Is it a street shot?
It was a crowded day at MOMA and I have a bit of a theory, why take pictures of paintings when there is a perfectly taken book, prints, detail etc in the giftshop downstairs. So I don’t walk around with my SLR dangling in museums usually. I didn’t have it out on this day, and as my wife and I finished contorting our faces after viewing the Picasso sheet metal sculpture exhibit- we headed toward the exit. ON the ground floor was this Lautrec poster, and these two taking a selfie in front. I whipped out my cellphone and managed to snap two shots before the throng ascended in front, mucking up the perspective.
My first impression after chimping was “that is a really good scene, I can’t wait to foul it up with processing later…”
Anyway, the shot was rather plain and poorly lit and you can never control the ISO with a phone, so there was lots of Jpeg noise. I just happened to not like any of the pure black and white conversions, All were too blue or the grays were overpowering. This preset added vignette and drama. However, after uploading I couldn’t stand the noise. I downloaded the saved for web version, magic-wanded the noise area and feathered blur, and let me add, in a very shitty way.
I appreciate the comments, the bling, and the magic of my style of amateur photography- which is- the fact that others can see more in the photo than I intended, and point out the serendipitous moments. I do think that just the fact that these people, who mirror the folks in the poster, are taking a selfie, with glee at the technology and the ability to save the moment for posterity.
In fact, a selfie makes a whole lot more sense than a straight on shot of the artwork.
One more thing, LevT himself gave me the high compliment of this perhaps being a Mariuca shot, yet in the very next comment she does not seem to have high praise for this photograph. I find this funny.
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Place: 10 out of 53 Avg (all users): 6.3333 Avg (commenters): 7.2308 Avg (participants): 6.3125 Avg (non-participants): 6.3443 Views since voting: 884 Views during voting: 194 Votes: 93 Comments: 18 Favorites: 1 (view)
I'm so glad I saw this .. it's a fantastic catch .. and I absolutely loved reading what you wrote ..
you have a way with words .. I feel you would be a great author .. that's if you aren't already .. :)
I like this capture and what you've done with it. It's like you're showing us their dreams of what was, or what might have been. The HDR-like processing, the crazy vignette, the flyer outstretched with a dancer's grace, when their feet are so firmly grounded.
A thoughtful capture that presents itself as a study of social interactions. I find it interesting to note that in today's world of technology one is more likely to find people of any age taking a selfie facing away from the art on the wall rather than face towards the painting/artwork to contemplate its beauty/meaning. I also find it a little ironic how they are intent on 'documenting' their life & experiences while you are essentially doing the same thing in this street capture. The sepia toning gives this capture a feeling of age - recalling a pleasant time in years past.
This image will, in my opinion, definitely end up on the front page of the challenge.
The "burn" effect did wonders in hi-lighting the subjects of interest. In addition, the sepia effect makes this image seem to date it to a period in time when the Moulin Rouge a must see adventure.
Very nicely done and well deserving the score of 9 that I gave it.
I love taking photos of people looking at art or just beeing in museums but this one does not appeal to me that much: the pronounced sepia applied, the sharpening, the insistent dodging, too much floor space... There is this gut feeling sometimes that we have, beyond explanations.
I marked it with 6
Wow, the guy taking selfie, looks very much like the guy in the poster! And the woman also is rather similar to the cabaret dancer. Nice catch! Looks to me like a signature Mariuca shot :)
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