And the ones that mother gives you...
Don't do anything at all...
Assignment: PCA16
Deadline: Sunday 10th February 08
Image Tag: pca16
From: The Tamed Shrew (Kate)
Mission:
Flowers. Yes, this is the week to show me how you can produce a flower
picture in your own style and be pleased to hang it on your wall
afterwards.
They brighten up our lives with their colour and form and can be used
to convey messages of love, friendship, celebration or sympathy. They
can fill a room with their scent or brighten up a dark corner and most
of all, they are not boring!
I wonder why, when so many flower photos are taken, there are no
stunning flower photographers or at least none I can bring to mind at
the moment? Artists have excelled in flower paintings over hundreds of
years, but I am pushed to name one professional photographer, whose
work with flowers, I adore.
You are all artists in photography, with your own areas of style and
skills. Using your preferences, think of the flower as simply a
subject – and go to town!
Flowers can be represented as line drawings, colour abstracts, props
in a portrait, high-key or low-key, in street photography, still life
subjects or anywhere you want – the choice is yours.
If you need inspiration, the following links might help.
www.livingartsoriginals.com/infoflowerart.htm
www.xray-art.com/
WIT
Two pictures, one of an orchid - post processed background burned out.
Blending mode hard light in PSE5.
Second picture of reminders of my hippy days - books, cd, Mao's little
red book. Blending mode normal at around 75% opacity for blending the
two layers.
Comments and faves
asgerd. (52 months ago | reply)
You're getting too clever by half. Very effective!
Phil Dillon (52 months ago | reply)
I pharquing love this.
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Seen on my Flickr home page. (?)
Phil Dillon added this photo to his favorites. (52 months ago)
The tamed shrew (52 months ago | reply)
Thanks Sarah - glad you like it!
Phil!
x good!
Kristopher Andrew Hamilton (52 months ago | reply)
This is very very cool :)
suvarna_mollerup (52 months ago | reply)
This is fantastic! wonderfully creative and I have to admit I remember Jefferson Airplane quite well.
The tamed shrew (52 months ago | reply)
Ha! bunnyface - so you remember White Rabbit? It's been going round in my head ever since I decided to do this picture! lol! Hi Kristopher! Bit before your time (flower power/hippies) - but I was once young...
Ewa's Oceans added this photo to her favorites. (52 months ago)
Ewa's Oceans (52 months ago | reply)
Ah, beautiful ! :-D
And very special too ...
(Give me a minute, I will tell you, why :-)
Ewa's Oceans (52 months ago | reply)
The answer :-)
The tamed shrew (52 months ago | reply)
Hi Ewa - I went - and saw. She is just so beautiful - her eyes just see all the sadness in the world.
All that remains (52 months ago | reply)
This is a fave
All that remains added this photo to his favorites. (52 months ago)
The tamed shrew (52 months ago | reply)
Thanks Craig! I just felt like playing a little!
Monica de Moss photography (52 months ago | reply)
1) Meeting the Goal
Yes!
2) Technical
What can I say -- it all worked out beautifully
3) Composition
I like the composition
4) Impact
Ready for the wall. Matter of fact, you could probably produce this is varying tones and make a triptych :-)
Monica de Moss photography added this photo to her favorites. (52 months ago)
Pockets1 (52 months ago | reply)
1) Meeting the Goal
Yes
2) Technical
very creative and excellent ps work in merging the 2 (or more) images.
3) Composition
intersting compostion, the elements you added in from "your hippy days" lol are a personal choice but work to make it a very good image
4) Impact
high, its very different, were having a flash back from the hallucingenics of the 60's ??
nasu1 (52 months ago | reply)
You've definitely gone past a photo of a flower and created something unique here. Bravo. I love that you can so clearly make out the flowers and the mementos ... one element doesn't take over, both are in harmony. Great technique. Great thinking outside the box! Did you add the tiny bit of shading on the left side so that you can make out the corner of the album?
The tamed shrew (52 months ago | reply)
Hi nasu1 - no, no shading. The parts of the cd and books which are visible - are visible because there is flower there!
Thanks Jade - strange you mention the triptych, because I did look at different colour combination as well - I quite liked a really rich dark background as well, so I might well do different versions thanks!
Ah pockets! When you get to my age, you start remembering the 'good old days' quite a lot! lol!
garreyf (52 months ago | reply)
Wow. You definitely kicked my ass in the creativity category.
This is awesome. I went to a photography exhibit today and one of the photographers had stuff like this. This is definitely high quality professional work and can easily be sold. This really shows me your strength in this area. If you havent pursued this area, then please do.
Awesome. Much impact for me. Ok. then..i must favorite it :)
garreyf added this photo to their favorites. (52 months ago)
wildlens2007 (52 months ago | reply)
Ok... so what did Alice have to say??? :)
This is wonderful! Now you've got me singing it too! I'll have to dig out the album to remember the rest of the words ;) (Then explain to my kids what an album is!) I really, really love what you've done here. So creative and emotive, it has a rock and roll feel with a delicate, gentle touch. Did you burn out the background when shooting the flower or remove it in post? I did some where I burnt out the background and ended up with some strange edges on the petals, I wonder if that is happening here? I don't think it would have jumped out at me if I hadn't just been examining something similar in my shots. Truly terrific, Kate!
wildlens2007 added this photo to her favorites. (52 months ago)
Farkled (52 months ago | reply)
Maximum kudos for creativity and PS skills. The end result is really quite pleasing if not totally my thing. I think I mostly missed the 60's as I went through them. Wasn't drugs; just military, work, school, and 1st child.
Anyway, impact is high, but you could sell a bunch of these. great work!
The tamed shrew (52 months ago | reply)
White Rabbit - Jefferson Airplane
One pill makes you larger
And one pill makes you small
And the ones that mother gives you
Don't do anything at all
Go ask Alice
When she's ten feet tall
And if you go chasing rabbits
And you know you're going to fall
Tell 'em a hookah smoking caterpillar
Has given you the call
Recall Alice
When she was just small
When men on the chessboard
Get up and tell you where to go
And you've just had some kind of mushroom
And your mind is moving low
Go ask Alice
I think she'll know
When logic and proportion
Have fallen sloppy dead
And the White Knight is talking backwards
And the Red Queen's "off with her head!"
Remember what the door knob said:
"FEED YOUR HEAD
_______________
FEED your head"
It was fun! It needs more work I know - and I should have re-shot it with more accessories so that I didn't end up with dark areas from the dark blue easy chair I set this out on! Quite right Katherine - I did burn out the background in PSE5 and caught the edges of a couple of petals. Again, I should have been more careful, but by that time I was getting a bit tired (and hubby was feeling a bit left out), so more remedial work to do! I will have another trial at something similar to try to refine my technique. Thanks to all who think it wall-worthy - it was worth it after all.
K8
kascam9 (52 months ago | reply)
A definite and resounding bloody brilliant Kate and very much you, I would have known this was your work anywhere. I love the whole flower power symbolism here ( giving away your age though ) very creative and certainly wall worthy!
Kass & Rachel (52 months ago | reply)
Listen while you critique, I say!
Different and creative! I tried to figure out the theme but I don't recognize the painting or the red book, sorry. I was clued in by the record art, but I think the cd case is out of place, you should remove the plastic case and just use the booklet. Good arrangement, and the burned edges are great since its so odd to begin with. Also, there's a slight shadow up and left of the cd case (which is ghosting in the white, don't know if thats intentional or not).
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Seen next to a fellow photo of Photography Critique Assignments. (?)
cateybee (52 months ago | reply)
You always have such unique and creative shots. I love the face in the centre of the image although I don't recognize her. I agree with Kass & Rachel about removing the cd case, but otherwise I wouldn't change a thing!
Well done.
catface3 (52 months ago | reply)
Wow! This is so creative, Kate. No wonder it made #50 on Explore. What a wonderful combination of "hippie" memorabilia expressed in a "flower power" shape. Do I remember Jefferson Airplane and the 60's, I would say so!
don't you want somebody to love
don't you need somebody to love
wouldn't you love somebody to love
you better find somebody to love
nadege34 (52 months ago | reply)
Wow, definitely an amazing shot as well as PS skills. tremendous impact, perfect shot for me.....and of course it 's on your wall,right? with the music it is even better, very flower power!!!!
Drennen (52 months ago | reply)
Very original! I would have expected you to use Morning Glory flowers, but this is very good too. Congratulations on Explore
Technical
I don't mind the white background at all, but it sure has deleted any detail that might have been seen in the flowers. Maybe its unrelated, but the flowers are so dark and featureless. I think it might be nice to be able to see them, where there don't have the (very cool) superimposed images on them.
On the left, there is some yellow bit left of the background that should probably go white.
Composition
My favorite part is the eyes that are on one of the petals. Placed so well. The diagonal nature and all the elements work well together I feel.
Impact
The image has a huge impact and your can't argue with that. Its got a very surreal and compelling presentation. Nicely done.
rickh1113 (52 months ago | reply)
Technical - the focus on the album/books is nice and sharp, hard to tell about the focus on the flowers with the PP. There are traces of the blending in the white space and the background needs a little clean up.
Composition - elements are well positioned, especially the face. I might have masked off the branch to keep blending only on the leafs and flowers.
Impact - very creative, I would like to see blended image on all the leaf and flower surface.
Q U E E F added this photo to her favorites. (52 months ago)
The tamed shrew (52 months ago | reply)
Hi Rick
You echoed my own thoughts earlier on the over blending - I'm afraid I was too tired to set it up and do it all over again, but I will definitely have another try sometime.
Quite right about the tidy up needed too. I didn't think about masking the stems - I'll try that one too.
The shot I used is below;
an old favourite orchid over 20 years old!
Farkled (52 months ago | reply)
and now I've seen it in explore
evanleavitt (52 months ago | reply)
Congrats on the explore Kate! This shot is really great, so creative! Love how you blened everything together. The compostion, lighting, and DoF is nicely handeled. The only thing I would fix would be the yellow tint on the left side behind the CD. Very professional shot. You never know what you are going to come up with next!
The tamed shrew (52 months ago | reply)
Thank you all. I have been surprised by the journey it is taking in Explore! I must admit I didn't think it would go on there since I see all the faults myself only too well! Still I have learned a lot from you all too, so I'll certainly have another go!
Sheilla Safra Maler added this photo to her favorites. (52 months ago)
bowtoo (52 months ago | reply)
An interesting take on the assignment. Very effective treatment.
Good job!
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Seen next to a fellow photo of Photography Critique Assignments. (?)
Renee_ann added this photo to their favorites. (52 months ago)
a_paphia (52 months ago | reply)
Instant appeal for me as I love Orchids. These layers have worked well apart from the red/black line on the rightmost flower. There's also a little offputting section of background that's not white on the left of the frame unfortunately. I think you can improve this image by adding something to the background. The white doesn't really suit it IMO.
As chooser of the assignment I thought you'd come up with a good idea!
Parsleycat (52 months ago | reply)
[written before reading other comments]
I love Jefferson Airplane! And that song, and orchid! Very clever idea.
Now, the combination of those is kinda distracting for me, sorry! I think what it is, it's the straight edges of the albums / prints that jar against the rounded organic lines of the flowers. The composition is a great idea, so maybe it would be even better with a slight softer blend of those images...?
Oh, I just read that this went on Explore! Congrats! You certainly deserve it, K8.
Terri :)
rafuchoski (52 months ago | reply)
I am torn, I like the effect but I think the end image misses more details from both images.
It's a very interesting effect and blending, although I think that a more silhouetted flowers could have yielded a better composite as more details from the from the CDs and other stuff would have been seen.
stephen_dedalus added this photo to his favorites. (52 months ago)
Lee Siah (52 months ago | reply)
Congrats on explore!
I love this effect. You are very creative ! :) I like the idea of it, i like how its executed. Great choice of objects too. Cool..
summerspot (52 months ago | reply)
Wow, this wacky-wild flower photo looks fantastic! As I've commented on another pca submission, I couldn't think beyond flowers for this assignment, but you've taken it a step further and added some unexpected elements. It's a little bit like a self portrait without you in it. Really excellent.
Jockaye (52 months ago | reply)
Love the creativity here. Nice blending. My only thought would be to maybe use a mask on the flower part of the orchids so that the blend didn't show there and they stood out more?
Excellent work.
briellewinegar, st0ned.alone, BKTG, Teastainedpaige, and LittlePeaceTin added this photo to their favorites.