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The Fish, the Drain, and a Long Story.
The Fish, the Drain, and a Long Story.
Haneck


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Free Study 2007-04 (Expert Editing*)
Camera: Sony DSC-H5
Location: Michigan
Date: Apr 26, 2007
Galleries: Humorous, Animals
Date Uploaded: Apr 26, 2007

 I don't think I've ever put so much time and effort into a photo - hopefully it will pay off in the score!

For anyone who wondered, this is one of those 'tornado' swirls you get when you drain the tub.

A major thanks to my dad, for coming up with the idea of shooting this, and for helping shoot it. We cleaned out an old fish tank, set the camera inside, filled the tub, and hooked the camera up to a monitor so we could actually see what we were doing. Dad held up the light and I shot away. We had to re-fill the tub several times, since it proved to be rather difficult to get the tornado started.
Then we ran out and bought a gold fish, (dubbed "The Kraken," after the sea monster in Pirates of the Caribbean) which I shot seperately. Now the Kraken resides in my bedroom, in the same over-sized fish tank we used to for shooting the tornado. My cat spent all last night watching him. :)

I did all sorts of editing. Here are as many of the steps as I can remeber, in random order:
Rotate, crop, photo filter, selective color, levels, cuves, brighness/contrast, hue/saturation, dodging and burning, unsharp mask, and a little spot-editing to remove some dirt specks.
To combine the images, I selected the gold-fish, pasted him onto the tornado shot, and carefully trimmed the edges with the brush on "clear." Is this the way it's normally done? Or is it considered an old-fashioned, hard way? :P

Alternate title was "Down the Drain."

Statistics
Place: 102 out of 573
Avg (all users): 6.2484
Avg (commenters): 7.5000
Avg (participants): 6.1651
Avg (non-participants): 6.4231
Views since voting: 1857
Views during voting: 253
Votes: 161
Comments: 23
Favorites: 8 (view)

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AuthorThread
Nikon D7200
Nikon AF-S DX Nikkor 35mm f/1.8G
 11/17/2009 07:42:16 PM
This could really screw up a good day!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-5D
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM
 01/20/2008 04:37:04 PM
I just saw this and I think it should have scored a lot higher!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-5D
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II
 12/22/2007 06:20:19 PM
STill makes me smile ;)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Pentax K10D
Sigma 28-80mm f/3.5-5.6 Aspherical HF for Pentax
 12/06/2007 10:38:03 PM
Great set-up. It should have scored more and placed higher.
"The Kraken" is a very old mythical creature, possibly from real giant squids.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D3s
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
 09/08/2007 12:11:43 AM
This is really an amazing shot I'm shocked that it finished as low as it did. I love how you set this up and executed it.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/25/2007 10:47:53 AM
the fish really expresses the fear of a tornado coming up
or something..he
nice
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-5D
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II
 08/25/2007 01:14:14 AM
Very good...although 6.2 is good, I'd have placed it higher. I'm reminded of Otto the Goldfish or a Dr. Suess book.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/15/2007 02:28:33 PM
This is an amazing piece...love it!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Mattel Barbie Photo Designer Digital Camera
 06/01/2007 12:49:41 AM
this is great creative and excellent execution. A 10 in my book for sure!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-5D
Canon EF 70-200mm f/2.8 L IS USM
 05/30/2007 11:20:14 AM
Your hard work paid off. Excellent image. Very convincing.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/17/2007 04:56:55 PM
Very clever shot, and well worth the effort.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D70
Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED
 05/17/2007 12:29:20 PM
this looks very cool. very good capture and great job.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-7D
Canon EF 100mm f/2.8 USM Macro
 05/09/2007 06:12:05 PM
Splendid visualization of the concept. The photo is crystal clear. I do like the title you went with more than the alternate one. A tip that may or may not work...try the smudge tool on the edges of the fish's tail, just a bit, maybe it'll help him fit in more with the environment and not look pasted in, not that it screams pasted in, it actually looks good.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-5D
Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
 05/08/2007 06:40:51 AM
Thanks indeed for sharing the details. It certainly is an interesting and commercial image.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
Canon EOS-6D
Canon EF 200mm f/2.8 L II USM Lens
 05/07/2007 04:25:36 PM
Funny! Nice use of expert editing!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-20D
Tamron AF 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 XR Di II for Canon
 05/06/2007 09:23:42 PM
You've got me wondering what the long story is...poor fishy only has minutes left before its iminate demise. Cool photo!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D2Xs
Nikon AF-S DX Zoom Nikkor 17-55mm f/2.8G IF-ED
 05/05/2007 09:35:42 PM
cool!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D700
Nikon AF-S NIKKOR 24-70mm f/2.8G ED
 05/05/2007 09:44:00 AM
Man, you're gonna get slammed for this one!

Wonderfully disturbing and well executed.

I admire your guts for submitting this.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-5D Mark II
Canon EF 50mm f/1.8 II
 05/01/2007 09:05:55 PM
sometimes my brain thinks like that
im the fish in that case
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D200
Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II
 05/01/2007 01:56:32 PM
Can't wait to hear the story. :) Nice lighting.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-400D Rebel XTi
Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
 05/01/2007 01:05:30 PM
beautiful shot
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Pentax KP
Pentax FA 77mm f/1.8 Limited AF
 05/01/2007 11:40:15 AM
Haven't we seen the sink pic before?

Whatever, it works.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-7D
Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC Macro for Canon
 05/01/2007 09:26:34 AM
Poor fishy. I wonder if you saturated the blue a smidge more? Hmmm - maybe just my taste. Great focus. 7
  Photographer found comment helpful.
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