IN DEFENCE OF 'YOCTOX'!

Picture by darrellburnett


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  • October 10, 2014
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HDR contoversy cheating art manipulation

8 Comments

10 Oct 00:58
darrellburnett

I found it slightly ironic that on the day Yoctox was receiving some criticism for his (wonderfully creative and imaginative) photo-“manipulation” 'Cow's Island', with two members even refusing to vote, I had posted a photograph with some quite extensive ‘manipulation’ (if that’s the slightly derisory word people want to use), so I thought I would take this photo-opportunity to come clean about the manipulation I applied to yesterday’s photograph. The first untouched photograph is the middle bracket of the original set, and the finished photograph is further manipulated (I prefer to use the word enhanced) since yesterday’s version. I’m not asking or expecting to get votes on a picture I only posted the previous day, I’m just about to attempt to make a point …. even if I’m not entirely certain exactly yet what that point is :-) The Photomatix processed three image 16 bit file was imported into Photoshop. The verticals and horizontals in the processed HDR were straightened using Transform/Distort. The Tardis door was drawn in Adobe Illustrator (because THAT’S what I would put there if I owned the shop, and because the original door looked bland) which was then imported on several layers into Photoshop where it had textures applied, layer effects added, followed by layer masks to subtly reveal glimpses of a dark yellow (worn) duplicate version of the door underneath. Then the right side of the brick archway was copied and flipped horizontally onto the other side of the door, to provide the balance of framing I hadn’t provided when I took the pictures! The sides and arch of the brickwork were then cloned to form a perfectly smooth fit around the sides and the arch of the door. I used another copy of the inside of the shop for behind the door windows, and as it was taken in Stratford on Avon, I added a photograph of Stratford District Council offices for the reflections. Then I used selections to add the door step and added noise and blurred it to (hopefully) give it a ‘marbly’ look. I kindly treated the shop to a new drainpipe, and even provided a (FREE!) digital pointing service to much of the brickwork, and cleaned up the paintwork on the window frame. Then I cloned out the three lights inside the shop at the top of each of the three windows and finally I cloned out the Dalek’s ‘eye’ and drew a new one which looked directly into the camera, and added lights to its eye and ears (or whatever they are!), and lastly added various adjustments. I also find it ironic that in a community of HDR photographers whose interest\passion is itself often accused of being “manipulation” and “cheating”, there’s an attitude that other HDR photographers are themselves manipulating, with an underlying thinly veiled accusation of somehow cheating, in some of the techniques they use and/or pictures they produce. Surely what we’re hopefully striving for is a piece of something resembling art? The end justifies the means and as long as the firm basis for the piece is HDR photography, then yes its manipulation (enhancement), as is HDR itself, but surely art should have a large element of anarchy, and not be confined, restricted, and strangled by some anally-retentive rules. There! I KNEW I would realise what my point was eventually!

10 Oct 01:10
grahamg

As a real beginner and new kid on the block I say BRAVO!! It appears this site strangles art at times by endorsing realism as the only way to go. That's why some of the posts are well processed boredom.

10 Oct 03:45
atom

Yesterday, I was in awe and envy of your talent. Now, I have to also live in envy of the time you can spend making these wonderful images.

10 Oct 04:58
sorance2000

theme, composition-10; light, atmosphere-10; impressive, mood-8; artistic-8; technical-10 [9.20]

10 Oct 07:43
gedmas

Superb tutorial. I'm gonna save it to my computer, if You don't mind.

10 Oct 13:03
yoctox

Hi, see your mailbox

10 Oct 23:04
pixel_komando

10

10 Oct 23:07
fredzhang

You are the master of creative Arts.

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