Unexpected "FIRST PRIZE"!

[Kodiak]

•

They told me: "Come on, you must take part!"

I don't know… I said… all these younger artists have such colourful works
and…

"This is not you talking, right? …what's wrong with your coffee?"

So I went into the 2013 archive of posters I made and came back with
what would be my best 9 posters for that year! My favourite was…

"NO WAY!" they said. All six of them went for the dark, moody, and with
no face poster of Marla Glen! …and they were right… go figure!

This simple poster is based on a live show photograph I made where the
stage light engineers were most certainly pros, made my work easier!

C&C welcomed.

[Mike Buckley]

It's no wonder that it took first place. Congratulations!

I especially like the concentration on Marla's hands; they are conveying as much or more perhaps than her face could convey. My only objection is to the out-of-focus highlights near her left elbow, as they are so bright that they distract me.

[Donald]

Wonderful mood and atmosphere captured and conveyed in the image.

[NorthernFocus]

Congrats. A very effective photo to convey the mood of the subject.

[Kodiak]

My only objection is to the out-of-focus highlights near her left elbow, as they are so bright that they distract me.

Thanks for your comment!
Right, so you are very distractible! Let's analyze the final poster rendition.


First, the shot

I saw SOOC this highlight. What should I do with it? I don't know, so I'll do
nothing and wait for an idea to come up and mature. Later, I saw that this
highlight served two unplanned purposes:
• it separates the subject partially from the background and
• it give a sense of depth to the stage by including an element that is far
behind the artist.
…but you're right, a background object is brighter than the star. The two
drums on the floor are in an acceptable key but the other one… It never
came to my mind to lower its key, I kind of accepted it as it is.


Second, the poster

At first, Olivier want to fight for his idea to put the Grottenhoƒ logo at the
top left, in the dark area. I was not happy with the solution without knowing
exactly why. We left that logo problem aside and I started working on the
typography.

When I thought I had something, I called Olivier and he agreed on the type-
face, its rendition and position. Now, it was time to come back to the darn
logo… he was not sure he wanted to fight anymore.

I finally decided to put it up there on the right where there is enough contrast
to keep it visible and I saw something magic (unplanned again) happened:
• I noticed how the smoke was like "climbing up" pass the artist toward the
logo (red lines) and
• an invisible projection from the logo to the typo work was including the
litigious highlight and the floor drums (yellow lines).

This is how I discovered it had a rightful place in the composition. …just me!

[Kodiak]

•
Glad it works for you two, Donald and Dan.

[Mike Buckley]

Ha! Your explanation fails to mention that the high microphone in the background points toward the logo and that to put the logo in the top left corner would spoil that deliciously somewhat negative space.

By the way, I like that you provide the details of your thinking. Not only are those details interesting to me, they are certainly informative. Keep them coming!

[KimC]

Feel like I am sitting right there in the audience! Love the mood of this.

[Shadowman]

Nicely captured, great mix of textures and tones.

[IzzieK]

I just like it the way it is presented -- the mystery and the mood and the atmosphere conveys the poetry of the whole presentation.

[Kodiak]

Ha! Your explanation fails to mention…

NO, IT DOESN'T!
The said microphone was not on the list of litigious features… :-)

By the way, I like that you provide the details of your thinking.

When everything is perfect in a photograph, the one thing that will make it
or brake it is the composition. In my book, composition is on one side of the scale
and all the other aspect on the other side.

Composition is an integer part and greatest essential of the artistic intent most of the times!

[Cliff Roamer]

Thanks for your comment!
Right, so you are very distractible! Let's analyze the final poster rendition.


First, the shot

I saw SOOC this highlight. What should I do with it? I don't know, so I'll do
nothing and wait for an idea to come up and mature. Later, I saw that this
highlight served two unplanned purposes:
• it separates the subject partially from the background and
• it give a sense of depth to the stage by including an element that is far
behind the artist.
…but you're right, a background object is brighter than the star. The two
drums on the floor are in an acceptable key but the other one… It never
came to my mind to lower its key, I kind of accepted it as it is.


Second, the poster

At first, Olivier want to fight for his idea to put the Grottenhoƒ logo at the
top left, in the dark area. I was not happy with the solution without knowing
exactly why. We left that logo problem aside and I started working on the
typography.

When I thought I had something, I called Olivier and he agreed on the type-
face, its rendition and position. Now, it was time to come back to the darn
logo… he was not sure he wanted to fight anymore.

I finally decided to put it up there on the right where there is enough contrast
to keep it visible and I saw something magic (unplanned again) happened:
• I noticed how the smoke was like "climbing up" pass the artist toward the
logo (red lines) and
• an invisible projection from the logo to the typo work was including the
litigious highlight and the floor drums (yellow lines).

This is how I discovered it had a rightful place in the composition. …just me!

Amazing, that's the difference between someone that knows how to really look at an image and me
I really like the poster but just didn't see all the elements you pointed out and why/how they worked, as always it's subjective but your explanation makes perfect sense, I may have actually learnt something.

[Kodiak]

I may have actually learnt something.

Cool Mike… that's the purpose of a forum! If I can help…

[truonda]

Great capture, Daniel!

[MarieV]

Congratulations Daniel - well deserved.

[Kodiak]

•
Kim, John, Izzie, Daniel and Marie, thanks for your appreciation…

BUT YOU, MIKE… DON'T THINK I'M STUPID!
I've recognized quite early enough your KGB type of methods to extract
information… you were well trained at being picky and force confidences
and revelations! —I will not mind faking not knowing anything of your
subversive activities, if you will not mind ignoring that you know that I
know what I am talking about… do I? Really?— I was not here, we did
not have this conversation and I did not write these lines!

;-)

[Caddy]

Amazing, that's the difference between someone that knows how to really look at an image and me
I really like the poster but just didn't see all the elements you pointed out and why/how they worked, as always it's subjective but your explanation makes perfect sense, I may have actually learnt something.

Here too.

[John 2]

And here too. Just excellent - but why wouldn't it be?

[purplehaze]

There is so much to like about this, Daniel. I think the fact that the face is obscured is a key element of the image's appeal. I don't know the subject, but this image makes me want to.

[Kodiak]

There is so much to like about this, Daniel. I think the fact that the face is obscured is a key element of the image's appeal. I don't know the subject, but this image makes me want to.

Thank you Janis, very appreciated! Here, for you: Marla Glen