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Faster Than A Speeding Bullet
Faster Than A Speeding Bullet
JawnyRico


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Stopped Motion IV (Advanced Editing V)
Collection: Top 10 Finish
Camera: Canon EOS-350D Rebel XT
Lens: Tamron SP AF 28-75mm f/2.8 XR Di for Canon
Location: Mogadore, Ohio
Date: Nov 18, 2007
Aperture: 2.8
ISO: 400
Shutter: 1/4000
Galleries: Action
Date Uploaded: Nov 18, 2007

 Well after about 30 apples, and 30 .22 gauge bullets, I realized that it is impossible to capture a bullet going through an apple without the right equipment or lighting. I captured some great explosions of the apple with a .22 gauge shotgun, but no luck with the bullet. Considering some bullets fly at 1200m/s, even at a 1/4000 shutter speed, the bullet would travel 1.5 inches in that shot. FAST!!! I really wanted to get this type of a picture for this challenge so I had to find a way to make it happen. So I decided to add a bit of flavor to it.

I saw this air gun a while back and decided to give it a try and make one. Not knowing how it would work and how it would shoot a bullet, I went ahead and built it. Below I have a link of what it looked like, and how I built it. I set the apple on some old wallpaper and used a music stand behind it and layed some wallpaper over it. I had some good light outside so no extra lighting was needed.

I loaded a muzzle loader bullet with thumgum into the chamber, I filled the chamber with Co2 and shot. Success....it blew the apple up, but no bullet in shot. After another run to the store for more apples, (thanks to my wife) I tried different PSI's and distance's to try and capture it. My friend Todd stood about 20 ft away, he would yell 3....2....1...FIRE....at that moment I hit the trigger. We filled it to about 200PSI and after a couple of blurred shots I adjusted the shutter speed and ISO, he shot....and boom, I had a bullet in the shot, but it was too much OOF. After about 15 more, I did a back flip, I got one. Went home put it on the computer and saw a success. So after about 50 apples, 30 bullets, 20 muzzle loader bullets, lots of rags to clean my setup, the lens, and my face, I got my shot. The End.

Note: No apples went to waiste during this shoot. All were used to make wine.

Gun Used

Adjustments:
Shot in Raw
Sharpened, Curves, Brightness, Saturation
In Jpeg
Brightness & Contrast, Selective Color, Hue & Saturation
Curves, Boost Contrast Again
Resize Image, Neat Image, Sharpen, Neat Image, Sharpen
Heal slightly behind bullet, and on foreground piece of apple.
Resize, Add border, Save for Web

Thanks everyone for all the great comments and votes, I did get a few during the challenge that said this was impossible and trick photography so I believe thats why the low votes, and have even recieved e-mails saying still its no good, but I do have the original unedited ready to send out to anyone in question. I am happy for the top 10 though. So thanks again.

Statistics
Place: 6 out of 138
Avg (all users): 6.8743
Avg (commenters): 8.5909
Avg (participants): 6.4828
Avg (non-participants): 7.0684
Views since voting: 8131
Views during voting: 535
Votes: 175
Comments: 43
Favorites: 7 (view)

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AuthorThread
 03/09/2008 06:32:43 AM
Ha ha - nice shot, Sean! I really appreciate shots like this that take a lot of set-up - the write-up & link are much appreciated...

Mmmm, apple wine... :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/07/2008 03:02:09 PM
That's really good. You deserve a great rating after all the hard work and what seems to me like a flawless shot. (pun intended)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/21/2007 02:25:06 AM
wow! applesauce never looked so fascinating! great finish too! Congrats!!

  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/20/2007 06:57:00 PM
Congrats on the top 10. Your effort really paid off! On top of that, it's got nice color and good composition. :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/12/2007 03:18:17 AM
I bet this shot was a lot of fun! Great job and very creative.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/06/2007 10:26:40 AM
Have to give you props for even attempting a shot like this. I see this type of photography and am always in awe. Ya done good. Great capture - I didn't vote on this challenge, but it would have scored well with me. It's always amazing to me to see all that can happen in a single moment in time.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/30/2007 11:26:41 AM
Excellent shot, congrats on the 6th place!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/27/2007 09:56:14 AM
I built a similar "potato" gun back in college for a project. It had a 6-inch diameter 10-foot long barrel and fired a 2 lb projectile 1,000 feet up in the air. Lots of fun! I used tennis balls to test it before launching more intricate stuff.

BTW, great photo!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/26/2007 11:08:06 AM
awesome. should of won with this. you were too good and fooled everyone.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/26/2007 05:56:36 AM
Still cant understand why this didn't win.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/26/2007 04:46:35 AM
After reading your pain staking story, I think a better title for the picture would be Apple Sauce!
Well done, I can't imagine what the studio must have looked like after 50 apples
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/26/2007 02:46:33 AM
Wow, wow, wow, Sean, I'm really impressed by the effort that went into this. So it's really "real". Awesome!

I think this shot should have won a ribbon. You probably got low votes from the people who express their socio-political views on guns (or apples. ;-) ) this way instead of rating the quality of the picture.

Message edited by author 2007-11-26 10:35:47.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/26/2007 12:16:07 AM
Congrats on the top ten placing. I am so glad to see this placing so well. I was fairly sure I wasn't looking at a bullet in flight but I couldn't workout how else you cold get an apple to explode like that. It was worth all the time & effort
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/25/2007 11:24:17 PM
You must have kept the neighbours a little concerned...you went to a lot of trouble for this, and you ended up with a great finish
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/25/2007 10:04:47 PM
Next time put just a little more effort into it. ;-) Congrats on a great image!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/25/2007 08:40:11 PM
What amazing persistence and what a great shot! Hope you enjoyed your wine :D
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/25/2007 08:07:18 PM
Sean, that's what I call timing (and patience)! Congrats on top 10 with this extremely difficult to get image. Enjoy your wine!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
11/25/2007 03:33:24 PM
Very impressive if not a bit messy. I'm wondering how many apples had to die to get this shot :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/25/2007 04:24:55 AM
WOW - nice capture!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/24/2007 09:51:49 PM
Theres no way you actually stopped a bullet so I personally dont think this follows the rules...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/24/2007 08:26:41 AM
Awesome picture! I'd like to see it on the front page. Is it real? Did you really catch the bullet right after hitting the apple or is it some kind of setup?
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/24/2007 06:37:09 AM
cant wait to see this set-up! awesome shot man 10...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/23/2007 06:59:26 AM
Wow, very ccol
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/22/2007 04:13:59 PM
Outstanding timing!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/20/2007 12:02:43 PM
I've looked at this a number of times and I think it is just a little too chaotic. The foreground blur takes away from what would otherwise be an amazing capture amazing capture.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/20/2007 11:51:45 AM
Excellent shot and perfect execution.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/20/2007 10:00:40 AM
wow... that's awesome! (slight motion line, but i think i'll give it a break considering it is a bullet...) ;-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/20/2007 05:26:52 AM
Now that is something you don't see every day. Kudos on the creativity.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/19/2007 07:34:19 PM
Wow, now that is quick, I like everything about this one
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/19/2007 02:28:55 PM
Whoa! If that's real, that is amazing.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/19/2007 12:25:06 PM
WOAH! 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/19/2007 12:22:15 PM
Coooooooool Shot!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/19/2007 10:32:38 AM
Oh I think you got this....how original!

I think it is all perfect but I do have a question....

was it shot from a real gun?
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/19/2007 09:47:57 AM
Cool shot but do not care for the frame. 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/19/2007 09:18:49 AM
For me, the highest "WOW" factor of the challenge.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/19/2007 08:18:07 AM
I'm blown away by the timing of this image (forgive the pun)and the amount of time it must have taken to get this image with impecible clarity of the speeding bullet. Superb, outstanding, fascinating, spectacular! A 10 without question. This takes the challenge to a whole new level. If this isn't the blue ribbon winner I'll be very disappointed.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/19/2007 07:33:06 AM
Very cool - 8
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/19/2007 07:09:31 AM
WOW!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/19/2007 06:37:45 AM
This is really cool balistic apple.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/19/2007 06:19:26 AM
Amazing shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/19/2007 05:16:14 AM
wow!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/19/2007 02:14:25 AM
WOW, outstanding!!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 11/18/2007 08:36:36 PM
I still can't tell if this is real with the bullet. Just for the amazing destruction to the apple - 7
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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