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alanbataar


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Wheels (Basic Editing I)
Camera: Canon EOS-10D
Location: Wheaton, MD, my office.
Date: Apr 6, 2004
Aperture: f 8.0
ISO: 100
Shutter: 1/8
Galleries: Abstract
Date Uploaded: Apr 6, 2004

 I am a huge gearhead, and this challenge was like a gift from the heavens. I shot hundreds of pix of things ranging from metal shavings curling off a workpiece on my lathe, to milling machine cutters to motorcycle wheels, to motorcycle sprockets. I even shot a pizza cutter.

I had so much fun with this that my wife was a DPC-widow for the week. :)

This submission came from my collection of motorcycle toys, and is actually a Tamiya plastic scale model of a Yamaha YZR500, a Gran Prix bike from 1983. The parts are still on the sprue. Major geek points if you know what a sprue is.

The model parts were hung from a shelf with scotch tape (I was too lazy to figure out a better, more invisible method) and the wall behind was lit with a desk lamp.

Post processing was minor: levels, a gentle unsharp mask, and cropping.

My wife is responsible for the name: she said "It looks like Egyptian Heiroglyphics..."

Statistics
Place: 180 out of 283
Avg (all users): 4.9228
Avg (commenters): 5.7619
Avg (participants): 4.7965
Avg (non-participants): 5.0301
Views since voting: 1049
Votes: 246
Comments: 24
Favorites: 1 (view)

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AuthorThread
 01/10/2005 11:13:14 PM
I really like this idea and shot.
I think it would have been so much better with even lighting on the background. Very nice idea.
 04/14/2004 12:32:41 PM
Thanks to all who commented. This image really seemed to polarize folks. My general sense is that people either liked or hated the lighting. I was attempting to get "dramatic" light on the slightly pebbled surface of the wall, but in retrospect, I think it was just dark and blah. If I were to do it again, I would place a white card on the left side to fill in a little and even out the background.

And, of course, in the days after the contest ended, I figured out several better ways of hanging the model. I had rushed into it, and it was a bit of a last minute deal... I hoped that the creativity of the idea would raise the score.

This is one of those cases in which I liked it a lot when I submitted it, but don't like it as well now.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
04/13/2004 01:54:20 PM
The left side of the photo is far too dark, and the tape holding up the plastic assembies is visible. I think taping behind some of the more solid objects, and 2 light sources would have helped.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/13/2004 01:21:42 PM
Dramatic light and a great idea!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/12/2004 11:08:13 AM
cool model....
 04/11/2004 08:48:43 PM
Very uneven lighting
 04/11/2004 05:54:22 PM
From a plastic model kit? A more uniform background lighting would help.
 04/11/2004 02:04:45 AM
I would have liked the lighting to be consistent across the image.
 04/10/2004 06:47:54 PM
Wish the left was as well lit as the right. Interesting idea. Unique.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/10/2004 01:26:32 PM
Neat idea, but I think the lighting could be better. More color might help also.
 04/09/2004 09:44:18 PM
try to get the back lighting to cover the more area so that more wheels are noticiable.
good idea though.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/09/2004 08:25:58 PM
Unewen light,and this is direct representation of someones art,2.
 04/09/2004 03:34:48 PM
Unusual way to show wheels that is memorable.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/08/2004 10:25:18 PM
model construction set eh?
 04/08/2004 09:55:22 PM
This caught my attention in the thumbnail where it looks more like relief. In the larger version the edges of the frames catch the light and reveal what it is. I wonder if you did the same thing but placed the subject on something like tracing paper and back-lit from behind the paper......
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/08/2004 01:55:56 PM
Wow! what a shot. I had to think about this for a sec but then i got it. definitely one of my favs from the challenge!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/08/2004 12:54:06 PM
cool idea "industrial" and humorous at once I can see this on the workshop wall
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/08/2004 09:49:09 AM
is that a Harley model ?
 04/07/2004 08:56:38 PM
Unusual presentation, which is fairly interesting. The lighting worked well to avoid shadows, but the Scotch Tape is still visible.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/07/2004 07:34:37 PM
very creative..next time hide the tape :) 6
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/07/2004 05:19:03 PM
Pretty cool. But the tape holding the stencil up shows.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/07/2004 03:12:59 PM
interesting. makes sense in full size, although thumbnail was intriguing. nicely lit.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/07/2004 01:15:13 PM
great job!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 04/07/2004 09:37:04 AM
Great idea! Too bad the lighting is uneven, try two lamps instead of one.
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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