Not a full return to seediness, but a step in that direction. . .

-- Mike Dixon (mike@mikedixonphotography.com), December 23, 2000

Answers

Did Walmart have a makeup sale?

It's definitely a bar scene, and on its way to seediness.

Great photo, I like the way she pops out from the frame...

-- Jeff Spirer (jeff@spirer.com), December 23, 2000.

oh, i think the shot is terrific. the marvelous arrogance of this woman is grounded in the courage of desperation. and the mystery of whether or not there is a ring on the third finger, left hand, is of course, by chance.

*perfect* depth of field, also. of course, that may be of necessity. tech notes?

-- wayne harrison (wayno@netmcr.com), December 23, 2000.

She really looks like she'd rather be elsewhere than at the bar trying to hard... a regular occurance I'd say!

Great pic!

-- Nigel Smith (nlandgl@unite.com.au), December 23, 2000.

With her shoulder posture so forward and protective of revealing her bust, she cannot be that arrogant. And she probably is married since she's hiding her left hand. Certainly is a great photograph when the psychology of its subject so completely transcends the photograph itself. Did you offer her a refreshment that you took her photograph? ;-)

-- Tony Rowlett (rowlett@alaska.net), December 24, 2000.

uhhh

(laying on the floor quivering and incoherent) nice chick. lumberjack

-- lumberjack (james_mickelson@hotmail.com), December 24, 2000.

Is it a girl? "She" looks exaggerated enough not to be. (And just what kind of bar is it?)

-- John Kantor (jkantor@mindspring.com), December 26, 2000.

ok; if brassai and kertez are frauds, and shouldn't be worth a moment's glance, then this image is equally worthless. what the hell do we expect from these environments: the rebirth of marlene dietrich?

there is much that is beautiful in the everyday revelation of human existence on display in places like this, and in the figures of men and women such as shown here.

-- wayne harrison (wayno@netmcr.com), December 26, 2000.

Thanks for the comments. And to answer some questions:

I'm pretty sure exposure was 1/50 at f2.4 or 2.8 (EI 3200). I remember that the bar was a couple of stops brighter than the rest of the room, and I was shooting at 1/25 at f1.4 or 1.7 most of the time. Of course, by this point, I had been drinking wine for nearly four hours, so I could be mistaken.

This was at the bar of the Nashville City Club (a private club occupying the 20th floor of one of the big buildings downtown). I was there for a friend's art opening. I'm about 99.99% sure that she was, in fact, a woman.

Finally, if I bought a drink for everyone whose picture I take, I'd have to sell my cameras to pay off the bar tab. Hell, she should have bought me a drink. . . : )

-- Mike Dixon (mike@mikedixonphotography.com), December 28, 2000.

Were you standing on a barstool? Very nice- right up my alley, as it were....

-- Chris Yeager (cyeager@ix.netcom.com), December 28, 2000.

Thanks, Chris. I'm about 6 ft. tall, and shooting vertically, the lens on my M3 is 1.5 inches higher than my eye. She was maybe 5'3." No barstool needed. : )

-- Mike Dixon (mike@mikedixonphotography.com), January 02, 2001.