Set up the book near a candle on a black backdrop. Using a flashlight, I painted the book to bring it into proper exposure against the bright candle. Cloned out one dust spot, curves to bring the book into balance and warm it up after the harsh flashlight light, a little dodge'n'burn on the glasses, minor USM, and the border.
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Place: 64 out of 177 Avg (all users): 5.5476 Avg (commenters): 5.3333 Avg (participants): 5.3571 Avg (non-participants): 5.8143 Views since voting: 1204 Views during voting: 221 Votes: 168 Comments: 9 Favorites: 0
Good use of shadows to enhance the focus of subject matter. The candle seems to be less of the subject than the book and glasses however. Nice balance of placements of the elements, but the left side of the book is distracting, makes me think that it is going to close on you. Positioning the glasses across the binding may have been effective in thwarting that, but would have introduced a different crop or placement of elements that would defeat the shadowing. I see the low tech element but it seems overwhelemed by the book as the focal point. Nice subtle border and choice of accent color.
This shot doesn't demonstrate "low-tech" without the title and knowledge of the challenge parameters. Overall, it is a good image but I'm marking it lower than I would like because I can't tell if the candlelight or the book is your focal point.
I'm just having a hard time placing this picture in any context. I understand that the "low tech" portion is the use of a candle to read by, but you must remember that the image must stand alone outside of DPC as a memorable and meaningful image. I don't feel anything when I look at your candle, for instance. It looks like a candle I have on my coffee table. An old kerosene lantern would have improved it. Or maybe use the same candle but show us a warm mountain lodge in the background with a fire going and a dog curled up at the reader's toes. You are on to something with the topic being portrayed here (I would call it "Rockwellian" simplicity), but you need to tell more of a story. Technically, there's nothing wrong with the photo. Exposure, composition, and lighting are all acceptable. Just tell me a story. :)
Tes, candles are low tech. Book binding and glass making very high tech. A bowl of fruit with some old pottery would have sent the candle message deeper. Yet, your image and comp are very well done. 7
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