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Konica Minolta Users | all galleries >> KM Challenges Hall of Fame >> HOF C1 to C5 > 1st: Alley of Despair by Claudio Gatti *
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06-MAR-2004 Claudio Gatti

1st: Alley of Despair by Claudio Gatti *

Minolta DiMAGE A1
1/15s f/10.0 at 9.3mm iso100 full exif

other sizes: small medium original auto
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Claudio Gatti14-Mar-2004 18:32
Hi everybody,

Thanks for all the feedback and sorry for the long delay (away on business trip).

The sepia tone that I applied was done with the "Midnight Filter (sepia)" from Nik Multimedia ColorPro, and this filter does indeed has a controllable "blur" effect. I felt that a little blur enhanced the mood more that the tack sharp original shot.

Claudio
Don Northup13-Mar-2004 22:14
right on target, nice work. cheers
niamh 12-Mar-2004 23:44
Hi... surely this has to be a major contender for the next moderator's crown. Excellent subdued colours and the post processing is spot-on, not overdone. The huddled subject with the drab, looming buildings has to be one of the most atmospheric so far in the competition. Congratulations on a superb picture. niamh.
Luminus 12-Mar-2004 03:52
Ahh I see...sorry I should have read the earlier posts more carefully. :P
Dana Nau 12-Mar-2004 03:24
Very nicely done! A question, however: from your description, do I understand correctly that you posed for the photo yourself?
Konica Minolta Users11-Mar-2004 22:58
Claudio...veeeerrrry well done.

The softness looks like a PS touch...no?

Regards
Rich Halferty
Luminus 11-Mar-2004 09:28
Ah...now we have *THE* picture. This would get my 4 points for sure. How did you get the dude to stay put and not coming at you waving a used syringe, while you set up the tripod?
Guest 11-Mar-2004 09:06
Don't want to repeat what is already said. Good work! Is it blurred?
Konica Minolta Users11-Mar-2004 00:31
Excellent image, though my eyes hurt when looking at it. Perhaps the lack of sharp focus is the cause.

Otherwise, this one really conveys the theme!

--Michael Lampi
Konica Minolta Users10-Mar-2004 13:40
I echo the others. Excellent. Note the grafitti on the wall: Drugs.
Jim Rickards.
Smatty 10-Mar-2004 09:25
Hi Claudio,

wow, that's a very nice photo and interpretation of "alone". Actually, I have been roaming the streets of "St Pauli's famous Reeperbahn" (redlight amusement area in Hamburg) to get a shot like that. I was aiming for a "real" scene though, but this is close to impossible. Too many people around (remember with the announcement of the Challenge's subject, the opposite seems to be present at all times ;-) and if I saw a subject, they looked like they would be very unhappy to get my photographic attention. So I decided not to die at a young age beeing shot in some back alley and find my "alone" theme somewhere else. :-)
Konica Minolta Users09-Mar-2004 16:40
Very, very, very good. Congratulations, Claudio! (José Medeiros)
Konica Minolta Users08-Mar-2004 20:03
Hi Claudio, this pic is an excellent interpretation of the theme "Alone". Abandoned places are not the places one would like to imaging his/her life, but definitely and fortunately (or unfortunately ?) always have a great photographic value. Composition wise I would have noting to add here, leading lines work perfectly, just as in the Book, tonality of brownish-yellowish cast add to the desparate feeling of the atmosphere in this alley the man is living through. You have shown us a kind of magazine-journalistic photograph any editor-in-chief would go for in an article introducing the backsides of big cities the world over. Congratulations! Cheers, Feri.
Claudio Gatti08-Mar-2004 15:30
Hi John,

Thanks! The feeling I was after was "alienation and isolation in a big city". I used a tripod and framed the shot to exagerate the lenght of the alley with wide angle, and consciously avoiding symmetry. I wanted the light at the end of the alley to form the leading line. Since the details of the location were also key (ie. graffiti brings association with big city), I stepped down to the max to get deep DOF. The weather and location was perfect for the mood of the shot so it was relatively straightforward to enhance the isolation feeling by using a dark sepia tone in post-processing. I did relatively minor crop to give more prominence to the graffiti on the left wall. I tried a couple of different distances for the desperate guy (me) and this was the one that worked the best. The title makes you focus even more on what the person is feeling. It's a sad image, but I felt it comunicated one particular interpretation of the theme well.

Claudio
John down under 08-Mar-2004 08:59
--
Hi Claudio,
Nicely done. You have created a truly atmospheric interpretation of the theme with a great title to go along with it. I'm thinking I might be safer wandering out at night to the places I might go than hanging out in a place like this at any time of the day! LOL
Good framing and use of the subtle tones available to enhance the mood. On the technical front, what process did you use to get the effect in this picture?
Cheers, John
--
Claudio Gatti08-Mar-2004 00:48
Thanks guys. I'm glad you like it and your feedback it's really appreciated!

Claudio
Mihajlo 07-Mar-2004 23:03
Huh, Claudio – masterpiece! Thumbs up, hats down, Mihajlo
Guest 07-Mar-2004 13:00
Claudio - this is GORGEOUS. Nothing more could be said.