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cleaver
1st Placecleaver
alreadythere


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Kitchenware (Advanced Editing V)
Camera: Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT
Lens: Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6 II
Location: san francisco, ca
Date: Apr 21, 2007
Aperture: f/20
ISO: 100
Shutter: 1/250
Galleries: Still Life, Textures
Date Uploaded: Apr 22, 2007

ingredients:
- one freaking heavy chinese cleaver
- one ratty cutting board
- one monolight with a 10 degree grid spot
- one forgiving wife

post-challenge edit:
- WHAT? i did not think it was at all possible to win a challenge on my first try. i can not explain how cool that is... i'll edit again shortly.

edited in photoshop cs2, in two phases. the first phase was conversion from raw to black and white:
1. raw conversion with -100% saturation, square crop.
2. several curves layers to bring out textural detail in the cutting board, knife blade and handle. another curves layer to darken out unwanted detail in the black desk chair the cutting board was sitting on.
3. flatten all layers.

the second phase was in color:
1. raw conversion with normal saturation, same crop.
2. convert to lab color.
3. copy and paste the b&w image from above into the luminance channel of the lab image.
4. curves layer to compensate for unnatural-looking saturation in the shadowy areas of the cutting board.
5. hue/saturation layer to tweak colors to look a bit more threatening or ominous.
6. flatten, convert to jpg, submit.

Statistics
Place: 1 out of 149
Avg (all users): 6.7937
Avg (commenters): 7.6842
Avg (participants): 6.6129
Avg (non-participants): 6.8819
Views since voting: 7335
Views during voting: 341
Votes: 189
Comments: 48
Favorites: 11 (view)


Please log in or register to add your comments!

AuthorThread
05/02/2007 07:36:47 PM
Fantastic shot, thanks for the detail in the Processing as well, never heard of lab colour before and so i had a play with it after seeing this entry. Excellent first entry and a well deserved win!
04/30/2007 11:54:41 PM
Congratulations, a very well done shot!
04/30/2007 11:47:52 PM
Hey Dan: What an impressive debut. Welcome and we look forward to your attractive work. Congratulations on your Blue!
04/30/2007 11:43:51 PM
Originally posted by David Ey:

This is a great photo and well deserving of a blue. However, to me it is a rather unusual angle of the knife.....I'da had it tilted the other way ie: the handle tilted to the left. and rotated 180.

really funny you should say that. i took about 30 shots, 29 of which were pretty much what you describe. they were from the opposite angle, light and camera focused on these chinese characters etched on the blade. this shot i took at random, as one of the first shots i took, and then paid it no mind for the rest of the time i was shooting.

it ended up that i didn't like any of those 29 as much as this one. it's weird, my mental picture was totally backwards from what i ended up with.

thanks for the comments! --dr
04/30/2007 10:09:49 PM
This is a great photo and well deserving of a blue. However, to me it is a rather unusual angle of the knife.....I'da had it tilted the other way ie: the handle tilted to the left. and rotated 180. Oh, what the heck do I know...I like it but it just don't look normal, which prolly ain't no big deal to most folks. I guess thats why it placed first, It is a great photo.

Message edited by author 2007-04-30 22:10:55.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
04/30/2007 09:21:12 PM
GRATZ!
Thanks for the feedback on my submission too. :-)
-JP
04/30/2007 03:03:00 PM
your first ribbon, AND first entry! I'm so jealous! Congratz and nice job!
04/30/2007 03:02:53 PM
Well. . .you just waited till you got "the" shot and boom. Ribbon on your first try! You are THE MAN!!!

CONGRATULATIONS! This is awesome and very deserving of blue!

04/30/2007 02:50:38 PM
Very nicely done...congratulations on winning the blue ribbon!
04/30/2007 01:07:01 PM
Originally posted by kevrobertson:

Ok, well done, you can leave now.

hehe, i have to admit i kind of feel that way. i feel very weird about having won on my first try. i'm certain i've jinxed any further attempts...

Originally posted by kevrobertson:

Only joking, An excellent image. Simple btu very effective.
I must try out your edditing steps.
Keep up the good work.

thanks very much! yeah, that kind of editing technique i really favor often. i find that for a lot of my images, i need them to look good in b&w before i'm satisfied with how they look in color. and lab is such a weird and wonderful colorspace to work in.

cheers,
dr
04/30/2007 12:12:28 PM
Congrats on the blue, great job!
04/30/2007 11:44:13 AM
Congratulations on your first challenge and first ribbon. Well done!
04/30/2007 11:37:29 AM
Ok, well done, you can leave now.

Only joking, An excellent image. Simple btu very effective.
I must try out your edditing steps.
Keep up the good work.
Next step a Brown ribbon!

Kev
04/30/2007 08:44:23 AM
Congrats!
04/30/2007 07:39:08 AM
Your user-name says it all. Excellent shot and great edit - thanks for the details.
04/30/2007 07:26:24 AM
first challenge, first blue...wow, that's amazing! great dramatic image with exellent lighting and composition...welcome to dpc
04/30/2007 06:20:39 AM
Congratulations!!
04/30/2007 02:39:41 AM
Originally posted by alreadythere:

post-challenge edit:
- WHAT? i did not think it was at all possible to win a challenge on my first try. i can not explain how cool that is... i'll edit again shortly.


Heh just dont be a One Hit Wonder lol.
04/30/2007 01:26:05 AM
This works. The composition is weird, but so is the light and the image. It all works in an unusual way. Congrats.
04/30/2007 12:42:23 AM
Wow, gorgeous. I gave this a 10 and am so happy to see you got a ribbon for it. First try? Now I'm sickeningly jealous... lol :)
04/30/2007 12:39:14 AM
Very dramatic shot, the lightings perfect. Big congrats on your Blue, Dan. I wish you many more.
04/30/2007 12:32:57 AM
congrats on a great blue
04/30/2007 12:23:10 AM
Not bad for a first entry. Keep trying! Just kidding, of course. Congratulations on your blue ribbon.
04/30/2007 12:18:22 AM
Well this must be easy for you. Congrats on the blue.
04/30/2007 12:11:10 AM
wow, what do you do for an encore. congratulations.
04/30/2007 12:08:08 AM
That is start with the right foot, congratulations in your challenge an your first ribbon.
04/30/2007 12:06:16 AM
Love the dramatic lighting on this one congrats!

Wow just noticed a blue ribbon on your first challengge well done

Message edited by author 2007-04-30 00:11:41.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
04/29/2007 11:08:53 PM
great perspective and lighting
04/29/2007 07:03:24 AM
Clever...
04/28/2007 12:54:41 PM
wonderful lighting
04/26/2007 11:10:32 PM
great comp and lighting - extremely dramatic
04/26/2007 04:01:17 PM
Excellent lighting, DOF, composition. The whole thing really works well.
04/26/2007 02:04:23 PM
Very nice setup and angle, makes the axe look so powerful, well done!
04/26/2007 12:02:06 AM
great lighting, perspective
04/25/2007 04:55:36 PM
Nice shot, superb lighting 9
04/24/2007 10:55:39 PM
Nice point of view. 8.
04/24/2007 09:59:20 PM
The bit of spot lighting really gives and ominous feeling to that cleaver. Well composed and well lit.
04/24/2007 01:15:42 PM
Good POV and contrast. Good exposure to achieve a particular mood.
04/24/2007 08:50:17 AM
Atmospheric lighting with a "dangerous" feel!
04/24/2007 07:59:10 AM
interesting angle
04/24/2007 12:43:18 AM
super hard to light metal, and you pulled it off easly with that backlight backlight and some fill. It fits the drama. 8
04/24/2007 12:17:14 AM
Nice lighting.
04/23/2007 08:17:26 PM
nice lighting.
04/23/2007 05:12:15 PM
great DOF
04/23/2007 05:09:55 PM
A shadow that looks great. Nice composition.
04/23/2007 11:05:51 AM
Nice lighting and composition
04/23/2007 05:25:08 AM
Wow, I like this a lot. Very nice lighting. Reminds me of hollywood movies where killers pick up the cleaver, haahaa.
04/23/2007 04:39:27 AM
Goods= Perpective, DOF, Interest
Bads= Can't find anything wrong with it
Score= 10


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