People of Finland

[climax Profile Private message]

Hi,
Today I would like to invite you to see a little bit of Finland and it's people. These are only some of the hundreds of pictures I have... (I always have my camera with me everywhere I go )
It's a very simple show. 3:26 min
Comments (good or bad )are always very welcome.
Cristina
http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewsho ... alb=153540

[alcain Profile Private messageWebsite]

Hi Cristina. You certainly can't go wrong with a show about people. They are always a fascinating subject for a show! I liked your music choice and the timings. I never even noticed the transitions - that is a good thing - meaning I was always focused on the images, not the effects. My only criticism was the ending. Seemed like it just faded out. I would have liked to have seen a nice closing line. Great job of "Street Photography". Blessings, ~al

[Mokummer Profile]

Christina.

That’s a very nice presentation.
You have an observational mind and a quick action shooting style.
However you must be careful with street photography. I don’t know what the laws in Finland are in this regard.

You are a very busy lady, I guess that you are living for photography!

Well done!!

[tomdavis Profile Private message]

Very nicely done. I can watch people by the hour. People are interesting anywhere in the world. Your photography was good and music timed appropriately. I do have to agree the ending could be changed with a comment thrown in. That is easy. The background scenes and shops were interesting also. It was a new location for me. Keep posting.

Tom

[climax Profile Private message]

Thank you Al, Mokummer and Tom !
I'm glad you took the time to watch my show and write me these feedback words. I appreciate it a lot.
About the ending.... well, I had the intention of not really finish the show, not really give and end to it ... I don't know... maybe I wanted to suggest that these interesting people will always be there in the streets, and all you have to do is to be there to see them ... But I guess this worked only in my mind...
Maybe I'll write these words I just said at the end...

Regarding the law in Finland, I can't tell you that I know it. But I do know that the local newspaper here in Helsinki have a space in the journal for pictures taken in the streets by non-professional photographers... I'm still waiting for the perfect picture to try to have it published...
If you pay attention to the expressions of the people I photographed, you'll see that some were angry and suspicious, and others were happy and curious... That's the beauty of shooting people isn't it. So many different reactions. I do try to stay invisible, and get really spontaneous moments.
I think it's a great exercise, beacuse in the streets I have no other equipment but my camera. I have to be fast, search for the best ligth, and do my best to have firm hands and focus control. Hard tasks for a beginner like me.

Thank you all once more
Cristina

[Astra Profile Private message]

Cristina,
Sorry, it took me longer to reply, had some projects (regular one / non-Producer) to finish and sent out.

Thank you for your request for my “Analysis” (again) - I am very glad, you value my opinion so much.

I like your word: “Analysis” better than one I used, when describing what we’ve called it at school (Constructive Criticism) … this description was little bit too harsh …

Now I’ve got another one - which will express well the fact that: “WE ALL HAVE DIFFERENT OPINION” :
“Tea Leaves Reading” – (on the bottom of the cup - one person will see a Future, other just a Mess and the third one – a Beautiful Flower …)

- Very well done Starting Menu – (you’ve “house-trained” your menus to behave correctly – Congratulation !!! – I’m still battling with mine)
- GREAT SNAPSHOTS – you have your camera always ready (as you’ve said) & you have very fast eye for catching interesting happenings
- Good choice of appropriate music
- Themes at beginning (at two places) are very well matching a soaring music – well done !!
- Captions – short and describing well different portions of the show
- Last “winter” photo @ 1:44 – seemed to be out of sync with “growing-up” music .. then the New Theme – “the Dogs” had a feeling coming little late…
- “Dog theme”– some of the photos - had feeling to be out of sync with the beat
- Great “Children” chapter – Great photos !!!
- Fast @2:32 – very good idea - flashing fast snapshots – not all of them seemed to be in sync.
- “Strange people” chapter – very good !!
- (only – too many (3x) shots of “man in green”)
- End - (as mentioned by several people before me) – in need of “something”: Some “Closing” words, or – “What City it was taken”- or: “Year” …
- Such strong Opening – (in my personal opinion ) – should be balanced by equally strong End.


Hope, this “Tea-Leaves-Reading” Analysis - is what you’ve been looking for,

Best Regards,
Alexandra

[ChrissyC Profile Private message]

Hi Cristina..I loved your show, have watched it twice already..it's a very nice show.....thank you so much for sharing it...
take care
Chrissy

[climax Profile Private message]

Thank you very much Alexandra !
I love to have your comments because... wow, you have a sharp eye, girl ! And sharp ears too.
I confess this time I thought I had got the timing right. I'll look at it carefully one more time.
And I promise that in my next show about finns I'll give it a proper end
And yessss... finnally I got the menu I wanted to have !!
Thank you once more for analysing my show!
Cristina

[climax Profile Private message]

Thank you my dear Chrissy !
I'm glad you liked my show. And if it was able to entertain you a little bit, I am even happier...
Big hug,
Cristina

[Astra Profile Private message]

Cristina,
thank you for your nice reply - to my "Tea-Leaves-Reading" Analysis:

Thank you very much Alexandra !
I love to have your comments because... wow, you have a sharp eye, girl ! And sharp ears too.
I confess this time I thought I had got the timing right. I'll look at it carefully one more time.
And I promise that in my next show about finns I'll give it a proper end
And yessss... finnally I got the menu I wanted to have !!
Thank you once more for analysing my show!
Cristina

You are truly one of few people, who are of an appreciation of my "sharp eyes & ears" - when unleashed to the full extend (... except probably some of my students of AutoCAD some years back)...
I'm very glad these features of mine are (finaly) having some good use here. (And believe me, many times it felt like I'm gifted more with a "curse" - than something useful.)

Best regards,
Alexandra

[ChrissyC Profile Private message]

After watching again...the Finns are truly a beautiful race of blonde people!!

[climax Profile Private message]

Yes Chrissy!
Every time I go to the streets I get amazed by the beauty of these people. Men, women and children. And in general they are very elegant as well... The only problem is that it is so difficult to become their friend, especially being a foreigner...
I am already startng a new show about them.
Big hug,
Cristina

[climax Profile Private message]

Hi there,
I just finalized a second version of the show "People of Finland". I made a few changes, and put some new pictures. Next week I'll have to make a presentation at finnish school... I'm suposed to speak for 20 min (in finnish... aaaiiiiiii ) about some theme about Finland...
So I decided to talk about young people here in Helsinki. I'll use the show as an introduction to my presentation.
The text now is all written in finnish, of course. If anyone get curious about it just watch the version in English. I didn't change the meaning of the texts (only at the children part, I changed it to young people instead).
And of course, I heard the advices and changed the ending.
Please let me know what you think about it,
Cristina

First version in english:
http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewsho ... alb=153540

New version in finnish:
http://www.photodex.com/sharing/viewsho ... alb=153540

[Lina Profile Private message]

Hi Cristina,
I just watched your second version of People of Finland; (English and Finnish) I watched them both as a little bit different between version and I loved them both.
What can I say? It's an excellent show and the music so appropriate makes the people alive. Yes, People of Finland are beautiful. Your introduction is perfect but I find your ending is not as good; it's still a little abrupt.
One question? When you take pictures of people do you ask them permission or you just do it? I like taking pictures of people but I am always afraid that if they see me they will be angry or unhappy about it.
Anyway, keep posting I always love your shows.
Lina

[climax Profile Private message]

Hi Lina !
Thank you so much for watching both my shows!
Wow... I'm having trouble with this ending... I'll try something else.
I'm very happy because this morning at school, my finnish teacher asked me to present the slideshow for the whole school ! He got very impressed with it.

I love to photograph people in the streets. But of course I know it can be problematic.
I try to be invisible but sometimes it's not possible.
Although I know I should ask for their permission, I don't do it because what I want is to get spontaneous moments, when people don't realize they are being observed. If I would ask permission to everybody all the "magic"moments would be gone and I would have a bunch of smiley posed pictures.
But of course I understand that some people may not like it. And then in this case I' would humbly apologyze, and delete the picture(s) in front of that person.
I can tell you from what I have seen in the streets, that most of the people get curious about it. And they are never really sure it is in fact them I am photographing.
But if you pay attention to some of the expressions I got you'll see that some people were kind of angry, yes...
But nobody has never complained about it yet.
And some other people, (usually young people) get happy and smile at me...

I have researched the law in this photographic area, and what I got is that, in Finland and in most of the countries, to take pictures of people without their permission in public spaces is completely legal. It would be against the law to take pictures in places where people expect privacy (for example public toilets). It's also forbidden to take pictures inside shopping malls, restaurants, etc, without permission of the owner of the place. (And now thinking about it I realize if taking pics without permission would be forbidden, all the paparazzi in the world would be in jail )

Thank you once more for your comments,
Cristina