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  #1  
Old 12-30-2009, 12:26 PM
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Buddy Thomason Buddy Thomason is offline
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Last photo critique in 2009

...or close to the last - whatever.
This particular knife presented numerous challenges for me, several of which were resolved when I finally settled on the composition. More issues remained though and some folks might like to discuss what roles lighting & camera played vs the role of digital post-processing in this situation. Some challenges were: high contrast between handle and blade/sheath/background, choice of background, dealing with imperfections, enhancing and adding color - and more. Feel free to share your thoughts and observations.



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Old 12-30-2009, 10:51 PM
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Buddy,

I like the addition of the purple tassle, but I'm not getting the connection to the knife. Is that a ceremonial knife belt or something like that?

Alex


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Old 12-31-2009, 04:20 AM
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That was certainly a challenge - how to balance the composition. That's a fancy curtain sash with tassel. It's connection to the knife is through its color. Purple represents passion. I took a touch of that color and applied it to the figure's cheeks and areolae (breasts). It's supposed to be subtle. The knife is a fighter with a good carry system. The blued blade and fittings are dark by design, loosely tactical. If I were a young soldier shipping off to some far away dangerous place, I'd love for this to be my knife. The nude is not technically perfect and the pose is old school but the artist successfully conveys the spirit youth and beauty. It's typical of the visions of beauty men have carried into battle forever, I think. Long story short - this picture is about the nude. Purple was good. I also liked the carefree arrangement of the tassel - it's like a dancing girl's skirt. I liked that the visual complexity of the curtain sash and tassel prevents the nude from dominating the composition. And finally, it just balanced out the frame visually. However, I didn't have much choice since I lacked appropriate military or other relevant objects. I settled on the sash solution because it was handy and it did offer the above advantages - #1 being its tie-in with the erotic nature of the scrim. Still, as you point out, it's not an ideal solution. In this case I think I was also influenced by the maker's statement that in photographing "this one" I was free to "be artistically creative." They're deleted now, but I made images with just the knife and sheath, on a variety of backgrounds etc. I just couldn't get the image to come alive without adding something else to it - something colorful.


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Old 12-31-2009, 08:35 AM
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Hi Buddy,

Thanks for this. I had not spent time understanding it when I saw it yesterday and wanted to come back to it now. After reading your account the visuals make much more sense.

I almost wish I didn't read them first, to really understand my first impressions.

The photo is VERY daring and, I agree, the subtle color the sash includes really adds to it. it also balances and fills out the frame.

I would never shoot something with this much surrounding darkness. And that's why you are good. Taking risks. It's plenty clear. (Coop, taking notes....)

The thing that I always, always, concentrate on is showing good blade grind distinctions. In this case the nearly overhead lighting is absolutely perfect for the scrim--at the expense of the blade. Shifting the light to the right would have been where I'd go.

And then you'd get a SBC photo and not a FMP shot....

Thanks!

Coop


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Old 12-31-2009, 06:20 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SharpByCoop View Post
...the nearly overhead lighting is absolutely perfect for the scrim--at the expense of the blade. Shifting the light to the right would have been where I'd go.
Yes - a lingering fault in the image. I did expose and process to favor the scrim - a factor. But beyond that, the blade lighting was a bear. In low normal room light the blade looks almost black so bringing out the pattern tended to dominate the post-processing of the blade - at the expense of clearer grinds. The shadow/highlight tool is awesome for bringing out and then equalizing somewhat the damascus patterns in steel. That leaves things overall looking a bit flat. Adjusting contrast within the S/H panel redresses this somewhat. Actual side-light was tricky due to unanticipated shadows, like shadow from the sash and top part of the sheath negatively impacting something else. Maybe I got a little lazy or, more likely, I was so psyched about how the rest of the image looked that I lost objectivity about that little blade lighting issue. Actually that is exactly what happens to me all the time in making these photos and the only solution is to put it aside overnight, then next day do a new version of the same file that surpasses the original. After a couple of times through I either get the image I want or I simply become 'done with it.' It's like the well went dry, so however good my last take was, that's it.
Regardless, that's a good call Coop.


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Old 01-25-2010, 11:21 AM
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I am digging the purple tassel. It gives a nice contrast with the blade. What kind of a camera are you using? I have new camera coming, a Canon XSI. The little point and shoot just doesn't cut it any more.
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