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ctfchallenge | all galleries >> Challenge 92 : Through Glass >> Challenge 92 : Eligible > * United or Divided
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22-OCT-2005 ArminB

* United or Divided

(while waiting outside for my shopping wife)

Isn't it the same question in all our relationships? Aren't we - to some extent - always "in-between"?

(No PS except a slight rotation, cropping and levels)

Canon EOS 350D
1/60s f/4.5 at 55.0mm iso400 full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto
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ArminB 25-Oct-2005 11:32
And you're so true about ur statement about some of the photog :)
So far, I would not call me a "g" at all, yes, true, I really like to use my cam, (sometimes not to greatest amusement of my better other half, since I'm spending too much time - but consider the alternative, me lurking around and messing home instead ;-)) ). But I think I know how much there is left to learn - yet, it's inspiring, a lot of fun, and it started to change me to some extent...
ArminB 25-Oct-2005 07:37
Rod, you are great! .......................................................................................... :)
Armin
Rod 25-Oct-2005 07:05
Armin how can we have a bleeding controversy if you keep posting words that I agree with:-) It's just a shame that so many of the beautiful people have egos that grow in proportion to their beauty, making them very unattractive. Same goes for photographers that believe too many of the "you are great" compliments thrown around some of these challenges. Mind you I think I could handle it:-)
ArminB 25-Oct-2005 06:14
Well, well, this could be the perfect start for a little controversy :) ..."Beauty", what is? And who defines? Just to give you an example, while nowadays, especially for women, its "law" to become thin...thinner...thinnest and now even this kind of trend to androgyn/unisex...there was a time, when women were beautiful with an extreme pale teint...another time, when full forms (enough reserves for bad times to still being able taking care of their kids...and obviously rich enough to have so much to eat) were seen as beautiful - even in art (e.g. famous painter Rubens). So I'm coming back to me first statement: Beauty is in the eye of the beholder, only. We should not care too much about wot bl*** media tries to make believe.
ctfchallenge24-Oct-2005 21:12
All I can say is, I am glad I have a nice personality! I won't be standing outside this window anytime soon. Bahahha!
Guest 24-Oct-2005 20:08
Inner and outer beauty do not necessarily go hand in hand. What I was trying to say was to have an unattactive - in the conventional sense- woman, who FEELS unnatractive. Many unconventionally unattractive women appear attractive b/c of the way they feel about themselves and carry themselves. Many beautiful women feel unattractive as well, so we don't appreciate thier beauty either. For the scene, I was thinking an unattractive women, with no confidence, looking at the 'beautiful people' and longing to be attractive. Now, if that woman did suddenly become beautiful, and her personality did not change, she still might not actually come across as beautiful. Now you could also take this in another direction instead, with a second image of this "perfect couple" on the side of the set, screaming and hurling things at eachother. But, it would have taken the orig photog of the poster to have caught that one! LOL! ~ Lonnit
ArminB 24-Oct-2005 14:59
Rod, you really know, how to make friends ;-)))
Rod 24-Oct-2005 11:21
You're probably right Armin, our Lonnit does sometimes take off before she puts her brain into gear:-)
arminb24-Oct-2005 11:06
Rod, don't think, that was Lonnits thought - well, at least it wouldn't be mine - beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and to me, beauty is not, what is visible with the eyes, only. So, we are in full agreement.
Yet, a normal person would give a nice contrast to the "beauty illusion" of the background picture - so I can see Lonnits point here. And I don't think (hope) it was meant by Lonnit, what you read from her lines. ~ Armin
Rod 24-Oct-2005 09:49
Lonnit wot's a "particularly unattractive woman" like? She will also exhibit a "combination of sadness, disdain, and jealousy on her face". These words sound very shallow to me & I'm surprised you said them. I know a few woman who have lovely personalities & they know how to converse, but would be considered unattractive to shallow people. These few ladies are adored by their husbands & admired by me, so these unattractive women must be attractive to the people that know them. Maybe you need to get into fashion photography young lady.
ctfchallenge23-Oct-2005 21:16
Thanks Lonnit. In fact , there is one thing more I did, the very tight crop on the left "woman-guy" is there on intention, since "she" was not alone but accompanied by her mate... so you're right, most of it is the decorators work, but the dividing theme was not his/her intention at all :-) ... and as you said , I would have loved to get a person to stand in front, too...(actually one couple did, but it was already too dark for me to get a steady shot...so to me this is a first attempt, always reminding me, that I have to practice much more :) ...e.g. to set iso up to 1600 when the shot is there, but unfortunately this idea came too late). Thanks for your nice comment!
~ Armin
Canon DSLR Challenge23-Oct-2005 20:46
This is wonderful, but a disappointment that the couple is not your image. It relies quite heavily on the artistic design of the window dresser. If effect, you've pretty much just shot a picture of someone else's art - as if you went into a museum and shot the Mona Lisa. But it's not really as bad as that - you actually added in some artistic elements of your own, making this a comparison of the real world vs. the commercial world. As for the blue line, normally, no, it would NOT work, but because you have the blue and green writing reflected, it actually works excellently to define the real world from the make-believe world of the window display, where all colors are toned and desaturated. If you were to desaturate the line and the writing to match the rest of the image behind the glass, then I would just consider this image to be a ripoff of another's art, which is not legally or ethically allowable. Your elements make a statement about the decorator's display vs. the real world. I think it's very well done. What I would have liked to have seen would be, somewhere within the image, a real person or persons reflected in some manner of expression, whereas they would additionally support your statement. Perhaps the face of a particularly unattractive woman, gazing upon the scene, with her fingers gently touching her jaw, with a combination of sadness, disdain, and jealousy on her face.

Excellent job! ~ Lonnit
arminb23-Oct-2005 19:49
Rod, mate, what's wrong? I do not want to get used to getting compliments from you - I'm expecting grumpy controversies :-) ~ Armin

( Wisper: Thanks for the support, man, can I do you any favour?)

I really like CTF very much! You're all such an inspiration and it is really fun talking and "being" with you!
Rod 23-Oct-2005 19:09
Poster or not you would almost have to be as good as me to get a shot this good. Well done Armin:-)
arminb23-Oct-2005 17:28
No, no, don't believe them all, it's my wife and me in front of these toy manequins...really... damn, where are me brownies.... *<8o)
Thanks Britt and Jano! ~ Armin
Guest 23-Oct-2005 16:20
Even though they are not "real" people, this is a great capture. Good eye, Armin.
janewigginsphotography23-Oct-2005 15:44
Interesting HUGE background poster Armin - one of the best I've seen taken through glass. The details are right on - I especially like the contrast between the poster and the manequins. Jano
arminb23-Oct-2005 12:30
Thank you all, especially you, Britt - yes, you can hire me and my wife ;-))) ...as Rod alrady stated, it is part of the window deco and I am not that good :) ~ Armin
Rod 23-Oct-2005 09:49
I wonder if you're on to something Britt as the couple seem a bit unreal don't they. Armin is standing outside the shop so it does seem as though they're part of the window dressing. I knew he wasn't that good:-)
Guest 23-Oct-2005 04:26
First of all, Armin, nice shot. Are these people real or manequins? Geez, it should be illegal to be so good looking. Did you hire them to stand there for you? Or is it a poster in the background?
Next, ROD ... I AM reading this. Shame on you. ( Yes I am shaking my finger at you!) Hehehe... And I agree with Markjay, I like the blue. Looks like Armin will be busy running the next challenge. LOL
ctfchallenge23-Oct-2005 00:10
Great shot, Armin! This is what I'm "talkin about" when I say photograph through glass... there's something on the other side of that glass that holds the viewers' interest... mine included! The blue line IMO ties in with the blue neon light / lettering in the reflection and create an interesting kind of "divider" between the two far right and left manequins. Just excellent! Markjay
Guest 22-Oct-2005 23:26
I like it, it's a good shot... you can't crop out the right part, for me it looses everything.
ArminB 22-Oct-2005 22:22
LOL, but maybe Britt's daughter does? :) Hmmm, when I took this one, I thought the bue "bar" would be a nice "manifestation" of the "in-between" feeling - but, nevertheless, thanks for the suggestions, I will play around with it tomorrow.
~ Armin
Rod 22-Oct-2005 22:06
Picky picky Steve, If it is a distraction I would just try & select the the blue & change the colour with the Hue & saturation tool. I hope Britt doesn't read this.
Guest 22-Oct-2005 21:38
Armin, I really like this. * But the blue window frame really spoils it for me. I think you could crop inside that and still have a fantastic shot. Well done - Steve
Rod 22-Oct-2005 21:36
Love this shot Armin Them so close together & the dolls so far apart. I hope this couple have more in common than love:-)