The last take of 50 or so. Lots of adjustments for lighting and composition. Hard to do when you're the photog and the model.
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The picture is of my grandpa from my mom's wedding (that's why he's smiling). I PS'ed the heck out of it quickly to make it look like a painting. Thanks to everyone that got the reference and to those that didn't but still liked it.
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Place: 272 out of 556 Avg (all users): 5.3975 Avg (commenters): 6.4286 Avg (participants): 5.3297 Avg (non-participants): 5.6140 Views since voting: 901 Views during voting: 339 Votes: 239 Comments: 18 Favorites: 1 (view)
i do wish i'd reached this in my voting - the portrait of dorian gray is one of wilde's most interesting works - and you have done it quite well. it's really too bad so few people here knew it.
Oh is this in reference to the Oscar Wilde novel which I don't remember all that well now? (lol) Love the opposing perspectives (model vs. photograph). Similar shirt and ties - good balance! Selective desat - a good way to highlight the beauty of the aging photo. Awesome - love pictures with meaning!
Edit to add: I don't remember much about the story - did a little digging around to refresh my memory so what I am writing will probably not sound right, but it worked for me lol.
My friend, you seem to be doomed to complex, misunderstood references.
I love the idea. The moody, slightly neurotic look (with the cigarettes added) is very much in keeping with your original source of inspiration. The grain and soft focus really add to it, and the light is just right too. And the selective desat is spot on for illustrating the concept. Mr Wilde would've been proud :)
(heh, except why is the portrait so damn happy? I always imagined it as falling apart from all that sin and debauchery :p )
I voted on this challenge and gave your photo a 3. Sorry if that seems harsh.
It clearly meets the challenge. Technically, it is well executed.
But I don't "understand" the photo or what you're trying to say. My feeling is that at DPC, you need to hit your audience over the head with whatever you are trying to say. The average voter devotes about 4 seconds to each photo. No time for subtlety.
If I study the photo, say for maybe 2-3 minutes, I see lots of layers of meaning here. I won't bore you with them. I like the emotional depth of this. But I fear your voting audience won't take the time to appreciate it.
If you shoot here, you shoot for a popular audience that is often shallow, sleep deprived, and looking for wow. Not much wow to lure them in in this particular photo.
You may not care. You may be trying to express something personal and deep within you. In that case, screw the audience and shoot from your soul. You have talent. It's up to you to decide how to deploy it.
This shot makes me think. I get the play on words with his name Gray and he is in color. Why is this guy looking at the shot and smoking so much. Is it a reletive that just died. Is he a hitman getting ready to do the job. Really like what you did her with the composition and all. I do think it lacks a bit in contrast though...that would have made the whole thing pop more and be even more interesting.
Well thought out, good concept but I think you could have made a lot more impact with it. The desat works well but I'm not sure what the fag and ashtray adds, and I think I would have turned the picture away and shot it with the picture as the dominant part of the image and the model in a similar pose. If all that makes sense perhaps you could explain to me what I'm on about! Please take my remarks as the constructive criticism they are intended as. Good luck
I like your idea and it's well shot. The golden yellow frame is a bit too much though, perhaps just a black thin frame would've been better or have the frame desaturated also.
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