This photo was shot having had the idea some time ago (around Christmas, actually) and I had forgotten that I wanted to do this until this challenge came up. Shot with the intent to convey the joy, excitement and elation that comes with opening presents and the mystique of not yet knowing what is in it...
Shot on our dining room table with four tea lights in the base of the box, my laptop with a white wallpaper on the desktop which lights the front of the box and a small maglite shining down into the box. Then about 10 matches were lit and blown out milliseconds before the exposure started. Quite a tricky little set up with timing and needed my husband to hold torches, light matches, etc, etc.
Post: levels, curves, dodge the smoke to bring it out a bit and burn the edges to shape it a touch, neat image, crop, usm, resize, save for web.
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Love the halo of brown from the wood around the box. Quite like the trick of it all, but find it lacking a certiain dynamic - not sure exactly what - perhaps its just that your prinarly point of interest is actually a white nothing: even with that haze/smoke, just doesn't quite carry the sense of mystery for me. Really nice attempt though, and certainly works for the challenge.
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