OK, this was a tough shot! I've tried this one three times, and finally got close enough to be worth submitting. HERE'S one of my earlier attempts.
The arm with the knife is a shape cut out of posterboard and taped to the back of her shirt (sticking straight out behind her). It looks ridiculous, but the shadow works. What makes it so difficult is that as the arm gets closer to the wall, the shadow gets sharper and smaller. Not much I can do about sharpness in Basic, but I tapered the cutout to deal with the size (the hand is about twice life-sized).
I was going to use a co-worker as my model, but she quit unexpectedly the same day the challenge was announced. The only thing I can really count on with these setups is my little actress. What a trooper!
The lighting consisted of a strong monolight with an aluminum foil snoot on the right side, and a reflector on the left for a little fill. A bare wall outside in sunlight would have made the shadows MUCH easier to deal with, but it was too darn cold to bother. The outlet was unvoidable (it's the same one I used for Emotional Outlet), but it offers a visual cue that the shadow is on a real wall. ;-)
Processing: Convert from RAW (a little light on the shadows and contrast), Shadow/Highlight, Channel Mixer conversion to grayscale, colorize with Hue/Saturation for a slight sepia tint, and USM.
Statistics
Place: 3 out of 132 Avg (all users): 6.8803 Avg (commenters): 7.6000 Avg (participants): 6.5918 Avg (non-participants): 6.9568 Views since voting: 11481 Views during voting: 505 Votes: 234 Comments: 79 Favorites: 15 (view)
... cropping the waist up image out of that photo would make a super shot IMO!
A cropped version would NOT have worked IMO. It's important to see the continuity of the shadow from the feet up or there is no trick. If you separate the shadow from the body by cropping, then the viewer may assume it's a painted or printed shadow on the wall, a backlit scrim, or coming from another model outside the frame. The full shadow is a tougher visual puzzle, and I'm sure a cropped version would not have made the top 20.
I did not mean for this challenge ... I only meant that I liked the light and expression so much in this image that a waist up crop of your daughter alone would make a good portrait shot IMO ... like so ... ... except not cropped so much from a low res image ...
... cropping the waist up image out of that photo would make a super shot IMO!
A cropped version would NOT have worked IMO. It's important to see the continuity of the shadow from the feet up or there is no trick. If you separate the shadow from the body by cropping, then the viewer may assume it's a painted or printed shadow on the wall, a backlit scrim, or coming from another model outside the frame. The full shadow is a tougher visual puzzle, and I'm sure a cropped version would not have made the top 20.
I would guess that if you did it again you would cock the elbow tighter to the shoulder or head to help with perspective...
Yes, and I'd try to find a wall without an outlet, too. I was planning to shoot this in front of a particular wall at my office, but my model bailed out on me and I had to improvise at home a few hours before the deadline. There isn't much room to the right or left of her, and there was no way to hide that outlet in Basic. If I shot from the opposite side, I couldn't get the light far enough back to produce a good shadow. The cardboard cutout could certainly be better, but I wasn't going to keep my daughter up past her bedtime while I made another one.
As I said in the notes, though, I was satisfied enough with this one to enter it (with obviously good results). DPCers are generally more sophisticated than they get credit for, and if the concept is good enough, the voters overlook a couple of flaws.
P.S.- no apology necessary. Constructive criticism is a rare gift on this site. ;-)
Yeah well ... so shoot me ... because I love MOST of what you have EVER produced ... but this one left me HUGELY flat. While the technicals are awesome as usual ... the cardboard cutout looks just like what it is and WAY out of perspective. WAY WAY out.
A more tightly bent "elbow" that brought the hand (and knife) in the shadow closer to the shoulder or head for an apparent downward thrust would have made this image deserve the third place it garnered.
I also think that the electrical outlet parked in the anal canal of the shadow of the child is not up to your usual standards any more than the shadow of the cutout can have satisfied you. I cannot believe you saw this and did not reshoot.
IMO ... only mine ... Lighting super. PP super ... cutout ghastly bad in perspective, wall plug ... gimme a break ... unless you were trying to make a statement with this electrical outlet, could you not have moved her down the wall a tad or even covered it with a post-it note? Your son in the outake doesn't have this outlet there.
(OK ... I just read your entire photographer's comments and see you said it was unavoidable ... but I think this should have taken this image out of the running for a ribbon ... but obviously that is not the majority opinion)
Only you will know if you are happy with this shot but I would guess that if you did it again you would cock the elbow tighter to the shoulder or head to help with perspective AND (a little bit) with the sharpness problem.
Sorry, Shannon ... this is the only one of your ribbons that I do not think you deserved to get and I hope you agree with me that it did not.
Having said all that ... cropping the waist up image out of that photo would make a super shot IMO! ... fantastic lighting and expression.
Oh dayam ... having read that again ... I just KNOW I am gonna be tarred and feathered as a rude, inconsiderate, jealous, and rotten Scalvert basher ... but that is really my opinion on this ONE image. Forgive me. I really do love your work.
My shadow tried to do that to me just the other day! Amazing creativity and just an incredible work of photographic art Shannon. I will now get to work building an altar in my living room where I will worship you daily. Halla halla halla...
The image is quite sharp with the shadowy emotion looming. The bare, inside wall works to place the subject in "the corner" - and a kind of dramatic response to the force. Good work. Congratulations.
The good thing about this photo is that there is no manipulation... in fact I thought the hand and knife was a photoshop thing... Very good idea very well photographed... well done !
Congrats Shannon, I am soo excited you finally figured out how to set up this shot! :P, jk. You have a uniquely creative vision that makes your entries standouts.
One thing I like about you Shannon is that you're always generous in sharing the shot trade secrets of how you set it up. I think this is one of your better ones because it is less gauche than usual. Well done.
Please stop entering challenges and give other people a chance...
Is there no limit to your creativity ?
Congrats on your well deserved yellow ribbon !
I was thinking this was a double exposure or fake wall where someone is behind it and backlit. I never would have guessed this setup. Congrats on the "dreaded" yellow ribbon. :P
Great shot great idea - Shame it's a basic edit challenge as I am sur you would have removed that plug which spoils it a little - Very nice. Maybe a straight black and white would have added more impact rather than the browny/red colour you have here?
This one really bugged me at first. First off, it's a brilliant photo. It's gonna place high in the challenge, it was a great idea, and you deserve the very high placement you are going to get. I'm guessing you'll grab a ribbon off it. But what bugged me was how you did it. I'm thinking that the girl has a fake arm attached to her back with a knife. Maybe??
Nice Idea and works well, for me the power point is a distraction, and perhaps the 'fake arm' is a bit too skinny, cant inagine this would have been easy thou. 7
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