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I really really like this one.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Fri Dec 14th, 2007 at 11:47:53 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: From estHer. (none / 1)

I do too, but I can't say why. I added a little brightness so you could see the outlines of the child at the right.

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Fri Dec 14th, 2007 at 11:53:11 AM EST
[ Parent ]

The kid makes it.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Fri Dec 14th, 2007 at 12:25:51 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: From estHer. (none / 1)

I believe estHer has the ability to know what generates interest in a photograph. This one, to me, is about mystery - who is the person and what are they doing there? Very nicely executed.

I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears

by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Fri Dec 14th, 2007 at 08:28:15 PM EST
[ Parent ]

That's all very true. I don't know much about the technical parts of photography, but for me, a good photo is one that I want to look at for a second time. That's probably true of all art. (estHer's photos often meet this criterion.)

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Sat Dec 15th, 2007 at 01:19:22 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Yes, I agree with your assessment, and you know her technical execution is not bad either. I see a successful future as an artist if she continues down this road.

I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears

by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Sat Dec 15th, 2007 at 10:49:45 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Joining me for lunch today. (4.00 / 7)

Sam, geezer and Colman.

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Fri Dec 14th, 2007 at 09:29:34 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Having seen photos of most people on here, I don't know how I expected Colman to look, but It's always surprising when i see pictures of him, in that I expected him to look somehow different. Others always look as I expect.

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Fri Dec 14th, 2007 at 01:51:32 PM EST
[ Parent ]

No one ever looks like what I expect them to.

"Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.

by poemless on Fri Dec 14th, 2007 at 01:54:12 PM EST
[ Parent ]

It's the lack of Stalinist uniforms on us Europeans?

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Fri Dec 14th, 2007 at 02:04:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Why would I expect you to be wearing Stalinist uniforms?

"Pretending that you already know the answer when you don't is not actually very helpful." ~Migeru.

by poemless on Fri Dec 14th, 2007 at 02:06:41 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Well we're all dangerous european socialists ;-)

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Fri Dec 14th, 2007 at 02:13:22 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Joining me for lunch today. (none / 1)

Colman seems able to hide his essential grumpiness in photos ;-)

I was certainly surprised to see that you were a young innocent lad, rather than a debauched gone to seed lecturer or lecherer, if you will.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Fri Dec 14th, 2007 at 02:16:11 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Joining me for lunch today. (none / 1)

it's the organic food and rain that keeps me looking younger than my years.

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Fri Dec 14th, 2007 at 02:20:44 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I should give up the sprango - I'm only 22, but I look like shit. I do like rain though.

You can't be me, I'm taken

by Sven Triloqvist on Fri Dec 14th, 2007 at 02:26:52 PM EST
[ Parent ]

age or weight? ;-)

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Fri Dec 14th, 2007 at 02:35:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Joining me for lunch today. (none / 1)

You got to get to the city once in a while ceebs. We don't speak in "stones" anymore.

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Fri Dec 14th, 2007 at 02:41:16 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I went, it was crowded.

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Fri Dec 14th, 2007 at 02:44:29 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Hmmm...where did that double chin of mine come from??? Have to have a word with Sproggie...

We are all in the gutter, but some of us are looking at the stars. Oscar Wilde

by Sam on Sun Dec 16th, 2007 at 02:40:30 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Un jour triste a Paris. (4.00 / 8)

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Fri Dec 14th, 2007 at 09:38:07 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Photos As Usual (4.00 / 9)

Variations on a theme

Last Sunday we went for lunch with friends to Club Nautique, Nice, which has great views from the terrace. Later we walked round to La Reserve and had drinks in its bar, also with great views:

As the sun began to set I saw these glasses and bottle outside and resolution was good enough (especially for the web) to use quite small sections of the image, as the zoom only goes to 112mm on the Lumix:

Maybe it's because I'm a Londoner - that I moved to Nice.

by Ted Welch (tedwelch-at-mac-dot-com) on Fri Dec 14th, 2007 at 11:42:23 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Running for Joy. (4.00 / 7)

From esther.

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Fri Dec 14th, 2007 at 12:07:57 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Running for Joy. (4.00 / 3)

wow, estHer...

that is bresson-level, imo

'The history of public debt is full of irony. It rarely follows our ideas of order and justice.' Thomas Piketty

by melo (melometa4(at)gmail.com) on Sat Dec 15th, 2007 at 07:27:05 AM EST
[ Parent ]

head (4.00 / 6)

Any idiot can face a crisis - it's day to day living that wears you out.

by ceebs (ceebs (at) eurotrib (dot) com) on Fri Dec 14th, 2007 at 12:29:42 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Photos As Usual (4.00 / 3)

Thought I would show a few of my photo restorations. These first are from Tabasco, Mexico. I've encouraged townspeople to bring me their old photos to restore, and I do them just for fun charging only for the cost of printing, or nothing at all if the person is poor. As they say, if you offer it for free they will come, and they have. My reward has been the pleasure of working on some real treasures. Oh, and the tropics is like restoration boot camp. Mold, mildew, wet, heat, and insects. I challenge anyone to find worse living conditions for photographic print paper.

Original of "Don Salvador" About 16x20 inches, I had to scan it in four sections. It looked like a reprint of a badly damaged earlier print. Output for the restoration was also 16x20 and I digitally hand colored it. The client (Salvador's 79 year old grandson) like color over B&W.

The restoration. This one is covered in a hard acrylic shell.

I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears

by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Fri Dec 14th, 2007 at 02:22:35 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Photos As Usual (none / 0)

Very interesting Gringo. Do you live in Mexico for a part of the year?

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Fri Dec 14th, 2007 at 02:35:58 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Photos As Usual (4.00 / 4)

Yes, since 2004 we have been spending about 2-3 months there during the Summer and another 2-3 months in the Winter. We hope eventually to spend more time in Mexico but lately we have had a fairly new grandson and his ailing mother to care for.

Just before our daughter recovered fully from surgery, several weeks ago, Tabasco experienced a terrible flood that forced 900,000 persons out of their homes, washed out major roadways and generally disrupted life there. The flood waters have receded but things are not close to being normal yet. To add to the misery, the overflowing of several rivers caused a mountain to slide into and block one of the main rivers between two reservoirs. The government has been struggling to remove the blockage before more rains overwhelm the reservoirs. On December 18th they are supposed to redirect the river and release a lot of water from the reservoirs. The local government fears that this could cause another great flood downstream as it did before.

I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears

by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Fri Dec 14th, 2007 at 08:20:18 PM EST
[ Parent ]

I wanted to say that I really like that photograph, the eyes are hidden, he's on his horse in a simple jacket, and for all I know he is Headest Most Honcho of Mexico. He has a spanish face. Trees, a horse. He seems comfortable. The fold in the top left gives it a fractured sense, and I like that--I was at The National Gallery yesterday, an exhibition of german stained glass. Most is religious, but the...hey...I searched for the image but couldn't find it. It's a couple in bed, a pair of slippers by the bed (in a different panel, coloured using a different technique, the lead bent into intriguing shapes--below the fold there's an ochre stain), the photo has orche and black and white and greys. I was thinking: that's a really great picture, Gringo's done a great job capturing the image in its faded state...heh...Let's hope those waters don't flood a second time!

Don't fight forces, use them R. Buckminster Fuller.

by rg (leopold dot lepster at google mail dot com) on Fri Dec 14th, 2007 at 09:01:23 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Thank you for the kind comments. Each old photograph like this one carries with it someone's life story and as you have pointed out, every aspect of the face and surroundings have a message. From what I have gathered from persons who remembered this gentleman, he used to ride his horse into town. In this "backward" part of Mexico none of the older inhabitants are far from their ranches and horses, even today. My wife's, aunt, now in her late 70s, remembers "Don Salvador" riding past her house in the middle of town. I know several of his descendants and they are still ranchers today. Totally removed from the recent oil boom economy.

I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears

by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Sat Dec 15th, 2007 at 10:59:27 AM EST
[ Parent ]

This reminds me of a wonderful book I read recently, called The Book of Chameleons by Jose Eduardo Agualusa.

It is narrated by a Gecko and the main character he discusses makes up histories/identities for people. These histories based around real events with real people as the 'new' parents and relatives, photos to back it up as well as dates and places. But your photos remind me of that book, how I imagined the old photos to be that he gave to his clients in constructing their new selves.

Wonderful.

by In Wales (inwales aaat eurotrib.com) on Sat Dec 15th, 2007 at 11:19:55 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Excellent comment. I recently read somewhere about unscrupulous for-hire genealogists that do that sort of thing. Apparently the motive is money and reputation. Usually their "impressed" clients are unaware that the family histories they have been provided are only partly factual. The impressive parts are just "documented" lies.

I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears

by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Sat Dec 15th, 2007 at 09:24:10 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Photos As Usual (none / 0)

I wish your daughter well.

Hey, Grandma Moses started late!

by LEP on Sat Dec 15th, 2007 at 01:02:58 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Photos As Usual (none / 0)

Thank you LEP. She is doing much better now and seems to have recovered nicely from the surgery.

I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears

by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Sat Dec 15th, 2007 at 11:00:41 AM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Photos As Usual (4.00 / 4)

Actually the restoration version above was an interim. After looking at it critically, I didn't like several things, such as the shoulders (way to sloping), and made changes. Here is the printed final.

I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears

by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Fri Dec 14th, 2007 at 02:36:14 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Photos As Usual (4.00 / 3)

Dona M and her late husband. Original about 3x4"

Again, everyone seems to prefer color. 5x7"

I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears

by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Fri Dec 14th, 2007 at 02:40:06 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Photos As Usual (4.00 / 5)

Fifteenth Birthday

The photo (3x4") was so faded and covered with mold that I really couldn't tell what color the dress was, so I decided it was some shade of blue. Later she told me it was yellow, so I made one of each.

I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears

by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Fri Dec 14th, 2007 at 02:51:02 PM EST
[ Parent ]

Re: Photos As Usual (4.00 / 5)

This photo of my wife's grandmother and her children was in excellent shape to begin with. I decided to try my hand at digital coloring - my first. I like the B&W but most relatives liked the colored version.

I can swear there ain't no heaven but I pray there ain't no hell. _ Blood Sweat & Tears

by Gringo (stargazing camel at aoldotcom) on Fri Dec 14th, 2007 at 02:55:28 PM EST
[ Parent ]