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Fear Of Your Own Shadow
Fear Of Your Own Shadow
Judi


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Your Shadow II (Advanced Editing IV)
Camera: Canon EOS-5D
Lens: Canon EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM
Location: Central Queensland, Australia
Date: Feb 2, 2006
Aperture: 22
ISO: 100
Shutter: 13 seconds
Galleries: Emotive, Black and White
Date Uploaded: Feb 2, 2006

 I set this up with one 1000w light to the side, set at half power. I tried 4 shots with a whiteboard background but found it overexposed the image to much. So I then swapped it for the wood grain background and got the shot I wanted in four shots.

The image was taken at 10-41am using a 13 second shutter speed. I had to make sure I had enough time for both exposures as well as getting into position...but because of the time of the day I had to ensure I didn't blow out the exposure. So with my hubby to help I stood to the side to create the monster shadow twisting myself to get the shape. Hubby then covered the lens whilst I moved into the position on the right allowing enough time to expose the image without blowing out too much.

I took it into PS CS2 and cropped the image and used the Perspective tool to get it back into proportion. With a couple of levels layers and the Channel Mixer I got the basic image.

I then burnt the shadow to make it more prominent. A very thin edge area was cloned out to even the image out.

Some brightness/contrast was used on the eyes and a gentle burn of some of the shadows on me.

PS - yes I was wearing clothes in this shot.

I have a feeling this will be put up for validation probably because of the texture but I just love this shot.

P.S. Image taken 3 February 2006 Australian Time.

Statistics
Place: 16 out of 106
Avg (all users): 6.2098
Avg (commenters): 7.7857
Avg (participants): 6.0149
Avg (non-participants): 6.2930
Views since voting: 1989
Views during voting: 465
Votes: 224
Comments: 19
Favorites: 2 (view)

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AuthorThread
 02/16/2006 02:51:20 PM
Greetings from the Critique Club:

Composition:
The subject's placement in the shot is very good. I would've preferred the body of the shadow to be a little more prominent since it's cut off on the side but it works well. Everything leads my eye into the shot and the shadow's arm leads me to you so that worked out very well.

Camera Work:
The lighting is very even and the choice of the wood grain background works out very well. One thing I'm distracted by is the fact that I can see the grain through your body. It does make it look dreamy but I would've liked to see you more solid. This could've been accomplished with 2 flash pulses instead of a well lit long exposure.

Post-processing:
Contrast and brightness look good and the B&W looks very nice. The burning of the shadow looks a little blotchy though. Some areas are almost completely black while others are dark grey.

Overall I like this shot. The emotion displayed on your face really interests me in the shot so you did what you were trying to do. My main comments for improving the shot (and I could easily be wrong) could've been achieved by strobing a flash so that you weren't so transparent. Congratulations on your top 20 finish.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/11/2006 12:25:05 PM
Thought this was the best picture, my only 10.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/10/2006 12:17:27 AM
Great idea and well done..
I wondered how you did the grain..

  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
02/09/2006 06:24:05 PM
love the model and the transparency, but the position and shape of the shadow seem a little awkward/campy. 7.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/09/2006 06:05:34 PM
A very powerful impact combining lots of elements which to me give off a very surreal feeling. I see vulnerability AND aggression in the face and as a result I don't know whether to feel for her or fear her... in other words, your entry told me a very emotional story... GREAT JOB! 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/07/2006 08:00:46 PM
Wow... that's a creepy shadow. Nice look of fear. I'll be curious to see the details of how you did this one.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/05/2006 06:19:29 PM
great shot very creative
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/05/2006 03:52:49 PM
Nice shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/04/2006 06:15:55 AM
I like this one.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/04/2006 01:22:56 AM
Neat concept, very cool shot. Good solid composition. The models look/expression is great, works well. Nice job!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/04/2006 12:21:00 AM
yikes - this is spoooky - great emotive image - love the processing as well with the wood grain throughout - that shadow really does look like a demon or something - great job :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2006 07:26:29 PM
fantastically dramatic shot, reminiscent of childhood nightmares... Is that wood grain over the top?
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2006 11:02:07 AM
I really love the grainy look of the image. Alarming.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2006 10:48:40 AM
one of my ribbon picks -- the model's expression,pose, and b&w treatment work really well. Like the wood grain, too. The shadow itself is a bit odd -- pose wise and detracts a tiny bit.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2006 10:36:05 AM
brilliant
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2006 08:43:12 AM
Beautiful and eerie.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2006 07:57:05 AM
Awesome!!! This is perfect!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2006 12:40:08 AM
Very well done, I love the textures the exposure has created on the woman.
9, would be a 10 if the shadow was sharper.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2006 12:01:52 AM
I like the idea here, but I don't care for the wood grain across the crouching woman - it's distracting.
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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