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Energy Drink – ?
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Good Morning all,
I looking for some processing advice on this one.
I’ve done three different versions but I’m not sure which one is the
strongest. I’d really appreiciate any help you wonderful people can offer.This shot was taken just off Stephens Green on Saturday. This chap was
sitting in a corner and was completely out of it. The Lucozade bottle just really
caught my attention. Perhaps not the best advertising campaign.thanks
Loving the irony here!!
The 3rd is the shot for me – not keen on the conversions.
Tim
Great shot Graham. Only thing I’d like to see is a bit more space to the right of the shot…something to put him more in context with his surroundings.
This is quite a powerful shot …another one to make you stop and think about the underbelly of our Celtic Tiger state. As regards the different versions..the first one does make the irony of the energy drink more obvious..but is a little gimmicky. For me either 2 or 3 are better.
Cheers
Robbie
Thanks guys, I have to agree on the conversions I’m not really a fan myself.
On the straight B+W one there is something strange going on with the base of the bottle.
It’s something to do with the design on the bottle and the way it’s converted. It just looks off to me.I definitely wouldn’t go with the selective colouring :shock:
After that, it’s a coin toss for me as to whether or not to go for colour or B&W. I don’t think either one is particularly strong to be honest because the lighting looks so flat. He just blends into the background… there’s no shadow to create modelling. You did well to get down to his perspective, but perhaps from slightly side on rather than direct, would have been a better view? When we’re taking photographs, it’s important to realise that we’re photographing light. The quality of light is everything and when it’s as flat as it seems here, you’re always going to struggle a little.
Thanks Ciaran, the selective colour was really just an experiment i wanted to try.
Not the best image to try it out on though – i concede that.
I take your point on the flat colour. We had been enjoying really
nice light for most of the day however by the time I reached this shot the sky had greyed and there
was actually very little shadow around the guy. I did try to look at different angles but none provided
adequate shadow. My thinking in the end was to sacrifice the angles to include the label on the bottle.
In hind sight perhaps I made the wrong choice.:) The first edit really made me giggle :lol: Quite ironic. I don’t think it would go down well as an advertising camapign for lucozade.
Really like the shot though, and although the first edit did make me smile, i think i’d go for b/w with a touch more contrast.ciaran wrote:
When we’re taking photographs, it’s important to realise that we’re photographing light. The quality of light is everything and when it’s as flat as it seems here, you’re always going to struggle a little.
Ciaran,
I’ve read this a couple of times now and although your comment does make sense it does seem slightly idealistic.
By that I simply mean that I didn’t have much light to work with on the day. Had I been here twenty minutes earlier I may have
been able to achieve the light necessary. My opinion though is “light be damned” in a way. For me photography is trying to capture
moments in time. Not all these moments are going be lit correctly or framed right or fit into the thirds rule. I was simply trying to capture the irony of the
moment. I may not have the technical expertise to fully articulate this in a picture but I think I managed to get my point across.
Your other comment regarding him blending into the background is actually quiet poignant, simply because he did blend into the background.
he was almost invisible to everyone who walked by him.
Again as always I enjoy and value your commentsI don’t think it’s idealistic at all, I think it’s completely about the technicalities of photography. When we take a picture, we capture light.. end of story. How we control the light often dictates how good a shot will be. This can go from the obvious under or exposing a shot, right down to stretching contrast in a scene. When we take images, it’s our job to do what we can to photograph the light well, in such a way as to create a pleasing image.
Whilst you may not have had lots of light to work with, I don’t necessarily see that as an excuse. Landscape photographers can wait hours if not even days or weeks for the right light before they take their shots. Take one landscape, a camera in the same position with the same settings.. if the light is right in one shot, but not the other, the one with the better light will be a better photo. And it’s no different for shooting people. If we don’t have the right light, perhaps we should wait to see if it breaks? This could mean missing the image… or perhaps we take the shot, but then realise the lighting is poor and the impact of the shot will suffer accordingly.
Personally if the light was that flat on the day, I’d have done one of 3 things:
1. Shifted my perspective around to the left.. take the shot and then stretch the contrast in PS. There’s evidence of some shadow in profile, which you could have made use of and enhanced
2. Wait to see if the light changes.
3. Flash!!! A bit of fill flash could have helped this shot enormously and it wouldnt necessarily be enough to disturb the subject. All it would have needed was a squirt directed off to the side.At the end of the day, you opted to take the shot in poor light, which is why I feel the shot lacks impact. The subject could be great, but as we do photograph light, the shot has suffered.
As for my comment about blending into the background, whilst it’s nice to take it poignantly, it wasn’t intended that way. I simply meant the lack of shadows/modelling makes the image two dimensional. His skin tones also match the wall.. which means he visually blends into the background, more so than socially.
EDIT/Addendum
When you do get around to shooting weddings, controlling light, making use of light is going to be critical to getting good shots. You wont be able to tell your clietns that it was a dull day.
Ciaran,
we are always learning, I will take your suggestions on board and hopefully you’ll see them come
through in future postings.With regard your comments on weddings, I will of course have a much better array of tools such as lights and reflectors
at my disposal to correctly “control” the light. However I’m not sure that anyone walking down the green or the subject would have
appreiciated the reflector being thrown on the ground in front of him.You have given quite a lot to think about though and I will be taking your suggestions to the laptop later
Thanks again
Graham, I agree that reflectors are a tad bulky and cumbersome for street shooting :) but a flash is a very useful accessory. I don’t shoot weddings and have zero plans to get into it, but I wouldn’t value a shot I took on the street any differemtly to one I was doing for a client. I always try (with the emphasis on try) to take the best shot possible, which means trying to make use of or controlling the light for each and every shot, regardless of the subject, surroundings or scenario.
Ciaran,
thank you as always for your comments. I renjoy debating with people and you always seem to be up
for decent conversation :D
Although I may disagree with some of what you said I genuinely value your input and advice.
I look forward to further postings and your comments.Graham
byrne5012 wrote:
Although I may disagree with some of what you said I genuinely value your input and advice.
:shock: What???? Which parts?? Let me know what you disagree with? I’m sure I can debate you around to my way of thinking ;)
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