Dichotomy is a tough concept to illustrate! The yin yang symbol encompasses the ideas of dark and light, good and evil, etc., but it's a total cliche by now. I wanted to do something different. I tried to think of things you separate, and when I thought of separating eggs it just clicked.
It took me a few tries to make this happen: I cut the white shape (and the hole) out of thick paperboard to make a mold. The board wasn't thick enough, so I pressed white paper tape along the edges. Then I covered the shapes with nonstick cooking spray and held them down on a flat griddle. I poured several egg whites into the mold and turned the griddle on to cook it. Carefully removed the mold using an X-acto knife to help separate the edges and then transferred the white shape to the pan with a spatula. Cooked yolks aren't particularly attractive, so I cooked the bottom just enough to be able to transfer it (I went through several because they kept breaking). Once arranged in the pan, I hit everything with cooking spray to make it shiny, then used a butane lighter to lightly scorch the top of the egg white in spots so it would really look cooked.
I had my tripod on top of the stove pointed straight down, and a single monolight brolly box high overhead at top right. It took a while to get the light into the right position so the shiny outline of the pan would complete the symbol. The irony here is that my cooktop was knocked out by lightning last week and I don't have a new one yet, so I couldn't really cook this egg on the background shown. :-/
Processing: Convert from RAW at two exposure settings to help control darks and lights, dodge & burn, touch up edges slightly with Liquify, clone a few stray specks and lighten the scorch marks (they were too much), Photo filter to tweak a color cast, Levels, HSL and USM.
Statistics
Place: 1 out of 159 Avg (all users): 7.5246 Avg (commenters): 8.4615 Avg (participants): 7.2917 Avg (non-participants): 7.6757 Views since voting: 285712 Views during voting: 338 Votes: 122 Comments: 84 Favorites: 55 (view)
This is indeed a great shot...
tho if dichotomy was the theme you are only half there... the egg is shown well as two distinct sections, but the yin/yang symbol you have used represents how one thing flows to another, how in darkness there is light and in light, darkness. Very much opposite the idea of dichotomy where nothing can belong simultaneously to both parts, and everything must belong to one part or the other. I suppose you could always claim this dichotomy of definition was your original intent....
Ive seen this shot before. This is more well done most definetly, but i only give points for neatness, not originality. I dont know who shot it but heres a link that shows it:
I want to clarify something. I think I said I liked the shot but I've seen it before. That's all. Nice portfolio and congratulations on your blue ribbon.
I like the shot. It is well done and catchy and it seemed like it took a long time to set up, but I've seen it before in a source book. It is essentially the same shot.
Another masterpiece. I have since added you to my favorities. Because of your consistently creative concepts with the talent to make them come alive. You have also regularly demonstrated photgraphic and post processing skill.
You say the idea "just clicked" -- I wish I'd have such inspiration (and then the patience and the technical skill to back it up)! Anyhow, congratulations... I'm happy to be one of your 10s. :-)
I'm so glad this shot was yours... you always take the time to give the explanations and stories behind your creative shots, and they're usually just as interesting as the shots themselves. It's great to read your progression from an idea, through the 'how-to', with the adjustments you needed to make to get that final shot. For instance, while I was voting, I was so impressed with how you could have possibly gotten the yolk and egg separated so neatly, I never made the connection to the lighting which completed the edge of the shape. Great job, and congrats on yet another ribbon! So, how many eggs did you actually go through? :)
I like to imagine the looks of consternation on your family's faces as you go through these insane contortions to get your images, Shannon. Me, I just shoot whatever I stumble across :-) I guess that's why you're a superstar...
Very creative! Don't know HOW in the world you cut the egg that cleanly but BRAVO on the outstanding effort! I really like this one. Nice title too *9*
This is actually very cool. You've got the yin yang for dichotomy but you've also put humor into the title by using the subject (egg) to form the idea of segregation where you've separated the yolk from the white. There's so much to think about in this one. Way cool. And the technicals are very good as well making this a well rounded (no pun intended) shot for this challenge. 10
When this challenge was first announced, I figured there would a lot of yin yang type pictures, but this one is very creative/uniquely done. Thanks for the pleasant surprise :)
Eggregation
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