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Forest Spirits
Forest Spirits
DrAchoo


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Candlelight (Advanced Editing IV)
Camera: Canon EOS-300D Rebel
Lens: Canon EF 17-40mm f/4.0L USM
Location: Camas, WA
Date: Dec 10, 2005
Aperture: f/11
Shutter: 1/13th
Galleries: Emotive, Nature
Date Uploaded: Dec 10, 2005

 This one took a lot of setup and I'm gonna be disappointed if it's too out of the box for the challenge. I made 15 of these Japanese Lanters and hiked them a mile into a hiking preserve near home. Getting there at about 3:15 PM (sun goes down at 4:30), I proceeded to scout out a location that looked particularly mossy and otherworldly. Then I picked spots for the lanters and lit them. I was a bit worried because technically you aren't supposed to have fire in the park (although I'm assuming that's meant to be campfire) and you are supposed to be out at dusk. I was in a really isolated meadow, but I still had 3 people come by. Nobody seemed to mind. After the lanters were lit, I just took pictures as the sun set. I was done after dark and cleaned up everything and hiked out by the light of a gas lantern. Fun times! I had originally wanted a shot which had all 15 lanterns, but there was too much detail and the picture wound up looking unpleasant with lichen covered branches competing with the branches of the background.

Post processing: I shot in RAW for the first time in a while. I took an image and exposed it in the RAW converter twice (once for the lanters, once for the surroundings). I then blended the two in PS. I did some levels and saturation (yellow for the moss and ferns) then some burning and dodging to minimize the detrius at the bottom and give the lanters a glow around them. Some really minor cloning and a duplicate layer with gaussian blur (which I then erased everywhere except the lanterns). Finally a resize and Neat Image with the border.

We'll see. I won't be surprised with a 6.3 or a 4.9. As an aside, I was going to title the piece "Kami", but I was afraid too many wouldn't be familiar with the Japanese word for spirit.

Statistics
Place: 25 out of 160
Avg (all users): 5.9231
Avg (commenters): 7.7500
Avg (participants): 5.7045
Avg (non-participants): 6.0833
Views since voting: 1768
Views during voting: 330
Votes: 208
Comments: 17
Favorites: 0

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AuthorThread
 02/19/2007 07:03:47 PM
Great idea--I liked the way this came out!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/28/2006 09:52:50 PM
This image has such a wonderful eerie fantasy feeling, and I liked it a lot.....
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/19/2005 07:18:09 PM
Gave this a 5. Liked the potential with the textures especially, but as you have said "I had originally wanted a shot which had all 15 lanterns, but there was too much detail and the picture wound up looking unpleasant with lichen covered branches competing with the branches of the background. " - that may have made this better in my opinion, but obviously is not what you were attempting, so it is a matter of 'preference'. The colors and overall feel was nice but again, had more potential, in my opinion.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/19/2005 02:10:53 PM
not too bad a finish. interesting image - the central branch looks like a brontosaurus neck & head

  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/19/2005 02:07:17 PM
I gave it a 7
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/19/2005 01:36:03 PM
Honestly, I didn't rate it super high, but I do like the overall feel of it. Soft and interesting. The luminaries are always quite appealing to me. I love your adventure story as much if not more than the photo itself!! What we do to get a shot!! LOL
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/19/2005 01:26:59 PM
I like it, I dunno if more candles would have helped or not, maybe more would have given it more depth. Maybe had it be a tad darker so you could see more reflections of light from the candles. This is a great shot technically, and maybe it kinda got looked over. But it is the top 25:)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/19/2005 02:08:56 AM
Didn't vote in this challenge but I think this shot was creative, well executed, and without your explanation of 2xRAW conversion would leave me wondering how you held the detail in the hilight areas and the shadows. The green foliage is a perfect complement to the warm tones in the bagged candles. If there is one suggestion I would make it would be to have placed another semi-obscured bag deeper into the BG to enhance the feeling of wanting to follow the lights to their begining.

Remember only you can prevent forest fires.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
12/16/2005 08:56:29 PM
Wow this is an awesome shot, the colors are prefect.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/15/2005 09:07:05 PM
This is such a stirring image... very story bookish with alot of warmth and feeling. well done
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/15/2005 09:48:36 AM
Wish it was a little darker, so the lanterns were glowing more.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/14/2005 07:52:45 PM
Very nice, I love how these luminaries add such character to these trees. Wonderful.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/13/2005 08:38:53 AM
good idea....
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/12/2005 11:25:30 PM
Very pretty and unique.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/12/2005 11:10:52 PM
Interesting attempt on this theme but it does not quite hold my interest.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/12/2005 10:45:16 PM
this is another interesting image and I like the eerrie feeling within the magical forrest.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/12/2005 10:22:29 PM
Nice mood and color combination, this is one of my favorites for the challenge. Congratulations!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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