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Damnation
Damnation
figaro


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Nightmares (Basic Editing)
Camera: Olympus C-765UZ
Location: My bedroom
Date: Jul 10, 2007
Aperture: f/2.8
ISO: 64
Shutter: 1/2
Galleries: Humorous, Interior
Date Uploaded: Jul 10, 2007

 This challenge nearly ended in catastrophe. Finally, after three nights of shooting (and my poor father having to crawl under my bed) I got the shots I wanted. When I plugged my camera in I selected the photos I wanted to copy, but in a moment of unforgivable carelessness pressed the delete key. And they didn't go into my recycle bin either. We had worked so hard and I felt like crying. I did a desperate search for card recovery software on the internet... let's just say it's the best money I have ever spent. With that small crisis out of the way all I needed to do was a subtle curves adjustment and the odd trip through USM.

The setup was a complex one as I have no studio lighting. The light across the face was the most important part - here I used a standard table lamp blocked off at the top and reflected onto my face using a magnifying mirror (which made the light stronger) whilst blocking off unwanted light with sheets of card. The red light was created with another standard lamp with red tissue paper on the end, unwanted light blocked by an old T-shirt. It got VERY hot by the end of the shoot. My dad, to whom I am completely indebted, squeezed under the bed for the third night running, this time with some fake blood on his hand, and directed a torch (the beam focused with paper and diffused with a tissue) at his hand to bring some light onto it. Meanwhile, I set the camera on timer and leapt into bed, conjuring a suitably terrified expression in time for the shutter!

Statistics
Place: 34 out of 171
Avg (all users): 5.8163
Avg (commenters): 6.4000
Avg (participants): 5.6406
Avg (non-participants): 5.9015
Views since voting: 975
Views during voting: 286
Votes: 196
Comments: 8
Favorites: 0

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AuthorThread
Olympus OM-D E-M1 Mark III
OM System 90mm f/3.5 Macro IS PRO M.Zuiko Digital ED
 04/16/2008 07:10:38 AM
great shot and great recovery ..
this is certainly many ppl's fears .. i used to think that there was a boogey man under my bed when i was a child who would grab my ankles or legs if i put them over the side ..
your dad is brilliant helping you in that way .. i hope he was as pleased with the outcome as you were .. its excellent .. :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
Nikon D700
Nikon AF Nikkor 50mm f/1.8
 07/16/2007 01:38:32 PM
This is actually a real fear. I always worry that if I hang my arm over the edge of the bed in the darkness, a hand will grab it.... Good work.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-20D
Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0 L USM
 07/15/2007 08:24:28 PM
that red light makes this one stand out - model's expression is fairly good acting -- one of my favorites this challenge
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-6D
Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0 L IS
 07/11/2007 05:21:15 PM
love his expression
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Pentax K10D
Sigma 17-70mm f/2.8-4.5 DC Macro for Pentax
 07/11/2007 01:18:49 PM
Cool light effect under the bed.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon D70s
Nikon AF-S DX NIKKOR 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6G ED VR II
 07/11/2007 09:19:55 AM
Nice shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT
Canon EF 28-90mm f/4-5.6 II USM (Black)
 07/11/2007 08:51:24 AM
The concept is good. I would use a bit harder lighting on the subject's face, and maybe a subtle soft light on the hand so it's more visible. Although harder lighting on the face would probably illuminate the hand more. It would also add more contrast, since a lot of the image seems to be a bit flat.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Nikon Z8
Nikon NIKKOR Z 24-120 f/4 S
 07/11/2007 06:52:38 AM
the red glow from underneath the bed is excellent, but the hand almost seems 'too much' to me - the face and the lighting were enough to make it really creapy for me...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
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