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heart on fire
heart on fire
aplomb76


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Heart II (Advanced Editing VII)
Camera: Canon EOS-1D Mark IIn
Lens: Canon EF 35mm f/1.4 L USM
Location: Sagamihara, Japan
Date: Nov 16, 2008
Aperture: f/3.2
ISO: 100
Shutter: 1/250 sec.
Galleries: Still Life, Studio
Date Uploaded: Nov 16, 2008

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on background selection: gaussian blur, auto levels

In the past month or so I've been trying to do some of the classic photography trick shots (water drops, smoke, suspending by fishing line). I feel I learned a lot by doing those photos, but I think my work suffers from not so creative composition. So I set out to take make the simplest yet well composed photo I could that would score well.

I did this with a tin heart-shaped cookie cutter and a sheet of textured red paper. I held the cookie cutter upright by poking two holes in the paper underneath the heart and running some fishing line up through it to pull down on the cookie cutter.

I made a snoot out of construction paper for the smoke challenge and I held it over my flash to focus the light.

I took hundreds of shots, and for a while I though I had some good photos. The more I looked at them the more I realized they sucked (too much red).

I try not to do too much Advanced editing, but I was desperate. I selected the background of the photo using magnetic lasso and played with the bright-cont, shadow-highlight, etc...

Desperate for a better photo I hit auto levels in Photoshop and it turned part of the background selection yellow. I wish I had thought to adjust the levels like this, but it was just a pleasant surprise to me. I put the photo aside, but came back to it later dissatisfied with my other photos.

I really hate this photo. :(

...OK I don't hate it that much. I think it looks pretty good, but the fire coloring was an accident so although I like the photo I have contempt for it looking this good on accident.

Statistics
Place: 34 out of 105
Avg (all users): 5.6923
Avg (commenters): 5.5000
Avg (participants): 5.5909
Avg (non-participants): 5.7321
Views since voting: 1146
Views during voting: 300
Votes: 156
Comments: 6
Favorites: 0

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AuthorThread
 Comments Made During the Challenge
Olympus E-5
Olympus 7-14mm f/4.0 Zuiko Digital Zoom
 11/23/2008 11:57:39 PM
I've been looking at this shot for a bit and like it very much. Very intriguing composition and beautiful colours.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Olympus E-300 EVOLT
Olympus 50mm f/2.0 Macro ED Zuiko Digital
 11/23/2008 03:09:12 PM
Great colors and lighting. I like the white rim too. It almost looks like graphic image than a photograph. I feel there is to much black around it.
the heart is close to the bottom of the frame but a LOT more black above which throws the balance off. Bring those sides and top in and you would have a stunning shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-5D Mark III
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM
 11/18/2008 02:08:45 PM
pretty interpretation. the only thing I would suggest: the strong bright yellow is a bot overpowering the rest of the darker parts in your picture.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Canon EOS-40D
Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8 L USM
 11/17/2008 03:09:18 PM
nice idea, but somehow the texture of the light area is uneven and unpleasant.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Sony Alpha a6000
Sony E 16-50mm f/3.5-5.6 PZ OSS
 11/17/2008 09:46:03 AM
Background is distracting, wish it were less busy.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
Fujifilm X-T4
Fujifilm XF 35mm f/1.4
 11/17/2008 01:49:32 AM
Good colors and good ceativity
  Photographer found comment helpful.
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