I've Always Wanted to Try This by auntietk
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Description
I took a picture of my brother, Trent, at a friend's house a couple weeks ago. The lighting made the shot a perfect candidate for a super-high-key portrait. Not just bright, but so bright that the edges disappear. We were indoors, about 15 feet from a big window, so one side was very bright and the other in a bit of shadow.
The thing I found most interesting about the result was how much of his expression was lost. The details seem to be there, but the mood is gone. His expression was actually quite playful ... he was doing a bit of mugging for the camera ... but in high key that doesn't come through.
So here you go. An experiment I've always wanted to try. I'm happy with the result as far as artistic expression is concerned, but as far as good pictures of Trent go, I have much more nuanced and immediate shots of him.
I can't remember now what all I did to this. Contrast/bright, obviously, b/w obviously, probably a bit of colored pencil filter, or smudge, or something.
I've done a bit of fiddling with this sort of thing in the past, but it never saw the light of day. Mark's work (anahata.c) with black and white and high key has given me the courage to be more bold. It's fun to be inspired by other artists! :)
Comments (21)
bakapo
this is really interesting and clever. I like the dark glasses.
wysiwig
Outstanding work, Tara. You've turned this into a pencil drawing. The eyes come through very well and prompt this viewer to wonder what he was thinking.
Wolfenshire
I disagree, I think you have created a whole new mood. To great effect I might add.
Faemike55
I see a hint of a smile in this portrait. this is actually quite interesting I like it
bebopdlx
This is cool.
durleybeachbum
What fascinates me is the Picasso effect of two aspects at once. I see the whole face implied by the specs then lost, and also a profile which is false. Weird!
micturn
I think a bit of playfulness remains, interesting work!
whaleman
It's interesting. With those bold frames he looks like a very young fellow in the 60s!
Juliette.Gribnau
never tried is never succeeded !
jayfar
Brilliant Tara, superb work.
EJD64
Excellent work Tara. I like the look of the photo.
anahata.c
I'm flattered to be mentioned with this pic, it's a first rate example of high key mystery, and it actually reminds me of Warhol for all the dissolving things he did to a single photograph. (Trent's face, in this light, also has a bit of Warhol's 'look' in it---I mean Warhol's gaze. Just a bit, mind you, but I see it.) I don't know what you did to this, but you did a terrific job dissolving T into infinity, and making it look as if he's re-appearing for you. You certainly had a high iso to begin with, and your postwork made this pencil-like---esp in the face shadows. And I agree with Andrea: The Picasso-esque "split face" (profile against frontal view) is here, yes; and I didn't see it until she mentioned it. You had the right pose for this shot---a frontal pose would've been much tougher for this dissolve: He's facing away from you, and you took that "away" and let it dissolve into nothingness, so he's peering at you from the 'great white'...terrific job. If my stuff with high key helped inspire this in some way, I'm happy! Hope you do more. It really does brings out whole other facets of human expression, doesn't it? And, re this not being a full portrait of Trent, 1) you've posted a number of Trent shots that show many sides to his personality; and 2) it explores very 'other' sides to a human being. I love it.
Traumsuse
Fantastic Image beautiful Work****
kgb224
Amazing work Tara. God bless.
Adobe_One_Kenobi
High key is not easy to do and keep details. I did a very nice one of Dee, I must ask her if I can post it? Good result here auntie
MrsRatbag
I think it came out great; there's a sense of mystery, and that is always good in a photo! Keep on playing!
RodS
Still, it's an interesting bit of experimentation, Tara. And how do we know what we like or what we don't if we don't fiddle a bit? :-D
ichtvan
Fantastic work !!!
beachzz
Yowza--this is just amazing!! I love how his face just seems to disappear.
Chipka
Isn't inspiration fun!? You do realize that Renderosity is full of Muses...it's just wall-to-wall muses, rubbing shoulders, swapping ideas, occasionally eating pecan sandies and grapes, or maybe just wandering around (probably in green flip-flops) hearing music somewhere. I'd say that this is an inspired image, and it's something I've wanted to try, but haven't gotten around to doing so. I guess I haven't actually found a subject, or I haven't focused...or something. I love the way this turned out. And with me being me, it screams "Book Cover" which is generally how I judge many pieces of visual art. (Oh and speaking of book covers: I found a few more early 1970s Bantam Books. I just love those covers! But that doesn't have anything to do with anything, as far as I can tell.) I really like the sense of mystery in this shot. There's so much that is unseen and it's more like a sketch than anything else...just an outline, a shadow, a whisper that's about to fade...I like that quality when I come across it, and this possesses that quality. A lot. Yep. This is good. Quite successful. And it's inspiring!
aksirp
yes! you did it great!