Oh man, I have no idea how this one is going to score.
This is a self portrait. My son and I worked together on this one for an upcoming project that he is going to be doing for his photography class. He will be duplicating this and two other shots using black and white film. I believe the exercise is to get an idea of what camera settings he needs to start with for film by using a digital camera first.
We set up the camera on a tripod in the bathroom with one of the two overhead floodlights in the ceiling and he held another bare bulb to the left of the camera. I set the ISO and aperture on aperture priority and used the timer.
I wonder what comments this will get. Even though I know it's me in the mask, it looks a little spooky seeing the eyes looking back through the tinted glass.
Statistics
Place: 305 out of 388 Avg (all users): 5.2342 Avg (commenters): 7.3333 Avg (participants): 5.3009 Avg (non-participants): 5.0667 Views since voting: 723 Views during voting: 242 Votes: 158 Comments: 6 Favorites: 0
It's very cool that you went for a self-portrait, having done these myself I realize that there's a lot more than just to press the shutter.
Regarding this shot:
Composition
Great portrait, very frontal and in-your-face. The fact that you used such a sterile environment helps people concentrate on the main subject, and draw all attention there.
Lighting / Technique
There are just 3 things (in my opinion) that kept from a higher score:
- the shadow on the left, from the overhead light, is a bit noticeable on your neck/shoulder. Some kind of bouncing from below would help to minimize this
- The blown highlights at high right
- the reflections on the eyes of the mask don't allow for the eyes to be completely visible. Don't know if a polarized filter would do the trick, since the reflection is not straight ahead, but maybe you could see a little bit more look with this.
Processing
Very good job on the monochrome, the contrast is very effective and well done, an almost b&w shot and a lot of detail in the mask.
Overall
Although it placed where it did, it's a very interesting and out of the box photo, and with just a few improvements could be really a stronger picture.
If you have any questions feel free to contact me.
Regards,
Joao
Sorry for not leaving an in-challenge comment on this one, but I had given it an 8, and I prefer to spend more time commenting on the lower votes I give. I really thought this would come in the vicinity of a 6, but I suppose the quirky shots are not for everyone.
I'm going through the entries, stopping at those images I feel have had the benefit of an unconventional eye and dwelling a little longer to try to see and appreciate what you saw. This is one of those images.
Positives: I like the way the context of this rather bizarre image is left so open - the suit, the white tiles make this a very open image. It can be interpreted through both humorous and sinister lenses. I particularly like the manic eyes - a touch of the Ray Liotta's about them
Critical stuff: Nothing really.
Overall: A most interesting offering - I am really glad to have seen it.
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