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Posted on 09/09/08 5:10:43 PM |
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gaoxiguo
赤土陶 器战士 Posts: 114 Reply  |
Re: Contest 214: The pigeon loft
放飞希望Flying ideal 
感谢论坛大家对我的欢迎和支持！  |
Posted on 09/09/08 5:21:49 PM |
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DanLundberg
Darkroom Diva Posts: 16 Reply  |
Re: Contest 214: The pigeon loft
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Posted on 10/09/08 03:35:44 AM |
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mariong
Bayern Brushsmith Posts: 36 Reply  |
Re: Contest 214: The pigeon loft
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Posted on 10/09/08 08:44:12 AM |
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james
Surreal Spoofer Posts: 1194 Reply  |
Re: Contest 214: The pigeon loft
Marion, I do enjoy your entry, it’s great. So many ideas wonderfully executed, one could extol the virtues of each, I’m particularly struck by Gaoxiguo’s birds; pure porcelain, wonderful. |
Posted on 10/09/08 3:32:37 PM |
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mariong
Bayern Brushsmith Posts: 36 Reply |
Re: Contest 214: The pigeon loft
Thank you, James!  |
Posted on 12/09/08 08:00:35 AM |
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Steve Caplin
Administrator Posts: 7047 Reply  |
Re: Contest 214: The pigeon loft
A difficult Challenge this week. But, as I always find, it's the hardest jobs that tend to produce the best results: and we've had some outstanding entries. First into the pigeon loft was vibeke, with a beautifully cut out eagle chomping throug the last remaining pigeon. It's a great image - how close did you manage to get to photograph this? The eagle sits perfectly on that perch, although I think I might have tried tucking the wing behind the pillar. A funny entry from Nick Curtain, who's turned the vertical pillar into a series of bars and placed everyone's favourite cannibal behind them. It's moody work, with good toned down lighting: and the light on the bars matches the direction of the light on his face. I like the game in the second entry - especially the translucent plastic effect on the walls. Dovecote! Yes, of course, that's a better word for it than pigeon loft. Thanks to Ben Mills for that - and for the jazz poster, with its great range of silhouetted performers. My problem here, though, is with the choice of font: it just isn't jazzy enough! An Indiana Jones animation from michael sinclair , with Indy about to be pounced on from behind by a snake. I like the detail of the moving shadows - the gun on the leg, the way the hat shadow changes on the wall with the change in direction. But, er, if Indy's casting that shadow, shouldn't there be one from the wooden structure as well? An ingenious (and very French) solution from Steve Mac: flood the place with champagne! THe outpouring from the holes, the splash of bubbles on the surface, are excellent - as is the quality of the liquid itself. Gory it may be, but Andy L's automated guillotine is a fantastic piece of work. The way the blade is inserted between the rungs of the ladder, the angles of all the heads (where did you find so many shots taken from above?), the blood spattering, the sense of motion, the shadows beneath the heads, and above all the expressions on the faces - dazzling stuff. And well worth a title for you, despite the apparent difference in our politics. I think it really has to be Exquisite Executioner for this image alone! Ingenious work from brewell: the chrome effect on the wood turns it into the handle of the cheese slider, and the recolouring lends the image a good cheesy feel. The slice peeling off really needs a shadow behind it, though, to separate it from the wall. There's a plaintive quality to mguyer's entry, with a rather forlorn looking pigeon all alone in the loft. I'd have softened the edges of the light beam, Marty - and that bird could really do with a shadow on this side, away from the light! A neat idea from JamesB, turning all those holes into a beehive: the added honeypot and Winnie the Pooh doll are nice extra touches. A tiny perspective issue: the angles on the lettering on the beekeeper's back are much too strong - we'd need to be very close to see that sort of distorted view. A lot of work has gone into tooquilos' animation, with all the bingo balls -complete with individual numbers - slotted neatly into the holes in the walls. I like how the number on the caller's stand matches the balls lighting up on the wall, and are those trays of prepared pigeon as prizes? I think, rather than lighting up, it might have been more fun if the balls had popped into view through the holes, one by one: more of a sense of random occurrence, perhaps. A spectral image from james, showing the ghosts of pigeons past - although I'd have tucked one or two behind the pillar. As always, though, it's the animated entry that provides the most fun: although, I have to say, I can't see any evidence of the original image in here! I think Ellen's eagle scarer may be the perfect solution to an empty loft - unless the profusion of feathers means it's already too late. I like the idea of the eagle's claw in there, but shouldn't it be facing the other way if the eagle is being scared off? And the position of the shadow does place it very close to the wall. Great texture here! A fantastic cigarette card from Josephine Harvatt, with really funny text on the reverse side. A great aged card effect, and I love the way the missing corner is replicated on the reverse. A great choice of fonts and layout: the only change I'd have made would be to indent the first line of the second and third paragraphs in the main text. There's a beautiful quality to gaoxiguo's doves, perfectly cut out. I like the texture in the background, as well, and the subtle lettering. A very serene piece of work! Those pigeon holes make perfect disco lighting, as DanLundberg discovered. The girl is beautifully lit here, as well. Best feature for me is the reflection in the shiny floor: that wall has been expertly distorted to mirror the wall above, and the recreation of the girl's feet from the opposite angle is just right. The variation in light brightness adds extra interest, and there's just the right amount of glow behind the hot spots in this wall. The only slightly jarring elements are the two blue spotlights: too dark to light the scene! Great work otherwise, though, and deserving of a title for you, too. Darkroom Diva seems appropriate for this image! A wonderful entry from mariong, with a huge array of detail. Note the angles of all the bottles stored in the walls, the two remaining pigeons, the energy of the drinkers, the subtle shadows. A couple of small points, though: the Guinness sign needs to be sheared slightly to follow the angle of the wall; and the liquid level in the martini drinker's glass needs to be rotated to match the angle of his leaning! But this is nitpicking: it's a fantastic image, Marion. Fantastic work all round. Outstanding! |
Posted on 12/09/08 08:32:05 AM |
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Nick Curtain
Model Master Posts: 1768 Reply  |
Re: Contest 214: The pigeon loft
Thanks as usual Steve, I enjoyed this one. Nick |
Posted on 12/09/08 11:17:08 AM |
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tooquilos
Wizard of Oz Posts: 2904 Reply  |
Re: Contest 214: The pigeon loft
Thank you Steve 
They are meat trays...that's what some of the bingo halls offer as prizes here. You are right about the balls popping down one by one. Didnt think of that. I was just really at a loss this week..inspiration just didn't happen |
Posted on 12/09/08 11:31:51 AM |
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vibeke
Kreative Kiwi Posts: 2166 Reply  |
Re: Contest 214: The pigeon loft
Thanks Steve. I was pretty close, here is the original image, taken with my 55-250mm lens, taken with the lens set on 55mm. We were in the front row and at one time I had 2 birds crashing on top of my head, so close that the chap asked if I was O.K. all I could think was, did anybody get a photo?  |
Posted on 12/09/08 3:33:57 PM |
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mariong
Bayern Brushsmith Posts: 36 Reply |
Re: Contest 214: The pigeon loft
Thank you, Steve! It would have needed a few more refinements, I know, just not enough time these days, but it was fun! |
Posted on 13/09/08 02:21:24 AM |
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Ellen
Fire Queen Posts: 102 Reply  |
Re: Contest 214: The pigeon loft
Thanks Steve, wish I had flipped the claw. |
Posted on 14/09/08 11:06:03 AM |
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Andy L
Exquisite Executioner Posts: 30 Reply |
Re: Contest 214: The pigeon loft
A title to be proud of - Thanks Steve for a great site which really helps to bring your book and Photoshop alive. |
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