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And God said, Let there be light
3rd PlaceAnd God said, Let there be light
markwiley


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: In the Beginning... II (Expert Editing)
Collection: Portfolio
Camera: Canon EOS-5D Mark II
Lens: Sigma 50mm f/1.4 EX DG HSM Autofocus Lens
Date: Aug 1, 2013
Galleries: Digital Art, History
Date Uploaded: Aug 1, 2013

 [Aug. 6th, 2013 04:37:37 PM]

When I read the challenge theme an image popped in my head that I thought I might be able to pull off. When I actually started working on it things fell together smoothly; this is just what you want when you start three hours before the deadline.

I have to plan my Expert Editing challenge entries be relatively simple. There are some folks with the Photoshop skills to take bits and pieces of a few images manufacture a stunning and entirely new scene. Unfortunately, I am not yet one of those folks. I mostly rely on cut and paste. This image is a composite of two simple shots.

I propped the black side of my reflector against the back of the basement couch, I put a translucent plastic cup with some toilet paper in the bottom over my flash, and I had my daughter fire off a few shots of my hands.


Then, I took the cup off the flash, moved the camera back, and took some shots of the flash firing directly into the camera. I played around with a few lenses, each at their highest f stop, to see which gave me the nicest star. I used a shot from my 50mm Sigma (pardon the cluttered basement).


Finally, I took the two separate images and blacked out the backgrounds. Then I laid the star over the hands and set the layer to Difference. I was pretty happy with the outcome -- this was one of those rare times that I was able create a final image that closely matched the one I had in my head. Thanks for the comments.

Statistics
Place: 3 out of 38
Avg (all users): 6.7907
Avg (commenters): 9.3333
Avg (participants): 6.3636
Avg (non-participants): 6.9375
Views since voting: 6978
Views during voting: 233
Votes: 86
Comments: 22
Favorites: 2 (view)

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AuthorThread
 08/11/2013 03:21:34 PM
For me, this is a real wall-hanger. It's simple, yet very effective. Excellent work and congrats on the ribbon, Mark.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/11/2013 03:40:03 AM
Great result and an entertaining tutorial! congrats
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/10/2013 11:45:35 PM
Congratulations, Mark. Excellent - clean and succinct.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/10/2013 11:07:47 PM
good job Mark, simple, but with a nice result! Congrats on the well-deserved ribbon!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/09/2013 11:14:41 PM
Very nicely done! (and if that's cluttered, then I'm in real trouble... :)

Congrats on a well deserved yellow!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/09/2013 09:46:44 PM
Well, I said you'd win it. I wasn't off by much. Congrats.

Message edited by author 2013-08-09 21:47:45.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/09/2013 09:32:38 PM
Really nice. Right to the point.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/09/2013 05:28:11 PM
Beautiful work, Mark. It's clean and arresting, a real attention-grabber. Congrats on the ribbon!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/09/2013 10:28:56 AM
ahhh haaaaa...and there you have another shiny new ribbon!!! Great idea and execution...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/09/2013 08:05:59 AM
It may be a relatively simple edit, as you say in your notes, but still, the concept is there, clear, efficient, clever. In my opinion, finding a good idea for a given challenge is by far the hardest step: the rest can always be learned. Congratulations on your ribbon.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/09/2013 05:14:16 AM
Good stuff,Congrats.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/09/2013 01:14:36 AM
Nice one, Mark. Simple yet very effective. Congrats on the ribbon
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/09/2013 01:11:27 AM
Would of thought a different Colour ribbon would've been better, still not much we can do these days unless you do indeed stretch yourself, but who has the time for that, we have families to look after ~>)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/09/2013 12:28:31 AM
Way to go, Mark! Very well executed.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/09/2013 12:26:43 AM
Quite a stunning shot. Congrats on the ribbon.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/09/2013 12:19:45 AM
Congrats on the yellow Mark. Excellent work. Sublime.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
08/08/2013 10:27:57 PM
Well done. One of my ribbon choices.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/08/2013 08:54:15 PM
Great lighting, i can see many wonderful colours of the rainbow, exactly the way light is made of, my top pick, due to the accuracy of the subject at hand.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/08/2013 07:37:29 PM
Very simple but effective
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/02/2013 08:26:59 PM
If you don't win this thing then I don't know what it would take. Unbelieveably well done in thought and execution. An 11 but it only goes up to 10.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/02/2013 04:38:53 PM
Outstanding! 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/02/2013 10:53:06 AM
Great job on this!
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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