[skipper954]

We have talked in this forum about an image needing to tell a story to be sucessful.

And we have talked about images that trigger certain emotions for the photographer, but don't translate those feelings to the viewer.

So, here is a photo that I took in Hanoi.

Does it tell a story? What story? Is it a compelling (or semi-compelling) image?

Please tell me what you think. And of course, tell me how I could make it better, but my main focus here is how you FEEL about it.

I am going out of town for the weekend, but when I return on Monday, I shall tell you the background of this image.

Thanks, and have a great weekend.

skip

[Angela]

I'm not sure I can see what story it's telling Skip, but it's a great photo!

[Soupdragon]

It looks like a journey of epic proportions from one side of a busy street to another.
It's very good from a technical standpoint and it does have that feel of "I am alone"

[Rob Barron]

It most certainly tells a story. The viewer gets to decide the story and in this case it could be as simple as 'Look out woman!' or something mroe complex about the lovely sharp image of this woman trying to cross the road without getting killed.

I think it's a very strong shot and works a treat.
Cheers,
Rob

[Foxesbrew]

Its a story I see enacted on our roads everyday .people with motorised transport showing a complete disregard for pedestrians.I am assuming the girl is on some kind of pedestrian crossing.

[spherop]

lots of story here.
definite feeling of the world rushing by.
the background is a lovely river - she's walking towards what - through the frenzied pace of the others. so i see her leaving "nature" and making her way towards something.

i love the picture - very evocative.

one thing that would have added a dimension would have been if the 4 bike was also a pair of people - so that her alone-ness would have been highlighted even more against only riders in pairs. also - it would be interesting toplay with the river-background ...maybe remove it's color ...to add to the surreal potential. but it's also very strong as is.

ah and another thing that's interesting is that she does not look like she's looking at the riders around her - ie., her vision is on something in front in the distance. so you feel that she is unflustered, and calm in some sense...despite the potential danger.

[Dabhand16]

Great shot, Skip

I actually don't see her as unflustered - to me she is wary, a little tentative.

Was this shot taken with a telephoto lens? If so, I guess the compression of the perspective would tend to exaggerate the 'peril' she is in, and the impression we get of her predicament is not how it actually is.

But the image works beautifully. There is certainly a storey being told on many levels. Personal, environmental and lifestyle.

Well done Skip for spotting the opportunity.

[Charlotte]

Good shot, skip

I feel shocked that the riders have absolutely no regard for a padestrian-crossing. None of them even seem to see the padestrian, let alone consider stopping. It symbolises anarchy. It depicts a complete disregard for: the law, responsibility, conscience, or value of life - even their own, as none of them are wearing head protection.

The padestrian looks deep in concentration, looking out of the picture at the oncoming traffic, mentally calculating the timing for threading through the traffic, as if she's done it 100 times before but knows one mistake + she's done for.

I feel concern for the padestrian.

I feel disdain for the riders.

I feel I've said enough

And I look forward to hearing your story on Monday

Oh, and well done for getting us to study your pic so intently

[Rob Barron]

I always think it is very dangerous to judge the way people behave in a different country by comparing to the way we do something here. I am no expert so cannot tell what rules of the road exist for this person on this area of road other than it LOOKS like the type of thing we call a pedestrian crossing BUT it may well not be. It has no form of traffic control lights nor Belisha beacons so could be entirely different.

Furthermore, the pedestrian here doesn't look in the slightest concerned so this is clearly a perfectly normal way of crossing the road for her.

I know it is all terribly PC to slag off the motorists on every occasion but then I am more than happy to stick two fingers on both hands up to the PC brigade anyway so I am quite happy to ignore the anti-all-things-with-an-engine idea. The most sanctimonious people I know are either ex-smokers who love telling people how easy it is to give up smoking and the 'I only ever walk or cycle so I am a saint' people!

So, back to Skip's picture, I am looking forward to hearing how you got such blur on the motorcyclists yet kept her so pin sharp. Whenever I have seen this type of traffic scenario in India, China, etc the bikes have never been moving particularly fast so you did well to get such strong blutting and left her sharp. Unless of course, a little clever jiggery pokery went on as well? Good on you either way, I really like this picture

Cheers,
Rob

[Charlotte]

Originally Posted by Rob Barron

... I am looking forward to hearing how you got such blur on the motorcyclists yet kept her so pin sharp ...

Speed + direction? There is minimal blur, so it does look as if they're going slowly, but fast enough to cause motion blur, depending on the shutter speed used.

We were only asked what our feelings were in relation to what we saw in the picture as it appears, not to analyse it in terms of real life That's what I did, anyway

Signed,
Keen Motorist

[skipper954]

Hanoi, Vietnam

The streets of this capital city of Vietnam are populated with tens of thousands of small motorcycles. Add to that the fact that there are few traffic signals and it becomes apparent that crossing the street is difficult.

That is true if you are new to Hanoi. However, the secret is to pick a small break in the traffic near the curb and step into the street. Look at the oncoming traffic, but continue to walk across the street at a steady pace. Do not stop, turn around, run, or otherwise alter your speed.

The cyclists then judge your speed and adjust their course to miss you. It is quite harrowing the first time or two, but if the visitor has nerves of steel, it can be done and is even fun. Even a clutz like me did it, and I didn’t see any accidents while I was there. So this scene evoked a great memory for me.

It was quite interesting to see your interpretations absent any explanation. Everyone had a bit of a different context and feeling about it, from wanton disregard of pedestrians to a lonely girl going from nature into chaos, all perfectly valid.

Isn’t that one of the things that makes our art so interesting? We try with all of our images to create an emotion in the viewer, and obviously those feelings vary. That is as it should be.

So, I am very pleased with the way this turned out and the responses. I only wish that more people had spoken out. One doesn’t have to be an artist to have feelings about a work of art. One only has to have a head and a heart.

For the techies among us: This was exactly the effect I wanted, and I got it with only one shot! The cycles were traveling at about 25 – 30 mph, and this was shot with a 105mm (35mm equiv) lens using spot metering at 1/125 sec at f/7.1.

I for one would like more focus on the emotional aspect of images. That would be a good balance to the great technical advice.

skip

[mileseye]

This shot certainly provoked an emotional response when I first saw it but I wasn't sure what that emotion was. At first I thought it was a response to her being in danger but that is not was it was. It gave me a weird feeling, like something off the Twilight Zone, what would it be like if you could freeze time and walk around as the chaos stood still. You asked!

[Charlotte]

Originally Posted by Charlotte

... The padestrian looks deep in concentration, looking out of the picture at the oncoming traffic, mentally calculating the timing for threading through the traffic, as if she's done it 100 times before but knows one mistake + she's done for ...

So skip, did I get it right on the nose, or what?

[skipper954]

Yup, Charlotte, you nailed it