'The eyes were lifeless, and lustreless, and seemingly pupilless, and I shrank involuntarily from their glassy stare to the contemplation of the thin and shrunken lips. They parted; and in a smile of peculiar meaning, the teeth of the changed Berenice disclosed themselves slowly to my view.'
Berenice - Edgar Allan Poe
I think perhaps some notes on the creation of this is in order as i suspect some will question its validity-either thinking it a photoshopped image using textured layers or a straight photograph of a painted work. It is neither. I had a small exhibition recently as part of an art festival and in the next room to me was a filmic art installation using video cameras and projectors. One night they allowed me to use them after closing.
The set-up was this: One video camera in one room with quite harsh lighting. This was connected to a projector in another room. I set this to project onto a huge old battered mirror i found which was wonderfully warped and scratched. I set my camera up on a tripod focused on the mirror and set it to take photos at intervals. I then, of course, stripped naked and pranced around throwing shapes in front of the video camera in the other room. Art is not proper art without some sort of nudity involved. And cider.
Anyway, i got some interesting shots and they needed very little in the way of processing really as all the texture and blur and colour i wanted was all there. I did a few that were more obviously human shaped and i'll post links to them. This image however is quite a crop of one and as soon as i saw Berenice evoked through the combination of the projection, shadow and the textured mirror i fell in love with her tragic face. Who wouldn't?!
Here's the image un-edited...
and another...
and two edits i was considering for FS...
Statistics
Place: 291 out of 316 Avg (all users): 4.6069 Avg (commenters): 7.7500 Avg (participants): 4.6038 Avg (non-participants): 4.6154 Views since voting: 977 Views during voting: 251 Votes: 145 Comments: 15 Favorites: 1 (view)
Definitely appeasing! Inspiring set of images, visually disturbing at times, but encanting, keeps me engaged. For me there is an inner torment or commentary strugling to free itself.
Marvellous commentary. I wasn't convinced in the voting, and see on second thought that I was very likely mistaken. It's so often my fate. You are wonderfully insane. Possibly insanely wonderful. As well as moderately appeasing.
To rate this as a photograph would be to miss the point. Honestly, what could I say? "Needs more DOF." "Nice capture!" This is art of the highest order. Brilliant.
I don't know what it is about this image that's compelling me so, but it definitely has me hooked. I keep coming back to it. Bumping from 8 to 10, and good luck to you.
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 took quite a lot of time just looking at this one. Super-bold; I like that. I'm intrigued by the surface.... a reflection in metal? I see a silhouette but I don't know its relationship to.... well, to the world really. Where does the light come from? Is that hair? Is that an arm? What is the source of the coloration? Did you intend for the marks and scratches to create the shape of rudimentary features? Endless fascinations.
Critical stuff: Nothing.
Overall: In a DPC Free Study there are Apples and there are Pears, this is definitely a Pomegranate (and a Pointy one at that.)
Add photograph to your favorites
Add photographer to your favorites
Photographer found comment helpful.
