Michael Hrankowski
February 2025 - A CUP OF COFFEE AND A CIGARETTE
About the Image(s)
Digitally registered with a Leica Q3 (28mm fixed lens); 1/1600 sec; f/4; ISO 100
Image was taken in Paris this past summer. We were coming back from sightseeing and as we crossed Pont St. Louis we decided to stop for a beer. After a while, a woman sat down at the table next to us, ordered a coffee and lit a cigarette. I thought she had an interesting look and i surreptitiously snapped her picture, also catching her reflection in the glass table top.
13 comments posted
Michael, this is such an interesting photo. It almost looks like a movie still. Kudos on the composition. Especially taking it surreptitiously! The reflection is an added bonus. She immediately makes me wonder what she is thinking. What she might be looking at. Great work. Posted: 02/06/2025 01:44:22
Thanks, Andres. I had such fun with clandestine street photography while I was in Paris Posted: 02/06/2025 17:44:39
Michael, I agree with you that the woman has an intriguing look. The reflection in the glass table is definitely a bonus. You've included just the right amount of objects on the table to give a sense of place. The tonal quality of the color looks a bit "edgy" which fits the leaning forward pose of this French woman. Posted: 02/06/2025 16:36:09
Thanks, Ruth. Yes, I did intensify the colors. I particularly liked the contrast between her red hair and green top. She definitely has "a look". And, it wouldn't have the same impact without the cigarette! Posted: 02/06/2025 17:46:17
I agree about the cigarette. Her assertive style of drawing in adds character to the image. Posted: 02/08/2025 16:59:53
Michael,, Great Street photograph. I see you're using a Leica reminiscent of Cartier- Bresson. You have grabbed a wonderful shot. I love the angle you achieved and the unknowing relaxed stage of the woman. Not only coffee, but the wine bottle with glasses. Are those always on the tables? Also unusual are her hands, which seem to have been badly scratched up. I wonder what her story is. The questions posed by an excellent photo will keep the viewer guessing and studying the image for some time. Good work. Posted: 02/09/2025 20:31:34
Hi Joan. Thanks for the comments. The bottle is what they were serving water from. I don't see the scratches on her hands... I think she has aging skin and here hands are rather bony. Posted: 02/09/2025 21:42:21
Great shot! I can't believe that you were able to catch it surreptitiously. You've mastered catching images with the fixed focal length of the Q3. Did you think about removing the sign on the wall? Posted: 02/10/2025 20:11:03
Hi Robert and thanks for your comments. The Q3 is fairly inconspicuous and it has a silent shutter release, so I've found it is fairly easy to get candid shots without having to raise the camera to my eye. In this shot, I had the camera just sitting on the table and I pointed it in her direction and tripped the shutter release.
Regarding the sign… in Street Photography, it is generally frowned upon to remove elements of the scene, that in other genres, would be considered distractions. Posted: 02/10/2025 20:27:20
Regarding the sign… in Street Photography, it is generally frowned upon to remove elements of the scene, that in other genres, would be considered distractions. Posted: 02/10/2025 20:27:20
Actually, I didn't know that. Thanks! Street photography just is one of my weak areas. Posted: 02/10/2025 20:31:25
Hi Michael,
You've developed instinctive reactions to capture the right moment of street photography! The leaning forward pose of the woman, her enjoyment of the cigarette (via her facial expression) by enhaling deeply into her lungs, and her looking up into the sky are the great visual elements to convey a narrative to your image. Her red hair, and her bony hands are a big plus to describe her liberal spirit. I am wondering why she had the bottle and a glass of water next to her coffee cup? Did she want to maintain her body's hydration balance after her coffee intake? I don't see water was served in a coffee shop in the U.S.
If you use this photo in open competition, I'd prefer to add a bit of space at the bottom of the screen since the reflection of her hair touches the edge of the frame, and remove the reflection of the bottle at the low right corner since it's quite small. Nice street photo! Posted: 02/16/2025 12:14:11
You've developed instinctive reactions to capture the right moment of street photography! The leaning forward pose of the woman, her enjoyment of the cigarette (via her facial expression) by enhaling deeply into her lungs, and her looking up into the sky are the great visual elements to convey a narrative to your image. Her red hair, and her bony hands are a big plus to describe her liberal spirit. I am wondering why she had the bottle and a glass of water next to her coffee cup? Did she want to maintain her body's hydration balance after her coffee intake? I don't see water was served in a coffee shop in the U.S.
If you use this photo in open competition, I'd prefer to add a bit of space at the bottom of the screen since the reflection of her hair touches the edge of the frame, and remove the reflection of the bottle at the low right corner since it's quite small. Nice street photo! Posted: 02/16/2025 12:14:11
Thank you Kieu-Hanh, for your comments and perspective. To address your curiosity, we found it was quite common at Paris street cafes for the server to bring a bottle or carafe of water to the table prior to taking one's order - exactly as one typically expects when dining at pretty much any cafe in America. Our coffee consumption in France was mostly at cafes with table service. If we took our coffee from a counter and then sat down at a table, water was not served.
As a reminder, this image falls under the genre of Street Photography. The generally accepted "rules" for this genre prohibit removal or addition of any elements that weren't actually in the scene - similar to the rules for journalistic images. Additionally it is quite common and accepted for Street images to break the "rules" that normally apply to other genres. For example, one will often see excellent Street images that are skewed (horizon nowhere near straight) and people in the scene with body parts partially cut off. Posted: 02/16/2025 15:58:59
As a reminder, this image falls under the genre of Street Photography. The generally accepted "rules" for this genre prohibit removal or addition of any elements that weren't actually in the scene - similar to the rules for journalistic images. Additionally it is quite common and accepted for Street images to break the "rules" that normally apply to other genres. For example, one will often see excellent Street images that are skewed (horizon nowhere near straight) and people in the scene with body parts partially cut off. Posted: 02/16/2025 15:58:59
Michael, I really enjoy looking at this image. What a great capture of this woman enjoying her cigarette and coffee...very nice street photography. I like the vibrant colors and the reflection of her and the sky in the table. Keen eye! Nicely done. I haven't been to Europe in a few years and surprised to hear about the water being served there without a request for it. Posted: 02/19/2025 14:00:00