Newbie's #59 - C&C Welcome

Tstorm

Really not too interested with the current mini-challenge, so I thought I'd try my hand at a regular challenge.

The Hitchhiker


Portraiture really isn't my type of photography, but challenges are meant to get you to try new things and to work on techniques, so I figured I'd give this one a try. I have two other ideas for this theme if this isn't clear enough, but my model for those is getting back from overseas tomorrow. I'll probably shoot those anyways as alternatives, but was looking for thoughts on this one until then.

Thanks!

slpollett

Definitely see the signal. My first thought was that the lighting is a bit harsh for my taste, but then a longer look gives me the sense of the oncoming headlights... so it works.

Welcome to the challenges, btw.

Sherry

Helvegr

slpollett wrote: »

Definitely see the signal. My first thought was that the lighting is a bit harsh for my taste, but then a longer look gives me the sense of the oncoming headlights... so it works.

Welcome to the challenges, btw.

Sherry

Wow, took the words right out of my mouth. My first thought was the harsh lighting, and the shadows...then I was like "oh...I get it...a car is coming".

Tstorm

By the time she was available to shoot, lighting was almost gone, and you can't really bounce a flash outdoors. So...next best thing was my car's headlights. Probably aren't the best lights to use, but if you're going to shoot something, shoot it real, and she's supposed to be signaling a car to stop and give her a ride. That means, you need a car.

The low-beams angled too low, and cut an ugly line across her. The high-beams lit her, but like everyone says, were harsh. Still, I liked the look for that same reason: it made it look like a car was approaching. The lighting allows you to see beyond the borders of the image in a way that the same shot wouldn't do in the daytime.

At least, that's my thoughts on it.

SeascapeS

Cute idea! Good luck!

Froch

I think the lighting works. The body position says "professional" to me, and we're conditioned to think the working hours of such a 'professional' are evening hours, with moments in car beams. I like it.
But, the only thing that locks my brain up are the woods in the background. The environment doesn't work for me.

** also, if I'm mis-reading the body language, I apologize. If that's not the intent of the pix, then I'd have to say the body positioning definately doesn't work... )

Good Luck! Outside the box.

Tstorm

Froch wrote: »

I think the lighting works. The body position says "professional" to me, and we're conditioned to think the working hours of such a 'professional' are evening hours, with moments in car beams. I like it.
But, the only thing that locks my brain up are the woods in the background. The environment doesn't work for me.

** also, if I'm mis-reading the body language, I apologize. If that's not the intent of the pix, then I'd have to say the body positioning definately doesn't work... )

Good Luck! Outside the box.

Interesting perspective on it, however no, that was not my initial intent, but it was one I thought about while I was shooting. But that doesn't mean that's not the story of this picture. If she is a 'professional', why is she where she is? It has the feeling of isolation, so maybe she feels it's a good spot for privacy, and it's where she likes to hold her 'business meetings'? Maybe she's tired of her traditional 'clients' and trying someplace else?

For me, this is how I see it:
Because we've already broken the one edge of the photo by imagining the oncoming car, it's easier for us to imagine further around the window of the image. What girl goes out in heels, but no purse? None that I know of, so it has to be somewhere near by. I imagine it in a car further down the road, one that's either broken down or out of gas. Where was she going and why is she in the woods? She's young, and because of the pose and the clothing, believes she's attractive. She could've been going off to a party or something, somewhere. (The woods still have some light in them, too bright for moonlight, and not residual from the headlamps, so I think it's evening, maybe around 8 pm. Too early to head home.) For whatever reason, she started walking, and realizing a car was coming, quickly did something that would entice the driver to stop and help a random stranger.

I know there's a lot of assumption in that, once I start imagining the oncoming car and looking at the details of the photo itself, it's easy to imagine the rest of world outside of that 2x3 box.

This is one of the things I like about photography (and the arts in general.) There's so much that's open to interpretation and people's different point's of view. What one person sees isn't always what someone else does, and nothing else does that as well as the how arts do it. :rutt

Also, I still plan on shooting one of my other ideas for this challenge tomorrow. I should be able to do a little work in post, and decide between the two by the deadline.