DPChallenge: A Digital Photography Contest You are not logged in. (log in or register
 
Challenge Entries
Portfolio Images
This image is not part of a public portfolio.
Orphan
Orphan
xianart


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Desolation II (Advanced Editing IV)
Camera: Canon EOS-20D
Lens: Canon EF-S 17-85mm f/4-5.6 IS USM
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada
Date: Jun 18, 2006
Aperture: f22
ISO: 1600
Shutter: 1/5
Galleries: Emotive, Self Portrait
Date Uploaded: Jun 18, 2006

Again, I'm glad we live inthe country, and no-one can see into my yard. The pile of charcoal isused again. I had to spray the whole area with bug juice to stop mozzies from flying into the shot.

Photoshopping:
convert from RAW
duplicate layer
adjustment layer - hue sat, completely desat, blend mode multiply, 100%
select layer, duplicate via copy
gauusian blur on copied layer
adjustment layer - clipping mask - hue/sat - desat, darken
dodge
burn
sponge sat and desat
flatten
save as jpeg
reduce image size
save for web

Statistics
Place: 40 out of 197
Avg (all users): 6.1047
Avg (commenters): 7.9048
Avg (participants): 6.1341
Avg (non-participants): 6.0826
Views since voting: 1780
Views during voting: 437
Votes: 191
Comments: 28
Favorites: 5 (view)


Please log in or register to add your comments!

AuthorThread
11/05/2006 04:23:52 PM
for this one i think the hand is not in right place..
look how much space you have for the black ground..
placing the hand to break the negative space would add some interest..
still.. great scene..
good job with the focus.. not an easy shot to make sharp..ISO 1600 ha.. brave... looks like the IS worked just fine here
  Photographer found comment helpful.
09/02/2006 08:48:26 AM
This is absolutely amazing!!!! I must have missed this as I looked through. What a wonderful display of emotion... sorry I couldn't give a 10 at the time.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
07/02/2006 06:16:17 PM
Greetings from the Critique Club!

Wow, lots of emotion in this one - successful already in that it made me "feel" when this popped up.

I find my mind so full of questions - wondering how this person came to be in this place. The source of her agony - then I realize it's more a photo of agony than of the person expressing it. Very nice work here.

Composition:

Love the composition. The hand is just in there enough to show the twist of pain, but the focus remains on the face. I also like the vertical thirds placement of the subject, and the angle that the nose through the knuckles gives us - adds a lot of energy there.

f/22 so the whole thing must be in focus - so nice work on the post processing to bring that section of trees in the upper part of the photo into submission - it could have been a very distracting background - you obviously took steps to avoid that - so kudos there too.

Lighting:

My only comment here - other than I love the lighting - is the shadow side of her face and under her shoulder seem to have gone all the way to black - I would like to see just a little detail in there. The background having places that have gone to black is a good thing IMO. Of course that's probably a processing comment instead of a lighting one - but as you can see, I have no processing section. So here it stays.

If it were a perfect world:

At least according to me, I might add a little saturation back to the eye, and maybe let her mouth be a little redder. Not too much in either case, but just a little more to draw the eye. With everything desat - any saturation is going to draw the eye more. You've done an excellent job of that already. Maybe just a bit more.

They call this a critique, but it's more of a fan letter in this case. I have no real input on how to make it better than it is, just different according to my taste. Your 6.1 vote indicates many others felt the same way. This is great work. You should be proud.

Feel free to contact me with any questions regarding this critique through the message system here on DPC.

Regards,
Doug
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/26/2006 03:43:17 AM
I'm quite suprised this one didn't end up higher. Like I said in my previous comment, you captured the grief and pain of an orphan very well. Great job. Too bad this one didn't end up in top 10. It certainly deserved that placement in my opinion.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/26/2006 01:27:10 AM
"40 out of 198"...??? No way! This deserved to be in top 5. I loved this one. This is dark, (yet)beautiful and desolate. I did not voted for this challenge but this would be my pick for "10" ...for sure.

I loved the PP also. Can you share the original also?

Message edited by author 2006-06-26 01:27:58.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/26/2006 01:10:21 AM
Wow X you really go all out! I like the grunge.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
06/25/2006 11:03:28 PM
Well done! 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/25/2006 09:19:27 PM
Great picture, but the title isn't deep enough. 7
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/25/2006 09:11:07 PM
Nice shot, your model contributed so much to the high score you're getting.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/25/2006 09:34:00 AM
Wonderful emotional image
10

good luck

Kev
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/24/2006 07:38:01 PM
The subject is certainly in agony but it is uncertain for what reason. Is He/she trying to climb a wall, crawling along the ground, or just bemoaning its fate? Too confusing.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/23/2006 09:58:22 PM
whoa! that's scary. reminds me of Gollum. very nice texture and palette.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/23/2006 06:42:48 AM
Wow...this is great.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/22/2006 07:14:27 PM
So sad...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/22/2006 11:35:39 AM
Wow. Very emotional image. The lighting is awesome, and the pp excellent.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/21/2006 03:09:17 PM
This is great, right out of a snuff film
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/20/2006 06:52:15 PM
OK, so it's not pretty...but it is a good image, and it does fit the challenge. I think I would crop out a bit more of the foreground. Contrast is good, lighting is good. Bumping score to 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/20/2006 02:15:32 PM
whoa! this scares the crap out of me. freaky picture. very strong. 10!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/20/2006 12:44:43 PM
This actually startled me when it appeared on screen. VERY powerful shot! Her expression and the overall composition of the shot (bg, colors, layout) really push the desolation. Hope to see this do well, good luck, 10.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/20/2006 02:13:16 AM
All I have to say is creepy! What is this?
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/19/2006 07:14:02 PM
Very dramtic image. Really believable subject.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/19/2006 06:40:15 PM
It is a very nice shot... It just looked "tried too hard" to me.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/19/2006 05:03:11 PM
This photo took time and thought in order to bring it about. The charred ground might symbolize burned hopes and dreams. An adult in the dirt is something that makes one stop and look. I think it portrays and evokes feeling of desolation too. But it might make some feel uncomfortable. Perhaps you did it too well.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/19/2006 04:50:20 PM
Man, this one touches my soul.. I've been looking at it for several minutes. I'm an orphan and I feel that you expressed the pain and grief extremely well.

Gets a 10 from me and added to favorites.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/19/2006 03:09:18 PM
Wow, very powerful! (also a very dedicated photographer or model to do this!)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/19/2006 08:00:16 AM
Wow! I think that has been a lot of work. 10 from me.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/19/2006 01:26:22 AM
Call me sick and twisted, but I find this humorous because it is so caricatured. I do like it alot though. Even the title is over the top. 7
  Photographer found comment helpful.
06/19/2006 12:52:40 AM
Disturbing.
  Photographer found comment helpful.


Home - Challenges - Community - League - Photos - Cameras - Lenses - Learn - Prints! - Help - Terms of Use - Privacy - Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2024 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 04/19/2024 06:01:08 AM EDT.