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First Date
First Date
vawendy


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Human Portrait (Advanced Editing VII)
Collection: 2013 Challenge shots
Camera: Canon EOS-7D
Lens: Canon EF 100-400mm f/4.5-5.6 L IS
Date: Mar 12, 2013
Date Uploaded: Mar 12, 2013

[Mar. 19th, 2013 11:10:48 PM]

Ok. I really can't do portraits. I've never really gotten over a 6 on a portrait challenge unless it's a blurry mess portrait challenge. :)

I was going to do it on this one!!

I wanted something different -- something that would stand out.

I was looking through 1x, and feel in love with this one:

//1x.com/photo/56765/latest:portrait

(if the link doesn't work, it's called Thanatopractor.

As soon as I saw it, I didn't see the man in the suit -- I saw my daughter in a certain red flouncy dress, and a fascinator. Did you know what those hair things were called?? fascinators? I had no idea until about 6 months ago! Aren't they cool? I'd seen them many times, but didn't know they were fascinators until about 6 months ago.

Anyway, I immediately saw the red dress and the fascinator. I really have no idea why.

The title wasn't supposed to have been "first date". It was supposed to be untitled. It was supposed to leave you wondering 'what in the heck??'

But it was late, it was due, and I didn't have a title.

"What should I title it??" I asked my daughter, as I proceeded to come up with something really, really lame. She said she didn't know, and then said "first date" as a joke.

It was kinda funny.

We laughed.

I was tired.

I didn't want to think of a title, so it went it.

This was shot in the physics building at the College of William and Mary. We had to put my husband on two lab tables back to back, because one wasn't long enough. We shot in a doorway, because I thought the frame of the doorway would be cool in the shot. It was too far away, and not interesting enough, so we wrapped ourselves in tight spots, and had the lights in weird ways for no reason.

But I'm so proud that I actually got decent lighting on a portrait, and I actually got a portrait over 6!!!

(I'll ignore the fact that it was at 5.85 in the morning, and I was whining and crying about it to everyone I knew. (I really, really tried hard on this one, so I was kind in the early morning "I'm so crushed" zone.))

Thanks for the wonderful comments!!

Thanks to my wonderful daughter!

Thanks to my wonderful husband's feet! (which we rubbed with charcol to make them more dead and grungy.

Thanks to my wonderful son who held the hairlight even after the light stand broke and made it very difficult to work with.

It really was a lot more fun than your average portrait. :)

Statistics
Place: 20 out of 119
Avg (all users): 6.3556
Avg (commenters): 7.8000
Avg (participants): 6.3800
Avg (non-participants): 6.3412
Views since voting: 1195
Views during voting: 328
Votes: 135
Comments: 18
Favorites: 0

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AuthorThread
Nikon D80
Nikon AF Micro-Nikkor 60mm f2.8D
 12/10/2013 07:05:31 PM
wall hanger
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D750
Nikon AF-S Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED
 03/20/2013 02:22:25 PM
I'm with Katie. I thought this would finish on the front page.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D90
Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 24-120mm f/3.5-5.6G IF-ED VR
 03/20/2013 01:37:59 PM
WOW in my for what it's worth opinion, This was WAYYYYYY UNDER-APPRECIATED!!!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-6D
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 L Macro IS USM
 03/20/2013 10:33:24 AM
Oh, Wendy! You are so fun! I love it!
Congrats on your successful 6+ portrait!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Fujifilm X-Pro2
Fujifilm XF 10-24mm f/4 R IOS
 03/20/2013 10:04:43 AM
Great story -- both in your fabulous image and in your comments. Really nice job.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-600D/T3i Rebel
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 IS
 03/20/2013 08:21:04 AM
This was yours!!! Wendy, you never cease to surprise me with what you accomplish when you venture outside your comfort zone. Very well done in color, clarity, and warped humor. Only little critique is that the hair light is a little too prominent.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-7D
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
 03/20/2013 07:05:03 AM
Great portrait Wendy
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
Canon EOS R5
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM
 03/18/2013 12:54:47 AM
lighting, toning, and model was good, but...the overall picture is a little cheesy. Sorry to say it. That being said, most of mine are as well.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D7200
Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G
 03/16/2013 05:55:02 PM
You have very interesting first dates.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-7D
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II
 03/15/2013 06:21:11 PM
How macabre and lovely~! The lighting and composition are spot on! Quite bizarre...but very cool!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-5D Mark III
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM
 03/13/2013 10:20:47 PM
i had to come back and up my score on this, Love the concept and the execution.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D800
03/13/2013 07:45:48 PM
This is definitely an excellent idea and well executed!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-550D Rebel T2i
 03/13/2013 05:09:10 PM
haha! guess there won't be a second!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Sony DSC-RX100 VII
 03/13/2013 01:43:48 PM
Slightly overdramatic
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-7D
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS
 03/13/2013 11:46:18 AM
I think you ought to be doing really well with this one but my ability to predict anything seems to be off these days. I think you will hit well with many types of audiences (just quirky enough to get the people who don't like plain old studio shots and not so quirky as to turn of the rest) I think the lighting the pose and the look are pretty well spot on. The only thing that slightly bothers me and I don't even know if it bothers me that much or if I am just nit picking is the light spot on her hair, I can't decide if it adds or detracts from the overall feel of the image.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS R7
Tamron 16-300mm Di II VC PZD MACRO w/Canon Nikon mount
 03/13/2013 11:43:16 AM
9 love it
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D750
Nikon AF-S Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8D IF-ED
 03/13/2013 04:08:12 AM
Wicked great. That light on the bg is perfect. Quite an outfit. Oh who am I kidding. Quite a concept.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D800
Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 28-70mm f/2.8D IF-ED
 03/13/2013 12:51:54 AM
top 3, awesome story telling, or not telling
  Photographer found comment helpful.
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