I found the ol' ice cream scoop in the drawer and figured it would look cool. I think it does (after a wee bit of processing), but I don't expect it to score well. That seems to be a theme with my images lately!
That's me in the PJs taking the shot, and that's my wife looking funny in the foreground.
Oops! I just read the description. "...while keeping your camera out of the shot." What a load of crap. Oh well, it's staying in there. DNMC be damned.
Shot in RAW: adjusted white balance, exposure, recovery
PS(CS3!):
Rotate
Crop
Curves
NI
Acidify action
Selective desaturation (to remove some reddish fringing)
A bit of dodge/burn/clone here and there
Added a bit of a vignette
Resize
USM (300/.22/0)
Save for web
Statistics
Place: 65 out of 188 Avg (all users): 5.8649 Avg (commenters): 5.5625 Avg (participants): 5.4231 Avg (non-participants): 6.1869 Views since voting: 1038 Views during voting: 402 Votes: 185 Comments: 20 Favorites: 2 (view)
First Impression: Interesting, funny. I like looking through all the little details in the reflection. The expression and the flannel PJ bottoms just make me giggle. I'm starting to like this type of processing more, and this looks like a well done example. The scoop is a unique surface for the reflection, is nicely placed within the frame, and the background is nice with the slight gradient. The fact that you ended up with the camera/tripod in the shot... well, I think it adds to the fun, but also took away part of the challenge of the challenge, and I can see some people who worked really hard to not include their own camera reflection feeling a bit robbed that this one does. But, that was either a risk you chose to take, or else an oversight of the challenge description on your part.
After reading your Photographer Comments: Good to see your clarification of the DNMC issue. Pretty standard stuff there (though I must say, I have never thought to use USM with those types of numbers, so I'll have to try that some time!)
After reading voter comments: As expected, lots of DNMC comments. I did find it interesting though that everyone commented with those comments at the beginning, and as voting continued on, it seems that less voters seemed to care about that aspect, and started to view the shot for its more artistic and technical sides. I'm not sure if I like this better right side up or upside down. Someone else commented on the harsh spots of light, but I think they add some interest to the shot with the contrast.
To improve for next time? Well, obviously having the camera in the shot got you a bunch of DNMC or lowered votes. The spots of light could have been toned down just a smidge perhaps. I like the ceiling spot, but the one that is on the left part of the flat bottom of the scoop feels stronger than the others. Other than that, perhaps getting rid of some of the background clutter in the room would let the viewer focus more on the fun stuff going on with the people's reflections. I find myself continuing to wonder what the red thing is, and why it has to be there.
Hope this has been helpful! If you have any questions please feel free to PM me! :)
Very cool idea. I'm sure you've been reminded by now that keeping your camera out of the shot was part of the challenge. Other than that it works well. The lighting on the subjects in the reflection is a little harsh in places. Nice job being creative when most played it safe.
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