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Magritte's Muse
1st PlaceMagritte's Muse
gyaban


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: DQ Deja Vu (Expert Editing)
Camera: Canon EOS-5D Mark II
Lens: Canon EF 24-70mm f/2.8L USM
Date: Sep 26, 2013
Date Uploaded: Sep 26, 2013

 Thank you very much, I am glad this one finished well!

I still remember the frustration when I shot the first version. At the time, I had no way of really creating the image I had in mind, so everything had to be adjusted due to technical restrictions. The dining room ended up filled with various stuff, that got accumulated here due to all the shooting tries. Not mentioning my wife, totally exhausted by all the posing. Which all end up in a DQ.

While visually this version looks quite different than the previous one, it is using the same ingredients: Magritte's silhouette, his muse, an apple. Of course, the composition has been adjusted quite a bit, but he is still looking at his muse for inspiration, the broken glass symbolizing a new idea he found with her help. CNovack said it much better than me in her comment: thank you Chrystyne!

For those wondering about the shards, an old glass table met my hammer: I knew it was a good idea to keep it in the basements ;-) If you would like to use glass or transparent/translucent material in your composites, an easy way to get there is to shoot it against a pure black background, then put it a "screen" mode layer. Play with the levels a bit, and here you are.

Oh, and the apple ended her career in a delicious crumble!


Statistics
Place: 1 out of 41
Avg (all users): 7.3580
Avg (commenters): 8.0833
Avg (participants): 7.3810
Avg (non-participants): 7.3500
Views since voting: 3063
Views during voting: 305
Votes: 81
Comments: 28
Favorites: 2 (view)

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AuthorThread
 10/10/2013 01:21:54 AM
Stunning creation, Christophe!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/09/2013 01:24:41 AM
Fantastic. as always, from the master.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/04/2013 07:21:25 AM
CONGRATS on the BLUE! :) I love this one. Such a cute dress! ;)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/04/2013 06:52:41 AM
As always, a fine rendition of the Challenge.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/04/2013 06:05:02 AM
Superb. Congratulations on the blue.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/04/2013 06:00:43 AM
Nothing could compete with this shot. This took considerable skill. Blue all the way!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/04/2013 04:27:33 AM
The glass, the light, and the hair- splendid. A mind boggling improvement on an already spectacular offering. Congrats once more Christophe!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/04/2013 02:04:58 AM
Really well done! Thanks for the tip on how to use glass - that is very useful. You are lucky to have a great model who also cooks yummy food:)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/03/2013 11:32:01 PM
Congratulations,it had to be really.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/03/2013 10:21:14 PM
Thank you Christophe. I learn something from you every time.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/03/2013 09:11:35 PM
Sigh I have to step down as The Gyaban "Expert" I did give both your pictures the same score! Just got the photographers wrong!!! LOL
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/03/2013 08:42:47 PM
Very good stuff Christophe!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/03/2013 08:16:56 PM
A fantastic improvement of the original, well done!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/03/2013 08:09:03 PM
5 3s, I can't believe it. This is fantastic, Christophe.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/03/2013 08:02:45 PM
Told you ya'd win. :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
10/03/2013 05:59:09 PM
Interesting composite, but I guess I just don't see how the parts fit together to tell a story. Seems very disjointed. That aside, very well done technically!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/03/2013 04:48:09 PM
A very fine effort. bump.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/03/2013 12:27:45 PM
Early congrats on your ribbon.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/03/2013 05:16:17 AM
Voted earlier coming back to comment.

A great many of your entries on heavy on visual symbolism and/or meanings. The muse is no longer dancing like in the original. Instead, she is breaking free from the framed constraints the artist may or may not have placed on her. Magritte himself has broken the bonds of being 'boxed' in a 4 cornered room - the shape of his being acts as a door or perhaps shows the path to the unrestricted freedom of the open and wild blue yonder of the sky outside. The man with the bowler hat and the apple are the most recognized elements in Magritte's work. Except the apple is green while in both original and the redux it is red. Red for passion, energy, excitement, love, blood and all things 'intense'. Here I think it symbolizes Magritte's passion for creative expression and breaking free of constraints. Well done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/02/2013 11:22:25 PM
Great image. It's not particularly like the original (though I suspect it might be the original artist).
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/02/2013 08:38:33 PM
So much better than the original. I wasn't expecting anyone to use their own DQ work, though I guess there's no rule against it.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/02/2013 07:38:16 PM
Oh My Wonderful, I thought this was Gayban's entry until I see he actually redid Margritte's muse.... ++++++ for such a stunning edit !!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 10/02/2013 01:44:59 AM
Wonderful work as usual
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/30/2013 09:48:48 AM
Brilliantly done and far better than the original.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/29/2013 02:04:40 AM
Good stuff no doubt.12 or 3
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/28/2013 02:54:52 PM
This is awesome. Seriously awesome.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/27/2013 09:42:52 AM
A very interesting interpretation of Christoph's DQ. I love the cutout Magritte, and feel that is an improvement on the original, but I'm not sure about the exploding glass. Love her dress!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/26/2013 11:57:17 PM
Excellent! Second redo of that entry I have seen and I believe this one is Christophe's. If not, it's a compliment to your skills. :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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