Definately my favorite photo from 2011 and thought it would be fitting to be my 200th challenge entry. Went out that day with Aldís for a drive along the south coast of Iceland, to take photos of her. Among other places, we stopped on top of Dyrhólaey, where this photo is taken. A little to her right, there is a pretty steep dropoff to the beach below.
We were so lucky with the weather, as you can see, on the right, inland, there was heavy rain, but on the left the sun is coming out and we were there at exactly the right time. When I was setting up, minutes before this, the whole sky in this frame was cloudy and the weatherfront literally blew over us as we took this photo. It was quite windy and being in the middle of september, not particularly warm but Aldís, the viking that she is, didn´t mind.
Ambient light + profoto monolight with a disc reflector.
Post challenge: Wow! Didn´t think for a second this would be a contender for this challenge, I just picked my favorite image from last year, so glad you guys liked it too. Thx!
There was never any doubt what image I wanted to enter, so the two week submission time was overkill as far as I was concerned, and also the two week voting period, the score really didn´t change much after the first two days and frankly I think a week would have been enough, but I am not complaining, just pointing that out :)
Statistics
Place: 1 out of 410 Avg (all users): 7.4016 Avg (commenters): 8.7200 Avg (participants): 7.2915 Avg (non-participants): 7.8889 Views since voting: 11038 Views during voting: 736 Votes: 244 Comments: 95 Favorites: 41 (view)
Congratulations on your big blue ribbon. The photo is esthetically and technically superb, but what I really love is the way it resembles a bride shot, but is not. Perfect title - this lady is free whilst a bride is encumbered.
stupendously dpc! congrats.
i look at this and say well how free is she with her arm over her boobs protectively
and that's not because i want to see her boobs.
Gorgeous!!! It looks like something out of "Lord of the Rings" by Peter Jackson. I wouldn't change a thing except give her pointed elfen ears.
Congrats for the beautiful shot!!!
... I'd like to round up the 8 people that gave it between 1 & 3 and hear a reason why, but we know why don't we ...
I will be the dissenting voice you're looking for I guess, but I know the photographer won’t mind that because he was generous enough to explain with detailed comments his own low votes on quite a few entries in the Best Of 2011 challenge.
I won’t say that this picture is painfully kitsch, because that would be a subjective judgement, or at least a matter of good taste.
I won’t say that it is a cliché because that would also be unfair: if for example the viewer is either new to photography or is a naturally undiscriminating and credulous soul then this may well be seen as an extremely impressive picture.
I won’t say that this depiction of a fellow human being is artless, cheesy, tacky and unsympathetic, because there’s an eager audience for that sort of thing and who am I to spoil their simple and presumably solitary pleasures?
I will say that I gave it a 3 because:
(a) I never give less than 3, and
(b) the picture has left absolutely nothing for me to contribute to it … it’s closed, finished, complete, shut, and leaves nothing to the viewer’s imagination. Nothing at all. There's no opportunity for engagement with it on any level other than the clinical/technical. It’s superficially pretty, but beyond that it’s really quite barren.
I mean no disrespect of course, and I acknowledge that my view is in the minority, but I hope the photographer and his many ardent fans will be pleased to hear even minority views on such an important picture.
My favorite too, I'd like to round up the 8 people that gave it between 1 & 3 and hear a reason why, but we know why don't we. I gave it an 8 but my 9's & 10's are as few as my 1&3's.
Great lighting and backdrop, but once your brain has seen a girl with an amputated arm it refuses to see it any other way! I think I'd have preferred the model angled round so I could see the complete arm across her breasts.
No. Thx for the observation, but I do not agree with you. Because of the scene behind her, the surroudings, this was by far the best angle to shoot from, and had she turned, like you suggested, because of the direction of the wind, the chiffon would not be blowing the way it is, her left hand is holding the other end of the material. The only option to get that angle on her, would be for me to move further to the left, and then the clouds would not have aligned like they do, making for a far less interesting photo.
Seeing how common it is to not see entire limbs in people photographs I am surprised to hear that your imagination works that way, had both of her hands been flat down her side of her body, would you have assumed her right arm was missing?
I meant angle her upper body towards you (other elements staying the same)so she looks less like a paralympic athlete :) (not that there's anything wrong with looking like a PA!)
Ein sú allra besta sem maður hefur séð frá þér Lárus. Og er þá langt til jafnað.
Til hamingju með þetta meistaraverk og verðskuldaðan sigur.
Bkv. Nilli
Great lighting and backdrop, but once your brain has seen a girl with an amputated arm it refuses to see it any other way! I think I'd have preferred the model angled round so I could see the complete arm across her breasts.
No. Thx for the observation, but I do not agree with you. Because of the scene behind her, the surroudings, this was by far the best angle to shoot from, and had she turned, like you suggested, because of the direction of the wind, the chiffon would not be blowing the way it is, her left hand is holding the other end of the material. The only option to get that angle on her, would be for me to move further to the left, and then the clouds would not have aligned like they do, making for a far less interesting photo.
Seeing how common it is to not see entire limbs in people photographs I am surprised to hear that your imagination works that way, had both of her hands been flat down her side of her body, would you have assumed her right arm was missing?
Great lighting and backdrop, but once your brain has seen a girl with an amputated arm it refuses to see it any other way! I think I'd have preferred the model angled round so I could see the complete arm across her breasts.
The picture itself doesn't speak to me in the same way that many others I've rated this highly do, but technically this is a really great photo and I can't fault it. 7
The arm across her bosom is distracting and artificial, IMO. Still a marvelous picture, but the version of complete freedom I think would be more powerful.
even without the woman this would be a stunning image, or, without the background scene this would be stunning. so you deserve two 10's. sorry i can only give you one. even with all the amazing entries in this challenge i dare say that i expect this on the front page. good luck.
Zephyr Lily, she blossoms.
White petals whisper upon the wind.
She takes flight
over land, over sea.
Very lovely. The lighting is superb, and I love the motion of the waves, the clouds and the cloth she holds all are rippling in the same direction. When I look upon the shot, I get the strong sense that she is the Goddess of the Wind/air. Just a point of interest; there is another photo in the competition that this could be a companion piece too. It has a lady in red in the desert. I imagine a book of myths and on one page is your Goddess of Air and the next page has the Goddess of Fire.
wow.... love it 10 perfect, what i aspire to be doing in a few years, wow. id have this on my wall massive anyday of the week, best image ive seen on here i think.
Male eye candy aside, this is one tog who knows his/her speedlights. Should be faring well and so far (243/409 votes) hope to see it on the front page. Unique and breathtaking image.
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