Low tide
by caba

Comment:
Congratulations Frank! I really like how you managed the depth of field, it's the attention to such details that makes composites more realistic. The choice of the beach is also very good: white sand would have much less impact obviously. Happy to see you're having fun experimenting :-)

Faith
by gyaban

Comment:

Originally posted by Paul: Congratulations (again!!) - It is indicative of the quality of your work and your dedication that all of your profile pics (even with 9 showing) are 8+ scores. I always look for (and look forward to) the-Gyaban-entry in these challenges. I'd love to see what you'd come up with for a month-long Expert challenge. Have we ever had one?

Thanks a lot Paul. At least one challenge was a month-long expert one, but it sure would be very interesting to have another one.

Into the Abyss
by MinsoPhoto

Comment:

Originally posted by MinsoPhoto: Thanks for the response. Gyaban, thank you for that, and thank you for the compliment. I did use color efex but i do believe the high pass I also used did give me the halos you see. The sharpness was an issue even though I could have easily shot f11 or more I chose to try softer but I lost my place marker on the floor when I got to this shot. The importance of checking sharpness at 100% on my lcd screen, I would have seen it before finishing up. Thank you for the suggestions, very much appreciated.

You're very welcome. I also have those focus problems when I shoot auto-portraits, and I end-up often either:
- Leaving the auto-focus on, and using an assist light on me to make sure it catches me accurately
- Using manual focus and a very narrow aperture (I don't hesitate to go to f/22: that's why I pay for L lenses after all, to be able to use them at extreme settings and still have a decent image quality).

Into the Abyss
by MinsoPhoto

Comment:
This was my highest vote, and by far the most interesting shot in the challenge imho. It's original, it asks questions, and it makes a great use of negative space.

The only thing I like less is the processing: I'm not fond of the background grain, the gradient isn't very smooth, and the subject lacks sharpness (to my taste at least). According to the visible halo, you probably used a 'highpass' filter in a soft-light blended layer (or a plugin achieving similar results), but it doesn't really work here as it puts emphasis even more on that lack of sharpness. Depending on the power of your lights, you could perhaps try a similar shot with a larger DoF (don't hesitate to raise ISO if needed, your camera can handle it easily). Then try to avoid processing that creates halos, it's often preferable to raise micro-contrast instead (Topaz Adjust or Color Efex for example work nicely for that).

ETA: I meant 'Topaz Detail', not Adjust (that I tend to avoid).

Message edited by author 2012-10-10 05:41:48.

At the men-only club
by AllenP

Comment:
Congratulations Allen! Fantastic scene. The B&W conversion is a piece of art by itself. Keep them coming! :-)

Frankenstein - Mary Shelley's Nightmare
by Alex_Petrini

Comment:
I love your idea! It's a great concept supporting an interesting story. Unfortunately, I think you are right about the risk for the creature's shadow to be unnoticed: as you know, eyes are often attracted by bright areas, and there are more of these on the left of the photo, so the shadow is not obvious in the first few seconds of viewing. Nonetheless, kudos for working on such entries, can't wait to see your next story-telling images!

Candlelight Tango
by gyaban

Comment:

Originally posted by EL-ROI: Congrats on the blue! I just have to ask, do you have a job? Because the amount of time you put into your art must be phenomenal. Unless you work at hyperspeed, I could not imagine you have much time to get the house work done! Cheers to your wife for putting up with your commitment to your art!

Thanks a lot! You are right, this required a fair amount of time (4 evening of about 5h each). So it can be done if you can afford to not do anything else than work/photography/sleep ;-) Also, 2 pairs of hands (and eyes) is a great advantage.

Message edited by author 2012-10-05 10:48:26.

Energy Saver
by h2

Comment:
I admire your patience here Oliver, I'm pretty sure I would have destroyed a hot light-bulb or two by cleaning them too vigorously! I hope you didn't burn your fingers at least. Congratulations on the strong finish.

enlightenment
by BrennanOB

Comment:
Congratulations Brennan, h2 beat me on it, but it definitely reminds me of Umberto Eco's book! The lighting is perfectly managed and gives it a deep mood.

Reading "Jan of the Windmill"
by vawendy

Comment:
Congratulations Wendy, I love your daughter's pose and dress. Beautiful result.