I'm Engaged!

There is a photographic concept called the "Decisive Moment" that originated with the photography of Henri-Cartier Bresson. It implies you have taken the shot at the exact right instance. Sometimes decisive moment shots are due to careful planning and a lot of waiting for that moment to come along. Sometimes, they are just dumb luck and the coincidence of good timing or being at the right place at the right time.

The shot below could be classified as a decisive moment shot from the right place, right time category. You do, however, need to be prepared with the camera ready for that coincidentally time when it does occur (which is not a minor thing).

The woman on the right, was showing off a good sized diamond ring to some friends on the street. Presumably this is an engagement ring and she's getting married. I'm sure the excitement of showing the ring, and this period in her life, will be one she always remembers. You can see the happiness on her face.

I was pre-armed with my camera as the scene unfolded with that perfect timing. I took about five pictures. I thought the guy in the rear was noticing that I was taking the shots, but looking at others in the series, he seemed to actually be watching the ring presentation also.


It does seem to be a ring worth showing off, this is as close as I could get to it from blowing up the scene.
By the way, this picture was taken on Maiden Lane. I thought that was a rather interesting coincidence. I just looked up the dictionary definition of maiden, and it says, " an unmarried girl or woman" (or also "virgin"). I would add that as back story element to the decisive moment.

Creating Art

Interpreting and appreciating art is a personal experience. What one person may love, another may dislike, or "not get". When I post my pictures on the flickr website, I get immediate feedback and it allows me to ponder what others might see in the pictures. While I only post pictures that I think have some merit, sometimes the reaction is out of synch with my own opinion of the shot.

Here's what I'm reacting to... last week in a poring rain storm I parked myself underneath a building portico and took a lot of pictures of wet people. Since it was dark, I used a high ISO, this meant that the pictures would be brighter but also grainier. Here is the picture that I started working with. Not a great picture, but with some post-processing, it looked to have some potential.

The main appeal to me in the composition was the positioning of the cab turning onto Park Row. So, I cropped it and straightened it. It was OK, but nothing special to me. So, I started playing around with some of the values in Lightroom, a tool I use to manage my photo library. I finally settled on posting this version of the picture.

I thought it was good, and fairly interesting, but those on flickr responded in a way that was out of synch with how I saw the picture. They made it by marking it with the most "favorites" of any picture I have ever put up there, and in the shortest amount of time. As a matter of fact, when I saw it online, I wasn't completely happy with it. I was going to replace it with a version that I had worked with before posting it, which was this one.

I do think this one is the best, but I won't replace it since people liked the other one so much. In any case, it is ultimately a creation of art, using only the building blocks of what was there. And, I'm quite happy with that result.

In the end though, while I think it's a very good picture, I do not think it is great. (There are others I've taken that I think are great which have barely gotten a reaction). But that's just what I think, and what do I know, I'm only one person.

Composition

I was heading to the steps of Federal Hall overlooking the Stock Exchange building to sit outside and have the lunch I purchased from a street vendor. This is a great place to be outside and people watch the stock brokers, tourists, fashionistos, etc. below on Wall Street.

Federal Hall is a quite historic building. George Washington was inaugurated as first president of the US on the balcony of the original version of this building on the same spot. It is now mostly a museum. As I approached, I walked past the back of the building and saw these guys.

My camera was with me, but I had my hands were full. I thought about whether I wanted to go through the effort to drag it out and get the shot. I walked on. Half a block later, I turned back, thinking about how perfectly they were aligned. The columns, the angle of the steps, the way they were sitting were all so nicely arranged.

I put down my lunch in the middle of the road and started shooting. Since the building is a national monument, it is a frequent target of pictures. I had no problem aiming at the top of the building, then dropping, reframing and snapping these guys undetected.

This was the most interesting. A shot I call, "And It's Only Lunch Time". This guy looks like he's had a hard day.

Laughter

Laughing people... it's as if they have been captured by a spirit. They spasm in delight and are great photographic subjects. There's a reason photographers pose people with smiles. They look good. But, if they are laughing, they make YOU feel good. Here are some laughing shots I gathered. This one is called "You're a Riot!"

These two girls were escaping the rain, but were engaged in a "Laughter Dance".

And, this guy is not laughing, but for some reason he was just so damn happy. He is a superhero. He is "Happyman".

Instant Clicks

When I'm out photographing, after preparing the camera to take pictures (pre-setting exposure, focus, etc.), I find I become hyper-aware of what's going on around me. Scanning the activities to see what might be a worthwhile subject.

Rarely, maybe once a month, a glance in a direction will show a perfectly setup scene. Perfectly composed, perfect mood, perfect expression. Since I'm ready, I can grab it in a second.

Yesterday, I was lucky enough to have two of these instant clicks. These are them:

I was across the street and looked over between cars and saw this. Not only was his pose well positioned, but the neon sign is a really nice element above it. A mood comes through that was all put together.

I was passing by an office building and found her standing like this enjoying a smoke. Almost as if she was a model. The diagonal beam is a nice secondary element. I got one shot and that was it.

Text and Ticket

I noticed this guy's relaxed pose as he sat in the back of the beer truck. He was supported by boxes of imported beer... Xingu Black beer from Brazil, Stella Artois from Belgium, Peroni Italian beer. He was most interested in what he was texting, completely absorbed.

I took a couple of shots, and went on my way, looking for other subjects on his side of the street. When I got to the front of the truck, a policeman was just finishing writing a ticket. He then placed it on the windshield of the illegal parked vehicle. The texter never knew what hit him.

I suspect the texter was not really responsible for the legality of the park (he looked too young to drive). He's probably the muscle who moved the beer. Still, I'm sure he will be held responsible. "What the hell were you doing while I was gone?!!!" Uh.... texting .

Posers

There are those who hate to be photographed. But there are also the attention seeking posers, who want nothing more than to have their picture taken. They dress boldly or provocatively, they know how to position themselves for the best picture. Since I focus on candid shots, I do not like to reward this kind of behavior (unless it's at Disney World).

However, standing at the end of Wall Street, this guy knew how to take advantage of the large number of tourists there. I guess he was making some kind of political statement about the bailouts and he was standing in front of a Brinks armored car. I'm not sure really what the point was. Actually I think the point was to get his picture taken, rather than anything else more meaningful.

So, I took a few of him from the side, so he wouldn't pose for me, but in the end I just couldn't resist letting him turn on the whole personality for me (even though I hate myself for it).

No Big Deal

Looking out of the window of a conference room while a meeting took place, the Manhattan Bridge looked like this. I ran for my camera, but didn't have my larger zoom lens with me. So, the close up here is cropped down from my many megapixels.

It looked like a rather major event to those of us in the room. The flames actually got twice as high as shown here. But, seemingly there was not much concern. Fire trucks showed up maybe 30 minutes later. And, then after 45 minutes, I got a text message from the New York City emergency response system that said there was a fire on a tractor trailer on the bridge.

I googled it today and didn't find much news about it. Guess it was no big deal.

Revolving Door

So... I was intrigued by this chrome revolving door. In particular, I thought the painting behind would provide a colorful contrast to the shiny motion of the door. I positioned myself appropriately, preset my camera and waited for people to come through.

I was looking for someone distinctive to exit. At first, there seemed to be mostly nondescript slobby people. Then, a businessman came by after a while.

I practiced as people walked in and out, timing their locations within the doors, and kept waiting and snapping, then caught these women. While I was focused on the front woman, the second woman's abstract look made the picture a bit more interesting. Sometimes, something you don't think about when shooting becomes the key to a photo.

I was fairly satisfied with this but kept waiting for other subjects, when I saw a man in a blue official-looking suit come towards me. I knew what was coming, he was security for the building. I calmly smiled. He told me not to take pictures of the building. Having studied up on my rights, I know I legally am permitted to take pictures of anything that is in visible sight from the street. I explained to him that this was not illegal. He didn't fight me, but he asked me again to "desist". I had already taken about 20 shots or so, and wasn't looking for an argument. I told him I would stop and put my camera down. He didn't leave. I realize he wouldn't leave until I left. So, I left, as my mission was accomplished.

Parking Flag Man

His job is to act such as honey is to bees, serving as a sentry to attract cars to his employer's parking garage. He stands in the street and waves his flag, like a matador. It's a tougher job now, as part of the street is under construction and there is less traffic. But, his flag continues in constant but slow motion, like the minimal wave of a beauty queen paced for endurance.

He braces himself against the construction barrier, and does the best he can to conserve energy for his hours on the street. Generally unseen and faceless, except for his flag.