A Compliment on a Picture of Mine

[Otto the Otter]

As well as a big compliment to Hasbro's designers and sculpters.

A few days ago, a friend of mine came over to unstupid my computer. This (http://www.joedios.com/dioramas/showimage.php?i=26038&catid=member&imageuser=4034) is my desktop picture.
When she booted up the computer and the picture came up, she remarked, "Marine much?"

I asked her what she meant.

She asked, "That's you isn't it? From when you were in the Marines?"

I wish.

I told her it was a picture of a four inch tall action figure. She didn't believe me until I showed her the figure, as well as the Steel Crusher, which is actually sitting on a shelf right next to my computer desk. Even with it in her hand, she had a hard time believing the picture was of an action figure.

She is a proffesional photographer and told me how great the picture is, and appreciates good pictures. I showed her the JoeDios site and she was pretty impressed with most of the pictures folks had posted.

Unfortunately she doesn't believe in PhotoShop (I tell her all the time that it actually exists, but she is a Pagan and she doesn't believe in some of the same things I do), meaning her philosophy is if you have to doctor the picture, it's not really a good picture. I agree in some respects, but then again, how bad would some of our pictures look with strings and wire hangers holding our aircraft in place?

So...I took the kudos to me, but I felt it was a real compliment to Hasbro for creating such detail and realism in their figures.

[Sonneilon]

Now she'll have to visit the site! And sign up! And comment and stuff! :D

[Dreadnok Dread]

Any one in the photo industry uses PS! they actually have jobs were all people do is touch pictures up! I worked for a company that will remain nameless, in the erotic field years ago! All i did was take freckles and blemishes off of boobs and other places i'd rather not name! we all use it! you do not want to see a porn star before the makeup and the photoshop! lol! just having a digital camera is cheating if you are a hardcore photographer! but im not im a cheater! and I love it!

[pbarny1701]

That's great about your compliment.

What do you mean, she's a pro-photographer? If she's a studio photographer most do photoshop (or something like it). If she's a photo-journalist she probably doesn't, but she's got an editor someplace that does.

Studio portraits are really about who pays for them. They get what they want. Use the artists eye to help. We had a great wedding photographer who worked magic for some of our shots.

Photojournalists probably don't want to have doctored pictures because that alters what is really being reported/happening and throws off the context. Just by what she said, she's probably a photojournalist?

[tycondrius23]

hehe you touched boob. lol all jokeness aside

well its easy to confuse that figure for a RL person for the main reason you can't see the legs. and any of the joints are very well disguised either by your posing or the manufacturing of the figure

still its an awesome shot .

[QUOTE=Dreadnok Dread]Any one in the photo industry uses PS! they actually have jobs were all people do is touch pictures up! I worked for a company that will remain nameless, in the erotic field years ago! All i did was take freckles and blemishes off of boobs and other places i'd rather not name! we all use it! you do not want to see a porn star before the makeup and the photoshop! lol! just having a digital camera is cheating if you are a hardcore photographer! but im not im a cheater! and I love it![/QUOTE]

[General Scarlett]

Flint and I don't use Photoshop in any of our pictures....we'd rather use our imaginations to recreate scenes.....not that PS isn't cool, we just like the challenge ;)

[Rambo]

Kuddos for the compliment. Photoshop rocks!
I need to learn how to use it.

[snakeeyes]

I totaly agree with all of you. The point is make a good shot for all of us IMHO. There's a moment where you want make a good shot only using a camera or there's a time when you want make another kind of shot where programs like phostoshop are needed. The point for me is only measuring out what are you using to make a good shot. We are a "dios/fantasy makers" it's usefull knowing how to use programs like photoshop but, and I say but, we shouldn't abuse it.
I really love a " natural shot" but sometimes photshop helps you doing something impossible.

[Death_at_Midnight]

[QUOTE=Otto the Otter]meaning her philosophy is if you have to doctor the picture, it's not really a good picture.[/QUOTE]

I certainly do not agree with that philosophy. Imagine the same philosophy applying to things like films. If you have to doctor a movie/film, example add special effects, it's not really a good film/movie.

I am not a professional photographer, and yet I do also know folks who are only hobbiests in things, photography included, and they can, and often do, excel beyond what many professionals do.

I do collect cameras, especially the antiques, and can hold my own when it comes to knowledge about cameras, film, developing film, lens, and techniques. There are many professional photograhers who use special lens to doctor the photo at the point of taking the photo. A quick example, using filters. Professional photographers use star filters, softening filters, color filters, polarising filters. Often times a filter that's light brown might be used to cut the glare of someone wearing a white shirt. Or using a polarising filter for cutting down glare and bringing out colors. Out door pictures have a lot of glare from natural lighting. Many good photos also may not have any defects that require doctoring, but yet may require "framing".. positioning the photo (I'm not talking about a physical frame). For purists, in the old days, depending on the age of the film, the colors may be off and color correction would be needed--even in the days before computers--when Photoshop didn't exist--doctoring is and was part of professional photography. Why? Because rarely is there ever a perfect shot.

There's a lot more, but this is enough to make my point.

Your desktop photo with Firefly is pretty good. I like it. I can see why she would be thinking it's you all dressed up.

[Dreadnok Dread]

first off kudos on your compliment i forgot to acknowledge that last post!

I think as a diographer it is the balance between both! An image with a thousand filters and enhancements still wont look that good! mostly because it gets grainy and unrealistic. but an image that should use a couple and does not might lose what could have been an outstanding shot! i believe its thats balaNce in between!

[General Scarlett]

I've got to echo DD......KUDOS on the compliment-its truly a sweet vindication when someone, let alone a professional, applauds this medium we all enjoy.


And its not that I'm opposed to Photoshop, but for me personally it seems to take too long to do the touch ups, so I don't bother.......of course, that's an oxymoron in itself since I don't remember half the time how to work the damned program :rolleyes:

[Otto the Otter]

It's not that she thinks a "P-shopped" photo is bad, she's just a purist when it comes to taking pictures. She enjoyed a lot of the pictures on the site and did admit that the effects added, like laser fire, or jet blast, looked cool and added to the photo, but those with out looked just as good too.
She's not a photo journalist, she takes a lot of scenery photos, some of which have been used in Arizona Magazine and travel brochures. She has a stipulation in her contracts that says no editing can be done except for cropping.

I know what you mean about the nekkid lady books and their models. I've known a few fasion models in my day and yeah, a little bit of editing can go a loooong way. Some parts are edited that you'd never think of being editied. Too bad really, but it explains our desire for unobtainable perfection in women.

[Sonneilon]

I think we DO have to PS our stuff. Hanging strings and wires would make us look pretty pathetic, don't ya think. And Star Wars without laser but colored sticks being thrown would be beyond B-rate! lol

There is balance and well, some people can take the PS stuff to the next level. I wonder if she can tell the difference between a regular foto and a photoshopped one in terms of natural landscapes. And ask her what she thinks of CG.

[SIC DETH]

I havent gotten into the Photo Shop world and I dont think its necessary for dio pics. This doesnt mean thats its not cool thow. I do want a Photo Editing program for Gunfire,Fire,and some Weather effects!!! Its nice to see a good balance of Photo editing when there is good Stage/Setup in a shot.

[Hammerfel]

[QUOTE=pbarny1701]
Photojournalists probably don't want to have doctored pictures because that alters what is really being reported/happening and throws off the context. Just by what she said, she's probably a photojournalist?[/QUOTE]
I was a Photojournalist and we all use Photoshop. Mostly to brighten, sharpen, color balance, and to remove dust spots sometimes. It is against our ethics to, for instance, remove a person from a shot, but it is isn't against our ethics to make the sky bluer, the clouds whiter, etc.

[pbarny1701]

[QUOTE=Hammerfel]I was a Photojournalist and we all use Photoshop. Mostly to brighten, sharpen, color balance, and to remove dust spots sometimes. It is against our ethics to, for instance, remove a person from a shot, but it is isn't against our ethics to make the sky bluer, the clouds whiter, etc.[/QUOTE]

Slightly different for microscopy pictures in science, but along those lines. You take 2-3 pictures all of the same field with different filters. 1 bright field to give cell count and morphology, the rest set to the filter of your fluorescent molecule/tag (usually red and green, although there are yellow and blue filters that cost more). One can mark a particular protein or cellular structure, and you then merge it all together in and get a distribution. It was fun and I hope to get back to it soon or later.

[Lowjacked]

Photoshop is an awesome tool that can be used to enhance a picture or make a picture possible that is otherwise impossible to take. With that being said, there are universal factors that make or break a picture regardless of whether you are using photoshop or not. Posing is probably the most universal thing people agree on. Regardless of how well your setting and lighting are, or for that matter your muzzle flash and blur effects, if the figures are just thrown into the photo it really takes away from the sense of illusion that these are not little four inch plastic men. You put crap in, you get crap out!