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Unholy Ghosts - The Gathering
Unholy Ghosts - The Gathering
damjanev


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Ghost (Minimal Editing I)
Camera: Nikon D3200
Lens: Nikon AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor 55-200mm f/4-5.6G IF-ED VR
Date: Jan 13, 2015
Aperture: f/11.0
ISO: 100
Shutter: 1/160
Date Uploaded: Jan 12, 2015

 I wasn't going to enter this one. My only idea was to use long exposure in bulb mode and go and flash people around the scene. Wasn't very original so i gave up. This is a last minute change of plan. Slightly DNMC entry, but who cares. I had fun shooting it with my son.

The stage is my dining table (again) with a black t-shirt as the ground. The background is my black anorak. The minion ghosts are LEGO figurines from the "Mission to Mars" series. The Unholy One is a Ben 10 toy. The smoke is "uninhaled" cigarette smoke blown through a drinking straw. While blowing the smoke i released the shutter via remote. I made a total of 212 shots (with or without smoke). 11 got shortlisted.

The scene is lit by two speedlites at 45 degrees to the subjects, from the back. No modifiers except for a yellow gel on the one at camera right.

Custom white balance and Vivid preset is used to enhance the colours and make the smoke yellow-red, almost fiery. Too bad i didn't have green gel. That would have been nice to see.

Opened in IrfanView directly from the SD card, resized with sharpening and saved.

DSC_5836.jpg

Statistics
Place: 37 out of 55
Avg (all users): 4.8348
Avg (commenters): 8.0000
Avg (participants): 4.7632
Avg (non-participants): 4.8701
Views since voting: 283
Views during voting: 210
Votes: 115
Comments: 4
Favorites: 0

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AuthorThread
Nikon D3200
Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G
 01/21/2015 03:42:07 AM
Originally posted by timb:
Cute shot. I would like to see this with all of the characters being in focus. I like the smoking hill though. Nice capture.


I tried one with all of the characters OUT OF focus. Didn't like it :-)

On your original remark. It would be and interesting shot but very difficult. The aperture used is already f/11 and the minions are way out of focus. Raising up the ISO to 800 (usable on D3200) would give f/32 which may or may not bring them in focus but will surely introduce diffraction. Using a shorter lens might help, but i opted for a telephoto to compress the perspective.

Focus stacking is another option but can't be used in minimal editing. Even if legal, it would be very difficult to execute with the smoke around.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
Canon EOS-20D
 01/20/2015 04:56:01 PM
nwo? 7
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Pentax K-5 IIs
Sigma 70mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro for Pentax
 01/17/2015 02:29:18 PM
Cute shot. I would like to see this with all of the characters being in focus. I like the smoking hill though. Nice capture.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Sony DSLR-A550
Sony DT 18-70mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspherical ED
 01/14/2015 10:17:11 PM
the DEvils own very Dennis wheatley 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
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