This is hopefully the image that will score me some cash from the Enzo tournament. This was really the only idea I had for this challenge. I pounded 3 cigars within an trying to get a good shot. This one was gotten after the first 10 puffs or so off the first cigar. Wish I had stopped then.
It took me a while to figure out how to light this. The smoke needs the bulk of the flash so I set up my 420 to camera right and behind me. Hard flash with no brolly or snoots or anything. I put a collar around my lens to prevent glare. I lost my plunger so I had to hit the shutter by hand by myself. Took a deep mouthful of smoke, waited for the ambient smoke to dissapate and then slowly pushed it out and took the shot. I found I had to tilt my head or the smoke just rolled up into my face. Every shot looked different. I was in my garage shooting this to keep the smoke smell out of the house.
Some of the outatkes had better looking smoke but then the light on my face was wrong (I tried a couple of different setups). This one was the most balanced. Editing was tough within basic guidelines. Trying to bring out the brightness of the smoke without bringing out the brightness of my skin was tricky. Multiple selective color and hue/sat followed by some shadow/highlight work and then a ton of NI to reduce the color grain on my face. I so wish I could have spot edited. THere is a white spot on my background and a little tiny booger in my nose that just blazes white after processing. I would have liked to have been able to pimp this out further for sure.
Probably too dark for most monitors, maybe offensive to smokers (I dont smoke), maybe not exciting enough to get a high score. I dont need to beat everyone. I just need to beat two people (as of right now I dont know who they are yet). In the end though hotpasta gets a new camera out of the deal and I am just glad I could be a part of that.
Post challenge - Finally got my yellow. Glad to see this score so well against all the landscape shots. I knew this may be a bit out there for the challenge.
Let me just add that DPC has been so great to me and my family. We have learned so much and grown so much over the past 2 years its just insane. Thank you to all the voters, commentors and each and every person who submits pics to this site. If it werent for you I surely wouldnt be doing what I am now.
Statistics
Place: 3 out of 127 Avg (all users): 6.9693 Avg (commenters): 7.9583 Avg (participants): 6.6346 Avg (non-participants): 7.0526 Views since voting: 7678 Views during voting: 475 Votes: 261 Comments: 67 Favorites: 9 (view)
does anyone else see the grim reaper in the smoke?
the wispy parts reaching out over the forehead is an arm
a profile of a skeleton head looking down is the highest part over the nose
the hooked highest part of the smoke is the scythe
he's all bent over with a bit of a hunch in his back
Tim - I didn't vote in this challenge, but what a great shot. The lighting is spot on and for those of us with calibrated monitors so is the balance of light and dark :- )
Help me understand though - you got through 3 Cigars as a non-smoker ?? I think you might qualify as a smoker now . . you foul polluter you :- )
Congrats Tim! Are we having fun yet?! I personally love photos where there is "play" involved -- even when forced into the garage :)
I'm glad an image with a somewhat different message about pollution made it to the front page. The beard makes cigar smoking convincing for some reason - but I bet it holds the smell a bit too.
Tim, this photo TOTALLY rocks!!! Perfection!!! Congratulations on top honors for your efforts. I would have been throwing up puffing that much smoke from a cigar :) You did GOOD!
Someone has to stop that guy, I wonder how you always manage to ribbon even when you're in the shot :-P
Seriously, very well done, congrats on the yellow!
WTG, Tim!! Huge congrats on winning the Enzo Tourny, the cash AND a ribbon. That's what I call good work. Oh, nearly forgot, the shot is great, too ;-)
Grats on the Ribbon!! sweet but creepy photo in I swear I can see a little grim reaper in the smoke, the sickle is up top center and the head is just to the lower right of it... creepy
What a great shot. Would love to give you some criticism - but I can't. LOL A perfect shot, well executed, well exposed and a creative view of the theme. 10
First i saw a well shot photo,but then you think wheres that smoke been and wheres it going,i'm glad that smoking has been banned in public places in the UK.
Lung Pollution 
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