The Picture of Dorian Gray
by bdenny

Comment by purpleflutterby13:
My friend, you seem to be doomed to complex, misunderstood references.

I love the idea. The moody, slightly neurotic look (with the cigarettes added) is very much in keeping with your original source of inspiration. The grain and soft focus really add to it, and the light is just right too. And the selective desat is spot on for illustrating the concept. Mr Wilde would've been proud :)

(heh, except why is the portrait so damn happy? I always imagined it as falling apart from all that sin and debauchery :p )

The Picture of Dorian Gray
by bdenny

Comment by posthumous:
Dr. Confuser has missed the point. The only reason this scored poorly is because apparently most DPC voters are culturally illiterate.

Paley's watchmaker analogy - "Design implies a designer"
by bdenny

Comment by rahim:
=)

Poor old Paley can probably be forgiven for that theory, given it was another 60 years after he died before it was thoroughly debunked by Darwin. It saddens me that hundreds of years later people are still clinging to that same raft though!

Nice idea for a pic.

Paley's watchmaker analogy - "Design implies a designer"
by bdenny

Comment by ragamuffingirl:
Like the picture, but I'm not sure what it's got to do with religion.

Paley's watchmaker analogy - "Design implies a designer"
by bdenny

Comment by boyd2000:
Good point

designing perfect lives
by bdenny

Comment by Tom:
The background is perfect in this! I'll have to remember to use a drum cover for future shots

The Picture of Dorian Gray
by bdenny

Comment by Dr.Confuser:
Greetings from the Critique Club.

I voted on this challenge and gave your photo a 3. Sorry if that seems harsh.

It clearly meets the challenge. Technically, it is well executed.

But I don't "understand" the photo or what you're trying to say. My feeling is that at DPC, you need to hit your audience over the head with whatever you are trying to say. The average voter devotes about 4 seconds to each photo. No time for subtlety.

If I study the photo, say for maybe 2-3 minutes, I see lots of layers of meaning here. I won't bore you with them. I like the emotional depth of this. But I fear your voting audience won't take the time to appreciate it.

If you shoot here, you shoot for a popular audience that is often shallow, sleep deprived, and looking for wow. Not much wow to lure them in in this particular photo.

You may not care. You may be trying to express something personal and deep within you. In that case, screw the audience and shoot from your soul. You have talent. It's up to you to decide how to deploy it.

Paley's watchmaker analogy - "Design implies a designer"
by bdenny

Comment by trevytrev:
Lovely shapes and composition!

My Cup Runneth Over
by bdenny

Comment by shamer:
Strong, simple image - nicely done...

My Cup Runneth Over
by bdenny

Comment by littlefish:
Good concept. really close on execution.