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The Joker
The Joker
LalliSig


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Clowns (Basic Editing)
Camera: Canon EOS-5D
Lens: Canon EF 135mm f/2.0L USM
Location: Studio Laugavegur, Iceland
Date: Jan 8, 2008
Aperture: 5.6
ISO: 100
Shutter: 1/200
Galleries: Portraiture, Studio
Date Uploaded: Jan 8, 2008

 I wasn´t really enthused by either of the open challenges this week, I really hate clowns, always want to kick them in the nuts when I meet one, wich fortunately for them is maybe only once a decade or so. I then woke up monday morning with this idea to do my version of the Joker, I mean just the night before I shot another photo for the Superhero series ( see my flickr account if you want to know more) "Well duh", I thought "The Joker photos of Heath Ledger that have leaked out on the internet are REALLY cool, I can´t wait to see that movie" so I called up Birkir and asked him if he was up for it, you should recognize him by now, he´s been in at least 3-4 DPC entries, one of them a blue ribbon winner.

Here is the shot that inspired me for this photograph. Really went out of my way to do something I don´t normally do and even toned down the lighting, just used one monolight for this one with a 140x40cm striplight softbox put horizontal to maximize the light cutoff and get a slight wrap around lighting look on his face. I am willing to wager that someone will bring up the fact that he blends into the backround and also the eyes are not illuminated, trust me, that was intentional and I am more than capable of using backlighting to fix that but I want it this way. I mean how could lighting up the eyes improve this shot? It would kill all the mood in it.

The post processing was totally unlike what I normally do, I raw converted with C1 but this time I actually turned DOWN the contrast as I wanted just a tiny bit of detail left in the shirt he was wearing. Then I used levels to completely blacken the backround, shadow highlights a couple of times to bring back just a tiny bit of detail in the darkest areas in the shot and also to slightly darken the white painted face. The green bodypaint we put in his hair came out cyan in the photo so I used selective color twice to make all the cyan in this shot more green like. I then used selective color to desaturate all the areas with a similar tonal range as the face, just leaving a hint of skincolor. Then of course resized and sharpened. I am happy with the post processing with the exception that I would have wanted to remove a couple of hairs by his left ear (right on the photo) and also a couple of dust specs on his shirt and one by the top of his left ear.

I REALLY like this shot so don´t care at all how it does, as long as it scares at least one person :) Oh and for this entry only, I really wish the dpc backround was black and not gray, this shot is so much cooler with a black surrounding.

Statistics
Place: 7 out of 52
Avg (all users): 6.5515
Avg (commenters): 8.0000
Avg (participants): 5.7857
Avg (non-participants): 6.6125
Views since voting: 4656
Views during voting: 788
Votes: 379
Comments: 42
Favorites: 7 (view)

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AuthorThread
 04/13/2010 06:18:15 PM
Makes me GaGa eyed, Ja Ja Ja Joker Face...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/16/2008 04:42:22 AM
Very wicked shot m8! (meant in a good way). Was my pick for the top3. My favorite of the moody or creepy clown shots. A real excellent twist on those. I like that the eyes are not illuminated. On my screen the shirt does not blend in with the background and looks fine. The bottom part with the shirt looks a little off balanced, one side being a lot darker, pitch black, compared to the other side but you did what you could in basic but it's a mysterious effect. Congrats on the top10!

Message edited by author 2008-01-16 09:43:12.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/16/2008 03:45:46 AM
Delightful!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/16/2008 01:20:38 AM
Thanks for the behind the scenes info. For what concerns making him blend into the background, I think it would be cool to make the right side of the shirt match the left side, where the head floats in black nothingness before the shirt gradually reappears a few centimeters further away. But that would probably have required selective editing.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/16/2008 01:14:49 AM
This was my favorite image in this challenge and I gave it a 9. I like most all of your portraits, but the "Superheros" shots are great. Here's hoping that this is the beginning of a "Supervillans" group too. :-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/16/2008 12:07:55 AM
Great shot, Larus. Grats on top 10 (and I agree wholeheartedly about the dpc background colour!).
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/15/2008 08:03:52 PM
This was scary for sure!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/15/2008 07:11:34 PM
Congrats on making the top ten. This was my favorite of all the clown photos.

  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/15/2008 07:10:03 PM
I'm staggered that you didn't blue with this image. Cutesy wins every time around here apparently but I for one absolutely appreciate the 'darkness' of this shot. Oh, and with eyes and expression like that no-one is looking at those hairs above your ear, trust me on this one :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
01/15/2008 02:54:54 PM
this is amazing. great work, unbelievable clarity. 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/15/2008 10:17:44 AM
an effective use of centered composition. also rather scary. . .
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/15/2008 01:58:35 AM
Very well-lit portrait for the mood you were after, the expression is great. I have to give you props for dying your hair green for a DPC Challenge.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/14/2008 09:30:02 AM
Just awesome...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/12/2008 07:19:07 PM
Ohhhh, total creep factor...the lighting, mood and make-up are terrific.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/12/2008 07:55:12 AM
like a movie poster...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/12/2008 06:13:57 AM
great photo. I know this nit picn' but the lint on his right shoulder. is that aloud to be PS'd out in basic? Not that I'm looking for flaws but my eye's always seem to find things that that.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/11/2008 03:57:00 PM
best of the challenge...hope you ribbon 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/11/2008 02:02:11 PM
wow amazing lighting and detail, I wish the eyes were illuminated.

I think this will take the blue.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/11/2008 01:31:39 PM
Oh basic editing rules suck don't they?! : ) Very nice image with a lovely creepiness. Back to bump you up to 8.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/11/2008 08:11:00 AM
What a cool, sinister look here. I expect to see this on the homepage as a ribbon winner.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/11/2008 03:08:29 AM
I like this one. It's a great shot, and I don't see any flaws with the editing or anything. It's not blasted, not too dark... and so on.

Great job!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/10/2008 06:05:52 PM
Ooo moody and all that. Very nice use of dark colours.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/10/2008 08:07:09 AM
Nice. I like the "dusty" look to the makeup and hair.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/09/2008 10:02:30 PM
Need to blend the white into the hairline a little better.
(Hey, I had to find SOME nitpick!)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/09/2008 07:02:19 PM
Scary - horrid really - but also good in an artistic sinister way - GRIN!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/09/2008 07:00:05 PM
A softer light would have worked better 5
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/09/2008 04:27:07 PM
Oh this is good especially with the new movie coming out soon.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/09/2008 02:43:27 PM
I like this. I think a tighter crop might be really cool - though I like the effect of the surrounding black.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/09/2008 01:25:14 PM
Scary, but I think it would be scarier if his eyes were more visible - 7
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/09/2008 10:30:22 AM
Yup...ya look like the joker....love the square jaw though.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/09/2008 09:09:52 AM
Wow! Very good. I'd have liked to see more of the eyes but that's only a tiny nitpick. Good luck.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/09/2008 08:28:39 AM
great image. I'll give 9 - would be 10 but i would like to see the more of eyes
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/09/2008 08:19:15 AM
Brilliant in both interpretation and simplicity. The expression (great snarl!) and makeup are brilliant and the lighting gives the eyes such depth. My favourite of the lot and a solid 10.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/09/2008 06:16:59 AM
I like this, but i think it could be even better if you could see some more of the whites of his eyes.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/09/2008 06:01:01 AM
the skin texture is amazing in this photo
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/09/2008 05:34:36 AM
look out Heath Ledger...lovely feeling created by not being able to see eyes, 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/09/2008 04:49:40 AM
Great light. I think this will be on the front page.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/09/2008 04:12:34 AM
So, not the funny kind of joker, right (j/k)? Dark and broody, no catchlights to humanize the eyes and the mouth looks particularly unpleasant. Good job.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/09/2008 03:14:28 AM
Is this Johnny Knoxville?? hahaha. Nice capture.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/09/2008 12:43:06 AM
Very much like the fade to black of the shoulders. Green hair is a great idea. Works better than red or orange
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/08/2008 09:19:21 PM
Haha, that's a scary, scary face! I like the clarity and sharpness of the shot.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 01/08/2008 07:27:51 PM
YIKES
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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