Madame Butterfly

[chauncey]

Smoke version of a butterfly...still working with color and am unsure.

[Shadowman]

Nicely done, very dramatic.

[deetheturk]

Very nice Chauncey

[Loose Canon]

Chaunce, I’ve been digging your smoke shots!

I wonder though if maybe this one is a bit too static? Maybe a bit too symmetrical and “mirror image”?

I have never done this with smoke, but I’ve done something similar with splashes. Probably used some of the exact techniques you are employing.

When I did this I tried to vary the mirror images slightly and gave it a little more of a dynamic composition than a “straight on” look so it had (hopefully) a little less, I don’t know, “mechanical” look? Not as cool as yours but hopefully I’m making sense?

Well, anyway. Just a Theory Chaunce!

BTW? I’m liking the colors on this one.

[Shadowman]

Chaunce, I’ve been digging your smoke shots!

I wonder though if maybe this one is a bit too static? Maybe a bit too symmetrical and “mirror image”?

I have never done this with smoke, but I’ve done something similar with splashes. Probably used some of the exact techniques you are employing.

When I did this I tried to vary the mirror images slightly and gave it a little more of a dynamic composition than a “straight on” look so it had (hopefully) a little less, I don’t know, “mechanical” look? Not as cool as yours but hopefully I’m making sense?

Well, anyway. Just a Theory Chaunce!

BTW? I’m liking the colors on this one.

Terry,

I noticed a bit of variation in Chauncey's wings, perhaps the shape of the wings are symmetrical but the inner colors have a slight difference.

BTW, nice splash.

[chauncey]

Maybe a bit too symmetrical and “mirror image”?

Terry, your giving voice to what was going thru my head when I was working on this thing,
until I ran a search on butterfly pictures...they do tend to be symmetrical.

That said, when ya work with this funky stuff, smoke/splashes/whatever, the question of "how
much realistic detail" should you attempt, as opposed to letting the viewers imagination run amok.

PS Techniques...think Color Range/Liquify/Distort/Transform and all the other things that one
doesn't generally apply to ""normal" photography.

I like the milk splash in the digital world, but, as with mine, I question the practicality of the
black background...have you printed any of them?

[Loose Canon]

I see what you mean John for sure.

No doubt the shot is cool as is. I guess it may just be a matter of degree and Chauncey may disagree!

It was just an errant thought I had since this is a kinda sorta "fantasy" medium (for lack of a better word) so to speak and might lend itself to a bit less "rigidity" or realism than other types.

While I’m at it, I’d mention that I found this process very time consuming and not especially easy always.

So my hat is off to Dr. Chaunce for pulling it off so well!

(BTW thank you John)

[Loose Canon]

Oh. Sorry Chauncey! Must’ve posted at the same time!

No. I never went to serious print with it. An 8x10 or two just for grins but that’s about it.

I never really got into it as deeply as you have.

If I were going to really get into it I would probably use clear water and white (non-blown) BG to splash for coloring purposes.

God knows I have enough splash shots to work with and there will be a lot more, but getting motivated is another story!