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the human stain
the human stain
tate


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Body Parts II (Advanced Editing VII)
Collection: Photo Illustration
Camera: Nikon D300
Lens: Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED
Date: Apr 6, 2008
Date Uploaded: Apr 6, 2008

 justamistere's hand on some spilled fossil fuel I presume in the parking lot of our workplace. He apparently saw me shooting this stuff back before becoming a member of DPC. Apparently I haven't changed much. thanks.
Title: a different meaning than the well known story titled "The Human Stain" - but the title fit nicely into my fossil-fuel-fired angstly environmentalism. I used shadow highlight to give the hand the wonderful contrast. obvious desat and that's pretty much it other than minor cloning and dodge-burn.

THanks for the praise! I honestly wasn't even sure whether I was going to use this.

This photo has been featured on a mag cover!: Momentum

and on Getty Images

Statistics
Place: 5 out of 156
Avg (all users): 6.8214
Avg (commenters): 8.3182
Avg (participants): 6.8852
Avg (non-participants): 6.7926
Views since voting: 6373
Views during voting: 390
Votes: 196
Comments: 53
Favorites: 48 (view)

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AuthorThread
 05/08/2018 12:14:07 AM
It's been 10 years since you posted this, and I still think about it every time I see and oil stain on the ground. Great shot!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/04/2009 08:34:06 PM
SIMPLY AMAZING! Very graphic message achieved with this photo, can't believe it didn't ribbon! Straight into my favs.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/04/2009 08:17:23 PM
look at this shot picking up the faves!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/10/2009 09:34:13 AM
I've nominated this photo for the 2008 Peoples Choice Photograph of the Year. Good luck!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/09/2008 02:28:35 AM
Great photo and title - love the concept.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/23/2008 03:45:21 AM
Been away for a few day and didn't see this.
Great shot Tate - and a great result :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/19/2008 12:47:16 PM
Tree hugger. I can call you that of course because I'm a bit of a hugger myself. Congrats on top 5. Well done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/14/2008 08:39:03 PM
fabulous. great idea and execution.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/14/2008 06:02:05 PM
exellent picture/well done
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/14/2008 01:42:47 PM
Such a great message in a painfully beautiful image. Very well done!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/14/2008 01:30:02 PM
This photo does speak to me, although on a more spiritual level rather than environmental one (although I dig that aspect too). Adding to favs.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/14/2008 01:13:33 PM
(Haven't had time to look at much lately, and when I saw the thumbnail, no title, I thought How did they get so small a hand on the eye of a peacock feather?) The photo challenges the mind to catch up with the message: at once we extract the oil and waste its rainbow fallout and with the same hand reach for and crave ever more. Our grimy/oil stained hand.
How delightful this was a sort of collaboration.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/14/2008 11:30:19 AM
What a serendipitous find!
I'm glad I was able to lend you a "Hand". Oil spill was your idea, adding hand was mine.

No ideas, just go shooting in some direction. Ideas can come up along the way. Joey Lawrence and many others have done that. The "Just do it" attitude.

To the contrary Tate, we all have changed much, for the better. Congratulations, well deserved.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/14/2008 11:07:17 AM
Wow this is good, Barry hit the nail on the head in the thread. Well done, very powerful indeed. Congrats on this wonderful image.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/14/2008 11:03:31 AM
amazing attention to detail...wonderful!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/14/2008 10:35:25 AM
The absolute BEST image I have ever seen in a very long time.....

Love the luster metallic opal rich abstract colored background, against that really real looking desaturated hand.....

Adding this to my favorites.....
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/14/2008 08:21:45 AM
Powerful statement! What a great image!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/14/2008 08:03:45 AM
Class... salute to you dude
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/14/2008 07:57:19 AM
Wow what a great photo. Love the contrast of black and white vs color. Great symbolism too. Congrats on 5th place!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/14/2008 07:39:43 AM
Exceedingly cool image. Very well done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/14/2008 03:21:02 AM
Love the story, love the title and LOVE the shot. Congrats on top 5, Tate.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/14/2008 02:43:03 AM
This is excellent :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/14/2008 12:46:08 AM
Remarkable, Tate. powerful statement, and well presented.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/14/2008 12:18:44 AM
Gotta agree with Langdon. I was expecting this to be on the front page. It got my second highest vote and if I wasn't so lazy would have won a YankO too.

ETA: Actually, I'll give it to you anyway. You shouldn't have to pay for my lazyness. :P



Message edited by author 2008-04-14 00:22:00.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/14/2008 12:11:19 AM
Wonderful...and a comment from Langdon!!! well done on the HM
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/14/2008 12:06:59 AM
Wow, I haven't seen something in this great in a while. Only 4th is unjust.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/14/2008 12:06:41 AM
Amazing and powerful photograph that speaks volumes about the human need for energy and our mark we are leaving behind. Amazing work, this should have been in the top 3, well done.

Message edited by author 2008-04-14 13:06:20.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
04/13/2008 10:13:42 PM
This is probably going to get a real ribbon, but I just have to recognize the conceptual brilliance of this, so I'm giving you a Posthumous Yellow.

  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/13/2008 03:03:40 PM
Love the contrast between the B&W and the stain!! One of my faves! 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/13/2008 09:34:52 AM
This is one of the most original hand shots I've seen in a long time. Nice use of desaturation.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/12/2008 09:56:44 PM
Love the imagery here.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/12/2008 09:02:01 AM
Great idea and I love the desat. Great flow in the colors. Back to bump you up to 8.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/11/2008 11:59:40 AM
Great shot!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/11/2008 12:59:36 AM
So this is how all of the hands in this challenge keep getting dirty.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/10/2008 01:02:19 PM
like the idea and the partial desat
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/10/2008 12:17:03 PM
I don't usually like selective desaturation shots but this is very effective
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/10/2008 09:35:52 AM
beautiful composition, I had a similar idea (but thought about it with feet standing in the center) when i was in boston the other day and decided against it; - now I wish I hadn't; its a very well laid out composition, almost looking like the bursting of sun-rays from the hand- and or as if the stain itself is radiating from the hand... ~10~
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/10/2008 02:02:27 AM
this is a super image with lots of meaning Wonderful impact 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/09/2008 11:36:14 PM
Nice image - Very creative - Great post processing I like this a lot - Great image.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/09/2008 10:36:45 AM
This is brilliant. It is a piece of art that evokes a lot of emotion, and gets the point across without even having to look at the title. marvelous!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/09/2008 06:23:22 AM
I like it, very powerful, 8, all the best,
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/08/2008 11:54:22 PM
That is fantastic, awesome background and desat.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/08/2008 05:25:35 PM
My pick for red.
Lately I've been bored with selective desaturation but this is really unique, you have renewed my faith in that it can be used to better an image!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/08/2008 10:05:14 AM
Simple idea, but it carries a lot of impact. This is in my top three.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/07/2008 01:53:34 PM
This shot works well because of the leading lines in the oil. Nice shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/07/2008 12:38:11 PM
I LOVE IT. The background is wonderful and the contrast of the hand is lovely against the colors. Super-fantastic.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/07/2008 09:48:18 AM
Now that is creative!!!! 10!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/07/2008 09:14:36 AM
Ok. Here's an "artistic" photo that many have been belaboring doesn't exist or get enough recognition on DPC. This is a wonderful (if not sadly true) story being told in a powerful, eye-catching way. Strong message, and technicals to match!

This image is deserving of all the praise it receives and then some. I hope you take this photo to many places and gather acclaims around the world. Worthy of display in many galleries!

Congratulations, and Thanks for this vision!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/07/2008 07:49:41 AM
this should be a book cover, great message
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/07/2008 02:49:29 AM
Great idea. While I dont normally go for selective desat it really works well here.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/07/2008 01:03:55 AM
This is one of my favorites for the challenge. Excellent composition and I dig the colors from the oil. Nice desat on the hand. Hope you do well.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/07/2008 12:52:27 AM
very cool. I'm not even sure what else to say! I usually try to pinpoint why I like something and then give criticism but I'm left a little stumped. I guess I like the contrast and the movement outward as well as the look of the colors. There is a metallic sheen that one doesn't see often. The mystery of it makes it all the more appealing.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/07/2008 12:11:06 AM
a really interesting result and image...selective desat is perfect for this
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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