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Emotional Outlet
3rd PlaceEmotional Outlet
scalvert


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Personification II (Advanced Editing V)
Collection: Favorites - Ribbons
Camera: Canon EOS-20D
Lens: Sigma 105mm f/2.8 EX DG Macro for Canon
Location: Easton, CT
Date: Feb 4, 2007
Aperture: f/16
ISO: 100
Shutter: 1/100
Galleries: Humorous, Studio
Date Uploaded: Feb 4, 2007

 Could this be any more cliché? I was going to shoot the water dispenser on my refrigerator ("Robo Cup"), but this offered a simpler layout. Looks like I'm into crying photos lately. Must be my sensitive side. ;-)

One of my easiest setups, and this was the first shot I took. I had an extension tube on my Sigma lens, and framed it as you see here- no cropping. I had a brolly box monolight on the top left, a reflector underneath, and a black board on the right. The "tear" was a drop of corn syrup applied with a toothpick. The oulet was live, but I managed to not fry myself.

Processing: Convert from RAW, levels, cloned out tiny specks, dust and scratches, cloned out a piece of screw below the outlet, convert to B&W with Channel Mixer and add slight tint in HSL, dodge & burn tear and left side for definition, blurred the left side more, USM and add border.

It's a shame that I backed into a ribbon this time at the expense of a superior photo. I thought of a better title the day after submitting: "Power Loss." That might have made a difference.

Statistics
Place: 3 out of 218
Avg (all users): 6.8324
Avg (commenters): 7.6667
Avg (participants): 6.5679
Avg (non-participants): 7.0510
Views since voting: 59580
Views during voting: 380
Votes: 179
Comments: 55
Favorites: 34 (view)

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AuthorThread
 10/03/2007 09:18:21 PM
It is amazing what one can do with just an everyday ordinary object. You took a simple electrical outlet and turned it into a extra-ordinary object that 'sheds' emotion! Lighting in your shot is fabulous for not only do you effectively illuminate the outlet but there is a wonderful gleam to that 'teardrop'. The shape of the 'tear' is perfectly pear-shaped and it glistens from that 'eyeduct'. Love the title too! A double pun on this everyday outlet and that of an emotional outlet.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/15/2007 08:12:54 PM
So simple and effective!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/17/2007 07:25:12 AM
I like like the title Emotional Outlet WAY above Power Loss!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/16/2007 06:03:24 PM
Wow, this is good. I can imagine how sensitive you are now.
Challenging indeed!

Message edited by author 2007-02-16 18:06:16.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/16/2007 11:29:44 AM
Great shot, Shannon!

I love the title. It took a few seconds for the alternate meaning of the title to hit me, and I really like it--brilliant! I like it better than "Power Loss", since I think that "Emotional Outlet" is a pun with greater impact. I think it communicates a more concrete human trait than just the loss of power (which is a potential source of emotion, but IMHO less revealing).

Your creativity is consistently amazing. I'd love to know more about how you come up with your ideas. (On that note, thanks for doing the DPC podcast interview, that was fascinating!)

Colin
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/15/2007 12:22:39 AM
This is brilliant! I don't know what else to say.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/14/2007 04:21:03 PM
Great shot and idea. Love the setup and lighting is right on. Nice work and congrats on the ribbon.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/14/2007 02:44:16 PM
superb! Congrats!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/14/2007 10:29:10 AM
Pleased you didn't electrocute yourself ;-) (and Emotional Outlet is the perfect name). Congrats on the ribbon.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/14/2007 12:12:46 AM
now i really hate you!!!! LOL
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/13/2007 11:36:50 PM
You sure have been making alot of people and or things cry lately. lol This one is pretty slick. Nice Work.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/13/2007 11:34:17 PM
i was wondering how you did that without shocking yourself to death! pretty tricky! great picture!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/13/2007 11:17:48 PM
I also prefer "Emotional outlet" to the "Power loss". Anyway, congrats on the 30th ribbon, Scalve(nge)rt! :P
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/13/2007 10:55:55 PM
I do believe I had that lens before you. :) Too bad I couldnt win a ribbon with it.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/13/2007 09:29:22 PM
Congratulations ribbon hog! j/w! Congratulations on a tough challenge!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/13/2007 07:57:26 PM
great shot. i think the title you chose was great.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/13/2007 07:33:38 PM
Congrats on the big Three-Oh - you da man!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/13/2007 07:18:53 PM
When I first saw this I knew it was a winner......Great Idea!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/13/2007 07:10:21 PM
Great shot...congrats
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/13/2007 07:02:54 PM
Looks like you got a ribbon after all. Congrats, its a good photo.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/13/2007 12:05:22 AM
This was one of my favs (gave it a 9); a creative twist on what was destine to be a cliche image for the second go 'round of Personification (there were a ton of outlet/socket shots in Personification I). Nicely done and congrats on an HM finish.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/12/2007 07:26:17 PM
Cute idea and well shot as always. Congrats on the honorable mention.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/12/2007 02:00:24 PM
Great shot and P.S. Emotional Outlet is THE perfect title...power loss would've been vastly inferior :-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/12/2007 05:48:03 AM
Cliché is synonymous with Scalvert, is it not? Such a simple photo - it reached those simple-minded voters though.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/12/2007 12:48:43 AM
shockingly good shot there mate. Congrats!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/12/2007 12:34:27 AM
damn you scalvert!!!!

until an hour before this challenge finished, i had you ... I HAD YOU!!

still one of my favourite shots from the challenge though. well done mate!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/12/2007 12:17:04 AM
Yup, very cliche :) Pretty good though, for a sensitive kind of guy.

PS - your 105 is getting quite a workout :)

Message edited by author 2007-02-12 00:17:29.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/12/2007 12:12:28 AM
Works for me. Wonderful.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/12/2007 12:08:30 AM
Cliche, maybe, but I love it.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/12/2007 12:06:49 AM
It was Ciche Shannon, but a great result...love your title
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
02/11/2007 10:50:00 PM
That is a sight that would make me emotional.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/11/2007 06:20:09 PM
7 danger points.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/11/2007 06:12:03 PM
I love the angle, light and cropping....he looks so sad
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/11/2007 04:24:16 PM
I like - 8
(but water and electricity don't mix!)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/11/2007 02:33:06 PM
Brilliant
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/11/2007 01:47:33 PM
Looks dangerous to me.....
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/11/2007 01:08:05 PM
LOVELY title/concept!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/10/2007 11:51:35 AM
This gave me a very good laugh. Content is great!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/09/2007 07:33:25 PM
These things have always looked like crying little faces to me too...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/08/2007 03:27:57 PM
If it was all up to me, this deserves a blue.. however I can't even vote :(
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/08/2007 09:15:12 AM
There was a similar one in the last personification challenge. but i like this one much better :) Very nice DOF.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/07/2007 07:25:33 AM
I saw the thumbnail for this and I knew it was a winner. The extra element added here is stunning and the macro of the plastic is so perfectly lit. It's hard to even look at the "photogrpahy" aspect because the clever idea is so powerful. Even though outlets have been used before, I wouldn't be surprised to see a composition like this on the front page.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/06/2007 07:48:12 PM
great shot... really captures the sadness. btw, did anyone get electrocuted during the making of this?
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/06/2007 07:27:53 PM
A well done outlet shot. Goodness knows we have enough of them. My only 8 for the genre, the others are far below in foursville.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/06/2007 02:48:18 PM
Cute setup!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/06/2007 09:44:58 AM
my favorite so far, how'd you do that? 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/06/2007 06:54:23 AM
Great shot
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/05/2007 10:15:55 PM
I love the wit. Great shot and concept.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/05/2007 06:03:08 PM
little dangerous, no?
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/05/2007 01:27:11 PM
great take on the outlet idea! and great double meaning in the title :) technically, the photo is spot on... i hope you do well in the challenge! 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/05/2007 10:34:43 AM
very nice. at first i wondered how you got the drop to sit like that. then i realised it was probably glue or something similar. nice reworking of a cliched theme! 9!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/05/2007 08:52:57 AM
Do not try this at home!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/05/2007 05:16:04 AM
Great work great idea!! 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/05/2007 01:33:03 AM
Fantastic title for this clever photograph!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/05/2007 12:11:10 AM
clever and creative...well thought out and executed
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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