[ o ] : Photo Battle :: Lefteye Vs WannaBe

Lefteyewilly Vs. Wannabe80z

I need to sharpen my skills with this new cam and the only way to do it is to take shots.

-Photography challenge
-Slight editing allowed (crop, sharpening, levels, some dodge & burn, )
-Original photo needs to be posted
-EXIF data optional, but preferred
-3-4 day turnaround time
-Open number of rounds
-Theme/subject will be picked by the gallery after each round

-Crits not only welcome, they are required (let's try to stay away from simple stuff like "nice shot")

So, who wants to suggest the first subject matter?

Nice idea... ;)


Subject: Good vs. Evil

subject 2?: contrast

loving the idea of a photography battle...

Good vs Evil sounds interesting not sure what I can come up with snowed in my building but I am sure something...so what shall it be?

we'll stick with the good v evil. I've been racking my brain and have no idea, but i need to think differently about it. 3 days starting now ;) i should be able to get something during the long weekend.

alright, here's my submission for Good Vs. Evil
original:
http://img480.imageshack.us/img480/1034/img8271olf9.jpg
Edited:
http://img507.imageshack.us/img507/4...editwebht6.jpg

setup: brownish wrapping paper set as backdrop in my homemade light box, one clamp light at the top left corner with another sitting on the floor tilted up, camera on a tripod triggered with a remote. I had a spare piece of foam core which i used as a reflector and i used zippo fluid to light the donut on fire. The other things in the background are just to make it more interesting.

post production: levels, curves, hue/saturation slight adjustment, and slightly blurred the background out a tad more. Oh, and of course added the border.

I am not really in the the situation to be taking picture but I promise tomorrow I will have something up. I have a idea I just need to go buy the supplies.

<?pwd>

take your time dude.

Nice image Lefteye ;) jk

I love the composition and the creativity with the flaming donut. The dof looks great as well. The one thing that is bothering me is the hard light to the right of the photo on the duck image. You may have meant to do this, but I won't assume that you are that bright ;). The bright light on the right looks like like coming through a window and the left side gives the effect of being at night and the only light being candle light. Now you could say that the bright light stands for good and the darker light evil, and if that is what you meant to do awesome concept.

Nice fire.

sick image lefteye!!

Now were you planning this image or just sitting around lighting donuts on fire?

* registers flamingdonut.com *

really cool photo lefteye, I think I would have dodged out the duck picture just a little to keep the eyes focused on the main subject.

Interesting idea, and I also am wondering if you just sit around at night lighting donuts on fire...

flaming donut sounds like something out of an adult movie

i have to say the good vs evil theme really threw me for a loop. When EVP suggested it, i thought it'd be relatively easy to come up with something, but a week later, i was still scratching my head. The idea of good food vs bad food was relatively easy to come up with after i exhausted many other simple and easy solutions. I chose a donut and apple due to their contrasting shapes. After that was decided, i realized it'd be a pretty boring picture even with nice lighting at which point i summoned Jimi Hendrix and decided to light the donut on fire a la Montery Pops.

I began testing the burn time of the zippo fluid by pouring a bit on a glass plate and lighting it. Then i used a test donut to see how it would react with the chocolate frosting. The glass of water in the photo is actually an after thought, as it was originally going to be used in case the flames got out of control...which would have been really easy as the donut is set on wrapping paper. I found out quickly that the fluid ran off or soaked into the chocolate very fast.

The trickiest part was dousing the donut over a plate, transferring it to the stage, lighting it, holding up the reflector and hitting the remote switch all in the matter of 5 seconds.

I just happened to get lucky as the 3rd time of lighting it, the fire shot out of the middle of the donut and the camera captured it perfectly.

I have to say though...i was laughing my ass off the entire time of testing and shooting just thinking about how odd it is to set a donut on fire. :D . I'm still laughing about.

I completely agree with the duck in the background, it's way too bright and takes away attention to the flames. Also as an after thought, maybe i should have put some zippo fluid in the top of the apple and lit that as well...

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by lefteyewilly

Also as an after thought, maybe i should have put some zippo fluid in the top of the apple and lit that as well...

---

I like the fact that the apple isnt on fire. It is after all the "good" element of the pic.

I'm just sorry a perfectly good chocolate doughnut had to be sacrificed for the making of this image. :(

Nice one though, Lefty! :D:thumbsup:

WHAT! You didn't eat it. Bloody waste I tell you. ;)

Alright I have come to my senses and am making up all my previous work here on FK. So expect some post in the photo forum and the arena in the next day or so.

Good Vs. Evil
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/170/4...edb4ea6773.jpg
Large
PS RAW: Exposure, Fill Light, Blacks, Contrast, Sharpen
PS: Levels, Selective Coloring, Crop, High Pass, Lots of Burning

Original after raw conversion
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/167/4...97ea4e4f54.jpg
Large

My setup 1
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/167/4...3c400212e5.jpg
Large

Setup 2
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/186/4...91dbb1bdda.jpg
Large

Setup 3
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/135/4...56636d0786.jpg
Large


I hope this makes up for the delay.

HA! I love it. Such a menacing picture - great use of shadows. I only wish the background went to the edges of the picture.

And the doughnut rocks lefteye

:)

great use of lighting and angle of attack on that. Really does give a good sense of good vs. evil even with just 2 computers (down with dell!). I agree with LittleMatt about the background...that'd be my only real issue here.

i'd like to see what others think...but in the mean time...what's the next theme (contrast is a tad too close to this theme, so anything else?)

whimsical abstraction :)

i love both your photos.

lefteye- really cool and clever idea, and great execution. my only 'issue' with it is that i wish the background was a little less busy (and maybe darker).

wannabe- again, cool idea. nice set up. and the dramatic lighting works really well. you potentially could have just ended up with a picture of 2 computers, but it really does feel like good v evil- real sinister feel to it. so, nicely done. and i actually don't have a problem with the background as it is- feels more dramatic.

as for theme ideas.....

dreams/dreaming
escape
travelling

this thread is great! very creative on both images guys

I like the background as it is, otherwise it would not have the ominous feel that it does now.

My only complaint is that goofy ass border that I had to remove so that I could make it into a DT ;)

Love it wannabe, very well excecuted!

Lose the shadow to the left and it'd be perfect!

Thanks for all the comments. I really appreciate it. I didn't want the background to be as burned and close to the mac as it is but the background was way off and I liked this version rather then stamping the white to the edges of the crop.

I never really looked at that shadow on the left. I mean I saw it but never paid to much attention to it. Kinda bugs me now.

Hhaha, sorry! I know how annoying that can be ;)

It just takes away from the shape of the mac, easily photoshopped?

I might give it a try later on.

plagerism at it's finest ;)

I'm honored :p . Just keep it a few more days so when I start a March desktop thread I can use you as a decoy to get more people involved in the arena/photo forum. Show them all what really goes on outside of the CL.

ok, we've got these categories to choose from...what shall it be?

-dreams/dreaming
-escape
-travelling
-whimsical abstraction (whatever the hell that is :confused: )

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by lefteyewilly

-whimsical abstraction (whatever the hell that is :confused: )

---

LMAO It's a very well thought out theme. Kind of abstract in a whimsical kinda way ;)

Whimsy - 1. capricious humor or disposition; extravagant, fanciful, or excessively playful expression

abstract - 1. thought of apart from concrete realities, specific objects, or actual instances: an abstract idea.

So a comical, extravagant, abstract image. :)

Escape is what we have decided on. Soon to be posted.

This isn't even CLOSE to what my original idea was but I really just want to keep this going. I have a lot on my mind these days and this is all that is keeping me sane. *edit* That statement sounded really bad. I am not taking E haha. These are just Excedrin pills. :p

E
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/150/4...7cb2d29288.jpg
Large
PS Raw: exposure, blacks, contrast, curves.
PS: Levels, Shadow/Highlight, Lots of burning.

Original.
http://farm1.static.flickr.com/133/4...dc86ff911d.jpg
Large

I've got a few ideas that i'm mulling over. I'm glad you made a volley, now i'm forced to.

not as creative as my first attempt, but at least we're back on track:
Edited:
http://img140.imageshack.us/img140/3600/escapenq3.jpg

-crop, burned out the background, shadow/highlight adjustment, slight cloning on bottle

1/160
F8
Flash
ISO 400

Original:
http://img182.imageshack.us/img182/1070/escapeofm6.jpg

Didn't even see that you posted a return. It is st pattys day so i don't have a proper crit but I am just curious as to what you think we should do next? I will catch up on this thread tomorrow.

What exactly does this mean towards escape? I guess it is too early to be thinking :)

next theme?

liquid escaping from the can...i thought it was obvious :confused:

wooooooooooow I am SO stupid. haha. Good shot!

theme? I just got my hands on my step moms 70-300 sigma APO DG macro so maybe something that will make me play around with that.

well we have these to choose from which were suggested before:
-dreams/dreaming
-travelling
-whimsical abstraction (whatever the hell that is )

or someone else can suggest a new one.

If we were to go with any of the 3 above, i'd say dreams (sorry pea...your's is too off the wall :D )