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Enter The Umbrella Man
Enter The Umbrella Man
Quigley


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Free Study 2009-12 (Advanced Editing VII)
Camera: Nikon D200
Lens: Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED
Location: Toronto Ontario Canada
Date: Dec 5, 2009
Aperture: f/8
ISO: 100
Shutter: 1/1000
Galleries: Fashion, Black and White
Date Uploaded: Dec 26, 2009

 Often times we have opportunities in our lives as photographers to get a shot that we are really proud of and this is one of those times. I would however be remiss if I didn't thank the one person who made this photograph possible. I would like to give a great BIG THANK YOU to Terri Vicari, Leo's wife, if it wasn't for her getting in touch with me to help plan a weekend of photography with her husband Leo for his birthday (his Golden Ticket, if you will) I wouldn't of had this chance to photograph a DPC legend, The Umbrella Man. Oh how I have dreamed of just such a thing as this but to finally have everything in place at the right time and with the right people well let's just say that it was amazing.

I would also like to thank Leo LVicari for allowing me to enter this shot as I'm sure you would imagine he has a few of his own he could have entered and of course I would like to thank Cole Coley for bringing along The Umbrella Man and allowing me to photograph him.

I just want everyone to know how honored I am to have photographed Cole as The Umbrella Man and not only that but the amount of trust he has in me to present his character in a manner that he would himself. He tells me that he wishes he had been the one to take this shot so I must have done something right.

I hope that you the DPC public who have enjoyed the Umbrella Man series that Cole has offered you all these many years, feel that I have done a good job with his wonderful character.

It is one thing to do an homage to a photographer but to be able to photograph one that you truly respect and honor with an image of themselves portraying a character that they created is an honor I will never forget.

Thank you again Cole for allowing me to photograph you and for being such a great model, you bet I would like to do this again sometime. It was a thrill.

Thank you Leo for working with me to develop the vision I had in my head, for the use of the fog machine as well as holding the light in just the right spot.

I HAVE WONDERFUL FRIENDS.

Thank you for looking.

MAX!

The Edit:

Shot in B&W in RAW
Slight crop
Layer channel mixer
Levels layer lights
Levels layer darks
Layer selective colour
USM 15%
USM 125%
Cloned out hot spot in fog and on wall.
Re-size for wed
Sharpen

Statistics
Place: 15 out of 334
Avg (all users): 6.6215
Avg (commenters): 8.3846
Avg (participants): 6.6186
Avg (non-participants): 6.6271
Views since voting: 2340
Views during voting: 298
Votes: 177
Comments: 32
Favorites: 10 (view)

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AuthorThread
 01/14/2010 12:19:28 PM
Reminds me of a scene from 'Singing in the Rain'.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/12/2010 06:14:16 PM
Originally posted by Quigley:
Originally posted by Coley:
My goodness! where did you get that fine specimen of a model :D

Max... I said it before It was a blast working with you and Leo.
Top 20 on a free study ! Yea baby! I don't know if I am happier for you for such a great image and a fine finish; or for me for all the calls I will probably get for new modeling gigs
The shot , the lighting and your processing details are amazing. It is so incredible how the lighting changes the shot.
Huge congrats on getting a really awesome image. And once again, thanks for inviting me out to the shoot. It was one of my coolest days of 2009

Oh I almost forgot faved


Now this makes this image complete :)

Thank you Cole for everything. You are AWESOME.

MAX!


Alright already. Can you guys just kiss and get it over with.

Message edited by author 2010-01-12 18:15:46.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/08/2010 07:17:42 PM
Originally posted by Coley:
My goodness! where did you get that fine specimen of a model :D

Max... I said it before It was a blast working with you and Leo.
Top 20 on a free study ! Yea baby! I don't know if I am happier for you for such a great image and a fine finish; or for me for all the calls I will probably get for new modeling gigs
The shot , the lighting and your processing details are amazing. It is so incredible how the lighting changes the shot.
Huge congrats on getting a really awesome image. And once again, thanks for inviting me out to the shoot. It was one of my coolest days of 2009

Oh I almost forgot faved


Now this makes this image complete :)

Thank you Cole for everything. You are AWESOME.

MAX!
 01/08/2010 07:01:11 PM
My goodness! where did you get that fine specimen of a model :D

Max... I said it before It was a blast working with you and Leo.
Top 20 on a free study ! Yea baby! I don't know if I am happier for you for such a great image and a fine finish; or for me for all the calls I will probably get for new modeling gigs
The shot , the lighting and your processing details are amazing. It is so incredible how the lighting changes the shot.
Huge congrats on getting a really awesome image. And once again, thanks for inviting me out to the shoot. It was one of my coolest days of 2009

Oh I almost forgot faved
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/08/2010 02:32:17 PM
Congrats on top 20 in a FS, Max!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/08/2010 10:20:09 AM
What a story! Well done, Max! I wish Terri had asked ME to join the fun :-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/08/2010 09:42:30 AM
Great Shot there Max. Grats on 15th place :D
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/08/2010 08:43:29 AM
This was one of my higher scoring shots. I love the deep tones and lighting in all the right places. 15th!! Good for you.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/08/2010 07:53:48 AM
This is awesome. I really thought it was Coley. It's a really cool shot. Congrats on your new 2nd PB!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/08/2010 07:01:28 AM
Well done Max!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/08/2010 06:18:35 AM
Congrats on the personal 2nd best... this is an awesome shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/08/2010 03:10:26 AM
That is a very different Umbrella Man that you are providing us.
Cooley's UM is a younger character, mainly because he often uses youger models and when modeling himself you don't really see is hairs, and also because he often meet youg peoples. He is living in the countryside, often looking at strange stuff which convey a light/strange/magical/happy mood.

Your UM is obviously older, and is within an dark/cold urban area. What I am wondering is how the UM will end up there. I'd like to know more about this.

From the technical POV, that is a very good shot. From a storytelling POV, you have opened a new road to our recurrent UM character.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/08/2010 01:02:52 AM
Wow!!! What an awesome opportunity and did you ever take full advantage! Great shot, Max!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/08/2010 12:28:18 AM
Fabulous shot Max, You deserved this score or actually much higher, I loved it during voting and it was one of my top votes. Way to go!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/08/2010 12:26:05 AM
Well done, this is a great image.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/08/2010 12:19:53 AM
MAN .. LOOK AT YOU . !!
what an amazing image you've given us to admire here .. and congrats on such a great place in the fs ..
this is extremely excellent max .. so dramatic and powerful .. :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/08/2010 12:05:07 AM
MAX! Top 20! Good on ya mate!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/08/2010 12:03:40 AM
Awesome Finish!!!!!!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
01/07/2010 10:22:14 PM
I love seeing the light on your face. It draws my eyes in away from the dark and then allows me to look around at all the details in the scene. Very cool.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/07/2010 09:32:38 PM
Posthumous Art Gallery
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/07/2010 12:51:04 PM
I really love this. I love the dark mystical feel in that urban grungy setting.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/05/2010 04:18:24 PM
Damn!! Look at that lighting! You must tell me your secrets. Coley you never cease to amaze! Oh wait that's Coley in the pic. If that's Coley then who took the..,oh I'm so confused. No Vote.
I keep coming back to this masterpiece. Amazing that this was shot in midday.
Straight into my Favs. (and not because of the model, Coley)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/04/2010 08:17:13 PM
Excellent job. I'll bet that graffiti looks cool in the daylight.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/03/2010 06:07:03 PM
That's no umbrella man - It's JtR! ;-) Awesome job!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/03/2010 10:26:01 AM
Dramatic. I little too low key for me.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/03/2010 04:55:29 AM
OK, I'm going through the Free Study submissions, purposefully finding those images I think are shot with a less conventional eye - this is one of those images! Thanks for offering something that isn't just DPC friendly eye-candy (though of course there's nothing wrong with eye-candy). I'll be picking one of these images for the Mu (most underrated) award:

Positives:This has a very dramatic feel about it, I really like the composition and the lighting is really top notch. DOF and sharpness is pretty amazing for this light level.

Critical stuff: In some ways the scene looks a little too contrived - I wonder if the smoke (was it a canister?), if I use my hand to mask of the left hand side of the image, with the man's back being adjacent to the left edge it becomes (for me) a more effective image.

Overall: Very, very competent work - well beyond the likes of me, but I can't help thinking that less may have been more. Still, I do admire it. 8.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/02/2010 08:36:36 PM
Back to comment...

What a wonderful, mysterious story unfolding! 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/02/2010 03:25:02 PM
I really enjoy the old feeling of this image. Brings me back to the classic movies and serials. The dark starkness of the walls and cloths are balanced against the lightness of his face and smoke well along with the bright entrance sign really make this an interesting image.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/01/2010 04:16:26 PM
noir at its best. 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/01/2010 02:04:47 PM
Very nice lighting.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/01/2010 10:30:42 AM
Very film noir. I love the subtlety of the back lit profile. Nice one. 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/01/2010 09:56:44 AM
Really like the mood and light!
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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