A Compliment on a Picture of Mine
 

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 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.

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

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!

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?

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 .

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 ;)

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

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.

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.

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!