Whoo Hoo - Got it! Life, imitating art.

Naboo32

Naboo32

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Andy
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Folks, I've waited around in this bar for so long, for just this combination of customers and seating, as well as this same lighting to come along, that it felt soooooo good to finally capture this one image. Or, maybe it was just the effect of the beer :thinking:!?

Life_Imitating_Art_01.jpg


As you can see, it really is a case of "life imitating art" and the additional "mirror element" of the guy outside the window in the blue/white light, is a real bonus!

Considering that this was a candid capture, I didn't have too much choice over the poses etc., but any other c&c is welcome :).
 
Bravo :clap:

Exactly why I love photography, shots like these. You can keep yer landscapes :D
 
ROFL2K9 said:
Bravo :clap:

Exactly why I love photography, shots like these. You can keep yer landscapes :D
Click to expand...

How ironic that remark is :D!

The only reason that I had my D700 out with me tonight was that I desperate to try out my new Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8 lens, which I bought specifically for ... landscapes :p.

As it was, the light was a bit crap for any stunning outdoor vistas and also my alcohol addiction got the better of me, so I sloped off into my local :shake:. Whilst I was there, I saw the opportunity that I'd been day-dreaming about and thanks to the ridiculous width of the lens, I was able to stand right in front of these two girls and take the picture without them thinking that they could possibly be "in it" (they thought that I was just a tourist, photographing the painting above their heads) :D.

God, I love wide angle glass :naughty:!
 
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Naboo32 said:
How ironic that remark is :D!

The only reason that I had my D700 out with me tonight was that I desperate to try out my new Nikkor 17-35mm f/2.8 lens, which I bought specifically for ... landscapes :p.

As it was, the light was a bit crap for any stunning outdoor vistas and also my alcohol addiction got the better of me, so I sloped off into my local :shake:. Whilst I was there, I saw the opportunity that I'd been day-dreaming about and thanks to the ridiculous width of the lens, I was able to stand right in front of these two girls and take the picture without them thinking that they could possibly be "in it" (they thought that I was just a tourist, photographing the painting above their heads) :D.

God, I love wide angle glass :naughty:!
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Let's hear it for crap light then :clap: :D
 
well thought out, and a great capture
 
That's cracking! :clap:

Shades of HCB too.
 
I like it :clap: Patience :D Good spot (y)

Like the way that the light from the doorway (blue) matches the light from the blue window in the painting.
 
kelack said:
I like it :clap: Patience :D Good spot (y)

Like the way that the light from the doorway (blue) matches the light from the blue window in the painting.
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If I'm completely honest with you, kelack, that part was pure luck :D!

Knowing that the soft lighting from those tungsten bulbs would play havoc with my auto white balance, I set it to the bulb (tungsten) icon to save too much PPing (and causing the daylight to come out much cooler). When I saw the image on the back of the camera, I thought that I would just crop out the blue bit and keep only the two girls in the shot (as per Plan A).

It was only when I looked at the painting again, whilst trying to figure out how best to angle the camera on the girls, that I suddenly noticed that blue lighting on the man in the background and then made the connection :thinking:.

To be honest, I've had this idea for a photograph since before I was even into photography (a year ago), as I visit this bar a lot and it was just so good that it all came together so well, on the one day in 10 when I happened to have my camera in the pub with me :D.

If this is a "once in a lifetime" shot, then it must be time for me to quit now :p.

Cheers for all of your kind comments, folks!
 
I'm (almost anyway) speechless and there are a lot that will tell
you that is near impossible :D
It just so works (y)
 
Cobra said:
I'm (almost anyway) speechless and there are a lot that will tell
you that is near impossible :D
It just so works (y)
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Thank you so much, Chris :).

I'm so relieved that this image comes across so clearly (albeit to an audience of photographers ;)). I was really worried that people might just skip it, thinking that it's a rather mundane attempt at candid "street photography".

Now I'm wishing that I hadn't posted it, so that I could have saved it for a future TP photography competition :LOL:.

:D Meh, who am I kidding? I couldn't wait to get it posted up and suck in the praise (ooh, feed that ego baby :woot:).

;)
 
Star2 said:
Fantastic! I could spend ages looking at this.

:clap:
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Well, don't spend too long - there are plenty of superior works to look at here on TP ;).

BTW, I do appreciate being the recipient of your first post , Star2. Thanks for that and welcome to the forum (y).
 
A bit too green for my taste whoops sorry thats me envy is a terrible thing:p. A really great photo I just keep going back to it
Bob:clap:
 
It so reminds me of this very famous HC Bresson shot...

bressonbehind.jpg
 
ROFL2K9 said:
Bravo :clap:

Exactly why I love photography, shots like these. You can keep yer landscapes :D
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Sums it up for me :)

Great shot! Even the tops of the customers and the painting subjects match!

Excellent :clap:
 
It'd be good to see it blown up and on the wall of another cafe so that the cycle can continue.

Great shot (y)
 
Very well thought out shot (accident or not), well done. I do, however, feel it would benefit greatly from a boost in contrast and a little grit. (y)
 
The other thing I like about this is that it is so unlike the painting that you can tell it wasn't staged. If you were to try and choreograph this I'm sure it could have been made far more like the painting if you see what I mean. But having said that it is so like the painting it's uncanny.. I'm confused now. I only just noticed the beer bottle almost mirroring the position of the lamp. I wonder who the man in the painting is texting :LOL:
 
This really is a great capture mate. Very, very nicely done. I agree with the above comment regarding the contrast tweaks though.
 
Jayst84 said:
Awesome. Right up my street this.

Looks a bit like an Edward Hopper painting too, which is cool.

Very, very good.
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It looks even more like one now (see below ;)).

CT said:
It so reminds me of this very famous HC Bresson shot...

bressonbehind.jpg
Click to expand...

CT, I was really flattered by your earlier reference to HCB (who wouldn't be :D), but I'm afraid that I can't see the image that you posted (just a white box with a red X). Could you possibly PM it to me please, as I'm not all that familair with Henri Cartier-Bresson's work and would love to know which image you have in mind.

GarynLea said:
It'd be good to see it blown up and on the wall of another cafe so that the cycle can continue.

Great shot (y)
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Now there's a mind-bending concept! A picture within a picture, witin a picture ... :naughty:

neo2810 said:
Very well thought out shot (accident or not), well done. I do, however, feel it would benefit greatly from a boost in contrast and a little grit. (y)
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Contrast boost and grit ... coming right up, Sir (y)!

leon1p said:
The other thing I like about this is that it is so unlike the painting that you can tell it wasn't staged. If you were to try and choreograph this I'm sure it could have been made far more like the painting if you see what I mean. But having said that it is so like the painting it's uncanny.. I'm confused now. I only just noticed the beer bottle almost mirroring the position of the lamp. I wonder who the man in the painting is texting :LOL:
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I had the same thoughts myself, Leon. I could, I suppose, have spoken to the girls and explained what I was trying to do, but then I'm sure I would have ruined the feel of the shot. Also, the composition doesn't mirror the painting directly, but I think that it still works.

As for the man at the table in the painting, he's probably texting Edward Hopper's lawyers, to inform them of a possible copyright infringement!

TimSandhu said:
This really is a great capture mate. Very, very nicely done. I agree with the above comment regarding the contrast tweaks though.
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Then, just for you Tim (and neo2810), here's a new version to ponder with the original posted above for contrast:

Version A:
Life_Imitating_Art_01.jpg


Version B:
Life_Imitating_Art_02.jpg


I'm glad to have had some useful c&c (and well as lots of lovely praise) on this one, as I felt that it looked a little flat and "snapshotish". It's easy to feel that way about a photograph that you've taken yourself, especially if you know the location/subject well, but I think that this image does benefit from a little extra "bazazz".

What does eveyone else think?
 
Naboo32 said:
CT, I was really flattered by your earlier reference to HCB (who wouldn't be :D), but I'm afraid that I can't see the image that you posted (just a white box with a red X). Could you possibly PM it to me please, as I'm not all that familair with Henri Cartier-Bresson's work and would love to know which image you have in mind?
Click to expand...

It's 'Behind The Gare St. Lazare'

Just do a Google image search on that title. :)
 
TimSandhu said:
I like it (y)
Click to expand...

Well, it's not a radical change, but as well as boosting the contrast and adding a little grain I selectively lightened the skin tone on the girls at the table (to better match the girls in the painting) and tried to tone down the blue light on the floor a bit, as I found that a bit distracting in the original :|.

I might have a go at a few other versions later, as I still have a couple of whacky ideas left :naughty:.
 
Just browsing around a bit and spotted this.... great. I love images that really capture your interest like this.... worth waiting for.
 
barbs said:
Just browsing around a bit and spotted this.... great. I love images that really capture your interest like this.... worth waiting for.
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Thanks barbs, that's so good to hear :).

FWIW, I haven't ever posted anything here before that has been so well received. It just goes to show how useful it is to post stuff on this forum, as I'm beginning to get an idea of what appeals to most people now and I think (hope) that it will only serve to make me a "better" photographer in the future.

Anyway, further to an earlier "threat" that I made about posting more different versions of the image ... what about this one;

Life_Imitating_Art_03.jpg


Is this really a bridge to far!?
 
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Jayst84 said:
I prefer the first version. I think the muted tones and low contrast suit the subject well.

As for the latest version.. no comment. :D
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:D "No comment", actually says rather a lot, Jayst84 ;).

It was just a bit of fun really - I don't think that I'll be using it on my website.

As for "A vs. B", I must admit that I didn't think that the grain added a lot to the image :shrug:, so I'd probably do without that, if I was going to print it off. As for the contrast, I'd really have to view them both on a better monitor to decide. I only have a laptop with one of those glossy, LCD screens, which make images look very different depending on exactly which angle you view them from :(.

Thanks a lot for your input though (y).
 
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