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Still Life Corrupted
3rd PlaceStill Life Corrupted
vawendy


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Distracting Elements (Advanced Editing VII)
Collection: 2012 Challenge shots
Camera: Canon EOS-7D
Lens: Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS
Date: Oct 23, 2012
Date Uploaded: Oct 23, 2012
[Oct. 30th, 2012 06:08:04 PM]

So people had very different definitions of this challenge, and I greatly appreciate the comments both from those who thinks the eyes are a distraction, and those who don't.

When I started thinking about this challenge, I figured distracting elements were usually a negative. So I wanted to figure out how to turn it into a positive. My first thought was humor:

You're standing in bar in a prime hunting area in Minnesota. You take a picture of your friend and you forget to watch your background. When you look at the shot, you realize that he was standing in front of a hunting trophy, and now it looks like he has antlers growing out of his head!

But, I didn't know anyone that had hunting trophies, and just a light pole growing out of someone's head was a distracting, but wasn't interesting.

So I tried to figure out what would be an interesting distraction.

Moriarty decided it for me.

I don't have a soft box for my flash, but I've been thinking that I really could use one. I do, however, have two softboxes for constant lighting (with some nice big lightbulbs.) So I figured, why bother buying a softbox when I already have a couple!

So I took my flash, and tied it into the softbox using varigated yarn (lovely red, orange and green varigated yarn!) and started to experiment. All I had handy were some flowers that had seen better days. I wanted to see if I could get this type of look:

cosmos charm from 1x

I wasn't particularly succeeding, but it was an interesting experiment.



The thing is: Moriarty doesn't understand that he's not allowed on the dining room table!

No matter how many times I tell him.

That's where I do my photography, and he thinks we're being buddies when we're in there.

I think I spend more time shooing him off than I do photographing things.

He's definitely a distraction while I'm photographing, so I decided to try to turn him into a distraction in a photograph.

Distractions in photography, imo, are things that draw your eyes away from the main subject. They can be positive or negative. I wanted to see if I could make a positive distraction.

So here was the plan: Change to a black velvet backdrop so that the cat disappears and just leaves eyes. Get Mo into a position so he's relatively far away from the flowers. Too close and it will look like it's part of the design. So a good chunk of negative space and then a pair of eyes.

Yeah.

Right.

While that might be what I had in mind, it wasn't what Moriarty had in mind.

He thought he should eat the leaves of the flowers.

I picked him up and put him behind again.

He thought he should flop down on the backdrop and rabbit kick the backdrop. Not the best thing with a vase of flowers and water on a velvet backdrop.

Pick him up and put him down again.

Then he thought he go after the flowers again.

Repeat the cycle a couple of times.

Then he got bored and wandered off.

I think it will be much easier doing Mo photography in a couple of years when we're not still in the kittenish stage. Though it won't be nearly as amusing. Luckily, I was able to get two that I liked before he wandered off. :)

The other choice:

Btw, I thought jomari's comment was spot on. Though this meets my definition of a distracting element, I now understand the opposing point of view. This is one of my all time favorite shots -- where it was, again, Mo deciding to interrupt a photo shoot.



Jomari is right -- that type of shot would have been a much better distraction shot.

Thanks for the wonderful comments. I had a lot of frustrating fun while shooting this. :)





Statistics
Place: 3 out of 79
Avg (all users): 6.6126
Avg (commenters): 7.5455
Avg (participants): 6.2143
Avg (non-participants): 6.8551
Views since voting: 3137
Views during voting: 252
Votes: 111
Comments: 28
Favorites: 2 (view)

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AuthorThread
 11/17/2012 04:16:37 PM
Wendy, your sharing your stories is exactly the kind of thing that keeps me at DPC.

It makes DPC not just a "photography site" but a "site for photographers." :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/03/2012 09:11:48 PM
Outstanding as usual Wendy, congratulations
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/01/2012 07:14:20 PM
Very well done, as usual, Wendy!

Congrats!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/01/2012 12:38:18 PM
Congratulations to you.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/31/2012 05:24:33 PM
Congrats Wendy on another wonder image.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/31/2012 05:08:06 PM
Congrats! I love it.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/31/2012 11:55:55 AM
Made me smile... great image! Congrats....
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/31/2012 09:13:11 AM
Hah, I could've gotten that outtake shot with my big fluffball! Good work, grats on the ribbon.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/31/2012 09:02:49 AM
I think I will go to Art and purchase a stamp ;) I just can't keep up with the congratulations anymore :) time and time again you always seem to get it right.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/31/2012 05:44:44 AM
See as soon as I saw this I knew it would ribbon. Man if only I could pull out more shot's like you do, when you don't think it will do well at all, but then it goes and ribbons... you have the touch girl, hope the jaw is better when you awake.

Message edited by author 2012-10-31 05:45:59.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/31/2012 02:08:12 AM
Congrats! very deserved ribbon!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/31/2012 12:55:55 AM
Ohh I almost made a comment saying Wendy.. but chickened out.. LOL This is soooo great I still love love love it!! Congratulations!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/31/2012 12:38:36 AM
Congratulations Wendy, lovely shot. (I'm glad my comment didn't offend you.)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/31/2012 12:24:50 AM
Great result Wendy and the Cosmos is nicely lit, and yet such a simple pretty flower.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
10/30/2012 09:06:16 AM
Got me,7.Now an .8.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/29/2012 07:36:19 PM
Lovely shot. Well imagined and executed. I am guessing this is Moriarty, but I may be wrong.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/28/2012 12:09:30 AM
well done!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/27/2012 12:22:20 PM
The distractin element on this to me makes the shot ... I would love this in a free study, I have to score you high because there are 2 eyes, and your intention is distraction away from the flower, but OMG it soo works this shot! Kudos on an awesome shot!!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/25/2012 06:13:30 PM
I'm really having trouble voting in this challenge and this image is a prime example of my dilemma. I love it, I've been thinking about it overnight, usually this would mean top spot and 10. It does mean favourite. But (you knew one was coming, didn't you?) I can't accept the distraction as a distraction (or two distractions). The focus is perfect, the composition is perfect - those eyes are very much part of the beautiful picture, and a deliberate, designed part. If there were some random parts of a curious kitty which just accidentally intruded on your intended setup, that would be distracting. I know that your interpretation, mine and a lot of other people's are different, so I'm not going to trash your score for DNMC, but I do have to reduce it somewhat simply because it's my vote. I considered not voting on it at all, but I'm not going to go that route.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/24/2012 04:53:30 PM
DROP DEAD GORGEOUS PHOTO!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/24/2012 04:36:30 PM
Lovely image. The ruined flower surely is distracting, I'm not sure about the eyes. But well done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/24/2012 01:11:08 PM
Top 5
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/24/2012 10:05:30 AM
That is excellent.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/24/2012 09:16:00 AM
I actually like this and don't find it distracting at all, but b/c I know this is yours I won't be voting, all the best though, chicken~

Edited for typo!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/24/2012 08:37:35 AM
I am one of those who finds nothing distracting. The cat eyes add a nice balance to the negative space. Their color coordinates with the center of the cosmos flowers. I rather like it. Odd but very interesting.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/24/2012 03:13:02 AM
Wow, this is awesome!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/24/2012 01:23:30 AM
My personal favorite from this challenge, very cool!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/24/2012 12:37:02 AM
Wow!! This is the first image I get, and I know it will be a top 3 for me! So very clever, and it also gave me a good chuckle. Well done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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