Archived posting to the Leica Users Group, 2005/08/25
[Author Prev] [Author Next] [Thread Prev] [Thread Next] [Author Index] [Topic Index] [Home] [Search]On Aug 24, 2005, at 1:20 AM, Nathan Wajsman wrote: > Neil, > > What is special about this picture? It is an old Hassidic man, plenty > of those in New York. The image is not sharp, there is no eye contact, > his face is partly obscured by the fence, and the composition is not > particularly interesting. It reminds me of a picture of an exotic > animal in a zoo. > > I realize that you probably found him interesting because of the way > he looks, but this kind of picture does not convey anything about him > as a person, nor about his environment. > > Sorry to be so harsh--but remember that this is a critique of a photo, > not a criticism of you as a person. > > Nathan > > Neil Schneider wrote: > Hi Nathan, I do not take your critique as personal at all, and as I said, I welcome all commentary. Perhaps I should of included a bit more info with the picture, but I prefer the viewer to interpret what they see, rather than me telling them first. As a street photographer I try to document the everyday life around me as I see it, and as others would if they were looking where I was. The gentleman in the picture is a Hassidic, and a Rabbi, who has spent his life in Talmudic study. This was told to me by another area resident who was familiar with the Rabbi, also that he found it necessary to live behind a fence to protect him from neighborhood vandals. A sad commentary of our society, but none the less for making this an interesting shot. The environment that he lives in is very telling with the self enclosure he's chosen for himself and his family. If you were to walk this same neighborhood in Williamsburgh, Brooklyn, you will see bars on windows, and other fenced in yards. Perhaps not the way we live, but as others find it necessary. Again I thank you for your commentary, and encourage others to express their feelings as they will. Neil "Predicting the future is mostly a matter of managing not to blink as you witness the present" -- William Gibson