#18... Something different

heatherfeather · February 3, 2009

So I had this idea... and we tried it. Does it work? I suppose it is actually both high key and low key, but mostly low key since the fairy is only teeny tiny in the picture.

Now I know Nikolai is not a kid person, but perhaps my little girl's fantastic expression will chip away at his predisposition against kids. :dunno

Next thing I need is a title... I was thinking

Awaken to the Magic
-or-
She is real!
-or-
First day on the job and now this...
-or-
Lost and Found

or something else more creative
help on that would be greatly appreciated.

Also, I do have the fairy's other foot available in its entirety, but I thought it might be cool if it was slightly out of frame to communicate the fact that she wants to be out of the picture... Does it work? Or does it just look like a bad crop job?

Edit: New version

And #3... with curly fairy dust

angevin1 · February 3, 2009

Totally nuts!!!

First reaction: Laughter!

Its a really great concept!

"First day on the job, and Now this!" I'll say that one, because to me at least it looks like your little gal is screaming...which to me means it needs to conjugate with a funny title. I can't think of a better one~

I wonder if you could still tone it down some and get away with it?

Modeling is NOT easy: Great Model!

Off topic: Are ya'll close to Redoubt?

cheers, tom

ps: Your little girl must be tickled that she and you can work together~

divamum · February 3, 2009

Heather, this is such FUN!!

A couple of thoughts...

I'd like to see your young'un a little darker and more shadowed - not only for the LK effect, but I think it could add to the sense of the scene (waking up in the dark, the fairy being the source of light etc etc)

I think I would prefer the tip of the foot, but what about some motion blur or waves to give your fairy-person the sense of movement?

Great concept!

Llywellyn · February 3, 2009

This is hilarious and awesome, though your little girl looks like she's screaming in terror at the sight of a little fairy.

I agree with diva about the foot and lighting suggestion (having the fairy be the source of the light). Cool concept!

Flyinggina · February 3, 2009

+1.

I think that Divamum has made some excellent suggestions to make the photo more low key. And I do think you need the fairy's entire foot in the frame, though I appreciate the idea behind cropping it out. Some motion blur might work. I envisage the head in focus and the dress etc. stretching out behind her as though you had used a second curtain flash. Maybe easier said that done in post but it might be fun to try.

Am I seeing correctly? Is the tooth fairy wearing glasses!

Virginia

richtersl · February 3, 2009

Flyinggina wrote:

I think that Divamum has made some excellent suggestions to make the photo more low key. And I do think you need the fairy's entire foot in the frame, though I appreciate the idea behind cropping it out. Some motion blur might work. I envisage the head in focus and the dress etc. stretching out behind her as though you had used a second curtain flash. Maybe easier said that done in post but it might be fun to try.

JAG · February 3, 2009

Oh Heather this is a really super shot! I love the imagination put into in. How fun! I have to agree if you could blend down some more of the background around the lil one and brighten up the areas that the fairy is in that would pop it just a tad more. Awsome job and I like the title as "My first day on the job and this has to happen."

Elaine · February 3, 2009

I just commented on this shot in the contest gallery, because I didn't look here first. I didn't think your daughter was screaming in terror...I thought she was totally excited for having caught the tooth fairy in action!

I like the idea of making the fairy the main light source of the shot (the rest of it a bit darker).
And as a side note, my son lost this same tooth a couple days ago!

(I wish I could figure out how to black out one of smiley's teeth.) It was sooooo loose and he just wouldn't pull it. But he did let my husband tie dental floss around it and tie the floss to a nerf dart and shoot the dart. Worked like a charm!

hawkeye978 · February 3, 2009

Love the shot and the concept. But it doesn't say Low Key to me. I think of low key as moodier with a lack of a lot of details and more shadows. But it's a great concept. Maybe a little more shadow or a gradient from the left.

heatherfeather · February 3, 2009

angevin1 wrote:

Totally nuts!!!

First reaction: Laughter!

Its a really great concept!

"First day on the job, and Now this!" I'll say that one, because to me at least it looks like your little gal is screaming...which to me means it needs to conjugate with a funny title. I can't think of a better one~

I wonder if you could still tone it down some and get away with it?

Modeling is NOT easy: Great Model!

Off topic: Are ya'll close to Redoubt?

cheers, tom

ps: Your little girl must be tickled that she and you can work together~

Thanks for the confirmation about my sanity...

I wonder if it is just because I know her but to me her expression says "Wow, lookie there!". But there are a couple of you that are saying that she looks like she is screaming. Hmmm. Interesting.

As to your question about Redoubt, yes.... we are fairly close. We might get a bit of fall out. It irritates me because we finally got some snow after not having any for about 3 weeks... and if the volcano makes my snow all dirty I am going to be ticked! (I know, least of my worries, huh. A woman's priorities!)

Both my daughter's love to help me do things like this... But I do have to admit the one in the bed was getting rather tired of participating toward the end. And this is the second to last shot I took out of 140. Poor dear. She was happy to actually sleep in the bed after that.

heatherfeather · February 3, 2009

divamum wrote:

Heather, this is such FUN!!

A couple of thoughts...

I'd like to see your young'un a little darker and more shadowed - not only for the LK effect, but I think it could add to the sense of the scene (waking up in the dark, the fairy being the source of light etc etc)

I think I would prefer the tip of the foot, but what about some motion blur or waves to give your fairy-person the sense of movement?

Great concept!

Any better with the darker one? And fixed foot?
I thought about doing a motion blur... but I have a problem with that- If my shutter speed was slow enough to create a motion blur, then it would also be slow enough that the wings would need to be blurred independently from the body (because of the flapping) And I can't figure out how to do that.

Somebody smarter than me can give me pointers, if they have them. They are on 2 separate layers, and the whole fairy is a smart object.... I tried a motion blur of the entire fairy, and it just doesn't really work.

heatherfeather · February 3, 2009

Elaine wrote:

I just commented on this shot in the contest gallery, because I didn't look here first. I didn't think your daughter was screaming in terror...I thought she was totally excited for having caught the tooth fairy in action! I like the idea of making the fairy the main light source of the shot (the rest of it a bit darker).
And as a side note, my son lost this same tooth a couple days ago! (I wish I could figure out how to black out one of smiley's teeth.) It was sooooo loose and he just wouldn't pull it. But he did let my husband tie dental floss around it and tie the floss to a nerf dart and shoot the dart. Worked like a charm!

That is funny! Way to get things done in a fun way! Hers was about the same: It was hanging by a thread and we pulled it Sunday night and she already had her new tooth poking out for this photo. I had to clone the darn thing out!
My mom always tells about my uncle tying a string around his tooth and slamming the door (which didn't pull the tooth). A little bit later, he was watching the washer spin and the string caught on some clothes and it popped right on out.

heatherfeather · February 3, 2009

Flyinggina wrote:

+1.

Am I seeing correctly? Is the tooth fairy wearing glasses!

Virginia

For some reason, my girls have it in their heads that the tooth fairy wears glasses. They were a MUST for this shoot.

(They aren't real glasses, just play ones from the dress up chest.)

Someone else commented on the ruby red slippers... they were chosen due to what was available in the same dress up clothes chest. (Yeah, I carefully agonized over the fairy's wardrobe...not)

Llywellyn · February 3, 2009

Instead of motion blur, how about some fairy dust trailing from her feet toward the outside of the frame to show directional motion?

angevin1 · February 3, 2009

heatherfeather wrote:

For some reason, my girls have it in their heads that the tooth fairy wears glasses. They were a MUST for this shoot. (They aren't real glasses, just play ones from the dress up chest.)

Someone else commented on the ruby red slippers... they were chosen due to what was available in the same dress up clothes chest. (Yeah, I carefully agonized over the fairy's wardrobe...not)

oH? Too Funny.

I see now that our working model was tired of the photo-director/photographer/mommy for taking just one too many retakes~

I like the darkening! And I'm with Kerry here, perhaps just a Fairy dust trail....however one does that

SO...dirty snow or no...not interested in photographing the events if Redoubt spurts? Those photos from 1989-1990 are awesome~

cheers~

heatherfeather · February 3, 2009

Llywellyn wrote:

Instead of motion blur, how about some fairy dust trailing from her feet toward the outside of the frame to show directional motion?

Ok, so before I saw you had a tutorial link on there I did this... which followed 3 out of 4 of his steps.... Do you think it needs a redo? It is quite a bit more girly than his fairy dust. But I like girly, I suppose! (Now the question is does Nik an Sherstone?) I do like how this fairy dust has the motion of coming forward and then beginning to pull back, rather than just forward. Because she already has the "tooth" in her hand and so she had already been under the pillow.

Do you like my fairy dust? I'll put this one up at the beginning of the thread as well for ease of new comers.

Llywellyn · February 3, 2009

Haha! Awesome. I think with a little more glow on the dust, it'll be perfect. Love it!

Elaine · February 3, 2009

Yes, I agree! Maybe some finer, dusty bits coming off the current dusty bits...if that makes sense. So it looks like it's sprinkling off her curly path.

leaforte · February 3, 2009

I totally thought she was 'screaming in terror'. That's what I like about it. You always put the tooth under the pillow and wait till morning. A wonder indeed. But if you where to truly wake up at an age where there where indeed ghosts in the closet, wouldn' t this be your first reaction?

heatherfeather · February 3, 2009

angevin1 wrote:

oH? Too Funny.

I see now that our working model was tired of the photo-director/photographer/mommy for taking just one too many retakes~

I like the darkening! And I'm with Kerry here, perhaps just a Fairy dust trail....however one does that

SO...dirty snow or no...not interested in photographing the events if Redoubt spurts? Those photos from 1989-1990 are awesome~

cheers~

I don't think there are roads to places near the mountain, though it is only around 150 miles or so from here....(Guessing! Maybe JAG knows better where it is at or has a secret way to get there!

) I think you'd have to go by plane... which isn't really an option for me. So I'll get the ash, but not the fun. I remember the last time it blew, and it was a bit of a pain. But life went on.

Elaine · February 3, 2009

heatherfeather wrote:

I don't think there are roads to places near the mountain, though it is only around 150 miles or so from here....(Guessing! Maybe JAG knows better where it is at or has a secret way to get there! ) I think you'd have to go by plane... which isn't really an option for me. So I'll get the ash, but not the fun. I remember the last time it blew, and it was a bit of a pain. But life went on.

My sister-in-law got stuck in Seattle for four days on her way home from college last time Redoubt blew its top. How strange it will be to have ash all over the snow!

heatherfeather · February 3, 2009

Llywellyn wrote:

Haha! Awesome. I think with a little more glow on the dust, it'll be perfect. Love it!

OK... I added even more glow. What do you think now?
It is just on the edge of what I can stand as far as too much...

divamum · February 3, 2009

heatherfeather wrote:

AWESOME! I love it.

Ooo... thinking out loud... what about a small amount of fairy dust from tooth to mouth, like that's how it got there?

I love this, Heather!

Llywellyn · February 3, 2009

heatherfeather wrote:

OK... I added even more glow. What do you think now?
It is just on the edge of what I can stand as far as too much...

I don't see the glow on the little dust trails, but my eyesight starts to suck this time of day. :giggle The important thing is that you're happy with it. I think the dust makes for a very cute addition.

heatherfeather · February 3, 2009

Hmmm. Do you see it now? You might have to purge your cache since I just replaced it instead of uploading a whole new one. I figured 3 copies were enough.

Llywellyn · February 3, 2009

Ah, yes, there it is. Nice!

It looks like a warmer glow than the rest of the fairy, just slightly.

...And now I'll stop hasslin' ya'.

Really love this idea!

Flyinggina · February 3, 2009

Love the dust. Much better solution that motion blur.

Virginia

angevin1 · February 3, 2009

Much better!!:D

JAG · February 3, 2009

oh I love the rework with the dust Heather! Nice work!

#18... Something different

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