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The Shining. What if Jack Torrance wanted some popcorn?
The Shining. What if Jack Torrance wanted some popcorn?
marcusvdt


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Self Portrait VI (Advanced Editing V*)
Camera: Panasonic DMC-FZ50
Location: At home / kitchen
Date: Dec 2, 2007
Aperture: f2.8
ISO: 100
Shutter: 1/50
Galleries: Humorous, Portraiture
Date Uploaded: Dec 2, 2007

 My most difficult photo until now. Every shot needed the camera taken outside the microwave so I could review the result!
One of the most difficult things was to get the right focus with a short DOF (F2.8), since the viewfinder was not accessible inside the microwave. I had to set the focus from outside to inside (reverse) and then lock the focus, but this did not give me the perfect focus that I wanted. I was tired of trying anyway, and accepted this one.
I tried with some variations of lighting, inside and outside the microwave, various angles for the camera and the popcorn, various distances between myself and the microwave... This photo is the best result I was able to get with my amateur equipment.

The final setup has a 60W bulb inside the microwave, in the deeper lower left corner, with 2 sheets of white paper on it to make it diffuse. The camera is on a small tripod inside the microwave, just above the 60w bulb. On the outside, I had natural day light coming through the window and I was handling a 500W bulb (that thing is hot) very close to my face. Used the 10 second timer to give me time to turn on all the lights, partially close the microwave door (so it looks to be closed), and pose. One hand keeping the door closed, and the other handling the 500w light.

RAW conversion with almost none adjustments.
Then, on PSP X2:
-Made some different adjustments for levels and contrast, on various parts of the photo.
-Cloned out some distraction points.
-Some dodge and burn on my face.
-Resized, no crop.
-Neat Image.
-Unsharp Mask.
-Export for web

Hope it gets +6, but as always I'm curious about the comments I will get...

******************

Post challenge:
Well, I got my 6... Will not try this photo again, but I'd like to see anyone else trying... Lighting, composition and focus were difficult things to get...

Statistics
Place: 77 out of 241
Avg (all users): 6.0031
Avg (commenters): 7.2593
Avg (participants): 5.9365
Avg (non-participants): 6.0466
Views since voting: 1341
Views during voting: 471
Votes: 319
Comments: 33
Favorites: 1 (view)

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AuthorThread
 12/12/2007 05:06:19 AM
I gave this a 9!! It was totally under rated!! You should have done so much better!!! :( too bad... oh well... I LIKE IT! :D
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/12/2007 04:29:10 AM
Really good idea and POV, shame it didn't get a higher vote.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/12/2007 02:11:45 AM
Seems like a lot of work. That is the down side of hiding all the tricks, no one knows how you did it.

Great thinking and set up.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/11/2007 07:40:51 PM
You got your 6! I thought this was very creative and well done. Thanks for sharing your notes, too - it's always interesting to see what lengths we go through to try to get what we want!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
12/11/2007 02:19:18 AM
You look very excited to get that popcorn.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/10/2007 07:56:00 PM
I like how the microwave light is on. Your overall lighting is great here. Nice expression on your face!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/10/2007 05:20:50 PM
I love that dot magic
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/10/2007 05:16:52 PM
well shot... great idea
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/09/2007 05:54:55 PM
you're ate up!lol...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/09/2007 03:25:53 PM
Cool. Good impression on your face, I can see clearly. You focused on your face, which is very good. Technically good photo. Good job :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/09/2007 04:01:08 AM
Hey Slippy you should have blown some air in the bag to make it look like it's ready to burst. Cool original shot. Good luck.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/08/2007 10:22:02 PM
O, that face, that expression is wonderful - the rest is so ... needless!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/07/2007 08:25:49 PM
Ha!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/07/2007 06:01:50 PM
Do you have microwave-safe camera or what? :-) I would never try this even with somebody else's camera. good focus, expressions and execution
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/07/2007 03:24:55 PM
Cool take on challenge.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/07/2007 05:53:50 AM
this is really funny!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/06/2007 02:49:59 PM
Liking the: Hmmmmmmmmm POPCORN face =p hahahahaa
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/06/2007 08:33:20 AM
Great expression though would have preferred a smaller aperture to get the foreground in focus.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/06/2007 04:56:05 AM
Nice effects... I assume the nuke was not really running :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/06/2007 01:19:37 AM
great idea,excellent shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/06/2007 12:12:33 AM
Creative and quite amusing!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/05/2007 10:00:06 PM
hehehe! Excellent! Love the idea and the expression! : )
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/05/2007 06:47:15 PM
timfythetoo! I sure hope you didn't actually microwave your camera, although it definitely looks taht way.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/05/2007 05:27:46 PM
cool shot!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/05/2007 04:44:39 PM
OHHH man priceless! This is just awesome!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/05/2007 12:47:37 PM
Very nice job on the lighting and contrast.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/05/2007 11:58:21 AM
LOL.... love the humor in your portrait. Great composition and lighting for looking out of a microwave.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/05/2007 10:32:20 AM
HAHAH! I LOVE THIS!!! I really hope you didn't microwave your camera though! Great expression on your face!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/05/2007 10:17:44 AM
Cool idea
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/05/2007 07:37:56 AM
Ha ha!!! fun.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/05/2007 03:44:31 AM
hope your camera survived!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/05/2007 01:30:03 AM
great!! very funny!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 12/04/2007 09:35:52 PM
are you nuking your camera? great expression!
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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