Is that a warning in the wiggly building reflected, the Dali melting look, that the lady musn’t hurry so.
You are so good at capturing the right split second filled with understanding and explanation in the lives you photograph.
As a portrait painter still struggling with such concerns, the tiniest change in an upped eyebrow or turned lip is a world of difference. It’s how babies survive, by reading expressions perfectly before they’re six months into life..
There’s something very rewarding, comforting, revelatory about looking at your pictures, John. I get to see what other humans are up to and find I am not so very far out of the general mix to worry about myself, or see that some extreme is comfortably far off or suddenly too close, on this or that day. Entirely different from the way humans are generally displayed with scripted movement or the devoid-of-life reality shows. You are providing a marvelous way for all of us to connect with our species.
Funny you should mention Dali, as the Dali Museum is only about 6 blocks from this picture!
Thanks so much, Barbara. This is probably the finest comment I have ever received about my photography, and I cherish your words.
Speaking of nuances of expression… When I raised the camera to take her picture she was wearing the bonnet she is now carrying, and she looked intriguing and sexy. By the time the shutter button clicked a whole ‘nother expression had surfaced. I also snap several frames in hopes of getting just the right one.
You mention the sun hat … I immediately noticed it clutched in her hand and wondered how she would look with it perched on her head as she flurried along the sidewalk. It is a part of her ensemble.
That is one determined woman. Don’t get in her way. Good shot … i like the way her lower mandible (jaw line) is perfectly parallel with the railing and concrete facia of the raised walkway/balcony.
When I first saw her she was across the street walking parallel with me. The hat and her long black hair obscured her features but she was intriguing enough that I followed her. She was sauntering, not in a hurry. She stopped at a kiosk to check bus routes or local stores, whatever. I figured she was a tourist and indeed she started walking away from me toward the Hilton and some other hotels. I didn’t follow her at that point, just watched. Suddenly she right turned and started parallel to me again but with a block in between us. I’ve read enough spy novels to know how to deal with this so I took the “high road” for a block or two until she turned right toward me. She was still a block away, but closing faster now, bent on some errand. Her whole demeanor had changed. I had time to stop and figure out which background I wanted, the one with the window reflections, and I waited. I did my “invisible man” trick and she never noticed me. Hey, ya gotta inject a bit of drama in a town that dries up in the summer and waits for all the winter snowbirds to return before livening up. Sometimes there’s not a soul on the streets even at high noon… 😀
Street St. PETE 
Is that a warning in the wiggly building reflected, the Dali melting look, that the lady musn’t hurry so.
You are so good at capturing the right split second filled with understanding and explanation in the lives you photograph.
As a portrait painter still struggling with such concerns, the tiniest change in an upped eyebrow or turned lip is a world of difference. It’s how babies survive, by reading expressions perfectly before they’re six months into life..
There’s something very rewarding, comforting, revelatory about looking at your pictures, John. I get to see what other humans are up to and find I am not so very far out of the general mix to worry about myself, or see that some extreme is comfortably far off or suddenly too close, on this or that day. Entirely different from the way humans are generally displayed with scripted movement or the devoid-of-life reality shows. You are providing a marvelous way for all of us to connect with our species.
LikeLike
Funny you should mention Dali, as the Dali Museum is only about 6 blocks from this picture!
Thanks so much, Barbara. This is probably the finest comment I have ever received about my photography, and I cherish your words.
Speaking of nuances of expression… When I raised the camera to take her picture she was wearing the bonnet she is now carrying, and she looked intriguing and sexy. By the time the shutter button clicked a whole ‘nother expression had surfaced. I also snap several frames in hopes of getting just the right one.
Thanks…
LikeLike
You mention the sun hat … I immediately noticed it clutched in her hand and wondered how she would look with it perched on her head as she flurried along the sidewalk. It is a part of her ensemble.
That is one determined woman. Don’t get in her way. Good shot … i like the way her lower mandible (jaw line) is perfectly parallel with the railing and concrete facia of the raised walkway/balcony.
LikeLike
When I first saw her she was across the street walking parallel with me. The hat and her long black hair obscured her features but she was intriguing enough that I followed her. She was sauntering, not in a hurry. She stopped at a kiosk to check bus routes or local stores, whatever. I figured she was a tourist and indeed she started walking away from me toward the Hilton and some other hotels. I didn’t follow her at that point, just watched. Suddenly she right turned and started parallel to me again but with a block in between us. I’ve read enough spy novels to know how to deal with this so I took the “high road” for a block or two until she turned right toward me. She was still a block away, but closing faster now, bent on some errand. Her whole demeanor had changed. I had time to stop and figure out which background I wanted, the one with the window reflections, and I waited. I did my “invisible man” trick and she never noticed me. Hey, ya gotta inject a bit of drama in a town that dries up in the summer and waits for all the winter snowbirds to return before livening up. Sometimes there’s not a soul on the streets even at high noon… 😀
LikeLike