A risky entry for me and very much out of my box. I really like the way this worked however, and it just screams at me that this is the one to enter. I think it conveys a story without needing to explain anything in the title.
I met with a friend to do a walkabout in the Ft. Worth Stockyards one evening after work. This elderly man was sitting on a bench across the street waiting one someone, so I simply walked over and explained that I was and amateur looking for some interesting faces to photograph. Of course he didn't feel he was interesting at all, but then he introduced himself as Jesse James. The Jesse James the outlaw. I told him he looked very good for his age. One of his friends (visible behind him in my entry) then showed up and they proceeded to tall-tale me. It was worth the stop. A couple more buddies showed up a few minutes later and my impression is they had been out drinking fairly early. At one point he reached up to scratch his nose and that is when I snapped his. I think this photo implies a story that may or may not be the case. The bruise on his finger and the missing bit of his thumbnail, combined with his position implies that this may be a person who has had a very hard life. He may have just had a accident recently. His demeanor did not strike me as that of a street person, though this scene implies it. I will let the viewer draw their own conclusions about the story behind this scene.
Anticipated critiques:
-Too many to list, from overall composition to the distracting elements in the background to the desaturated cross-processed appearance. But, I feel that is the nature of Nixter's street photography. The imperfections are also the appeal. I haven't a clue how this will perform. Neither a mid-4 or a mid-6 will surprise me on this.
Post-challenge notes:
Didn't do badly at all. Solidly in the top half and some positive comments. Nixter's comment suggests to me that he may not have found this to be something he would have done, but that he did find some interest in it. It's very difficult to emulate someone else's style, so I settled for applying some of what I observed in his shots to my own. One of those is the cross-processed look and another is they way in which compositional aspects that would normally be flaws become part of the appeal.
Statistics
Place: 45 out of 111 Avg (all users): 5.8197 Avg (commenters): 7.5000 Avg (participants): 5.7600 Avg (non-participants): 5.8611 Views since voting: 936 Views during voting: 222 Votes: 122 Comments: 5 Favorites: 1 (view)
Was this cross-processed? I just learned what that meant, and must say that I like the style. It fits well here as well. I love the detail in this shot, the stubble, the cigarette burns on the finger. Great shot.
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