The head of my employer's human resources department volunteered for a turn in the "dunk tank" at a company BBQ recently. I had the fortuitous timing to be standing there with my camera aimed when he got dunked and decided to press up against the window. I had time for 3 quick shots before he came up for air.
For those unfamiliar with a dunk tank, the "victim" (usually senior management) sits on a seat suspended above a small pool and his employees throw balls at a target. Hitting the target pulls a pin sending the person into the water. This dunk tank also has a window on the front.
I was originally going to give this the rather uncreative name of "The Dunk Tank". Then I thought that just by changing the title to imply something else, this image becomes far more sinister and conveys the subject of "risk" much better.
Pre-challenge notes:
In reality this is just a snapshot taken at the right moment. It could do well, or it could bomb. I actually think the votes will be all over the place. If it does better than a 5, it is because:
a) I have developed my eye and learned a lot of post processing tricks to bring out the oomph in a quick snap, and
b) I have better camera equipment than I used to.
[Sep. 23rd, 2008 07:14:28 PM]
Nearly the end of the challenge now, and it is looking like this will probably end up just over a 5. I'm quite pleased with that score. If I can pull a 5 on a snapshot, I know my photography and post processing skill is getting better.
Several commenters thought he might not really be underwater. Here is a wider view of the scene that shows where he was:
I intentionally cropped my entry close, in order to hide what he was really in. I liked the idea of leaving it to the viewer's imagination as to what was really going on and the risk that was being taken.
Post challenge notes:
Looks like I gained a bit in rollover. I'm pleased with how this did.
Statistics
Place: 79 out of 127 Avg (all users): 5.1292 Avg (commenters): 4.5714 Avg (participants): 5.0238 Avg (non-participants): 5.1618 Views since voting: 1058 Views during voting: 339 Votes: 178 Comments: 10 Favorites: 0
I like the edit but without the title, the photo would be meaningless to 'Risk' taking. And by the way, I just saw on TV the other day some dude beat David Blaine's underwater breath holding record of something like 17:04 - crazy! Anyway, I can appreciate your out of the box edit.
It almost looks like he is not in a pool, but in a shower with a glass door. If he really is in a pool, it might have been nice to have a wider shot to see his more of him swimming and maybe something that also helps place him in a pool (fish? someone watching him from the other side? a part of the tank?).
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