Selfportrait with an attitude

Marcin WuuMarcin Wuu Registered Users Posts: 87 Big grins
edited May 4, 2011 in People
Sympathy for the Devil

22308181.jpg
I'm a lazy portraitist. I only shoot beautiful women.

Comments

  • SamSam Registered Users Posts: 7,419 Major grins
    edited May 2, 2011
    OH BOY!! here we go again. :D

    This image along with your last post has truly captured a dark tormented soul who currently is engaged with introducing his own flesh and blood into his dark demented view of the world.

    Photo is definitely different and nicely done. clap.gif

    Sam
    www.samlinvillephotography.com
  • chrisdgchrisdg Registered Users Posts: 366 Major grins
    edited May 2, 2011
    powerful.
    -Chris D.
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  • DonRicklinDonRicklin Registered Users Posts: 5,551 Major grins
    edited May 2, 2011
    For me the best part of this image is the one small spot of bright orange ember on the seegar! thumb.gif

    That, and the fact I can't smell a single bit of that cloud of smoke! :D

    Good one!

    Don
    Don Ricklin - Gear: Canon EOS 5D Mark III, was Pentax K7
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  • divamumdivamum Registered Users Posts: 9,021 Major grins
    edited May 2, 2011
    Actually, without the title - or the experience of the previous "attitude" shot/discussion - this wouldn't have that much attitude at all for me (a telling point in re the previous image, in that *context* is everything), but be more of a film-noir-ish character study. Because of that, I find myself wishing it was in BW rather than colour, despite the compelling touches of red.

    Love the cigar ember (as mentioned above), the smoke cloud, and the bg's lighting; photographically, I want more of that near eye, and find the hot-spot on the nose (on this monitor, which isn't great - may be fine on a calibrated one) somewhat distracting. Also, not sure if it's from makeup or procsesing, but the forehead skin texture is somewhat harsh; easily fixed in either case, I should think.

    Intriguing image! thumb.gif
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  • IcebearIcebear Registered Users Posts: 4,015 Major grins
    edited May 2, 2011
    And it looks like the kind of monster that wouldn't hesitate to mutilate a defensless teddy bear.
    John :
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  • SamSam Registered Users Posts: 7,419 Major grins
    edited May 2, 2011
    Icebear wrote: »
    And it looks like the kind of monster that wouldn't hesitate to mutilate a defensless teddy bear.

    Word........a classic teddy bear mutilator for sure.

    Sam
    www.samlinvillephotography.com
  • Bryce WilsonBryce Wilson Registered Users Posts: 1,586 Major grins
    edited May 2, 2011
    Not to mention he IS wearing a wife-beater t-shirt which only goes to further the stereotype of male domination and violence. rolleyes1.gifrofl
  • lanaerlanaer Registered Users Posts: 78 Big grins
    edited May 2, 2011
    Nicely done!

    I find myself wanting to see a bit more of his left eye, though. Not sure that's necessary... since the shadowed eyes also contribute a great deal to the look.
  • Marcin WuuMarcin Wuu Registered Users Posts: 87 Big grins
    edited May 2, 2011
    Well... thankyou, I guess ;)
    Yep, that's silly old me. Technically this was pretty challenging - working with the remote, not seeing the crop, trying to get the glow of cigar's tip to show (it was shot at 1/15th of a second so the glow had time to properly expose). I had to smoke through three cigars in a row, which made me dizzy like hell, and the awful acrid smell hung in the air for several more days... I mean I'm a smoker but three cigars in a row... don't try it at home.
    The original title for this work "Sympathy for the Devil" is a direct rip off the Rolling Stones' great song. It's a part of a bigger series of images, all connected with color red and dark mood. There are several more but I don't think I'll show them all - two of them are strongly sex related (definitely NSFW) and even imagining the discussion they'd start makes my head spin...
    There is a hotspot on the very tip of the nose, yes. I left it just to spite the perfection :) Hardcore skin texture and overall superstrong-processing are also intentional of course...
    The bowtie was a must. I'm smoking while wearing a smoking, you see. I thought the proper shirt would be boring, hence the wifebeater...
    I'm a lazy portraitist. I only shoot beautiful women.
  • SamSam Registered Users Posts: 7,419 Major grins
    edited May 2, 2011
    Marcin Wuu wrote: »
    Well... thankyou, I guess ;)
    Yep, that's silly old me. Technically this was pretty challenging - working with the remote, not seeing the crop, trying to get the glow of cigar's tip to show (it was shot at 1/15th of a second so the glow had time to properly expose). I had to smoke through three cigars in a row, which made me dizzy like hell, and the awful acrid smell hung in the air for several more days... I mean I'm a smoker but three cigars in a row... don't try it at home.
    The original title for this work "Sympathy for the Devil" is a direct rip off the Rolling Stones' great song. It's a part of a bigger series of images, all connected with color red and dark mood. There are several more but I don't think I'll show them all - two of them are strongly sex related (definitely NSFW) and even imagining the discussion they'd start makes my head spin...
    There is a hotspot on the very tip of the nose, yes. I left it just to spite the perfection :) Hardcore skin texture and overall superstrong-processing are also intentional of course...
    The bowtie was a must. I'm smoking while wearing a smoking, you see. I thought the proper shirt would be boring, hence the wifebeater...

    OK, serious post. I think the creativity and the execution is very well done. Your explanation of smoking 3 cigars, and struggling with the technical aspects humanizes you the photographer.

    Without going off the deep end your images are more than photographs. They are a combination of imagination, creative thought, and technical skills.

    If nothing else they are thought provoking.

    Sam
    www.samlinvillephotography.com
  • Albert DicksonAlbert Dickson Registered Users Posts: 520 Major grins
    edited May 2, 2011
    Yep, what Sam said. I like this quite a lot. Those specks, and the furrowed brow! All good stuff. Keep it up Sir.
    Albert D.
    Albert@WhetstoneImagery.com
    http://Albert-Dickson.com
  • TmetroffTmetroff Registered Users Posts: 92 Big grins
    edited May 2, 2011
    Your work is awesome! Smoke is hard to get to cooperate but it looks great here!
  • Tim KamppinenTim Kamppinen Registered Users Posts: 816 Major grins
    edited May 2, 2011
    I am offended by the blatant display of tobacco products!

    Ok, not really. Really cool shot... and I can relate very much to this line:
    Marcin Wuu wrote: »
    I had to smoke through three cigars in a row, which made me dizzy like hell

    ...because of my experiences in taking this self-portrait:

    5409145043_1a9e0ec44f.jpg


    :D Great minds think alike I guess... I was not feeling well after basically hyperventilating through a pipe for over an hour to get the amount of smoke I wanted for the shot, and taking countless frames in search of the one I wanted.

    But back to your shot; I love the slight glint of a catchlight visible, the downward gaze, the texture, the smoke, and the square crop is perfect for this. And the glasses are an awesome touch... photographer-turned-ubermensch?
    http://www.timkphotography.com
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  • SamSam Registered Users Posts: 7,419 Major grins
    edited May 2, 2011
    I tried to dissuade him from posting.........tried to get him to forget and move forward, but alas, to no avail.

    He doesn't have his own internet and I have to live with him soo............

    he says he is ready for any sycophantic teddy bear mutilators and to let you all know his cousin from up north is ready to back mim up!

    The teddy bear,

    i-RtCm68w-L.jpg
    www.samlinvillephotography.com
  • anonymouscubananonymouscuban Registered Users, Retired Mod Posts: 4,586 Major grins
    edited May 3, 2011
    Oh man.
    "I'm not yelling. I'm Cuban. That's how we talk."

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  • zoomerzoomer Registered Users Posts: 3,688 Major grins
    edited May 3, 2011
    I have been looking at lots of Civil War stuff lately. The original shot....put a blue hat on that guy and it is General Grant, Union General.
    Like all this shots in this thread...but....Sam's FTW. I would hate to run into that guy in a dark alley.....the bear I mean :).
    http://www.flickr.com/photos/21695902@N06/
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  • dbvetodbveto Registered Users Posts: 660 Major grins
    edited May 3, 2011
    Sam wrote: »
    I tried to dissuade him from posting.........tried to get him to forget and move forward, but alas, to no avail.

    He doesn't have his own internet and I have to live with him soo............

    he says he is ready for any sycophantic teddy bear mutilators and to let you all know his cousin from up north is ready to back mim up!

    The teddy bear,

    i-RtCm68w-L.jpg
    I think you should be ashamed Portraying such a sweet lovable Teddy in such a violent mannermwink.gif
    Dennis
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  • wolf911wolf911 Registered Users Posts: 273 Major grins
    edited May 4, 2011
    lol @ this thread

    I do like the OP image, the red background/gel really adds to it.
    ~KJS~
    Photos by KJS | Flickr | Blog | 500px | Google+
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