# Probably me best photo



## JoshuaSimPhotography (Aug 12, 2012)

SO, right now is Australia&#8217;s biggest photography competition being held. One of the briefs is &#8216;wind&#8217;. So I decided to jot down some ideas and I was inspred very much so by Mary Poppins, and here is my result: Please give me any feedback if you can.


Ps: That&#8217;s me!


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## Jaemie (Aug 12, 2012)

I like where you're going with this: the action and story and color. It's a cool idea!

What I think needs improvement: 1) need to see your face/eyes for that emotional connection; 2) better location - the back yard looks like a ...back yard; 3) needs to be sharper; 4) need a context for the wind (what's its source?) - nothing else in the image is being blown about.

Go have fun!


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## JoshuaSimPhotography (Aug 12, 2012)

Is this more context?


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## Jaemie (Aug 12, 2012)

No, I don't think you can effectively force a realistic sense of wind through blurring for this particular scenario. At least with this location. I'd try an actual windy location - the beach with bunchgrass blowing sideways, perhaps, or a park. Another choice would be a location with nothing that would move when windy - all stone, concrete, wood, etc. Like a city sidewalk or a roof.


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## jake337 (Aug 12, 2012)

How did you setup your shot?  Was this one exposure then areas cloned out or did you shoot a composite?  There's is something strange going on under your body.


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## JoshuaSimPhotography (Aug 12, 2012)

Yeah, I&#8217;m an editing noob, and I placed a box there, and tried to photoshop it out. I used the spot healing brush tool, but I&#8217;m not sure if I can get it better than this


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## fjrabon (Aug 12, 2012)

the way to get this shot isn't spot healing brush, it's taking two shots, one with the guy and the box, the other with just the background, and then using layer masks to cover over the box with the shot of no background.  you may need three shots, one of the guy on the box, one of the background, and one of the background with somebody holding some object that will cast a shadow roughly where the guy is, so that you can get the shadows right.


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## JoshuaSimPhotography (Aug 12, 2012)

Oh ok, thanks for the insight. SO when I take the picture of me on a box, will it be where the background is?


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## fjrabon (Aug 12, 2012)

yes, same exact framed shot each time.  only thing that changes is subject in, no subject and (if needed) something to cast shadows in the right way.


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## JoshuaSimPhotography (Aug 12, 2012)

Thanks guys, now all I have to do is find an interesting spot!


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## fjrabon (Aug 12, 2012)

also, make sure you shoot on a tripod and in manual mode.  biggest key to this method is not having anything change between the shots your blending.  tripod ensures the exact same frame, manual mode ensures the exact same exposure and DOF.


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## fjrabon (Aug 12, 2012)

oh, also when you get your subject in focus in the first picture, change your lens to manual focus, so that the focus doesn't change when you take the shot with him out of it.


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## JoshuaSimPhotography (Aug 12, 2012)

Will do, this shot is actually on a tripod, I had a wireless cable release that had an interval of 2 seconds, so I had to try to get a good position quick! This was very tiring!


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## tacosanchez (Aug 12, 2012)

Pretty good concept dude, if you reshoot with the background composited properly it will look really nice.  May I ask what competition this is for?  I'm an Aussie myself


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## Primoz (Aug 12, 2012)

It's a cool idea, but the posted image just doesn't have enough WOW factor IMO to win a competition. You really have to grab attention of the judges with an image that is technically perfect and innovative at the same time.
As others suggested - you need a more exciting location, angle. Also - get some more dramatic light on the subject (yourself) - either flash or natural light.
I would pay attention to the details as well - try to get a cool Mary Poppins style retro umbrella and wear some wicked old-fashioned clothes (hat would be cool or an old briefcase etc.) Try to include such little things that help build up the story of the photo.
Remember when you are composing such an image: It should show someting obvious - the main story, that grabs your attetion immediately and then slowly as you look at the image longer you discover many hidden details which complete the image and show the judges your attention and precision for details. This way you achieve that one can look at an image longer without getting boring. =P

It's not easy - but give it a shot 

Oh and BTW:
You could simply avoid hard core photoshop manipulation by "flying" vertical. Go outside freeze yourself in a jump. Off camera flash will make a huge difference in this place!


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## cgipson1 (Aug 12, 2012)

Cool idea, Josh! I like it.. some good ideas here too! Let the camera see your face.. with a really OH CRAP expression on it.. make it comical!


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## Frequency (Aug 12, 2012)

Great idea


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## jaguaraz (Aug 12, 2012)

I like the theme and suggestions above.  Also, you may want to turn the umbrella "inside out" as it would be in real high winds...


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## JoshuaSimPhotography (Aug 12, 2012)

Thx guys, these are some great tips, I'll try to use as many as possible. Btw the competition is called canon's world of eos photo5 2012


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## JoshuaSimPhotography (Aug 12, 2012)

I will add a background but I never thought of siding other elements, thx for that tip!


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## seakritter (Aug 12, 2012)

Jaemie said:
			
		

> I like where you're going with this: the action and story and color. It's a cool idea!
> 
> What I think needs improvement: 1) need to see your face/eyes for that emotional connection; 2) better location - the back yard looks like a ...back yard; 3) needs to be sharper; 4) need a context for the wind (what's its source?) - nothing else in the image is being blown about.
> 
> Go have fun!



Ditto

"As I Wander"


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## JoshuaSimPhotography (Aug 13, 2012)

Sorry? I don't understand..


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## JoshuaSimPhotography (Aug 13, 2012)

Just so people can compare, here is my original pic...


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## Jaemie (Aug 13, 2012)

^^  That's actually a rather cool photo as it is. If I didn't know what you were trying to accomplish, I might think it was some avant garde performance still image.


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## JoshuaSimPhotography (Aug 13, 2012)

Haha, it&#8217;s amazing how that a background can change the viewers perspective completely


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## tacosanchez (Aug 13, 2012)

Hey I just checked out the competition, it states they want the photos in high resolution.  I'd make sure that whatever editing you do can hold up to scrutiny at a high res.


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## JoshuaSimPhotography (Aug 13, 2012)

Ok thanks for that, these were very high res in ps, but whenever I upload it to TPf, the file is too big, so I have to lower it a bit So have you come up with any ideas?


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## tacosanchez (Aug 13, 2012)

Yeah I have a few ideas for the wind one, I'll post them when I take em


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## Photographiend (Aug 13, 2012)

This is one of the most original shots I have seen since I joined this forum. Not to mention the most interesting self portrait bar none. I would really love to see you pull off what ever edits you are going to make to see the finished product.


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## JoshuaSimPhotography (Aug 13, 2012)

haha! Thank you! :blushing:My next photo needs to be great! Everyone is depending on me!


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## amolitor (Aug 13, 2012)

Come on man, don't use photoshop.

COMMIT. COMMIT FULLY TO YOUR ART.

Set the self timer and HURL YOURSELF AT THE GROUND.


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## JoshuaSimPhotography (Aug 13, 2012)

I did, and failed miserably. perhaps if I hold on to a poll next time that could work. hmm


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## unpopular (Aug 13, 2012)

Photographiend said:


> This is one of the most original shots I have seen since I joined this forum.




uhm. no offense to Josh, but did you come out from under a rock? Like, as in a really huge boulder with only a telegraph key to use for internet access?

The image is interesting enough, original however, it is very much not.


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## Animaniac888 (Aug 13, 2012)

JoshuaSimPhotography said:


> I did, and failed miserably. perhaps if I hold on to a poll next time that could work. hmm



It would be cool if you were holding on a pole to stop being blown away by the wind.

Pole: p-o-l-e. Not p-o-l-l.


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## Jaemie (Aug 13, 2012)

Animaniac888 said:


> JoshuaSimPhotography said:
> 
> 
> > I did, and failed miserably. perhaps if I hold on to a poll next time that could work. hmm
> ...



A strong Pole would also work.


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## Photographiend (Aug 13, 2012)

unpopular said:


> Photographiend said:
> 
> 
> > This is one of the most original shots I have seen since I joined this forum.
> ...




I like it, and i like the direction he is going with it. So,


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## JoshuaSimPhotography (Aug 13, 2012)

Yay, let's make this into a thread where we fight about ideas, i am using this on my phone and I had autocorrect and I was in school so I had to type quick (so don't be a Daniel), the technique had been used may times before, but my approach and story for the pic was conceived from my mind and mine only.sure there were inspirations, no idea is made without inspiration


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## unpopular (Aug 13, 2012)

I didn't say I didn't like it, only that it's not "original". Originality I think is WAY over valued.


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## Photographiend (Aug 13, 2012)

Wait what? You do have to explain how this isn't original? I see people posting the same things shot in the same ways over and over and over... 
	

	
	
		
		

		
		
	


	




 seriously it is nice to have something to break the monotony from time to time. This did that and in a GOOD way.


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## unpopular (Aug 13, 2012)

While I am sure that levitation photography has been around, the recent popularity began with a chinese photographer a few years back, I forgot his or her name. After, it became popular throughout Asia, and was further popularized by Japanese photographer named Natsumi Hayashi. She has a blog, Yowayowa Camera Woman Diary.

As I've said, it's not a big deal, originality is refreshing but any inspiration from Natsumi on Josh's part isn't going to detract from this image's merit. It's not my thing really (I'm not a fan of Natsumi, either), so beyond that I'm not going to comment.


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## Photographiend (Aug 13, 2012)

Hey thanks for the info. I hadn't seen her work. But now that I am looking at it... I have to say I have seen way better levitation shots. Her link really elaborates the monotony I was referring to. Nothing new or shocking from one shot to the next. After the first couple it becomes very predictable. 

Josh's style is already better IMO.


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## Photographiend (Aug 13, 2012)

And now that I have googled it... yeah there is a lot of that kind of stuff out there...


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## unpopular (Aug 13, 2012)

After a year or two of "daily levitations" it's pretty clear that Ms. Natsumi is getting a little bored, or at least her images are becomming a bit long in the tooth. The Chinese photographer had some more interesting stuff - crazy stuff even, something like people drinking tea on the outside of a skyscraper, and some of the earlier stuff had more substance.

This kind of trick photography has it's limits, I think, and it's easy to become absorbed by the intrigue of it. I think that is kind of what happened with Natsumi, people see it, you get positive feedback, you think you're onto something. But in the end where is the significance aside from the visual appeal, what is being communicated?

This is kind of what I am thinking when I see Josh's photograph. I wonder what the point is exactly what am I supposed to be seeing in this image aside from the tricks involved - tricks which have been done over and over and over to the point that they have almost become cliche. If you google image search "levitation photography umbrella", you do get a variety of variations - most plays on Mary Poppins.

I think it's OK to reuse old ideas and get inspiration from other photographers. Appropriation has become an important part of contemporary art, and this has even changed how we think of art, copyright and law. But at the same time I think it's important to push boundaries and expectations. For the most part, levitation photography has been limited to the realm of trick photography - and there is a sense of instant gratification involved, the images are visually compelling, but there is also a sense of "seen one, seen them all".

Unfortunately, Josh, I don't really see a whole lot in this image that hasn't been done before, and the image - like most others with few exception - still remains, IMO, more or less about the technique. I don't have any clearer idea about who you are as an individual, the world which you live, the world which we share or how you see the world and what you value within it or what how you see others experiencing and sharing the world which we all belong. In my opinion these things are what makes a photograph art.

It's a visually interesting image, and technically fairly well executed. However, I don't think it holds much significance beyond the techniques involved.


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## JoshuaSimPhotography (Aug 14, 2012)

Thx guys, unpopular, I was trying to tell a story and I wasnt worried about technique after looking at this I realised that the foreground didnt match my story and I will reshoot!  I know yowayowa and I am a big fan, but I did not try to copy her, I liked the story levitation depicts. This is for a specific brief, not a freelance shot


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## JoshuaSimPhotography (Aug 14, 2012)

unpopular said:


> I didn't say I didn't like it, only that it's not "original". Originality I think is WAY over valued.


That is very true, no great ideas come without inspirations!


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## Jaemie (Aug 14, 2012)

JoshuaSimPhotography said:


> That is very true, no great ideas come without inspirations!



Similarly, no great achievements come without perspiration!


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## unpopular (Aug 14, 2012)

Under modernism, originality was very important as a break from old the classical aesthetics or the renaissance and ancient classical art, which seemed to just regurgitate endlessly. There was a big push in the late 1800s to try to get away from that, and originality was valued.

by the late-20th century, the American philosopher Richard Rorty responds to the postmodern movement and concludes that nothing is new, and that everything is essentially appropriated from something else, and furthermore our interpretations of that which we gain inspiration is determined by other experiences and "world views" which we hold.

Most postmodernists would throw up their hands and just say that "everything has been done and there is no sense in trying anything novel". But I think that this is a misunderstanding of postmodern appropriation. Rorty was known for kind of turning everything around to the point that his interpretations of Nietzsche, while logically sound based on what was written, do not take into account cultural or historical considerations, and that by "misreading" Nietzsche and appropriating his writings into our world view we do in fact create something novel.

Certainly when you look at art history there is a clear progression from, Jasper Johns or Pollock to Picasso and Braque to late Matisse and Derain to Monet. From there you can easily make connections to classical art. Each of these artists used what they knew about art to appropriate into their own experiences, creating something which transcends that which they appropriated. 

So while originality was important to the modernists, postmodernists seem to embrace the fact that nothing is or can be completely original. After all, we don't live in a vacuum. However, the challenge arises when we seek to create something, rather than simply regurgitate it. With so many photographers being essentially modernist or new modernist (Adams, et al), I think we risk getting into that rut of emulation as we seek out aesthetic perfection.

That said, I wouldn't really classify levitation photography as "modern" due to it's "truthiness" (appearance of truth when in fact it is a lie), certainly Adams would not have been impressed.


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## JoshuaSimPhotography (Aug 14, 2012)

Ofcourse levitation photography isn't new! But, yowayowa is just someone 'famous' who does it and many mistake her for being the inventor. But i mean, i like the conceptual thinking of modernism, but it isn;t my main art form


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## unpopular (Aug 14, 2012)

yes, and Rorty didn't come up with the intentional fallacy on his own either, in fact it was well known in literature as far back as the mid 20th century, more than thirty five years prior to _Contingency, Irony and Solidarity. _At least I think that was the book I'm thinking about.


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## JoshuaSimPhotography (Aug 14, 2012)

HAHA! As i said, you need inspiration for a great idea!


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## unpopular (Aug 14, 2012)

People actually say that Rorty is the "father" of postmodernism.

I always find that a little more than ironic.


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## unpopular (Aug 14, 2012)

(what I find most interesting is that we're in a period now where we name our own philosophic period that we are currently in. very McKennian ... but that's a whole different can of philosophy: metaphysics)


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## JoshuaSimPhotography (Aug 14, 2012)

Philosophy eh? Better call frequency!


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## unpopular (Aug 14, 2012)

art is the expression of our collective philosophy. It's like a record of how people think, feel and believe.


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## JoshuaSimPhotography (Aug 14, 2012)

i had many other ideas about the pic too. More stories though. One was to do a levitation one, but superman! I also thought of a famous bruce lee quote; Water can crash and it can be smooth, be water my friend. I was hinting of showing the idea o how strong wind can be and also how calming it can be too. I was thinking of doing 2 photos! But now, I will have a very strong and moving background and me, still and calming.


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## JoshuaSimPhotography (Aug 14, 2012)

Woohoo! I just bribed my dad to take me to a &#8216;windy&#8217; place on the weekend. It is train station near a uni (so plenty human element), the trains there are some of the fastest in melbourne and apparently there is some amazing scenes and trees!


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## unpopular (Aug 14, 2012)

JoshuaSimPhotography said:


> But now, I will have a very strong and moving background and me, still and calming.



I think this is a much better idea, provided you can pull it off. The problem I can see already is implying calmness with your hair whipping around in the wind. Consider a long exposure or composite or both. Make sure to get a variety of choices to choose from.


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## JoshuaSimPhotography (Aug 14, 2012)

Yeah, and the windy train station will really help for a long exposure


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## Karloz (Aug 14, 2012)

Good one for giving this a go - Its difficult work to do.


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## JoshuaSimPhotography (Aug 15, 2012)

Haha, thx it really is hard. If I did this everyday for a year I could compete in the Olympics!


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