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Careful...beverage...extremely hot
Careful...beverage...extremely hot
Melethia


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Heat (Advanced Editing IV)
Collection: Challenges 2006
Camera: Canon EOS-300D Rebel
Lens: Canon EF 70-200mm f/4.0L USM
Location: Back porch
Date: May 21, 2006
Aperture: f/5
ISO: 100
Shutter: 1/80
Galleries: Humorous
Date Uploaded: May 21, 2006

 The idea came to me on the way home from Starbucks. I set about burning a cup on my back porch and shooting it. First one had possibilities, but wanted more of the flame in the pic. Burned a second one I found in my car. Focus not so good on the second one. Got back in the car, went to Starbucks, ordered empty cups. (They know me well enough to know I'm nuts - it's OK.) Third one I used a black posterboard instead of a red one, liked it better. Had the hose nearby and on the whole time, so I wouldn't burn down either my house or the rest of the neighborhood. A total of four cups were harmed in the making of this picture.

Post processing includes cropping, burning (heh!) the foil, the water in the cup, and the inside of the cup a bit, cloning a small spot on the background, and a bit of increase in saturation. Can't get all the way to "DPC Saturation" without pixelating the flames and causing jaggies. USM, resize.

Fun was had by all!

Statistics
Place: 15 out of 158
Avg (all users): 6.5189
Avg (commenters): 7.3684
Avg (participants): 6.3492
Avg (non-participants): 6.6066
Views since voting: 2103
Views during voting: 330
Votes: 185
Comments: 37
Favorites: 9 (view)

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AuthorThread
 10/25/2006 05:50:12 PM
That's so funny! I had to comment again! I love photographic humor! :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 09/04/2006 07:12:28 AM
Excellent... A perfect shot for me.. :)
as it is.... Impressive..

If I could have 1 improvement, it'll be to have the flame standing!
but.. this is good enough
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/06/2006 09:03:02 AM
Great idea, with a nice tight composition that shows the flame off well. I think the background helps to make the orange of the fire pop out well. The shape of the half-burned cup and the round curls of the flame are neat - nice capture.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/05/2006 08:39:31 AM
Great shot Deb. You trounced me hard on this one. What can be said other than compliments on this one. Great flame. I like how the flame leaves the shot - it wasnt necessary for the whole thing to be within frame. The shape of the burnt cup works great and the text on the bottom is like a nice little surprise that finishes off the whole shot perfectly. Well done and congrats on your top 15 placement. I need to be wary of when I challenge you to a head to head.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/03/2006 05:41:36 AM
--Trading Post Comment--

Congrats on a strong score and a great top 15 finish.

Camera Work/Technical: Great focus and strong settings to produce color that the eye expects.

Lighting: I am assuming that this was natural light in addition to the flame in the image. It came off very nice with no detail lost in shadows or highlights.

Composition/Content: Very nice rule of thirds use that moves the eye around the frame. I agree with kristy_mcn with her comment on the flame. It feels chopped off, and it provides a very strong leading line that leads the eye right out of the photograph. I think that the flame should have been included to its terminus.

My Opinion: You captured a very nice and very creative image that I think scored pretty close to its potential.

Eric
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/03/2006 01:07:43 AM
I liked this shot alot. Great colors and good flame...really conveys the idea of heat well. The humor is top notch. I scored it an 8.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/01/2006 11:53:29 AM
This was a great entry to the challenge! I love it, crisp shot, good flame captured, and with a nice dose of humour :) Definitely deserved 15th, if not higher.

I guess its a bit pot-luck, but I'd like to see a less tight crop on the flame on the lefthand side - it feels a little chopped off. Also, whilst the foil base works well, it could do with a little straightening out, it gives a wonky "horizon" as it is. Other than that, you've got perfect timing, and its a very nice photo.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/31/2006 01:14:54 PM
Way to go, Deb! This is a wonderful shot for all sorts of reasons - composition, colour (with a u), fun - and really proves that you are way beyond your "mediocre" phase, as if you were ever in one!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/31/2006 10:51:25 AM
Trading post...
Congrats on another great score! You go girl! I didn't vote in this challenge but it would have been a 10 from me. Great concept. Great execution. The only thing I would change would be the foil.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/30/2006 05:51:35 PM
hello again,

congrats on the high finish.

this image is great. funny and well set out. ifn you would have got that flame to be a bit more of a single flame type unit and sharp this would have won.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/30/2006 05:19:09 AM
Really nicely done Mel. This was one of my favorites during voting too... It's a bit soft, so I am guessing that your shutter speed was just a tad slow for it... This translates to ambient light on the cup and of course the aperture too... ISO 200 at f/4 might have helped the fire look a bit brighter, while getting it a bit faster might have brought out some lines... Just an idea... I'm also not a huge fan of the foil... I would probably have gone with pulling the black background down to the bottom instead... for safety, you could have lined the non-visible parts of the BG with foil...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/29/2006 10:03:50 AM
[[trading post]]

great picture, and it scored accordingly.

when I first saw it, it reminded me of all the funny "warnings" you can find on American wrapings.. like on a bag of nuts "warning may contain nuts" and on a kitchen knife "warning knife may be sharp"

to get a warning that the coffie you just bought might be hot is strange... you'd never buy it if it were cold ;)

back to the picture... composition, lighting and subject are all very well thought of, and the picture is very good.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/29/2006 09:53:12 AM
this was an excellent image..my favorite in the challenge
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/29/2006 02:22:55 AM
Good work on the high score...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/28/2006 09:27:15 PM
Hope you sued them for making it too hot ;) WTG!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/28/2006 08:30:51 PM
I've had coffee that felt this hot. Congrats on your top 20 finish!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/28/2006 08:28:01 PM
Deb!!!! Congratulations on this AWESOME photo getting the finish it deserves. I gave it a 10, and I am so glad to see it finish so strong!

  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/28/2006 08:09:41 PM
Look at you rackin' up the big scores! Woohoo!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
05/27/2006 11:14:59 PM
This is a fun image, well executed.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/26/2006 12:28:09 PM
Would have like to have seen a bit of the yellow arches still just peeking out while it was burning.
Nice colors and light. 6
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/26/2006 09:42:17 AM
too much wind for my taste and the aluminum foil base isn't straight
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/26/2006 12:37:20 AM
Great idea and captured well.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/25/2006 10:05:17 AM
I smella law suite, MacDonalds style! nice idea. 7
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/25/2006 09:28:53 AM
Funniest take I've seen on that warning message. Well done shot -- you really captured those flames.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/25/2006 02:53:59 AM
Well done - this is excellent - a good creative idea, well executed. Good luck.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/24/2006 05:34:02 PM
Love everything---the fire, the background, the foil? underneath
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/23/2006 11:17:59 PM
interesting take on the challenge, well photographed
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/23/2006 05:41:19 AM
Cool! No lawsuit here! You warned me!!!! ;)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/22/2006 05:35:22 PM
Excellent idea and photo.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/22/2006 04:18:27 PM
The composition is ok. The image quality is ok. The subject matter is ok. This photo is very creative. - nice capture with the words on the cup. Clever.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/22/2006 02:50:32 PM
good details and creative in using message on cup, nice job
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/22/2006 12:07:03 PM
Very creative - well done.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/22/2006 10:06:14 AM
very well done!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/22/2006 03:26:17 AM
Puns in the caption don't count for me. In this case the pun is in the photo itself, and it's an imaginitive and well executed take on this challenge.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/22/2006 03:17:22 AM
The subject is very nice but the background is a little too uninteresting. It could maybe had been better if it was black.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/21/2006 09:24:06 PM
Oh this is so great! My favorite in this challenge! So creative! Fantastic job!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 05/21/2006 08:39:49 PM
great idea..well done
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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