Amidst the Flames by Flick Merauld by Olympus DSLR Challenge


28-FEB-2005	Flick Merauld

Thai Buddha, Tibetan Lotus Seed Prayer Beads and Ikea Mirror

Olympus E-1 ,Olympus Zuiko 14-54mm f/2.8-3.5 Digital
1/80s f/3.2 at 29.0mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto

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kodak_challenge		05-Mar-2006 19:47
Who me? why conventional? Flick.

Katydid		05-Mar-2006 18:04
the last poster your a conventional kind of guy/gal

Olympus DSLR Challenge		05-Mar-2006 17:16
I really like this unique interpreation of the theme. But I'm not sure about the missing "scalp" of the Buddha, cutting on the top of the head of the main figure is a bit startling for me. The mirror in the backround is very interesting and for me it is more attractive than the four blury candles at the bottom. I like the details on the statue too. Regards, MCsaba

kodak_challenge		04-Mar-2006 18:04
a teleporting Buddha too? It's a long way over the Atlantic.

Olympus DSLR Challenge		04-Mar-2006 17:22
If budda does sneak out...perhaps those are not prayer beads...but beads he got a Mardi Gras last week.

kodak_challenge		04-Mar-2006 17:06
Hi Bill, if you keep looking, i must be doing something right ;-) About the tilt - as i explained to Brent below, it isn't titlted to the right, it's tilted all over the place due to the unevenness of the floor because of subsidence of the house. That Buddha certainly has naughty eyes. It's my theory that he sneaks off and goes clubbing while I'm alseep - he has that knowing glint in his eye, and I'm sure he isn't always looking in the same direction. Flick.

Olympus DSLR Challenge		04-Mar-2006 15:50
I keep looking at this and I cant tell if I really like it or if it makes me a bit uneasy. I think all the unusual elements in it contribute to that. The subtle tilt to the right, the soft focus at the front, the cropping off at some interesting places, the buddhas eyes. What ever it is it keeps me looking at it, and thats what a good photo should do IMHO. Bill Steller

kodak_challenge		02-Mar-2006 08:05
It's true. When you buy a house you look out for the very things that you never notice again. When we lived in France and converted an old stone "longhouse", we lived in conditions and dealt with problems that would curl your toes normally (at one point access to the upstairs bedrooms (we converted the old hayloft) was via a ladder and in through the dormer window. Not only that, but we tackled everything ourselves, plastering, wiring, wood treatment etc, in a way we're generally taught is only for the experts. It gives you a sense of how superficial our dwellings are and how nature is always trying to get them to revert and fade back into the land. Flick.

Guest		01-Mar-2006 21:30
Ah! Merging of the shots - you have done a good job of it, many times people will do this and it leaves little or no contrast. The alignment & cropping were only a suggestion. I have to laugh at the stories of your house. Though perhaps as funny is when they remodeled my house they put a door in the basement with an attached jamb - the "carpenter" could not get the knob and the bolthole in the jamb to align - so there is a rather larger hole that was made for the bolt to fit in. - it is funny what we ignore... - thanks for the reply - brent

kodak_challenge		01-Mar-2006 20:56
Thanks Brent. I used the RAW file and processed it twice, with two different light balances. I also dodged and burned quite a bit. It's interesting what you say about cutting off the bottom four candles. Did you actually try masking them out. It makes the picture too shallow, a horizontal rather than vertical format, and it loses depth - tried it and hated it ;-( But that's just my subjective opinion, though I would say composition is my strong point and this felt right. About the tilt, it's not an in camera rotation error but the way my floor slopes all over the place due to subsidence and heave of the house. Look at the candles and statue and you'll see they're going in all directions. It's hilarious if a bit unsettling living here at times: sometimes the front door sticks, sometimes the back or bathroom door do. From outside, you can see the window frames and front door are wonky. I can't lock the back door at all now (I have to rely on bolts) as the two halves of the lock are so out of line that if you manage to lock it, you get trapped in the back of the house as it won't unlock again. Flick.

Olympus DSLR Challenge		01-Mar-2006 18:43
Flick, really love the colors and shades of light on the statue. It is amazing how much detail you have given in the shadow areas. The mirror gives it a nice added depth. It looks tilted a bit clockwise & I would consider cutting off the bottom 4 candles. Thanks! - brent

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