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Canon DSLR Challenge | all galleries >> Canon SLR Challenges - FAQ >> CSLR - Best of... >> Best of 2007 > 1st Place ET by jnconradie
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24-FEB-2007 jnconradie

1st Place ET by jnconradie

Centurion, South Africa

Post-processing:

Main Image: Convert from RAW, Levels, Convert to BW, Delete Background, Crop, Blue Tint, Resize, Perspective Correction, Rotate, Fix the flat tyres :-)
Backdrop: Converted from RAW, Saturation, Levels, Crop

Oscar Nominations:

My better half - Art Direction (painting the backdrop);
My younger son - Lead Actor (playing the role of "Elliot");
My elder son - Special Effects (the wind blowing up the coat);
Our blue teddy bear - Supporting Actor (playing the role of "ET");
Me - Cinematography (pressing the button)


other sizes: small medium original auto
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jnconradie13-Mar-2007 08:11
Thanks, Debbi. :-) Regards jnconradie
Guest 12-Mar-2007 12:50
I just noticed the Oscar Nominations...that is so funny! Great image too, got my vote!
Debbi
jnconradie06-Mar-2007 10:55
Thanks, Judi. Delighted that you liked it. Regards ~jnconradie
Guest 06-Mar-2007 10:18
A wonderful take and great movie, beautifully rendered. Judi
jnconradie06-Mar-2007 06:19
Thanks very much! Regards ~jnconradie
Guest 05-Mar-2007 20:44
WoW! wonderful. Lot of hard work went in here. You have a very creative family, Nico!! -Cat
jnconradie05-Mar-2007 05:18
Thanks, CJ!

Thanks, Matt. How do you think my Art Director would have felt if I replaced her backdrop with a lunar eclipse? ... No ways! :-) Regards ~jnconradie
Canon DSLR Challenge05-Mar-2007 00:04
Second version works great! too bad you didn't have lunar eclipse in S. Africa... :-)

Matt
Canon DSLR Challenge03-Mar-2007 23:40
Wonderful Nico! Terrific idea and well executed - your PP work is great too! CJ
jnconradie02-Mar-2007 19:06
Thanks, Michael! :-) Regards ~jnconradie
ctfchallenge01-Mar-2007 20:50
What can I add to all these XLNT comments except: WINNER!! ":^) Cheers, -mikey
jnconradie01-Mar-2007 14:28
Wow! Thanks everyone. You are incredibly kind and generous with your comments and feedback. Sincere appreciation! Regards ~jnconradie and family
Julie Bird01-Mar-2007 01:53
What fun you've had and so have we, watching the evolution of this great shot.
photokhan28-Feb-2007 13:29
Oh...This is sweet...Perfectly thought of and even better executed. That it is such a "family project" just adds a another, special dimension to it...It is wonderful having your own "flesh and blood" involved in these project, isn't it...?
PK
Vikas Malhotra28-Feb-2007 07:23
Whoa.... this one is even more spectacular. Stunning....

Sure gets my vote :-)

Cheers, Vikas.
Canon DSLR Challenge27-Feb-2007 10:34
What can I add? You took a good image and concept and made it great.
Hearty congrats.
Phil
Guest 27-Feb-2007 07:20
Well, I'm not gonna nitpick about a single pixel in this image...it's wonderful and totally delights my senses. I'm particularly impressed by the nice lighting on Elliot and ET, capturing the highlights and shadows in the costume. Kudos, totally elegant with great spirit. -Michael
jnconradie27-Feb-2007 06:29
Thanks, everyone. I confess that time ran out on me last night before I could get to the jacket. I will try to see what can be done about that. Thanks and regards ~jnconradie
Guest 27-Feb-2007 05:43
thumbs up! much better. The jacket still bugs me a bit, but with the cloning tool and smudge tool you could fix it...
Canon DSLR Challenge27-Feb-2007 04:16
Much better! ~Lonnit
Canon DSLR Challenge27-Feb-2007 01:06
I like this one better also.
theFly
Canon DSLR Challenge26-Feb-2007 23:55
It is hard work isn't it Nico... but well worth it? Glad you fixed the 'flat tyres'. Congratulations 'team' we'll double your wages! (Hopefully 2 X 0 is still 'not much!)

I like this better... now that you are have invested so much time whats a few more hours????.... DR's suggestion to use the 'smudge' tool is a good one... the wind swept coat could do with a smidge of fuzzing to overcome that ' held with a piece of string... look'

This could be an ongoing feature film... and... I'm feeling a bit more 'enthused' to get cracking on something too!

Thanks Team for your patience and your willingness to develop this masterpiece.

Regards, Melbob
Canon DSLR Challenge26-Feb-2007 23:35
I like 2 much better. Greetings to the entire family for a great job. You've got my vote already. Sam Attal.
jnconradie26-Feb-2007 21:32
Version 2 posted, dealing with some of the previous comments. Thanks, everyone.

Reaction?

(The previous version is athttp://www.pbase.com/jnconradie/image/74790581)

Regards ~jnconradie
Vikas Malhotra26-Feb-2007 09:24
Nico, this is simply fantastic. Awesomely well done and certainly blew me away. Needless to say, I LOVE it!

Cheers, Vikas.
jnconradie26-Feb-2007 06:58
Thanks, everyone, for the kind comments and constructive suggestions.

Our "production crew" is off to the drawing board to come up with a smaller / bluer / flying away / smoother jacket / etc. version. Thanks for the suggestions.

[The bike's wheels were flat; thus my decision to "hide" their flatness behind the bottom edge. But I guess there is indeed nothing PhotoShop cannot fix?]

Regards ~jnconradie
Guest 26-Feb-2007 04:23
Great image! Nice job combining all the elements and getting the family involved -- I had similar fun doing this challenge with my family.
Only little nitpicks would be the bike/rider size -- maybe I'd make them a little smaller. Also, you might use the smudge tool and clever cloning to get the jacket flow a bit smoother... there's something alittle akward about it.
Love your lighting!
Canon DSLR Challenge26-Feb-2007 03:30
Excellent Nico, great composition. I agree with Matt, I would be inclined to drop the size of the bike /rider etc a little or even use edit/transform/distort to get the wheels off the ground and perhaps make it slightly 'fore-shortened' so it looks like he is riding away. But that is only a personal preference thing so no big deal. Love it.

Regards, Melbob
Photogenix25-Feb-2007 02:47
Classic...love it.
Great job. - RK
Canon DSLR Challenge25-Feb-2007 02:25
Simply wonderful, Nico. And I love the way your family worked together on this.
--Mary Anne
Guest 25-Feb-2007 00:14
Excellent work!! Kudos to you!
jbhgmvo24-Feb-2007 23:32
Veery nice. An extra point for the cast lol
ctfchallenge24-Feb-2007 23:31
Wonderful idea and well executed.
theFly
Canon DSLR Challenge24-Feb-2007 22:17
Cool Nico! If I had to nitpick I'd ask for a blueish highlights on the kid and make him and the bike smaller and off the ground... good stuff.

Matt