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Not A Happy Picture
Not A Happy Picture
DrJOnes


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Despair (Classic Editing)
Camera: Nikon D1X
Location: Montreal, Canada
Date: Feb 23, 2003
Aperture: F9.5
ISO: 200
Shutter: 2secs
Galleries: Emotive, Persuasive
Date Uploaded: Feb 23, 2003

 This photo was staged for the "Despair Challenge". I beleive despair is an extremely strong emotion that most of us never truely experienced. I think that to be desperate is to be in a situation bigger than what you can handle, in which you have lost all control, and in which it seems there's not much chance of getting out of. You've tried everything to no avail. At Dictionary.com they sat Despair is to loose all hope. I think there is a nuance : despair is the emotion that will either spark your survival instincs or your abandonment of life. I wanted my photo to have a strong and shocking visual impact on the viewer to reach his emotions. Is the woman very sick? Is it blood we see? Is it vomit? Is she dying of some sort of illness? Is she trying to comit suicide? Was she beaten? Being a witness to dispair cannot leave you emotionally untouched. I understand that my photo may shock a lot of people and could be interpreted as gratuitous violence. I am ready to accept this critiscism.

Statistics
Place: 4 out of 200
Avg (all users): 6.4221
Avg (commenters): 7.3077
Avg (participants): 6.2577
Avg (non-participants): 6.5784
Views since voting: 13132
Votes: 199
Comments: 39
Favorites: 28 (view)

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AuthorThread
 06/17/2007 04:04:31 PM
A magnificent shot, your bringing out of the colour red works incredibly well and the composition is absolutely first class. I really admire the fact you were not afraid to shy away from the unflinching emotional impact you were after and this shows real integrity.
 01/23/2007 04:52:18 AM
:*(
 12/22/2005 04:39:44 AM
The shot is good, your comment about despair is even better
 02/08/2005 10:36:24 PM
what a jolting image! definitely very visually effective.
good job!
 07/08/2004 06:59:04 AM
This is one of the best set-up shots I've seen. A great viewpoint and the clarity is so satisfying.
 01/26/2004 05:43:21 AM
Great shot.What more can I say.I'm feel inspired to find my own creativety and shake it loose. Added you to my favourites as I can learn so much from you. Thank You..
 03/03/2003 02:18:41 PM
Thanks for all the comments everyone! I didn't think the photo would rate that high! But seeing that it made 4th place, it is quite stimulating to produce more. :-) Thakns again!
PS. ;-) Merci Mr. Dude!

PPS. Oh, and by the way, I got to give a lot of credit to my GF for accepting to pose for this pic. It was quite hard to convince her, especially when I told her "ok, what I want you to do is put your face on the toilet, oh, and I'll put some of your hair in the toilet too.". Well, it costed me a nice dinner at the restaurant... but it was well worth it! LOL! Seriously though, she did a great job. It was not easy to stick her head so close to the toilet like that. xxx

Message edited by author 2003-03-03 18:35:35.
 03/03/2003 07:27:38 AM
Yesssssir mister Dude! 4th just like me!! :-D
 03/03/2003 01:19:42 AM
great shot Dr Jones... super visual impact
 03/03/2003 12:21:11 AM
Wow. Incredible photograph. I hope you continue to put this much thought and effort into your future challenge entries :) Great job.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
03/02/2003 02:18:06 PM
The concept is excellent.

But her house is too tidy, there is no despair in her house.
 03/01/2003 03:19:03 PM
Not happy but very good picture. Very well staged (i hope). Nice tits too. lol .10
 03/01/2003 11:16:14 AM
better if you should less of her, consider just the legs stick out, black corners at the bottom left & right are distracting. Also I notice both her arms are pointing up, if she was dead or even umconscious, they would slip to the floor.
 03/01/2003 09:39:11 AM
Did she washed her hair after this?yuk!
 02/28/2003 10:46:26 PM
Putting the subject in the distance and appearing insignificant (size-wise) works very well. The tone on tome except the subject is another good touch. I'm getting more depressed as I look at the picture - I guess it works.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/28/2003 08:14:57 PM
kudos to your model (hope this isn't real) for sticking her hair in the toilet.
 02/28/2003 02:23:02 PM
Wow, incredible and provocative. Vomit, blood, ??? Horrifying either way. I love how this is so open ended and terrible. Has she been beaten? Committing suicide? Horrible illness? The contrast of the stark room and her vivid emission and her outfit is really intense. Very disturbing and powerful.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/28/2003 02:22:05 PM
strong photo!!! very well done, congrats...surely a 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/28/2003 08:32:23 AM
no, it is not...
 02/28/2003 12:24:25 AM
so far this is the only color photo I think works and is technically strong. Nice job.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/28/2003 12:20:55 AM
Wow... this is incrediably disturbing...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/27/2003 05:27:07 PM
Good image quality. A little disturbing though. Nice use of lines and angle view.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/27/2003 03:31:38 PM
I think that the picture was done in a unique way. I personally dont like what you tok a picture of although i understand what the picture was representing.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/27/2003 10:44:13 AM
A very well staged shot of despair. The composition/crop is excellent. The hair in the toilet really pushes the "despair" factor, I love it.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/26/2003 09:45:05 PM
A technically good picture. Great lighting and definitely despair here. A slight more focus on her face to see the anguish would do for me. 5
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/26/2003 07:51:34 AM
meets the challenge very well I think it would have had more impact if the model wasn't dressed in red 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/25/2003 04:58:25 PM
F***.

A very striking image. I'm pretty much lost for words.
Technically very well done and extremely powerful.
Straight 10 no doubt.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/25/2003 02:51:10 PM
Cool set up! Just wow! What an impact! I would never want to put my hair in the toilet as a model .-) Great photo! Love it and you get 9 from me
 02/25/2003 01:05:03 PM
excellent work... definitely 'despair' in this shot :) - setzler
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/25/2003 09:43:43 AM
Not really a nice story, but I like your shot. The lightning through the hidden window works great and is highlighting the subject. The models color and the lower saturation of the rest is well done too. The high camera position is IMO well deliberated. It brings some distance between the viewer and the sad scenario. Perhaps I would have cropped a little closer on the left side of your shot. IMHO there ist too much uninteresting space. The victory sign of her hand looks a little overstated, but that's only marginal. Great work! - 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/25/2003 03:57:40 AM
Wow, this is a very disturbing photo. Technically, lighting and composition look good. I can't believe that your subject willingly leaned her head against the toilet, and put her hair in it (that's really disgusting)!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/25/2003 02:55:25 AM
these suicide scenes are getting disturbing...
 02/24/2003 09:24:27 PM
This image is very shocking and quite disturbing. The crop is good, the red against the white/black/gray is a sharp contrast. I dont 'like' the image, but it certainlly expresses emotion and adequately meets the despair challenge.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/24/2003 04:05:17 PM
I would certainly hope this was staged... but man... I'll have to give you extra points for sticking her hair in the toilet! Dang, there's no way on Earth I'd do that! And even if it happened accidentally after an alcohol-fueled night, I'd shave my head! Anyway, I really think this is a strong shot. Way to go.
 02/24/2003 02:50:17 PM
Interesting use of color, truly a disturbing picture. This is post-despair, though, and more unsettling than evocative of that emotion.
 02/24/2003 02:42:16 PM
is this real, if not what are you trying to portray??
 02/24/2003 02:15:09 PM
Eeew!! But this is an excellent photo. Perhaps you should get a job for a CSI department somewhere!! I like the contrast of the red underwear and blood on the B&W photo.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/24/2003 01:47:52 PM
a VERY powerfull shot! i am very impressed!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/24/2003 11:20:40 AM
Love it. Great reenactment.


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