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ctfchallenge | all galleries >> Challenge 86: The HEAT is ON >> Eligible > Hot Pepper or a Genie? *
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7/27/05 jstrong

Hot Pepper or a Genie? *

Been experimenting with this shot for a couple of days. The fire is actually coming from a match inserted inside the pepper and then lighted right prior to the shot. Fire is not an easy shot to take. What I did like about this photo was the cast of the fire on the stem and the top of the pepper. This pepper is hot so I've suffered much! lol It also reminded me of a genie coming out so there's the title. jano


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janewigginsphotography02-Aug-2005 12:24
Techo - thanks for the tutorial. I saved it for future reference. jano
Techo 02-Aug-2005 03:01
Hi jano :)

Sorry for the misinformation. Save For Web doesn't automatically convert to the sRGB color profile. It did so in my case because I have Photoshop configured to work with sRGB and it always prompts me if I want to convert an non sRGB photo into one when opening a photo. Then when I save, it saves it as sRGB if I told it to use sRGB when I opened the file. I saved your photo as sRGB and even the WinXP image viewer displays it better.

To convert to sRGB, there's a small tutorial here
http://www.dpchallenge.com/tutorial.php?TUTORIAL_ID=26
janewigginsphotography01-Aug-2005 20:26
Thanks for the kind comments Yvonne and Techo. Techo - I have now reopened the image in PS and did a "save for web". I'm not sure if this is now in sRGB or not. I save all my photos that way, but may not have with this shot for some odd reason. Let me know if it shows better now in your opinion. Thanks. jano
Techo 01-Aug-2005 18:11
Very clever setup :) I like the title too! Though you may want to save the photo in sRGB becuase it looks a lot better in Photoshop, the black background looks much cleaner than it does in Internet Explorer. AFAIK by using "Save For Web" instead of "Save As", it will automatically save the file in a sRGB color profile.
ctfchallenge01-Aug-2005 16:50
Really creative and a class in lighting and managing a shot as well. Hope the enchiladas were good! Yvonne
janewigginsphotography29-Jul-2005 19:28
Repost on 7/27. jano
janewigginsphotography27-Jul-2005 14:36
Good eye Mary Anne. Thanks jano
ctfchallenge27-Jul-2005 03:47
Jano, you might want to check your date. (I once dated one of mine a year ahead.)
--Mary Anne
janewigginsphotography26-Jul-2005 14:49
I'm probably just making this worse unless I reshoot, but I took the original and redid the background vs. going just black. I wish the flame was sharper too. Perhaps a reshoot tomorrow. jano
Guest 26-Jul-2005 14:29
great idea, must agree on the flame, though. It looks artificial... as negative space Abs is meaning more black on one side of the chile... i.e. not centered.... focusing on the flame is challenging, I know... you should use manual focus, high speed (100+) and flash... I'm not sure, but it should work....
janewigginsphotography26-Jul-2005 13:40
Thanks for the comments, but now I'm confused. The flame is indeed coming out of the pepper. What do you mean by adding negative space? I've tried to get a "sharper" flame but since the flame only lasts approx 2 secs before going out (since it is very close to the tip of the pepper), it was hard to achieve any sharper focus on the flame. Perhaps this is due to the burst of the sulfer. I can try to redo in PS if this can be explained further as to negative space. Thanks jano
ctfchallenge26-Jul-2005 13:09
Jano, this is a very creative shot. i agree with Paul about oof flame and looks like you also did some cloning around the flame edges to make it look like a bit sharper. i would also suggest addition of some negative space to enhance composition. its a very ingenious idea and would love to see it perfectly executed too. -Abstract
Paul 26-Jul-2005 11:14
The idea is very good but i find the lack of focus of the flame doesn't fit the sharpness of the pepper and makes it look like a superimposed image rather than the flame coming out of the end of the vegetable.
elips26-Jul-2005 01:49
This is wonderfully creative, Jano! The exposure is just right and I like the black background. You are right, the reflection of the flame on the top of the pepper is really nice. Good work! ~Sharon