Turban Questions

So, I snapped a shot of this taxi driver. Not the best shot, but I found it remarkable that he was wearing a turban that was the same color as the cab.  Now that alone is interesting, but it raised some underlying questions to me. 

Do they make turbans like this, or was it custom made?  Assuming it was custom made, did the cloth come in this color, or was it dyed?  If it is dyed, is it the same color on the inside (probably so). 

Does he wear it every day?  Or only certain days. Perhaps he likes fashion and likes to stylishly match colors. 

Perhaps he gets more tips when he wears it.  If so, how much more, maybe 15%, maybe 25%? 

What inspired the guy to get a turban this color? Is he a member of a taxi club?  Was it for attention? If it was for attention, does he like being looked at, or is he looking for people to ask him about it.

Or, maybe he wants to be photographed? 

Posers

A few times as I was wandering the streets in my guise of street photographer, people have approached me and asked me to take their picture.  I call these people "Posers".  They have their own reasons for wanting the picture taken I suppose (primarily vanity I think).  I find remarkable that every time, once the picture has been taken, they didn't even ask to see the shot or look to get a copy. 

In some cases, the Posers are people who are down on their luck and they see modeling as a way to get a contribution.  I previously wrote in my entry Rittenhouse Square about a guy named Ben in Philadelphia who was in this category. 

The gentleman below stopped me on Nassau Street and asked if I'd like to take a picture of him holding up a dollar bill.  I really didn't and suspected his angle, but liked his charm.  He said, "I'll bet you don't have another picture like that!"  (And I didn't).  He got a few bucks from me but he also made me happy. 

Dollar Bill Man

This guy walked from across the street and startled me since my eye was focused through my lens.  He was suddenly there.  "Take My Picture!"   Uh, OK.... I rattled it off quickly and didn't get a chance to focus.  Then he walked away, satisfied. 

Take My Picture!

This guy spotted me taking some pictures of window grates, and said "Take a Shot of Me".  He lifted his shirt to expose his abs and did a nice little muscle man pose in front of the Muscle Maker Grill. 

Muscle Man

Sometimes there are youthful solicitors looking to get contributions for various causes from passerbys.  I generally avoid eye contact and keep walking.  That is exactly what I did when approached by the guy below.  He was collecting for a children's support group of some kind.  I was taking various shots around City Hall.  He started "chatting me up" (which is the standard technique).  He asked about my camera.  I gave him a short response without breaking my stride.  He walked along with me.  He told me about a relative of his with a Canon camera.  I responded, kept walking, getting ready for his pitch.  We walked for about three blocks.  He then said, "Take My Picture".  I stopped and took a bit of time to line up the photo.  Realizing it was a pretty damn good shot, I asked him if he wanted to see it and showed it to him on my back screen.  He nodded and said "see ya".  He didn't ask for money or even talk about his cause.  I felt kind of bad, especially since I had a decent picture of him and would have emailed it to him.  But he was gone. 

Solicitor

Decisive Moment "variation"

It had rained earlier in the day, but it was clear now.  There were still splashes of water around the city. 

I was attracted to the reflection of a billowy cloud in this puddle. If I was a perfectionist, I would have removed that little blue object near the bottom of the frame but I didn't notice it and truthfully didn't care that much as it was pretty much an exercise in technique not intended as an artistic pursuit. 

But, I've had some luck taking shots of people reflected in the mirror of the water of puddles.  The symmetry can be interesting, also the texture from the water can create some abstract illusions. 

So, I parked there and pointed down.  A few people, as they passed, looked down and were puzzled at what I was focusing on.  Little did they know that it might be a picture of them (or more likely their feet).

The subject can take on a surrealistic effect if you flip the photograph upside down.  Here's an example, (I left the foot in the frame here to show the original). 

Here's what it became. 

Anyway, I continued taking shots at this particular puddle, keeping the feet in the picture in most cases.

I've written before about the term the "Decisive Moment" coined by famed photographer Henri Cartier-Bresson (see my post "I'm Engaged!"). 

Bresson said, "the decisive moment, it is the simultaneous recognition, in a fraction of a second, of the significance of an event as well as the precise organization of forms which gives that event its proper expression."

One of the most famous pictures Bresson took, "Man Jumping Over Puddle" characterizes this concept.  It shows the man's foot just inches from hitting the ground. Click the title link above to see his picture.  I'm not posting it here because I suppose it would be a copyright violation (although it is so widely published I may be acting more ethically than legally).  The timing in my shot to the right is similar, in concept anyway. 

My photo, however, was so much an accident that I didn't even know that I had captured it until I got it home on my computer. This is often the case.  When scrutinizing a photo, I find things that I didn't know existed at the time that the shutter was clicked. 

Since Bresson's statement refers to a sense of "recognition" when taking the photo, in the case of this shot, I did not actually fulfill the essence of the theory. As I did not see the foot about to hit the water or time it with that intent.  Although I did know about the reflection.

Anyway, looking at this picture, I will consider it an homage to Bresson's concept. 

And, in retrospect, it makes me wonder... did his foot get wet?  (I assume so).  This puddle is certainly not as large as the one in Bresson's photo, his man had little choice but to splash.  So, if this guy had jumped, he wouldn't have gotten wet.  So, I suspect he wasn't paying attention.  Or, perhaps he noticed at the last second and made a quick turn to the left and completely avoided getting wet. Or, maybe he extended his stride at the last second and reached across the water. 

I went back to see if I had any evidence of what happened.  The followup shot below did show he him past the puddle, rather straight on, but I'm not sure whether he is wet or not. And, I will not know.  So, there is an element of suspense in the original.  And, we can leave it as an unknown.