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Canon DSLR Challenge | all galleries >> Canon SLR Challenges - FAQ >> CSLR - Best of... >> Best of 2009 > 4th Place
"Om"
by elips
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04/17/09 elips

4th Place
"Om"
by elips

Brewster, Cape Cod, MA


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elips28-Apr-2009 20:13
Thanks, CJ and Tom! I did try to get a separation between the calf and thigh but this was a pair of very black tights and my PS skills aren't up to creating a separation that didn't exist in the original image. My attempts looked just like that - crude attempts! So the image stands as is. Sorry Alexeig, no insult intended. ~Sharon
alexeig26-Apr-2009 20:30
This is a very nice image, but the finger sign is anything but still in my culture :-)
Canon DSLR Challenge26-Apr-2009 17:36
Don't know much about Yoga but I love this shot as it is. I think Yoga has to do with nearly abstract concepts like relaxation and meditation. So it seems quite appropriate to me that the black shape play an abstract role as a "shape" not necessarily easily seen to be a leg but as a resting place for the meditating hand. But then I don't know what I'm talking about. I still like the dramatic contrast between the details of the arm and the big black shape. -tv
Canon DSLR Challenge21-Apr-2009 15:27
Wonderful idea Sharon - great pose and composition! The B&W conversion is a little dark on the leg and as Olaf mentioned, makes it look like this was taken from the back. Maybe with just a little tweaking, we could see a separation between the thigh and calf. Terrific take on the topic though! CJ
elips21-Apr-2009 03:52
Thank you, Olaf! Actually, I agree with you, I was away from home when I processed this working on my laptop. I don't get good detail and I can't tell how black is black on the laptop. Now that I am home and have access to the bigger computer & monitor I will try and see what I can do with it. I appreciate the insightful comment! ~Sharon
Guest 20-Apr-2009 20:54
Sharon, I think this is a super, on-topic image and I agree with all that has been said in the previous comments (except the Shu-bit in Lydia's comment, of course). There is something bothering me though. I couldn't quite put my finger on it at first, but I think I know what it is now: We're seeing the arm from the inside (centerline of body), which would mean we should be able to see a some line of distinction between the lower leg and the thigh, no? As the leg is allowed to go totally black, the leg looks almost like it is seen from the outside and this lends the image an uncomfortable twist. I think I would prefer it, if the leg didn't go completely black, so that it would be clear, from looking at both the leg and arm, that this is viewed from the inside (center of body).
elips20-Apr-2009 14:24
Thanks, Lydia, Kuivaamo and Mary Anne! ~Sharon
Canon DSLR Challenge20-Apr-2009 01:56
Sharon, leave it to you to come up with such a simple image to express the idea of stillness in so many essential ways. Well done.
--Mary Anne
Canon DSLR Challenge19-Apr-2009 22:03
This is really good, elips! Two shapes, two letters, says it all. -Kuivaamo
Canon DSLR Challenge19-Apr-2009 15:26
Whoa! ALL of THAT in just two little letters? Sounds to me like someone's been meditating a bit too long. *grin*

But, to the topic at hand (so to speak *grin*)... This is so very well done, Shu, that it inspires me. The simpleness totally fits the subject. Well done, indeed. ~Lydia
jnconradie19-Apr-2009 15:20
Not only are these Challenges a super place to become better at photography, but also to learn many other interesting and important facts!

Thanks for the detailed explanation, Sharon. Fantastic. Kind regards Nico
Canon DSLR Challenge19-Apr-2009 14:52
Thank you, Nico and Shu! Nico, saying the word "om" is one way to concentrate or empty the mind while doing mediation. Here is an explanation that I found along with a YouTube video so you can hear what it should sound like: "Om is the symbol for the whole universe. It carries three basic sounds: A-U-M. These three basic sounds through which all the sounds have evolved. So Om is the basic trinity of sound, the synthesis of all the basic roots. That's why Om is considered the secret mantra, the greatest mantra, because it implies the whole existence, it represents the sound of soundlessness, the beauty of silence. OM represents the music of existence, the soundless sound, the sound of silence. OM represents the inner most music of our being, the inner harmony, the inner humming sound which happens when our body, mind, soul are in deep totality, when the visible and the invisible, the un-manifest and the manifest, the relative and absolute, the-outer and inner are in deep togetherness."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lps1hzr0x80
~Sharon
Canon DSLR Challenge19-Apr-2009 12:13
Yoga in the abstract! Simple image pointing to an exercise resulting in the well-being of the one who practices it. Great thinking on this one! shu
jnconradie19-Apr-2009 06:36
I am going to have to confess my ignorance about what the "O m" stands for, so I'll just assume it stands for "Oh my, what a stunning photograph!" :-)

It is one of those images where one can immediately reconstruct in one's mind the complete images from just this one section. And the message is conveyed loud and clear: still... relaxed... quiet.

Simply brilliant! Regards Nico