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Bon Appetit
Bon Appetit
tanguera


Photograph Information Photographer's Comments
Challenge: Best of 2011 (Advanced Editing VII)
Collection: 2012
Camera: Nikon D700
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Date Uploaded: Jan 22, 2012

 THANK YOU, LANDON!!!!

And thanks Chrystyne!! 40 comments before rollover. Don't expect to ever see that again.

I was so distressed about the title all during voting, because I'm one of those people who believes a title DOES matter. This was actually the first time I messed that up, and I really do believe it made a difference in the score. And then, for some reason, all my photog notes were ghosted at rollover. So, in brief:

Model: Carl Hunter (he raises chickens for their eggs). He was also the chick wrangler for this shot.

I met him a few years ago at a blessing of the animals, where he had brought several fancy chickens. Fast forward to last year, when I started doing pet portraits, and I remembered him. Turns out he lives about a mile from me! I knew exactly what I wanted to do for the shot, and when I told him, he just about fell over laughing. The only question truly was whether the chicken would cooperate...

This was my first location shoot, and in addition to schlepping all my gear there, I had to rearrange the house! I was most worried that I wouldn't be able to "direct" the chicken, but it was just a matter of patience and waiting for her to look in my direction. I had given Carl VERY strict instructions to NEVER take his eyes of me. And he did a great job of it, too!!

Regarding the overly dark right hand, yes, a flaw from not yet having developed my eye to see EVERYTHING. I've tried numerous ways of fixing it with no satisfactory result. There is simply not enough information there. But I agree with blindjustice, it sort of gives it a slightly sinister twist.

Statistics
Place: 60 out of 410
Avg (all users): 6.4850
Avg (commenters): 7.5750
Avg (participants): 6.4474
Avg (non-participants): 6.6512
Views since voting: 1130
Views during voting: 533
Votes: 233
Comments: 50
Favorites: 4 (view)

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AuthorThread
 01/13/2014 11:36:40 PM
Haha! I loved it then, and still love it now!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 03/01/2012 10:55:11 AM
You know? You are fast becoming my HERO rock star photographer! This is just amazing!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/24/2012 09:51:40 AM
A perfect entry for this challenge! Love it! ;-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/24/2012 02:27:19 AM
Why did I know this was yours?
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/23/2012 09:11:38 PM
Hahahaha I love this...!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/23/2012 08:44:19 PM
Carl is good, but the chicken steals the show. :-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/23/2012 07:40:04 PM
OMG my fav pix of the contest was you!! I still can't look with out laughing!
HOW in the world did you come up with this idea???? Here I thought you were the more "normal-ish" of the group... and YAY on being in the upper part of all the shots in this giant challenge!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 Comments Made During the Challenge
02/23/2012 06:56:24 PM
Ha! Love the title! Fantastic portrait.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/23/2012 01:54:53 PM
What a fantastic entry. Very creative and all around VERY well done. bumping up.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/23/2012 11:39:01 AM
I'm going through the entries, stopping at those images I feel have had the benefit of an unconventional eye and dwelling a little longer to try to see and appreciate what you saw. This is one of those images.

Positives: Johanna - I love quirky portraits and you are the master of those. This is just superb. The humour, the matter-of-factness, the seemingly relaxed chicken are of course the stars, but the technicals are also compelling - the nicely diffused background, the shadow on the face and the well-preserved reflection in the table - all contribute much.

Critical stuff: Although the shadow is great on Carl's face and on the bird - I think it is perhaps a bit deep on his right hand.

Overall: A portrait of the highest quality.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/23/2012 09:28:10 AM
Not for the vegetarians amongst us! Amusing composition for carnivores though.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/22/2012 06:41:53 PM
Hello Johanna, always good to see this one.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/21/2012 10:40:02 AM
ha!...this is great! - 9
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/20/2012 10:54:53 AM
wonderful absurdity.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/20/2012 07:29:46 AM
If there is one thing I like, it's quirky photos. And this is a quirky photo.

And the title just adds to the quirkiness.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/20/2012 07:11:59 AM
well done...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/19/2012 06:14:53 PM
Clever, clever. Made me smile.

voted earlier
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/19/2012 05:40:14 PM
I like the subject, composition, and the processing is nice. The shadow on his right hand and the shadow from the fork bother me a bit though.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/19/2012 04:51:39 PM
Gives new meaning to "chicken dinner". Nice reflections in the table top. Excellent processing.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/19/2012 11:34:33 AM
Hehe, what a fun photo. Great details and color coordination.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/19/2012 11:04:52 AM
I've seen this shot before. :)

Awesome shot. The only thing I'd change was the lighting on his right hand. I wish it weren't quite so shadowed. Doesn't matter, it's a 9 anyway. :)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/18/2012 11:35:41 PM
looks tasty!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/18/2012 12:32:27 PM
Grog appreeshiates eating stile of hunter-named-carl. No hassle uv fire-making or ashes for female to clean up later. Grog has tried same, but get stepped on by mammoth after first bite.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/18/2012 09:23:36 AM
Such a unique and interesting photo!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/18/2012 04:32:28 AM
So very awesome! Chicken for dinner it is! ;D
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/18/2012 03:20:43 AM
Such a marvelous image, Johanna. It might have benefited from a title.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/16/2012 08:29:09 AM
This made me smile, good crisp focus and nice lighting (except that very dark hand.) Wish you'd given it a title, something humerous. I like chickens, lol.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/16/2012 02:03:56 AM
I like this shot, but the more I look at it, the more I notice some strange things. Firstly, the background is a little weird, and secondly the left and is so obtrusively dark.

Other than that, a fun concept and a fairly well executed one at that. I give you an 8 for being so creative, and doing a good job of it.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/15/2012 07:35:56 AM
Nice creative shot
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/14/2012 06:50:48 PM
Cute and scary at the same time! :-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/14/2012 04:39:58 AM
Thanks for making me smile. Love the innocent smile on his face.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/13/2012 06:56:24 PM
OMG I can't tell you how funny this is!! and a great photo to boot!!! Please say no chickens were harmed at this dinner!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/13/2012 03:22:04 PM
this photo... just makes me smile :) it is just AWESOME! 10!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/13/2012 02:13:11 PM
I have seen this before; it cracks me up every time. Beautiful colors and the reflection is great. (voted earlier)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/13/2012 11:51:57 AM
The lighting is a bit unconventional, but I am really liking the effect the hand with the knife being in the dark.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/13/2012 11:49:56 AM
i dont like this style of processing but this portrait is a keeper.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/12/2012 11:41:15 AM
A new twist on chicken dinner. Beautifully executed. Glad the chicken's not. :) 10
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/12/2012 09:16:03 AM
This is great!!!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/11/2012 02:20:37 PM
A young Colonel Sanders...nicely lit, crisp and fun. Careful, here comes PETA...
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/11/2012 01:20:36 PM
too bad about the title, I'd be interested in seeing what you would title this
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/11/2012 08:49:10 AM
The lack of a true title may hurt you with some of the voters. Personally I love this, I can not imagine how you got the chicken to hold still.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/11/2012 05:26:32 AM
Are the feathers good fiber?
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/10/2012 11:58:13 PM
Fun composition. Leaving the filename as an (autopopulated) title distracts.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/10/2012 04:46:14 PM
For dinner I ordered duck,
but along come this bold, little cluck.
She ruffled her feathers daring me to pluck
I had to laugh for the silly exchange left me dumb-struck
As for my meal, I realized I was out of luck.

What a fun and playful portrait! You can't help but smile:-)
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/10/2012 03:29:35 PM
Entirely too funny.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/10/2012 11:20:12 AM
what a hoot!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/10/2012 02:39:46 AM
Not really jaw struck by the lighting in this one, in my opinion this would have appealed a bit more to me if there was more fill lighting from the left, on his right hand especially. Also the processing is a bit too "plastic" for lack of a better word, for my taste. Anyway, nice concept and still gave it a 6.
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/09/2012 09:16:24 PM
haha, love it
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/09/2012 07:43:19 PM
One of my all time favorite shots of the year!
  Photographer found comment helpful.
 02/09/2012 07:23:23 PM
Yep. THIS has my vote for the BLUE. Totally fabulous. (just commenting on a great image... not voting)
  Photographer found comment helpful.


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