Tuesday the 8th, my internet cable broke down. I called, they said they'd send a repair guy Wednesday. I thought Tuesday the 8th was the deadline for the nude challenge on DPC, and I had planned on shooting it that very day. When I saw that the cable was out, I abandoned the idea with much regret. I thought, geee, DrJones wont make it for the nude challenge... what a shame.
So I went out instead and had a pitcher of sangrila with my girlfriend and friends of ours.
Fast Forward that night: we get back home, it's 11:23PM. I fire up the computer, and what do I see: internet is back up!! I think fast; ok, 37 minutes left to shoot the photo, prepare it in photoshop, and hopefully make it in time for DPC! So I jump out of the chair and while I start working ont the setup my girlfriend passes in front of me, fresh out of the bath. I tell her: dear, you know that nude photo for DPC that we didn't do because the cable was out? We have less than 25 minutes, internet is back on! She says ok, let's do it!
So I take 71 snapshots of various poses in 10 minutes. This one was one of the last 5. I took my flashcard, popped it in the computer, downloaded the images, started viewing them, made a pre-selection, then a selection of the five best, then the three best. Loaded them in Photoshop. Started to put them in B&W with the Channel Mixer. The best of the three came out. This one! Ok, let's concentrate on this one! 11:49PM! Play with levels. The image is already quite soft... Let's make it softer. Like this... yes. Good. Crop a little... like this. Yes! 11:51PM. Resize. Testing Neat Image... looks good with just a small amount... like this! Yes! 11:53PM. Black border. Save. Submit to DPC. Ahhh... feel much better. What is it you say honey? What? The black border looks too hard for the photo? You know what, you're absolutely right! ARG! 11:56PM. Change the black border. Make it white. Save. Upload. Arg... nha, white is too white, doesn't work! 11:57PM. Change border color. Nutral grey. Save. Upload. Nha! OffWhite would be better. Change. Save. Upload. 11:59PM. YES! This is it!!! I MADE IT! WE MADE IT! YAY!
Refresh on DPC. 12:00AM. Hmmm... Why can't we vote? Refresh page. 12:01AM. 12:02AM. 12:03AM. What is this... hmmm.... Let's see... Challenge says...
DOH!!! Deadline: July 10th. In two days!
Now that I have time in front of me, I could redo the shoot or do a new one completely and take my time to do it, make sure all is right, etc. But you know what? After the intense rush I just went through to produce this image, I am VERY curious to see how it will rate... :-)
Martin
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Place: 2 out of 58 Avg (all users): 7.7903 Avg (commenters): 8.6667 Avg (participants): 7.1346 Avg (non-participants): 8.0448 Views since voting: 88383 Votes: 186 Comments: 94 Favorites: 149 (view)
amazing photo. Model's pose is very elegant and stylish. Great capture and it will be a insult if i don't apprecaite beauty of the model She is perfecto.
I Like your work and I come back to this photo that came together so well. I like the black and white look and the light. The Model is exactly what a woman should look like. Feminine perfection in every way!
My only knock is this: The belly button adornment takes away from the image for me. I have to ignore it to enjoy the whole image.
Everytime I come across this photo, I have to look again. It has to be one of my favorites. The lines on the model are absolutely beautiful and the interaction of the hat with her face, hiding just a touch as if she is a bit shy about what she is doing. Beautiful image! SOME of your other nudes I am not as thrilled about.(SOME I say..some) Dont get me wrong, I do so love a beautiful woman, but this one is extremely artful and very much appreciated. Thank you for this beauty.
Very well done! I only have 2 minor points - (1) the fingers on the right hand seem peculiarly arranged and out of place and (2) it looks like the model is putting too much body weight on her left arm which throws the left shoulder too high (and hardens the arm muscles somewhat). Very minor points and I love your photo! I would encourage you to do a whole high key theme, as well!
Bonjour, Dr. Jones! How do people know to call you Martin? Great photo of a lovely lady, and with a loving hand. New to this site, (2weeks) & 15mos new to Digital Photography, after a lifetime of (great) 35mil... How did you accomplish that 'draped' white background effect?.. And, what is a ribbon? Should send you a pic or two of mine..Don't know how yet.. By the way, I am from Candiac, south of Montreal. Been in Alberta 24 years...Not sure how to get an answer, but will post this now... Keep it up, love your stories! Most educational ! Love your photos, those silhouettes are awesome!
Lol great fast post procesing for the imaginary deadline. :) Sometimes when you just submit something that fast they come better. By the way the photo just deserved what it got. As always great job on the picture i like it. :)
I know I'm way late to this party but i just had to say something about this photo. Nude photos are a dime-a-dozen but this one is so good it could break your heart. The model is incredibly attractive and the pose only serves to make her more beautiful. Very feminine and very sexy.
This is a great picture.
When you look at it, its so soft.
Thelighting is so awesome - i wish i could do summnin like this.
Too bad i have to resort to my room mates table lamp - as a source of light.
Martin - congrats on the ribbon.
Wonderfully done.
Excelent piece of work!
I can't believe people commented on the folds at the base of her stomach, first off, I think that adds a touch of realism, that is missing from alot of pictures in magazines, and no real person could ever have a perfectly flat stomach at that bend, the folds show that she is a real person with an actual body that is being bent. But I love the picture, I think the model is beautiful and that the the white on white really add to the over all look and softness.
Lovely is an understatement with this model! She's gorgeous! A very nice shot, I really like the soft appeal of the photo. It somehow conencts with the way she is posing, and the female body in general. It also adds an effect of flawless skin and beauty to her! Nicely done! I wish nudes were something I could experiment with!
Martin..this was a fabulous shot. I knew it was yours from the start and it was one of my two favourites of the challenge. Your story is a riot too...I wish I had 10% that much talent and skill. :) Congratulations on your first ribbon! It feels like justice for all the shots of yours that should have won.
Thanks everyobody! I appreciate the positive feedback. The ribbon feels good too, I have to admit!
In response to magnetic9999's question regarding compromise and photography, I didn't compromise in this B&W photo. I understand it looks a lot softer than my previous entries on DPC, and it is, but traditional B&W nude photography is also part of what I like to explore in photography. After the "controversial" COVER photo I submitted (yellow tiny bikini), I wanted to show that it was also possible to shoot a conventional and classic photo with the same not so conventional but still very classy and lovely model. The NUDE challenge was probably the best challenge I could use to show that because I wouldn't be penalized for the skin factor. The photo being of a softer nature also helped.
With my submissions on DPC, I'll have to admit I like to stir up discussions. I think awareness, curiosity and being open minded are key elements to a good photographer. In this field of work, you learn all the time, all your life. Even though you may specialize in a specific theme, or to the contrary, may avoid exploring specific photography themes for x reason, as a photographer it is important to stay open to others in order to learn. Conventions must fall in order to stay open. It doesn't mean we need to like and support everything. But by being aware and receptive, we allow ourselves the great opporunity to learn from one another. DPC is a special place because it gives photographers the unique chance to meet with one another and share. Even though it is done in a virtual world, the basis of being able to exchange ideas, share our work, and take part in dicussions with other like-minded photographers is very important for artists. It allow us to evolve and surpass ourselves in our art. It also allow us to question ourselves. And in the end, hopefully, it allow us to also evolve as a person.
I thank you for comments.
Enjoy photography, it is a great art.
Dr Jones, my French Canadian buddy. Congrats on your first ribbon. Seems you still have a couple of 1s but still better. Great job. I love the high key feel of the photo. Say hello to the misses for me.
Bon travail mon ami. Tu aurais du gagner avec ta photo de magasine aussi. Chapeau. Jacko.
congrats on your first ribbon. really nice work. i hope that you don't feel you had to 'compromise' too much (stylistically) to get to this point :). i rationalize it, myself, as having my "dpc-tailored entries," and then what i shoot for myself and other reasons.
Very funny and great story and very good picture. This was one of my four highest rating in this round. Congrats with the ribbon.. must be glad how this turn out
i object to the blowout -- i think you could have preserved the tones and gradations in the flesh without overlighting it. Also, if you have editing, you could have reduced the tummy wrinkles with perhaps a little bit of guassian blur. Nitpicks aside, beautiful model and great composition.
Good pose and form. A classic style nude done very well. I might have adjusted the pose to make the area between the models navel and nether regions not quite so wrinkly. She OBVIOUSLY isn't fat one bit and that just looks a little weird to me. One of my top 2 for this challenge. Good luck.
I really like this - it's simple and attractive. It's also interesting to see how much of an affect a prop can have on on the interpretation of an image. The hat really adds a sense of quiet calm. It's a nude but the pose looks completely natural, it's very tasteful and elegant. Maybe it is the tone coupled with the white background, not sure, but there is certainly something very appealing with it.
This is absolutely gorgeous. I'm guessing Dr. JOnes? but maybe not... the lighting here is stunning... as far as somewhat classic nudes go this is number 1. Beautiful! I absolutely love it, I hope I'll remember to add this to my favorites! Wow... I can't get over how beautiful this image is! The addition of the hat is superb. A solid 10 in my book!
Well, there are some hot spots here so I\'m going to have to take off a lot for that.
Just kidding. I really like the blown out technique of this shot. The pose and framing are both excellent. The hat adds enough character to keep it unqiue, but the lighting and exposure already provide uniqueness, so it just adds to the effect. This is a shot that stands out. Great work Dr.J. 10
what an interesting shot! the white on white is done nicely to show smoothness of the skin.. untouched and "eve-like". The use of the hat is nice, however, I am not sure I like the style of the hat for this image. That said... the inference of touching the brim of the hat shows the story in motion. If you had instructed the model to actually hold the brim of the hat, it would have been the end of the story with nothing left to tell. nice work!
Very nice!! I luuuuv the "high-key" whites and especially around the woman, with slightly darker around the picture edges. So far, this is the winner in my opinion (except for my entry of course :)
I love the composition but it is a little overexposed for me. I'm sure you were intending this but it is just a little overdone for me. I'm still giving it an 8 because it is still very good. -Tim
nude photography is not easy. as we can clearly see looking at 90% of the photos in here. hopefully there's shots like yours. elegant, simple and of course beautiful. love the high key tones. great job.
Very nice pose. I like the High-Key of this picture. Focus on the model is a little soft (for my liking) and you have some very pronounced JPEG artifatcs going on in the background. MAybe a little too much compression. EDIT: ALL FIXED, switched to 32-bit. Thanks, Good luck! In my top 3
This is a great high key shot. The subject is still well discernible from the backdrop which is lost in some shots like this. The focus and lighting is immaculately done.9.
This submission is one of the best, if not the best, submission here. It has real professionalism; i suspect you are a pro and also have the studio and the appropriate gear. The biggest difference between this and your magazine cover is that this picture, my taste mind you, is much more appealing and far less lewd (for lack of a better word). This is probably because there are no skimpy clothes. The message of the image is a great deal softer as well. Not so much in-your-face but i think all the guys' reaction is still the same ;)
The lighting here is perfection. The pose is lovely and so is the hat. For some reason, what i like most is that hand reaching towards the hat. It's a bummer that you can upload 150 kb max because i would have liked to see this image without the compression blockiness. 8
Hope my apology will be accepted. Salut
beautiful high key shot... flawless composition... i love the triangulation here... I wouldn't change a thing about this. Kudos on a great photo and please send my kudos to the beautiful model as well.... = 10
the flare from the background is in gradient rather than a smooth fade... very distracting from the subject... i have to wonder if this is due to post-processing (resizing, etc) ? was the original this way?
very sloppy!!! Looks like it took you 10 minutes to take. the model looks drunk and puffy. The shadows and contrast is poor...to soft. The focus is on her breasts and she has a much nicer body than this picture portrays. The Grey boarder style is a poor choice...black or white would have been a better choice.
Snif snif.... is that the smell of victory???? :o) Another great DrJOnes shot! You stayed simple, safe and classic so the DPCers will love it! If you don't win I'll be very surprised. Your model is even getting famous on DPC!!! ;o)
IMHO the only 2 minor things I find distracting is the hand by the hat. It seems in movement and distracts from the "static" feeling of the shot. And I would've cropped a little closer to the foot to be symetrical with the hand... I don't see the purpose of that negative space. But then again... VERY MINOR things my dear friend. :o) I would encourage you to do a whole high key theme.!! :o)
I like the very light tone of this. It does create a certain softness that works well here. I would like to see less tension in the right leg--weird thing to pick on maybe, but she'd look much more relaxed if more of the ball of the foot, at least, were on the ground. Destined for a ribbon? :)
Very simple and effective. I usually like high key shots, but I'd like to see this one a bit darker. I still give it a 10 becuase of the composition; I like how the model follows the bottom and right borders. Jacko. 10
Very nice high-key photo. Nice range of whites in the background. The hat adds to the 'classic' feel of this shot. I like the way it hides her eyes... adds to her mystery. 8
Not much soft about it - I like high-key images, although you may have pushed this one a bit Doc. When I tone this down a bit I really like it - the pose, the crop, the models obvious comfort with you and your camera, the border...it all works well. should be top 3 for sure.
very very nice. top shot for sure. like the highkeyness to this and the pose is pretty excellent, except for the hand, which seems like it just came off the hat brim where it belonged. I'm anticipating a ribbon on this. Good luck.
Very high key shot. Pose is nice and I love the hat. Lighting is nice except it looks a little dark just to the left of the navel. I give you a 9. Great shot.
Very llight and airy, but not a bit of detail lost to over exposure. I wish I could offer some constructive comments, but I cannot think of any way to improve. Fantastic image.
soft sun
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