Date in BW
by LevT

Comment:
Adrian,
thanks for a wonderful comment! This is most definitely not posed, I actually had to be very quick and surreptitious not to disturb them, which is not always easy with a big SLR camera. But these guys were indeed quite absorbed in whatever they were reading, so they did not even notice me standing only some 3-5 m away. I agree that this scene is a tad sad, a tad humorous, but oddly touching as well, that's why I like it.

The long way to the solution
by krasavitsa_1

Comment:
Pozdravlyayu, krasavitsa! Nice idea!

I tried to make sense out of this derivation, but could not quite follow the logic. What is the problem he is solving? :)

The blue forest
by rhipster

Comment:
wonderful image, congrats!

Date in BW
by LevT

Comment:

Originally posted by agenkin: Interesting, no I didn't "read" the "disconnected date" idea in this picture. I thought that the two were simply reading menus (hence the ideas of cakes in their heads). Having looked at the picture closer, I see that the woman is, actually, reading a book (while the guy still seems to be studying a menu), but, still, I don't think that the photo conveys the disconnectedness.

Actually, from the full-res photo it is obvious that the guy is reading some document, definitely not a menu, the meal is clearly finished. And it was not my intention to imply that this photo shows disconnect between these two. I believe they actually feel good and comfortable in their own slightly odd way just sitting together at the table doing their own stuff. My own reaction to this scene is how different a "real world" date can be from a "supermarket romance novel" date, and still be a date.

Date in BW
by LevT

Comment:

Originally posted by agenkin: Not bad, idea-wise, the pictures of the cakes are like cartoon bubbles which show what each of the characters is thinking. Photographically, I think that the shot is boring because most of the lines in the frame are either vertical or horizontal, and the plane of the wall and the two persons are parallel to the image plane. This gives a strong taste of an up-front shot, which ruins everything else for me.

Arcady, I respectfully disagree. Aside from the point that I did not really have any time or space to move around and adjust the composition (moments like this last seconds as you well know), I actually like the "up-front" and symmetric composition, I think it works well here. Not every scene demands perspective, strong diagonals and a rule of thirds. Here it needs the left-right symmetry and balance, IMO. Furthermore, I wish the front table and a chair were not there, even though they add to the spontaneous feel of the photo.

I like your interpretation of the cakes as cartoon bubbles a lot. I thought about them more in terms of a contrast between what the date is supposed to be, symbolically, and what it really is here.

Message edited by author 2007-05-07 01:02:00.

Day 4
by edmeng

Comment:
Light, composition, textures, BW treatment - all excellent!

_the couple_
by sevilduvarci

Comment:
very nice study in color, texture, and character! Is this the same couple, just a few years earlier? :)

Message edited by author 2007-05-02 22:21:05.

2:53 pm
by Pascal

Comment:
great mood in this photo

Hells Kitchen
by MAK

Comment:
very good work!

6:08am
by Brad

Comment:
awesome, Brad!