great example of that style of shooting.

I love photographs that make the viewer ask questions. I like photos that make me think, make me wonder about what is really happening in a scene. While some viewers may see a tired, forlorn expression on the young lady's face, my first reaction is that perhaps the man serenading her has struck an emotional chord in her. Is he making her sad with his song? Is she thinking about some lost love, some lost memory that has suddenly been resurrected?

Sometimes, things are not what they seem. Sometimes we have to use our imagination to see the unknown and we have to use our life experiences to connect with a photo. What is the answer here? I am not sure and really, I am not sure if it matters. What matters is the emotional impact the photograph has upon me. In that regard, this photo is much more than a casual scene, a fleeting moment in time and space- it reminds me of our beautiful, yet, fragile existence