#12 concept - fit the theme?

Benjer · November 10, 2008

I'm a brand spanking new member of SmugMug and Digital Grin, and this is my first photo entry to any group or contest. I'm really inspired by all the great work I've seen here so far, and hope to work up to that level eventually.

I don't know how well this shot fits the intent of the theme, but it was fun working out the concept. The tiny toy pig is poised on my laptop keyboard, ready to press the "spacebar" as an image of the moon rises behind her on the computer screen -- a pig in cyberspace! Juxtaposing the tiny pig with the massive moon, I emphasized the dark splotches on the lunar surface to echo the pig's black markings and tie the two together.

As an aside, this raises an interesting question for me: is cyberspace really really huge, or infinitesimally small?

Thanks for your comments and critiques!!!

Benjer

P.S. the moon photo is mine (taken this past February), so no worry about copyright infringement!

dlplumer · November 10, 2008

Very cool shot.

You should know however that all photos must be taken during the contest period so your moon shot (since it was taken in Feb) might disqualify you. I would suggest you take another moon shot and use that.

Best,

Dan

Tango · November 10, 2008

if it fits the theme? that is yours to decide, right?

its hit and miss for me, sometimes my ideas crash and burn, sometimes they fly....

imo, without you explaining it i would have just thought your idea was about a little pig keeping you company...kinda like little stewart the mouse...

good luck...

Tango · November 10, 2008

i dont think you need to worry about the moon shot unless you are using the file itself as part of a composite....

Benjer · November 10, 2008

thanks for your responses. I didn't even think about the earlier moon pic being a potential problem! My problem now is that I no longer have a telephoto lens to take a new moon shot...but with the full moon a few days away I'll see what I can do, even if the older photo isn't a disqualifying element.

Or I may come up with something different altogether! My idea (as Aaron pointed out) with the little "pig in cyberspace" perhaps is a bit too obtuse for a single image (without the caption). I'll try and come up with something that tells a more direct story...

Thanks again

dlplumer · November 10, 2008

Benjer wrote:

thanks for your responses. I didn't even think about the earlier moon pic being a potential problem! My problem now is that I no longer have a telephoto lens to take a new moon shot...but with the full moon a few days away I'll see what I can do, even if the older photo isn't a disqualifying element.

Or I may come up with something different altogether! My idea (as Aaron pointed out) with the little "pig in cyberspace" perhaps is a bit too obtuse for a single image (without the caption). I'll try and come up with something that tells a more direct story...

Thanks again

If it's actually on the computer in the photo it should be no problem. If it is a composite than it could be a problem.

divamum · November 11, 2008

Cool idea, and the title certainly makes one look harder before getting the joke! I'm not sure the "spacebar" comes across without the explanation, as Aaron said, but the rest of it works with the title, IMO.

The thing that doesn't work for me is that everything's a little soft; the monitor (because it's a monitor), but the pig itself is a little underlit and thus soft to me. For some reason the idea seems to me to require really "hard edges" rather than soft, ambient lighting if that makes sense (and if it doesn't, just smile and move on - I'm still a n00b and trying to figure out both how to parse what I see, and then articulate it!)

I do like the idea though (probably because I always loved Piiiiigggggssss Iiinnnnnnn Spaaaacccceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

) Very imaginative!

Benjer · November 11, 2008

divamum wrote:

The thing that doesn't work for me is that everything's a little soft; the monitor (because it's a monitor), but the pig itself is a little underlit and thus soft to me. For some reason the idea seems to me to require really "hard edges" rather than soft, ambient lighting if that makes sense (and if it doesn't, just smile and move on - I'm still a n00b and trying to figure out both how to parse what I see, and then articulate it!)

I do like the idea though (probably because I always loved Piiiiigggggssss Iiinnnnnnn Spaaaacccceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ) Very imaginative!

Thanks for your suggestion - I think I'll try reshooting, this time with a smaller aperture (f/11 instead of f/4.5) to try and bring everything into focus, and post it for comparison. I thought that the diminished depth of field in the original would give a greater sense of distance, particularly for the moon. There may have been some slight camera shake with that 1 sec exposure as well, softening the image overall, so I'll do a couple retakes...maybe with off-camera fill flash...

Tango · November 11, 2008

divamum wrote:

I do like the idea though (probably because I always loved Piiiiigggggssss Iiinnnnnnn Spaaaacccceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee ) Very imaginative!

:lol4 .....muppets, now there was some great comedy

i still giggle just thinking of all the individual characters....

Tango · November 11, 2008

Benjer wrote:

Thanks for your suggestion - I think I'll try reshooting, this time with a smaller aperture (f/11 instead of f/4.5) to try and bring everything into focus, and post it for comparison. I thought that the diminished depth of field in the original would give a greater sense of distance, particularly for the moon. There may have been some slight camera shake with that 1 sec exposure as well, softening the image overall, so I'll do a couple retakes...maybe with off-camera fill flash...

keep your DOF...or even go 2.8 if its a option.....IMO