desperate...

[jiro]

My concept of a being in despair. Thank you very much for viewing.



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Nikon D70, 50mm, ISO 200, f/16 at 1/250 second.

[Katy Noelle]

That's deep, Jiro! I've seen that before, in my mind, when I've been thinking of certain people in just super tough or odd times in their lives. This is how I've, actually, "seen" (or imagined) them in a crumbled heap - just sitting in the road. Insightful! Dare I say,... a powerful illustration...?

[Donald]

Imaginative and creative. And marvelous management of light.

The one thing that catches my eye, Willie, is the fact that there is a vertical cutting over the roofline of the building at the top right. Don't know if you'd feel that a clone was in order?

[jiro]

That's deep, Jiro! I've seen that before, in my mind, when I've been thinking of certain people in just super tough or odd times in their lives. This is how I've, actually, "seen" (or imagined) them in a crumbled heap - just sitting in the road. Insightful! Dare I say,... a powerful illustration...?

Thanks for viewing, Katy. Do you remember my post about the wet leaf on the road? Well, this shot (actually just the background) was a part of it. I like the gloominess I saw on the wet road and its kind of lonely as nobody is out on the street at that time. So, an idea immediately came to my mind - take a shot of the wet and gloomy road and use it as a background with a lonely subject. 3 days later, off I went to walmart to buy one of those artists' mannequin as that is the one that I want to use as my model for this concept. I used my DIY softbox again but this time I feathered the light by aiming it up high. The lower edge of the softbox is almost in line with the neck of the mannequin so the light tapers off from the chest downward. A lot of tweaking on levels and curves inside photoshop and this is what I came up with. I saw one of Vincent Versace's video tutorial about vision and concept and this guy is awesome. His concept of photography is really deep, more in the same wavelength as David duChemin. I am glad the message came across.

[jiro]

Imaginative and creative. And marvelous management of light.

The one thing that catches my eye, Willie, is the fact that there is a vertical cutting over the roofline of the building at the top right. Don't know if you'd feel that a clone was in order?

Thanks for viewing, Donald. I am not so sure about the vertical element on the roofline. Care to show it to me? I tried to include the house on the right on the composition because I want the setting to be of an urban neighborhood and yet this "being" is desperate in his life. Hope this helps.

[Katy Noelle]

Thanks for viewing, Katy. Do you remember my post about the wet leaf on the road? Well, this shot (actually just the background) was a part of it. I like the gloominess I saw on the wet road and its kind of lonely as nobody is out on the street at that time. So, an idea immediately came to my mind - take a shot of the wet and gloomy road and use it as a background with a lonely subject. 3 days later, off I went to walmart to buy one of those artists' mannequin as that is the one that I want to use as my model for this concept. I used my DIY softbox again but this time I feathered the light by aiming it up high. The lower edge of the softbox is almost in line with the neck of the mannequin so the light tapers off from the chest downward. A lot of tweaking on levels and curves inside photoshop and this is what I came up with. I saw one of Vincent Versace's video tutorial about vision and concept and this guy is awesome. His concept of photography is really deep, more in the same wavelength as David duChemin. I am glad the message came across.

I will definitely put VV in the qeueue of things to learn from, then. (Right now, I'm struggling with computer basics - urgh! I'd rather skip and jump to this.) Well, envisioned!

[Katy Noelle]

One other interesting (to me, anyway) thought. I remember, a few years back, reading about lighting in interior decorating. It's important, in our homes, for setting mood, too. The article was comparing lighting that was pointed up or down, soft or harsh, warm or cold to stage lighting. For a comedy, it should be from above and bright. for tragedy and more drama - it is often more 'angled up' ( the 'footlights') and sharply with more focus and surrounding darkness. I don't remember exactly everything that it said but that was the general idea of it all.

[Sahil]

Wow.. Thats a very interesting shot, Jiro.

[Dizzy]

Nice creation Willie..I like how you use the mannequins slumped-over posture to amplify the emotional impact of the whole scene.

Mike

[jiro]

One other interesting (to me, anyway) thought. I remember, a few years back, reading about lighting in interior decorating. It's important, in our homes, for setting mood, too. The article was comparing lighting that was pointed up or down, soft or harsh, warm or cold to stage lighting. For a comedy, it should be from above and bright. for tragedy and more drama - it is often more 'angled up' ( the 'footlights') and sharply with more focus and surrounding darkness. I don't remember exactly everything that it said but that was the general idea of it all.

Yes, it certainly does. It's funny that it was only until somebody donated a flash unit to me and played with it that I really came to see why the light is very important on every shot. The light gives the image LIFE! No wonder that among the best landscape photographs that I have seen from numerous books all of them shows this magnificent play of light in them. I really admire these guys who sacrifices a lot of convenience and returns to the same spot over and over again just to wait for that marvelous light to shine upon their subject. Since I don't have the means and resources to travel, I tried to learn about light using my flash and cardboard backgrounds. With the proper kind of light, it can really help you keep the message of your shot consistent. hard light can denote tension like anger, hurt and even loneliness. Soft light can denote love, belongingness, sweetness, and in some cases given the right subject a very subtle form of loneliness. I'm really studying a lot about light right now so I'd probably post a few images from time to time as there are a lot of things to learn. I just wish I can buy a remote wireless flash triggering device soon so I can place the flash farther than what the flash cable can reach.

[jiro]

Wow.. Thats a very interesting shot, Jiro.

Thank you very much, Sahil. Hey, I am still waiting for the shot samples from your new Nikon D7000.

[jiro]

Nice creation Willie..I like how you use the mannequins slumped-over posture to amplify the emotional impact of the whole scene.

Mike

Thank you very much for dropping by, Mike. Posing this mannequin takes some effort. There are some pose that I want it to do but unfortunately the joints can't do them. I'm glad you like the pose.

[Dizzy]

Thank you very much for dropping by, Mike. Posing this mannequin takes some effort. There are some pose that I want it to do but unfortunately the joints can't do them. I'm glad you like the pose.

Any chance you could disassemble it, and then rebuild it adding more flexibility to the joints?

Mike

[Donald]

Thanks for viewing, Donald. I am not so sure about the vertical element on the roofline. Care to show it to me?

Willie

This is what I was meaning.

[jiro]

Any chance you could disassemble it, and then rebuild it adding more flexibility to the joints?

Mike

Negative, Mike. The wooden material used is not that hard so an alteration would probably just destroy it. My issue with the mannequin was that the joints are all being kept together by springs. Bend the joints too much and the spring will exert too much force to make it return to the same position instead of the pose you want it to take. Not a big issue for me but it would help me a lot if I can mimic some human pose that I have in mind.

[jiro]

Willie

This is what I was meaning.

Gotcha, Donald. That is a part of the big tree in front of our neighbor's property. I'll see if I can edit it. Thank you very much.

[Wirefox]

Jiro

i do like this. The only gripe I have is that the doll looks too clean against its backdrop. Some PP texturing would give the doll a more neglected look. I would have also removed the head of the doll...buts that just me

It does work though and this use of figurines does intrigue me.

[jiro]

Jiro

i do like this. The only gripe I have is that the doll looks too clean against its backdrop. Some PP texturing would give the doll a more neglected look. I would have also removed the head of the doll...buts that just me

It does work though and this use of figurines does intrigue me.

Thank you very much, Steve. Yeah, that is also what I'm thinking just now - adding some texture on the figurine to make it look dirty and more desperate. I'll make another version of this concept this afternoon. As for the decapitated body... say that again?

[Dizzy]

As for the decapitated body... say that again?

Desperate vs. Decapitated .......I'll take desperate any day of the week, and twice on Sunday.

[MiniChris]

Not to mix metaphors, but....desperation (anxiety, worry, fear, distraction) and despair (hopelessness, misery, gloom) are two completely different emotional states. While there are overlapping areas (like circles of confusion), they really represent two different states of being.
I say despair fits perfectly...so now you have to go change your title...cause I know these thngs...