HCB Appreciation

[Harry Callahan]

I`m sorry, my visionary eyes cannot see an animal (or a pig especially) this time... maybe there`s a squirrel somewhere hidden in the branches...

But to proof that i am really convinced of seeing a pig in HCB`s picture i did some dodging and burning to make it more obvious. I did not alter image information, just some burning on the holes of the nose, some dodging around the nose to make it more obvious etc. .

This is unedited:



Dodge+burn:



Now the pigs nose should be more obvious. Also what i found is that the nose is not in the middle of the pigs face, but a little to the right - as if the pig was looking to the right a bit.
If you now draw in the center of the picture...



...the pig actually could be looking at the center of the picture...



...which in turn could explain why HCB didn`t place the trees in the middle of the picture or to the right - because he also saw the pig and wanted it to look at the center of the picture...
...but who knows. Maybe i`m all wrong on this... but i`m sober! Honest man...

 

[cliveh]

 

[Don_ih]

Actually pretty awkward-looking. The cigarette suggests to me they weren't planning on that - maybe they were asked to kiss. I think the dog is the most interesting part.

 

[cliveh]

Actually pretty awkward-looking. The cigarette suggests to me they weren't planning on that - maybe they were asked to kiss. I think the dog is the most interesting part.

Well I think this picture is f****** brilliant and if you can produce an image anywhere near as good, please show me.

 

[MattKing]

I imagined this as a caption:
Dog: "Heh - that's my job. Keep your paws off him!"
The awkwardness is actually part of the imagined narrative.

 

[cliveh]

 

[nikos79]

View attachment 404715

Amazing photo the geometry of HCB in full show
Can you turn it into colour please?

 

[nikos79]

View attachment 404708

I find the dog a key of the photo!

 

[GregY]

Amazing photo the geometry of HCB in full show
Can you turn it into colour please?

Touché........black & white are colours....

 

[Don_ih]

Well I think this picture is f****** brilliant and if you can produce an image anywhere near as good, please show me.

What's brilliant about it?

And what does it have to do with me? I routinely produce images that mean more to me than the sum total of Cartier-Bresson's photography (consider that I could have gone my entire life without knowing or caring who he was).

Clive, I like your photography and see no need to think of it in terms of a comparison with anyone (including HCB) - so cut the bullshit hero worship and spell out what's so good about that photo.

 

[snusmumriken]

What's brilliant about it?

And what does it have to do with me? I routinely produce images that mean more to me than the sum total of Cartier-Bresson's photography (consider that I could have gone my entire life without knowing or caring who he was).

Clive, I like your photography and see no need to think of it in terms of a comparison with anyone (including HCB) - so cut the bullshit hero worship and spell out what's so good about that photo.

That photo could potentially have meant the world to the couple themselves, but surely its merit is shown by its appeal to a far, far wider audience. I’ve always thought it remarkable in its composition, timing, and daring (for want of a better word to describe the photographer’s intrusion). But then there has always been that nagging doubt that it could have been arranged, like Doisneau’s famous kissing couple. Admittedly the dog belies this thought. Interesting that HCB did not include it in his selection for the one-man exhibition that toured the world, yet did include others with less obvious appeal, as we have discussed before.

 

[Don_ih]

Perhaps they're eating spaghetti.