The Illuminators - DavidMac (DavidMac)
| Description: | As my prize subscription to photos.com had only a few days left I set my self a second challenge - to create my image solely and exclusively from photos and objects found there. If you want see the original images exactly as they were downloaded go here. |
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From: Barbara Garber (thebags)
(Mon Mar 12 09:15:52 2007)
EXCELLENCE AND PERFECTION ... we've come to expect that from your images and you have once again come through on both counts. This is INCREDIBLE.
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From: Jayson De Castro (rave8259)
(Mon Mar 12 10:50:22 2007)
Simply stunning! Barb beat me out to the first comment! Anyway the detail is extraordinary and i'm sure Dan Brown would be proud of this piece just for it's presentation value. Big Mac is back!
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From: ledioux (ledioux)
(Mon Mar 12 12:43:38 2007)
Beautifully done challenge!!!
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From: Siggi
(Mon Mar 12 16:48:20 2007)
WHAT CAN I SAY......BEAUTIFUL!!!!!!! amazing to see the base images you used to create this!!! you definitely have the eye to see in layers!!!
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From: jesse_thomas (jesse_thomas)
(Mon Mar 12 18:20:44 2007)
The ceiling is kind of busy and the contest images don't fit in as well as some of the other elements. Well done on the guy on the left who's painting, it looks like you spent most of your effort there. You could've darkened the ceiling, added fewer columns and dingy-ed up the painting on the right for a better composition. Mostly I would've just darkened up everything that you didn't need to focus on.
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From: DavidMac (DavidMac)
(Tue Mar 13 04:14:02 2007)
This isn't a forum and I don't want to start a discussion but you have made some very cogent and interesting observations. I can see where you are coming from and understand your comments about focus completely but, for me, the busy ceiling was part of the fun. I put in high level light beams to throw the cut out shapes into relief and deliberately used the rather odd composiution with half the image given over to ceiling. With the benfit of hindsight, I agree with you about the incorporation of the competition image on the right, it's a bit clunky. The foreground left didn't have more effort - it simply came more easily and flowed naturally, the stained glass effects and light beams were far more time and effort consuming, perhaps because they were something I had never attempted before whereas candlight is something I am more familiar with. There is a tendency here only to post compliments. Criticism seems to be implied by silence. To receive a reasoned one outright is really refreshing. Thank you. I shall now retire to lick my wounds and try to pretend that you wouldn't have bothered if you didn't find it interesting. ;^))
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From: Siggi
(Tue Mar 13 18:30:11 2007)
actually i must admit to loving the 'folly de ceiling'!!! and i was genuinely amazed to see WHAT part of WHICH image you used WHERE!
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From: justcos (justcos)
(Tue Mar 13 21:04:12 2007)
hi David, like you, my prize subscription runs out this week, so I have been busy acquiring images for future use, and already squirreled away a few of those you have used! I like the way you have played the stained glass light through the windows, can't begin to image how long that took - (I usually measure my time by plonks consumed - all in the name of creativity!)
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From: Edgar Ortegon (pandataxi)
(Wed Mar 14 09:27:03 2007)
Wow! Look at all this text (comments)! You'd never know this was a photos.com challenge by looking at this page. ;) Your work, on the other hand, is quite indicative of why we're here... for ooohs and aaahhs. One thing I've come to appreciate in your pieces is the way you create depth and perspective with only 2D. Very intriguing to view and always appreciated.
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From: Thomas Kryton (MadMutant)
(Wed Mar 14 10:45:11 2007)
David, looks like you've created a bit of a stir here. Bravo! Overall I rather enjoy the intricacy of the ornate ceiling work, it mirrors the intricacies of the stained glass. The way you lead the eye across the right of the image with the three figures is good and with the beams of light on the right push the viewer back to the left works well. Nice solid x shaped composition, very stable and invites the viewer back into the picture to explore it more. I like the attention to detail you paid to indicating the color of the light sources on the floor and the figures. About the only other thing I might have considered in this piece is the use of some aerial perspective, darkening up the columns and trusses and far wall as they recede into space. Nice to see that your piece has garnered a little more discussion than usual. Nice work as always.
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From: Boleyn (Boleyn)
(Wed Mar 14 13:10:26 2007)
now then, I'll try not to be too friendly!
this is awful.........good work
I hate it .........that I am not able to create something stunning like this
and I totally disagree with you..........there is nothing wrong in your creation! :o)
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From: DavidMac (DavidMac)
(Thu Mar 15 04:50:21 2007)
Hi Thomas. I had already tried using darkening with depth. Didn't work. Looked forced. Maybe more real depth is needed before that technique will work to increase apparent depth. Maybe I just made a hash of it. ;^) In the end I used the dusty atmosphere to create a reverse depth cueing where the further away things are the more they brighten and desaturate into the haze. The strong single vanishing point perspective is a conscious reference to the post Brunelleschi religious painters of the fifteenth century and their joy in exploiting the rules of perspective he had so recently 'discovered'. Apologies for even more text. =8-O
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From: Barbara Garber (thebags)
(Thu Mar 15 05:44:04 2007)
Don't apologize for the text David. I for one am enjoying reading it all and hearing all the different opinions on this. I can't wait to see the image that Jesse Thomas posts and the comments that it will bring.
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From: mtabor (mtabor)
(Thu Mar 15 11:15:41 2007)
David, you have created a masterful work. I really appreciate that you posted your base images. Maybe it's time for a forum to discuss the "How did you do that" of the challenge pieces? You create atmosphere and a third dimension in you work that draws in the viewer. It is wonderful to see the community responding to your work! Excellent work! No apologies accepted! Thank you!
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From: Tory (vikki2006us)
(Thu Mar 15 18:31:32 2007)
WOW!!!!!GREAT!!!!!!!
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From: Eftelibra
(Fri Mar 16 12:02:19 2007)
This is brilliant and I am very surprised to see any negative comments at all. Thank you for posting the base images too. I had fun trying to spot all the elements in the finished image. :)
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From: Dalibor (Dalibor)
(Sat Mar 17 15:54:26 2007)
David, you are really man of patience, all this ceiling work,layers of light,the only problem I have with your pictures is its size, I mean,it's okay watching it on my main monitor, but when I'm on my laptop, 15" screen is too small.It needs to be seen full size,thumbnail (like on this page) is too small for all this details,and scrolling around full size on small monitor takes away impression of perspective. Well, English is foreign language to me, so, in case this what I've just written sounds scrumbled, I just wanted to say I liked this work.
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From: DavidMac (DavidMac)
(Sat Mar 17 17:03:16 2007)
It's already down res'd mightily from its true size which (in round figures) is 3900 x 2000 pixels. I was reluctant to do even this as a lot of subtlety is lost. When I encounter images that really interest me I right click them and download to my desktop. I can then view at leisure at any magnification I want in my viewer or Photo Shop itself. Your English, by the way, is excellent. As someone who lives daily speaking another language than my own, I know how much one misses the tiny subtlelties of using one's own lanuage. No apologies are needed.
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From: ragman2001 (ragman2001)
(Mon Mar 19 23:51:06 2007)
In the interest of brevity, I'll keep it to one word: Brilliant.
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From: GMLehmann
(Tue Mar 20 12:14:19 2007)
Very interesting to see the images you used to create this. Conjures a feeling of a time of enlightenment. Love the lighting and the depth of the image and all the details you added.
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From: Kauri (Kauri)
(Thu Mar 29 21:10:20 2007)
WOW...fine work and what patience.
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From: Jayson De Castro (rave8259)
(Tue Apr 3 07:50:11 2007)
Another fine entry justified with recognition. Hope to see you again this month. Congrats!
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From: Edgar Ortegon (pandataxi)
(Tue Apr 3 08:44:09 2007)
Congratulations David! Nice work. Hope to see more of your ideas.
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From: ragman2001 (ragman2001)
(Tue Apr 3 11:24:00 2007)
Congratulations, David! This is clearly master-level work, and it shows. The 'ethereality' is just great, and you pulled it off seamlessly ...
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From: Dalibor (Dalibor)
(Tue Apr 3 17:32:26 2007)
What else but Congratulations.See you next (in, fact this) month
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From: DavidMac (DavidMac)
(Wed Apr 4 05:52:46 2007)
Thank you all for your encouragements. I really enjoyed doing this one - that makes a big difference. April is going to be tricky because of travel and work load and I am still using time working on the Pipe Dreams tutorial. Ho Hum ..........
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Album: 