Old Mating Dance - J. Lee




My class assignment this week was "relationships using body language and expression." I found this couple in one Nashville's Broadway Bars. The body language suggests to me that this pair's relationship may be more physical than emotional. Maybe not perfect composition or technique but I felt it captured something of the moods and moments unique to honky tonks.

Camera:   Contax G1
Lens:   Carl Zeiss Planar 45mm f/2
Film:   Tmax 3200
Exposure:   1/15 f2
Flash:  
Support:  
Filter:  
Adjustment:   Photoshop "standard darkroom." Levels,Contrast, unsharp mask. No Crop.
Posted:   11-Nov-2002

Rating: 8.33 (3 ratings)

Comments

You Passed

I'm normlly very shy about photographing strangers. It'd be a major challenge for me to go out and do an assignmrnt such as this. Even harder would be to get the 'perfect' moment. I think you've done a good job of your class assignment.

MARK MILLEN     12-Nov-2002 at 04:39

Marvelous

The background faces are excellent. I like the overall, grainy appearance and the detail on the man's jacket. You should remove the sloppy boarder and the black strip on the right. - Brad

Bradley Schwartz     12-Nov-2002 at 13:46

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I don't agree that composition and technique aren't perfect. How could they be better? This is a terrific shot. Congratulations!

Wilfred van der Vegte     13-Nov-2002 at 05:29

Thanks

for your comments. Mark & Ho, I have to say that I am a bit shy about photographing strangers as well. However, as wanna be photojournalist and a member of a PJ program, I recognize that I must face that shyness head on. I'm discovering that people rarely have a problem with me and my camera. If someone notices me, or if a cutline is required, I simply explain that I'm a student and that appreciated the opportunity to photograph them. I've actually made some nice aquaintances this way. As to flaws in composition and technique: I would have liked to have have had a wider shot, a vertical may have revealed more of their body language, it would have been nice to have more of a frontal shot showing more of his face and it's been criticized for being too centered. Further, her hand on his head is a bit blurred and burned out. Unfortunately, I was only able to get off one frame and was not in a position to move about. Thanks again for your encouragement.

J. Lee     13-Nov-2002 at 21:53

Senssuousness . . .

A wider shot jlee might have been deter--from a viewers point of view. Your assignment was to tell a story; capture intimacy--and not necessarily to expose voyeuristic inclinations of the crowd. The grit and tenderness add romanticism to this image--and dampen the sensuousness just enough to keep the libidos so the story being told can be heard. You are succeeding.

Jerome Belthrop     10-Jan-2003 at 07:31