DPChallenge: A Digital Photography Contest You are not logged in. (log in or register) 
 
Challenge Entries
Portfolio Images
This image is not part of a public portfolio.
 This image was disqualified from the Superstitions & Urban Legends II challenge.
In Search of the Loch Ness Monster
In Search of the Loch Ness Monster
Rikki


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Superstitions & Urban Legends II (Basic Editing III)
Camera: Canon EOS-20D
Lens: Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6
Location: Shoreline Park, Mountain View, CA
Date: Jun 27, 2006
Aperture: f10
ISO: 800
Shutter: 1/125
Galleries: Humorous, History
Date Uploaded: Jun 27, 2006

 Challenge Entry No. 45

I think this will be a total non-DPC type image but since I've put it this much effort in creating it (and it was fun), I'll enter it and see what happens.

This has been one of the most intensive preparations I have ever done to date. Forget the apple shot in Education with Willy the Worm. Eventhough that was gross, this was flat out filthy and dirty!

I had to sculpt "Nessie" from soft clay and "bake" her in the oven at 275 degrees fahrenheit.

Nessie came into this world weighing in at 1/2 a pound and was 6 inches tall. She was an albino too as I made the mistake of using white clay butmore on that later.

After her "birth", I had to give Nessie a bath in luke warm water and scrubbed her down with 150 grit sandpaper to smoothen and remove her rough and not-so perfect mold. She didn't even object one bit.

20 hours after Nessie's birth, her proud Papa took her down to the park for a swim. Proud Papa took some photos but Nessie was too white! She stood out against the dark, murky waters of a small pond next to the 18th hole of a golf course. Her Papa said it was illegal for them to be at that pond but he didn't care. Since Nessie was too white, her Papa took some dirty, soft mud and smeared it all over her to make her appear dark, grungy, and dirty. It worked! Nessie didn't stand out too much anymore.

On hands and knees in soft mud, proud Papa took some shots at a very low angle. The camera was literally a few inches above the ground. Papa said that it'll make for a good reflection in the pond.

Since Grandma Nessie had ripples around her when they took a candid shot of her in the one of the lakes in Scotland, Papa decided to recreate that as well. He started throwing little pebbles by Nessie's side to create the ripples in the pond. With the camera in his right hand and a pebble in the left, her Papa threw some pebbles and immediately snapped some photos.

After an hour of doing this Papa got tired and his back started to ache so he started taking sunset photos while Nessie was left behind. Poor Nessie was left behind as she saw her Papa drive away. But, 10 minutes later, she was happy to see her Papa come back and take her with him home.

After a hot bath and a quick dry, Nessie fell fast asleep... tucked away in the warmth of her Papa's props to be used again one of these days.

The end.

IMG_6482.CR2

Post Processing
Converted from RAW using RSE. Using the Channels filters, I converted the image into a BW image. Adjusted Levels and Curves to darken the image. In Color Balance, I shifted the colors to Blue and Cyan to create a midnight feel to the image. Slight Noise. No NI and no Sharpening in this shot. the grain is primarily due to the high ISO used. Cropped to 470x630. 1 pixel stroke. Enlarged canvas to 640x480 and saved for web.
Disqualification Details
Any attempts to alter the point totals in any way for any photograph will result in immediate loss of account and a ban from the site. Photographs by any participating parties may also be removed from past or current challenges.

Statistics
Views since voting: 3673
Views during voting: 586
Comments: 48
Favorites: 1 (view)

Please log in or register to add your comments!

AuthorThread
 07/11/2006 12:39:48 PM
Lovely Picture!! I like it a lot. I had been a great fan of Nessie since I was very young. (being a mystery lover) It was spectacular to see Nessie here at a DP Challenge. The story is great. Great picture too. Keep on the good work!!! Who knows when would Big Foot or Yeti would be around here? :) lol
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/06/2006 05:49:31 AM
Nice story there :)
And really awesome pic!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/05/2006 03:18:40 PM
Congratulations on your top 20 finish. Great shot!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/05/2006 01:28:33 PM
sweet pic! love it, congrats on top 20 for such a non-DPC photo, lol
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/05/2006 10:21:59 AM
Good story! You must be so proud..... ;)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/05/2006 10:07:42 AM
Hahaha! I wondered whose this was when I voted on it. From your description, I think I even know what pond it's in. I've plunked a couple balls in that pond myself, sad to say...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/05/2006 05:31:38 AM
lol thats very cool, lol and I love the story, the picture looks great also

Message edited by author 2006-07-05 09:31:54.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/05/2006 03:12:45 AM
Haha, that's a cool story, it made me laugh. Good picture too
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/04/2006 11:43:51 PM
Dammit Rikki, can I get the cliff notes version? :P
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/04/2006 11:26:52 PM
Wow, Rikki, that's dedication to the shot! Well done!
Now, to make some quick money, sell the pic to a tabloid... ;-p
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/04/2006 09:43:36 PM
I can't fathom why, but I thought of Rikki when I first saw this shot.
Good post processing = I really thought it was a night shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/04/2006 09:34:39 PM
Make her a couchmate and tell her to give you a backrub :P

Nice shot, and congratulations on top 20!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/04/2006 09:00:20 PM
Lol, you're insane, you know that? ;)
I gave this a 9. (I've always had a soft spot for Nessie, since my maiden name is Ness)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/04/2006 08:59:36 PM
edit cuz it timed out then didn't show it was posted so I reposted and it WAS... GRRRRR.

Message edited by author 2006-07-05 01:01:00.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
07/04/2006 01:56:15 PM
nice
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/04/2006 01:15:10 PM
really like the colors, great composition.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/04/2006 09:30:41 AM
Technical: Focus - 1
Exposure- 1
Quality - 1
Aesthetic: Comp. - 1
Light - 1
Color - 1
Wow factor: 1
Personal tilt: 3/3

What I like: The monotone blues work well. The dark composition and the texture of the water are great.

What I didn't like: Can't think of anything really. I really like this picture.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/04/2006 08:48:11 AM
Wow
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/04/2006 12:16:23 AM
At last! Genuine photographic evidence!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/03/2006 04:30:13 PM
Meets Challenge: 1/1
Lighting: 1/2
Focus: 1/2
Creativity: 1/2
Aesthetics: 2/3
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/03/2006 01:56:31 PM
Have been looking at this picture for a while now, trying to figure out what it is that is looking for the monster. Don´t know, but the picture is misterious and beautiful, me and my son decided on an 8... good luck.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/01/2006 11:13:36 PM
Ooooh...there is Nessie!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/01/2006 04:20:01 PM
back to comment.
LOL This photo makes me really happy. I can't come up with any sort of useful comment, but I really like it.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/01/2006 12:28:38 PM
Haha, how cool is that? Eager to hear the setup story behind this ;)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 07/01/2006 07:28:26 AM
Very nice! Has a real late-night television feel to it.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/30/2006 10:02:45 AM
I love that you are showing the monster. Looks like Scotland to me!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/29/2006 06:08:38 PM
Great shot of Nessie! instant fave ;)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/29/2006 05:50:27 PM
Nessie!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/29/2006 03:41:08 PM
Nice work... I think you found him.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/29/2006 03:21:11 PM
Looks like the search is over? :) This is one of my favourites. There are plenty of little details for my eye to enjoy (such as the textures created by the weeds and ripples) and the shadows balance it nicely, but even though my eye wanders it's always drawn back to the main subject, as it should be.
Good composition, meets challenge perfectly, etc. etc. :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/29/2006 02:41:38 PM
Whoah, I can't tell what that is..
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/29/2006 01:24:11 PM
I've always loved Nessie. I like the color and the feeling it gives me. Great shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/29/2006 09:51:29 AM
Good! Nessie almost looks real! 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/29/2006 09:35:39 AM
Great recreation of a famous photo. Technically not a great shot, but it does conjure up a memory of the old Nessie photo that was famous for so many years.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/29/2006 07:31:25 AM
I do like the dark blues. Looks like a midnight view.

Message edited by author 2006-07-05 20:33:17.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/29/2006 02:56:11 AM
it's real!!!! congratulations you found nessy
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/28/2006 06:54:13 PM
nice tones, wish i could see more detail in the water
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/28/2006 06:12:32 PM
Nice. But with the lake grass (or what ever it is), you can kind of tell that the monster isn't very big.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/28/2006 03:54:21 PM
Good job, love nessie.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/28/2006 12:12:59 PM
oooooooooo nessie...wow it's so eerie this is great!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/28/2006 11:40:06 AM
very eerie
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/28/2006 10:57:23 AM
Woah. what is that? Very cool. 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/28/2006 08:23:04 AM
don't care for this image. Just doesn't say anything to me. basicly a overly done redone shot from a hundred years ago. no appeal for me.
 06/28/2006 06:44:46 AM
Wow - that looks real
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/28/2006 06:04:18 AM
woo!this awsom
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/28/2006 04:31:27 AM
erie. I like the dark blue.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/27/2006 09:24:30 PM
This isn't urban legend it's real. DNMC! :P
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 06/27/2006 08:21:47 PM
nicely done... is that him?
  Photographer found comment helpful.


Home - Challenges - Community - League - Photos - Cameras - Lenses - Learn - Help - Terms of Use - Privacy - Top ^
DPChallenge, and website content and design, Copyright © 2001-2025 Challenging Technologies, LLC.
All digital photo copyrights belong to the photographers and may not be used without permission.
Current Server Time: 04/06/2025 03:11:16 AM EDT.