Forums > Digital Art and Retouching > Digital art or photograph

Photographer

Sad Movie Photography

Posts: 214

Indian Head, Saskatchewan, Canada

I posted this picture for a critique as a photograph in the critiques forum. It was commented that this was more digital art than a photograph and I do understand why a person would think that but the amount of digital in this is fairly small. I've applied an aggressive "porcelain skin" effect and muted the color. Beyond that this is a single light painted exposure and the model is physically suspended on a truss I built. The photo is presented upside down.  Haha...I guess I did that digitally using the rotate tool in PS.

Sorry for the nuanced question here but at what point is something digital art vs a photograph. I know there is no right or wrong answer but I think it's an interesting debate.

   https://photos.modelmayhem.com/photos/140712/14/53c1aa4c299df_m.jpg

Jul 12 14 07:58 pm Link

Retoucher

GrishaSevel

Posts: 42

Moscow, Moscow, Russia

Looks much like 3d render. That's why they say it's digital art. If this is a photograph post fragments of original file and tell them they're wrong to think it's 3d.

Why did you flip it?

And you know why this is 3d render? Look at the clothes. The ribbon at her pit. In real world clothes don't do that. Look at the shadow on her leg. It doesn't look real.

At the same time her wrist looks real. All those veins. Either this is a 3d work pretending to look like real or some strange post. My first impression was that that's not a photograph. Lighting is awful.

What's the idea behind that?

Jul 13 14 08:14 am Link

Photographer

Sad Movie Photography

Posts: 214

Indian Head, Saskatchewan, Canada

GrishaSevel wrote:
Looks much like 3d render. That's why they say it's digital art. If this is a photograph post fragments of original file and tell them they're wrong to think it's 3d.

Why did you flip it?

And you know why this is 3d render? Look at the clothes. The ribbon at her pit. In real world clothes don't do that. Look at the shadow on her leg. It doesn't look real.

At the same time her wrist looks real. All those veins. Either this is a 3d work pretending to look like real or some strange post. My first impression was that that's not a photograph. Lighting is awful.

What's the idea behind that?

Here's the original untouched file out of the camera...

http://ultrachrome-x.deviantart.com/art … 1405271961

I think the lighting comes down to taste. I love it. mixed daylight and painted in with tungsten flashlight, brighter at the front than the back, like she's flying towards something different than where she's at. It's upside down to give her more of a flying or suspended feeling. It's very much supposed have a "what the hell am I looking a effect"

Thanks for your thoughts and comments! smile

Jul 13 14 10:23 am Link

Photographer

Don Garrett

Posts: 4984

Escondido, California, US

I know I am a late comer, but I like it, it has a different feel and look than usual.
-Don

Jul 13 14 10:33 am Link

Photographer

Sad Movie Photography

Posts: 214

Indian Head, Saskatchewan, Canada

Don Garrett wrote:
I know I am a late comer, but I like it, it has a different feel and look than usual.
-Don

Thanks Don!  I think this is my first fully positive review of this picture in my postings here at MM about it. In the end I'm going to tone down the soft skin effect to make my model look less like plastic or a 3D rendering but beyond that I think I'm happy with it.

Jul 13 14 01:33 pm Link

Photographer

Tytaniafairy

Posts: 4520

Evansville, Indiana, US

there is so much possible with camera and a lot of people do not know this . sorry for your problems .

Jul 13 14 03:51 pm Link

Retoucher

GrishaSevel

Posts: 42

Moscow, Moscow, Russia

Sad Movie Photography wrote:
like she's flying towards something different than where she's at. It's upside down to give her more of a flying or suspended feeling. It's very much supposed have a "what the hell am I looking at effect"
Thanks for your thoughts and comments! smile

You're welcome.
I just though that you might mean something like this:
https://i1310.photobucket.com/albums/s652/yowaimajobaba/cOMPOSITING_GIRL_EAGLE_MOUNTAINS.jpg~original

It's not fully done though. Just a sketch to show you what came up to my mind. At first I wanted to give her wings but it didn't feel like she were flying. More like she'd like to, but something keeps her from doing so. To get the flying feel you need to change the pose, ask her imagine if she were in the air and what it feels like, what she sees around etc. She must be involved with a clear goal.

I think your images would be great for compositing. You might try before the shot imagining what it's gonna be at the end. Playing with angles. What lighting she's gonna be at in the final. Emotion, pose, flying or standing, etc.
Because redrawing light takes a long time and understanding. And you can get model involved, like "what if" you were underwater? What if you were standing on the cloud. Then it's relatively easy with deciding what light you would need and what kind of reflectors.

Imagination does it all.

Jul 13 14 03:52 pm Link

Photographer

Sad Movie Photography

Posts: 214

Indian Head, Saskatchewan, Canada

GrishaSevel wrote:

You're welcome.
I just though that you might mean something like this:
https://i1310.photobucket.com/albums/s652/yowaimajobaba/cOMPOSITING_GIRL_EAGLE_MOUNTAINS.jpg~original

It's not fully done though. Just a sketch to show you what came up to my mind. At first I wanted to give her wings but it didn't feel like she were flying. More like she'd like to, but something keeps her from doing so. To get the flying feel you need to change the pose, ask her imagine if she were in the air and what it feels like, what she sees around etc. She must be involved with a clear goal.

I think your images would be great for compositing. You might try before the shot imagining what it's gonna be at the end. Playing with angles. What lighting she's gonna be at in the final. Emotion, pose, flying or standing, etc.
Because redrawing light takes a long time and understanding. And you can get model involved, like "what if" you were underwater? What if you were standing on the cloud. Then it's relatively easy with deciding what light you would need and what kind of reflectors.

Imagination does it all.

Haha...not exactly my style but really fun stuff. My friend Amanda is going to get a real kick out of this. Has a real Maxfield Parish sort of look. I guess I set myself limits for how much I'll do to a picture. For me everything needs to be on set at the time of shooting...which is in a way limiting but on the other hand it's nice to work within limits.  Thanks so much for doing this! I really like it!

greg

Jul 13 14 04:37 pm Link

Photographer

KMP

Posts: 4834

Houston, Texas, US

Tytaniafairy wrote:
there is so much possible with camera and a lot of people do not know this . sorry for your problems .

I agree. People are so use to doing things digitally that when someone comes along and does it the old fashioned way.. they almost cry FOUL!!  LOL

Reminds me of the story of the man who lost the pig calling contest only to show it was the pig under his coat that was making the calls..

Jul 13 14 05:01 pm Link