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The Ecliptic
3rd PlaceThe Ecliptic
mycelium


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Black and White Still Life (Advanced Editing VII)
Camera: Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT
Lens: Tamron SP AF 24-135mm f/3.5-5.6 AD Aspherical IF for Canon
Location: Dining room table (as ever)
Date: Aug 12, 2010
Aperture: 5.6
ISO: 100
Shutter: 0.8
Galleries: Still Life, Black and White
Date Uploaded: Aug 12, 2010

 Cool, 4th place! I'm tickled pink.

Getting bumped to 3rd after the previous 1st was DQd is bittersweet and anticlimactic--not how I'd envisioned myself making the front page (for the first time in six years of membership and 140 challenges entered). In fact, I'm not excited about it at all; oddly, I'm just kind of disappointed. There's no thrill of seeing the rollover and noticing my picture on the top of the front page; it feels like I'm here only by default, by operation of technical rules. Sliding into the yellow ribbon this way has robbed me of my ability to earn my first ribbon according to the usual method. I suppose this is a luxurious lament I'm making here, but it seems fair to be honest about it.

Oh well. Look for me on the front page again in another six years!

--

As Yo_Spiff noted, this technique has been done before--I saw some fruit shots done in this same style in a photography magazine, but unfortunately I can't remember which magazine (might have been Photography Today) or who the photographer was (no idea). When the challenge was announced, this popped immediately to mind.

Here are the editing steps as submitted to the SC: "Originally shot in jpeg. Used channel mixer (blue channel) to turn background B/W; channel mixer (green channel) for cantaloupe. Numerous masked levels adjustment layers to set the tones; several hue/saturation adjustment layers in multiply mode used for burning. Some Topaz Adjust to bring out details on the fruit. Resize, sharpen, add border, save for web." (I should have added "rotate" and "crop," but I forgot...)

For lighting, I bounced a clip-on light off of a piece of foam core; light from the other side is bounced off of another piece of foam core. I played around with the distances of the foam core and the location of the fruit to get the lighting right.

I might have liked to get the top part to align with the bottom so it looked like the middle wedge was simply slid out, but this was the alignment that would balance. For the record, cutting the thing was a dicey process; I only had one cantaloupe!

Thanks for the votes, comments, and faves! --and for my first ribbon :)

Statistics
Place: 3 out of 151
Avg (all users): 6.7500
Avg (commenters): 7.5455
Avg (participants): 6.4603
Avg (non-participants): 7.0943
Views since voting: 3976
Views during voting: 297
Votes: 116
Comments: 35
Favorites: 6 (view)

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AuthorThread
 08/29/2010 07:02:54 PM
Congrats on your first front pager! It won't be your last...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/28/2010 03:09:01 PM
Congrats Damon!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/28/2010 07:52:21 AM
Hi Damon,

i love this shot... minimal but really attractive, i'd like to see it on a wall, at least 50x70 (cm, non inches!) printed on fine art paper... very good work!! I have not voted, but for me a ten... in my fav's..
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/26/2010 06:02:54 PM
Congrats on the ribbon! ;P
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/26/2010 01:24:46 PM
I understand too well that this isn't the way you want to win a ribbon but this is SO good and SO ribbon worthy. Congrats, Damon.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/25/2010 11:22:16 AM
While I understand your feelings about how you attained your first ribbon, you still deserve it. Congratulations.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/25/2010 11:12:46 AM
Congrats on your first ribbon. ;-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/25/2010 11:06:31 AM
Well I had given you a 10 so I am glad to see you receive a ribbon because I felt this image was worthy of a blue, red or yellow. It certainly belongs on the top page and I am pleased to see it there no matter the reason.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/25/2010 10:07:58 AM
Whayy, congrats on the yellow! :-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/23/2010 09:35:14 PM
Simple. Beautiful. Sharp. Congrats on your HM!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/23/2010 05:04:23 PM
This is an excellent shot, congrats on the HM.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/23/2010 12:55:41 PM
Damon, this image absolutely fantastic, many congrats on the HM. I'm glad you left the alignment the way it was ;-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/23/2010 09:30:26 AM
congrats on the 4th place, Damon!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/23/2010 06:49:32 AM
Woo hoo Damon! I'm so glad this did well for you!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/23/2010 06:40:26 AM
excellent finish ... well done
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/23/2010 01:54:02 AM
Beautiful! congrats on the HM
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/23/2010 12:25:22 AM
Well done Damon and a fine score for this exceptional image.
You must have been on the 'cutting edge.'
:))
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/23/2010 12:04:14 AM
Excellent shot. Congrats on the HM!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
08/22/2010 10:43:54 PM
very different approach...super clear with a bit of interest
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/22/2010 06:27:45 PM
Nice composition.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/20/2010 07:36:24 PM
well lit, good dof.. i see that there is some sort of background lighting.. would have loved it if you've gone bolder with that
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/18/2010 06:04:34 AM
Way cool idea and great implementation.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/17/2010 11:40:19 PM
Wow, this is special!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/17/2010 11:22:51 AM
different and cool. hate the border love the reflection and the lighting. 7
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/16/2010 10:38:12 PM
top 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/16/2010 07:22:11 PM
This is cool as heck. So simple and yet so abstract.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/16/2010 07:13:56 PM
Cool shot. Great texture.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/16/2010 04:16:14 PM
one of my favorites in this challenge! very good work with the light!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/16/2010 03:27:37 PM
Wow. Yeah, just wow. Exceptional clarity and lighting. Not your classic "still life" so I hope voters can get past that. Front page.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/16/2010 02:51:26 PM
Nice clean image. The lighting and focus are both great. I can't help but think it needs something more though, I'm not sure what.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/16/2010 09:20:42 AM
Neat shot. I'd be interested to see it in color.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/16/2010 09:17:21 AM
Nice!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/16/2010 12:26:06 AM
hmm, interesting, not sure how much i like it but it made me look longer than some others
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/16/2010 12:22:18 AM
Seen this concept somewhere else before. Pretty cool effect and nice work with the lighting.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 08/16/2010 12:16:07 AM
Essence of Techo. (compliment)

Congrats! (not voting)
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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