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Despair
Despair
BHuseman


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Extreme Emotion: Faceless (Basic Editing)
Camera: Canon EOS-30D
Lens: Canon EF 28-105mm f/3.5-4.5 II USM
Location: Seojong-Dong, Republic of Korea
Date: Jul 23, 2007
Aperture: f3.5
ISO: 800
Shutter: 1/160
Galleries: Still Life, Photojournalism
Date Uploaded: Jul 23, 2007

 This was a fun shot to do. My wife mixed up the fake blood with some corn startch and food coloring. Then she tool a candle and melted the wax and applied it to her arm to make a wound. She crawled in the bath tub and I set the camera up. We then started pouring the mixture in the wound and let it start running down her hand. When I got ready to shot the image she applied more of the mixture and I fired off about ten shots.

Lighting was the natural bathroom light, and a flourescent desk lamp positioned on the sink.

Post processing was basic. Sorry for the pun. Cropped, neat image, levels, shadow highlight, desaturated all of the channels -100 except for red that was desaturated by aout -60. Resized, smart sharpened, added the border and saved for web.

My wife doesn't think this image will do well because the subject is taboo. I still wanted to do the shot because I think this is the most extreme the emoition of despair can get to.

POST VOTING:

Well, this score was all over the place this week. I have to say when I saw the five ones at first I was pissed and ready to fire off about it, but instead I will sit here and laugh.

A One huh? What makes a photo deserve a one? Did I not meet the challenge? No, I think I met the challenge pretty good. Was the photo blurry? No, int was in focus where I wanted it. Was it too dark and noisey? No, can't say that either. I guess it just comes down to some people don't want to see images like this. That is fine, i accept that and I said before the challenge that my wife advised against it.

In the end, if the image hits too close to home and that is why you hammered my score, then I apologize to have cause any undue stress, heartache, or otherwise ill feelings.

Thanks for all of the votes and compliments. Yes I am even thanking for all of the sub 5 votes to include the 1's. Most people wouldn't do so, but in the end I walk away with a learning experience and that far outweighs any kind of ribbon I could ever win.


Statistics
Place: 26 out of 110
Avg (all users): 6.0068
Avg (commenters): 7.3077
Avg (participants): 5.8250
Avg (non-participants): 6.0354
Views since voting: 1490
Views during voting: 571
Votes: 294
Comments: 34
Favorites: 1 (view)

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AuthorThread
 01/01/2008 09:03:48 AM
it doesn't look credible.. in the first place, suicides like these are by cutting an artery on the wrist that is a little higher than what is shown in the photo, next when the artery is cut, the blood gushes out in full force,, doesn't trickle as appears in the photo, and is fresh blood of bright color, and if the photo is supposed to have been some time after the death .. then the blood would look caked and not like chocolate sauce .. and the hand would appear pale and lifeless.. not fresh and full of blood as appears there .. no sir, you cant do this kind of photo composing, which is providential !
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/28/2007 03:32:17 PM
hmmm i gave this a 6 during voting but i think its mostly because it looks like it was neat image'd to death. or whatever your tool of choice is (noise ninja/kodak air brush) but the drop is perfect and as a not pick i think i would have had the wrist turned up slightly more so we could not so plainly see that there is no cut mark, not that i would expect you to go to such lengths for your art! ;)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/13/2007 10:56:21 PM
ouch! packs a wallop of emotion-"in your face". Very strong. great image, very well done. I didn't vote in this challenge, so didn't see it until the thumbnail was flitting about in browse section; Ben this is very different for you! WOW! If you want to talk about scoring, look at the avg score for commenters! great! my guess is, this image was a bit raw for a lot of folks, definitely Extreme emotion!!

strong work!
Anni
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/13/2007 09:39:46 PM
This is easy, I gave it a 6 yet I can see that most likely the low scores came from its subject matter. So people are just down right offended. No surprise here to me.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/02/2007 10:01:19 AM
Shocking, gripping, emotive, scary, incredible!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
07/31/2007 10:28:46 PM
Shocking, but right on target.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/31/2007 10:24:40 PM
I keep coming back to this one- It is so real and disturbing. Good luck.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/31/2007 01:59:18 PM
Are they in despair because they have dropped their chocolate ice cream in the bath? ;-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/30/2007 11:54:37 PM
The skin looks fake; it doesn't look like a person who's bleeding. Good timing of the drop.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/30/2007 05:53:52 PM
Certainly suggestive of extreme emotion--effective shot of the hand, wrist, & blood contrasting with the cold, institutional background.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/30/2007 03:55:47 PM
Wow, overwhelming prevailing emotion on DPC, ah, great suicide picture. My second favorite of the suicide club.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/30/2007 10:52:18 AM
I would have liked to see the blood dripping off in focus.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/29/2007 06:29:33 PM
omg!!!! This looks so real and creepy, but this is a well-executed image!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/29/2007 02:24:47 PM
Hand looks a bit plastic.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/28/2007 06:01:37 PM
Nicely caught blood - A tad depressing....
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/28/2007 03:21:25 PM
Very Moving
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/28/2007 12:55:20 PM
I love the idea, and concept, blood streaks are nice, not enough of a visible gap for the wound, and it seems way way to smooth. Personally I would have liked a grittier effect with textures instead of being over smoothed as they appear.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/28/2007 11:29:39 AM
Very strong impact. Very nicely executed.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/27/2007 06:58:32 PM
I wish there was cut marks or something...so it wouldn't look quite soo staged?
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/27/2007 06:52:19 PM
this hand almost looks fake. great photo, i wish the arm was angled slightly so that you cant see that there really isnt a wound ..8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/26/2007 09:08:13 PM
you are twisted man,
but this photo is dead on!
the DOF is amazing.. perfect for this
this photo has so much emotion...10!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/26/2007 05:26:25 PM
WOW, Perfect from the low sat. to the motion blurred drip. Great Job
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/26/2007 03:54:00 PM
smooth
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/26/2007 09:40:25 AM
Meets the challenge
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/25/2007 10:07:03 PM
Thats a bloody great picture, very nice clarity, the arm almost looks rubber, it has a shine to it, or something odd, good work anyway, I couldn't have pulled this off. 8.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/25/2007 06:19:58 PM
Do I think this image shows "Extreme Emotion": Yes. Like the angle, PP a little awkward, 7 (+1 for the drop).
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/25/2007 04:54:52 PM
Ok of all the million suicide photos I've seen in this thing, this one's the best...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/25/2007 03:35:59 PM
UGH! ;)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/25/2007 03:27:35 PM
God, this one got an emotional reaction out of me... I can feel the despair and hopelesness...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/25/2007 03:25:28 PM
Hmm, the colour kind of resembles chocolate sauce..?
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/25/2007 02:37:34 PM
the best so far of the suicide bundle, great job. bumping this with a 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/25/2007 10:58:50 AM
one of the better suicide shots. not a particularly fun emotion but you did it well. weird thing is the arm/hand looks like wax. kinda cool.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/25/2007 03:25:22 AM
I love the action in the drip...very troubling, very well captured
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/25/2007 12:13:08 AM
christ!
that's truly grim
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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