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Touching Up my Shadow
1st PlaceTouching Up my Shadow
Beagleboy


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Your Shadow (Advanced Editing I)
Camera: Fujifilm FinePix S602Z
Location: Basement den (a.k.a. my studio)
Date: Feb 2, 2004
Aperture: f 10
ISO: 160
Shutter: 2 sec
Galleries: Humorous, Studio
Date Uploaded: Feb 2, 2004

 OK. I was playing with a few ideas when this struck me like a bolt out of the blue.

A tabletop lamp sitting on the floor with lampshade removed created the shadow using a 40-watt bulb. Switched white balance on camera to incandescent light. I blocked the light from directly illuminating the camera with a toolbox. I also used a much weaker secondary light source coming from an opening in the wall to the right. This created secondary shadows from my right arm and brush that I had to clone out. I also cloned out an ugly electrical socket as well as imperfections in the wall and on the chair.

I covered the can of white paint with two layers of basic white paper then removed the lid. I used the Pen tool to do the outline of the can and created a new layer. I messed up near the end and didn’t have enough time to do it over again, so the can’s colour isn’t quite right and it looks a little fake.

I used the Spatter brush of the Clone Stamp tool to create the brushstrokes. I think I used 18 and 24 pixel sizes. After having selected my cloning sample on a non-shadowed section of the wall, I created the brushstrokes by clicking the Stamp Tool, holding the mouse button down and dragging away from the shadow (towards the upper right corner). This created the impression of brush strokes.

I tweaked brightness/contrast and adjusted levels just a twinge and colour-corrected slightly. I resized, created the border, resized again and did one sharpen.

Voilà!

I know some will complain by saying this borders on digital art, BUT I didn’t paint anything in… I just used the Clone Stamp in a legal and creative manner.

Statistics
Place: 1 out of 53
Avg (all users): 7.5561
Avg (commenters): 8.5625
Avg (participants): 7.4048
Avg (non-participants): 7.6000
Views since voting: 9800
Votes: 187
Comments: 60
Favorites: 18 (view)

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AuthorThread
 08/14/2005 03:19:06 PM
VERY well done! Terrific shot!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/21/2004 11:02:15 PM
This effort has produced another artist participation self portrait. While the other efforts show the artist hands and brush bringing the image to life, Beagleboy is perfoming the reverse routine..erasing his shadow. A very original variation with great interest.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/11/2004 07:29:18 PM
great concept! congrats on the win.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/10/2004 08:25:44 PM
lol. funny stuff.

Originally posted by jmsetzler:
Originally posted by EddyG:
For the record, I disagree with jmsetzler. When voting, how do you know that the submitter didn't actually airbrush a shadow on to a wall and then set up the shot and take a picture?


It's easy if you look at the photograph... look at the photograph... look at the photograph :) It's not hard to do :)

Yup.. the photographer could have done this, but not in this photograph :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/10/2004 07:57:10 PM
excellent idea, good shot and not very appropriate use of the software tools IMHO.

I am not surprised that it won, in fact, it could still be the best of the lot.

Also, it was a 24hr competition and the original idea would have probably required a longer time to be produced properly.

But to keep saying that is a remarkable use of PS doesn't help the site, the commenters nor the author that, I am sure, is brilliant enough to have understood Setzler (lonely) critics by now.

There is a lot of talk about positive criticism and learning processes.
What about the practice?

02/10/2004 10:35:12 AM
Very delightful and appropriate use of PS, Denis. Congratulations on the ribbon!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/09/2004 10:46:52 PM
Doucettes RULE!! Oh, yah!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/09/2004 10:41:11 PM
Félicitations Denis! You're following in your Bro's footsteps!!! :-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/09/2004 06:29:31 PM
I can see the debate and the different sides, but probably best left discussed on a thread. This is still the first place winner, perhaps questioning the photographer's intention/integrity is taking away from the photo and his win. Great job, Beagleboy, I'd imagine your portfolio is genius :-)
::Lori
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/09/2004 02:36:40 PM
What can I say, Well Done!

This was one of my favorite shots of the challenge.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/09/2004 11:55:47 AM
Great shot! You deserve the ribbon. You have a very creative mind. Wayt to go!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/09/2004 10:09:19 AM
Originally posted by EddyG:
For the record, I disagree with jmsetzler. When voting, how do you know that the submitter didn't actually airbrush a shadow on to a wall and then set up the shot and take a picture?


It's easy if you look at the photograph... look at the photograph... look at the photograph :) It's not hard to do :)

Yup.. the photographer could have done this, but not in this photograph :)
 02/09/2004 08:14:30 AM
For the record, I disagree with jmsetzler. When voting, how do you know that the submitter didn't actually airbrush a shadow on to a wall and then set up the shot and take a picture? What if beagleboy "lied" in his "Photographer's Comments" and said exactly that: "I spent the better part of a day tracing my shadow on to the wall and then airbrushed on a dark shade of gray where my shadow would be so it could appear I was touching up my shadow." Would that have made this a better picture? Would you "know" that he wasn't telling the truth? Obviously doing it in "post" is easier, but so is handling your finances with Quicken instead of paper and pencil, or typing and spell-checking a paper in Word instead of using a typewriter and a dictionary. But using Quicken or Word is what you do in the 21st century.

As long as a photograph appears as though it could have been "taken straight from the camera", it most likely maintains photographic integrity in my book.

Message edited by author 2004-02-09 08:17:25.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/09/2004 07:05:33 AM
I tend to agree with jmsetzler
 02/09/2004 06:12:13 AM
woohoo! Great shot, bro. Congrats on your first ribbon.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/09/2004 05:18:37 AM
Most excellent. Well done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/09/2004 04:20:17 AM
It's nice to see a non-dSLR win! Congrats.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/09/2004 04:11:20 AM
To solve your paint pot problem, turn this image to B&W. It actually screams for black and white if you ask me. Very fun idea, congratulation for the win!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/09/2004 02:11:41 AM
yippee!! congrats on a great shot and the blue ribbon!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/09/2004 12:36:25 AM
Well, I just want to thank everyone for voting on my image and a very special thanks to those who took the time to comment.

I have just attained two other photographic goals for 2004: i) to win a ribbon and ii) to have one of my shots show up on the page describing my camera (on contest end, this shot is now the 9th highest rated for the S602z). I never would have thought that my ribbon would be blue and that I'd be getting it so early in the year.

I kind of lucked out with this one since I was on days-off from work when the contest was announced. I'm very glad I took the time to take this shot.

You're looking at a very happy Canadian!

Message edited by author 2004-06-21 08:57:51.
 02/09/2004 12:25:48 AM
I said you would win in my pre challenge comment!
So Congratulations well deserved!
How someone can give you a 1 for that I'll never know
I gave it a 10 and Thats how it should be Well done

Message edited by author 2004-02-09 00:27:35.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/09/2004 12:21:22 AM
This was my favorite pic in this challenge. Terrific idea and very well executed. Congrats on the win!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/09/2004 12:13:24 AM
Congratulations!
Great idea
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
02/08/2004 05:52:11 PM
Excellent angling to get the varing softness in the shadows, adding to the realism of the set-up.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/08/2004 04:35:44 PM
very well done indeed!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/08/2004 01:45:21 PM
a winner for me
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/07/2004 11:01:10 PM
Very creative. I'm not sure about the curvature but I love the paint brush effect. Good job.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/06/2004 12:53:20 PM
I like the idea here. I wish the shadow was a little more pronounced; but that is just an opinion and not ctritique of the comp or style.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/06/2004 09:56:24 AM
Very creative. My favorite for the challenge. Nice tones and colors.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/05/2004 06:28:08 PM
That is a really nice composition. It is the kind of imagery that makes one's brain go in circles.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/05/2004 06:25:18 PM
photoshop for people...brilliant concept!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/05/2004 03:25:44 PM
The more I look at this, the more I like it. Well done! 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/05/2004 02:48:13 PM
wow
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/05/2004 05:16:38 AM
Great idea, like how the main subject isn't in the centre of the shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/04/2004 07:00:26 PM
Genius.... Congrats on another ribbon!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/04/2004 04:06:52 PM
intelligent!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/04/2004 03:31:12 PM
Very creative! I like it.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/04/2004 11:17:13 AM
Great conception, excellent execution. Did the paint effect come with the shadow, or was it added in post processing. It really looks like the shadow is being created with paint.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2004 09:11:49 PM
Fantastic! Great idea & execution of it. My fave by far! Technically a good shot. Brilliant. I love it! 10!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2004 08:32:02 PM
Great creativity! Very good composition and lighting. I really like your take on this challenge.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2004 06:10:20 PM
My top pic...good creativity!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2004 05:16:27 PM
Clever and original. Very well done! 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2004 03:09:51 PM
Creative idea, well done. Congrats.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2004 01:18:21 PM
Very unique idea. I'll be interested to see how this was done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2004 10:37:05 AM
Subtle. Cool. Nice Job!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2004 09:48:53 AM
Super! +9!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2004 08:16:19 AM
Ah, something really creative, AND well done.
My fav. so far.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2004 05:49:52 AM
Great idea well executed
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2004 05:27:13 AM
Very clever and a great Idea! I've given you one of my 2 Tens :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2004 04:55:37 AM
This is a great idea and well done. The only thing I find odd is your decision to use a chair. Do you paint walls seated? If the figure was standing as if REALLY painting, it would have been far more effective.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2004 03:56:47 AM
Great job. It's got mine beat! You could have been painting a ribbon on the wall methinks!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2004 03:22:28 AM
Nice picture and good choice of objects. Somehow, the shadow doesn't look that impressive.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2004 02:00:18 AM
this is my favorite "your shadow" challenge photo... nice and creative work...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2004 01:58:43 AM
that is so cool!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2004 01:32:54 AM
Now this is CLEVER I think this will win
How you did it I dont know, but this is the best. nice sharp image and detail
10 from me my only 10 in this challenge good luck
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2004 01:02:39 AM
Cool!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2004 12:57:38 AM
Clever.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2004 12:26:24 AM
A mixture of humor and art all in one. Good job of putting this together within the challenge a very creative way to do this! Very nice job with the lighting here for the shadow... I hope we'll get to find out what the lighting is. Nicely done -10-
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2004 12:25:28 AM
very creative, nice and crisp......well done

lacks punch
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/03/2004 12:15:09 AM
I think this is a great image in the 'digital art' arena. It does a great job of maintaining photographic integrity for the most part, but the effect that creates the 'wow' in this photo is not photographic.


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