Redo – Lesson 8

[Frederick]

Ok. Here is my re-submission for Lesson 8. I tried to pull out my creativity with this shot. I wanted the photo to have a vintage look. I took several shots of this, but this was the one I liked the most.

Fred.

[Duncan Rawlinson]

Hi Fred,

So this image is WAY better than the previous image you submitted! I’m happy that you took the time to put together another piece. 😉

This image has a style and a felling to that is unique and all it’s own. I’ve never seen an image quite like this one.

What kind of post processing did you do on the image?

Also what we’re you trying to convey here?

I’m a little confused about why the mechanic is wearing a women’s hat but the image is certainly interesting.

Maybe if you tell me a little more I can do a better critique.

Let me know!

[Frederick]

What I had in mind when staging this photo was this: A woman doing mechanical work on her car. I added the hat, which one would wear on Sunday. The idea was one doesn’t usually do this type of work with a “hat one would wear to church” perhaps. The other idea is that the lady looks somewhat perplexed as if to say “what do I do next”, or “thinking/trying to figure out the next step in the process. I was trying to create a paradoxical situation incorporating the following things:

1. Mechanic working on auto with “dress-up type” clothing.

2. You will notice the diamond ring on her finger.

3. These items are not usually associated with mechanical type working. In other words, one would expect work type clothing, and certainly not diamond rings on their fingers.

4. I also wanted to give the photo a “vintage” flavor.

5. What would you suggest I may have done to better get these ideas across?’

It was lots of fun putting these ideas together.

Fred.

[Duncan Rawlinson]

Hi Fred,

I see!

Makes more sense now. Honestly at first glance I assumed that it was a man working on the car because when you look at the smaller view of the image (the default view) you can’t see the ring. That and the jacket looks quite large. Also I can’t see a face…

Anyway maybe you understand now why I was a little confused.

It’s a really nice image and I like but as always there are a few things you could do to improve this image.

First and foremost, try to show a face. The photograph would certainly be improved if the viewer could see the emotion of the subject in the frame.

Even if there is no emotion at all (like the photo below) you’ll find that it is still more interesting than the alternative. Meaning no face… I think you’ll agree this photo is interesting although it’s certainly no masterpiece. It’s just interesting because you can see a face…

[attachment=0:2c16y6hp]mechanic.jpg[/attachment:2c16y6hp]
photo by expertinfantry

Also don’t forget about removing distracting elements from the frame. There is a rather large element in the top left corner of this frame (i think it’s a worklight) and it adds no value to the frame. So next time remove it 😉

Regarding the diamond you could setup a flash or another type of light off camera and use a starlight filter to make it ‘tinkle’ like a start and standout a bit. It’s tough to shoot such a small item from a wider angle like that.

Another option would be to isolate just the hand with some painted nails, a mechanical tool, and maybe some grease on the hand. That would be an interesting juxtaposition not unlike what you’re trying to do here.

Creating a paradox is a fascinating idea and I think you should play around with it more.

Beyond all that I really like the colors in this image. They’re soft and they also work with that paradox idea.

Overall you’ve done well here and I’m glad you’ve experimented a little and hopefully had some fun too.

The photo certainly has that vintage flavor so you’ve done well there too.

See you on the next assignment.

[Author]

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