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Description
[please watch it full size<]
Please read:
First of all I wanna underline that this is PHOTOGRAPHY and not photomanipulation or a drawing. this been photographed as it is here - no stock used, no additional pieces added (for deviantart admins i proof it with a link to the unedited version - just ask)
Introduction:
Before I tell you the backround story to the photograph. Then how we thought of visualizing it and which meanings we put into single subjects and last how we executed it.
Backround story:
Humans were never satisfied with their natural being and capabilities. They always longed for more. More power, more possibilities, more strength, more wealth, more knowledg... It came that far that they replaced themself more and more with machineries and technology and destroyed themself over time. Technology been so powerfull and dominant that humans only remained as crippled creatures: Half robot, half human. So it was bound to happen, that nature used the situation and took over. Plants overgrew houses, villages, cities basically everything humans ever created. Those plants also poisoned air and water and with nature spirits it took over the control of those human-technology-corpses and it rised a new, peaceful, higher race on earth: the Enderian. After the earth been strewn with refuse from humans, nature found a possibility to clean up with human residues: Element creatures – breath takingly beautiful, pure in their existence, born from nature and in absolute connectivity with it, but materalised from human remains. Finally rose or born from leftovers they don't need any additional nourishment since they are able to survive only by producing photosynthesis by the light and energy from the moon and stars. Creatures that are there for each other, are longing to give and help, communicate by thoughts and for who clothing is a foreign word. Once a year they glow in phosphorizing colors to attract partners and as soon as they are found the glowing disappears. Apart from Enderian remained night shade plants on earth, which need darkness and moist climate – everything else extincted. After the human failed miserably in caring for the planet, nature found its own way.
Meanings, Metaphers:
So we had made up this story and thought of bringing it to life. It shouldn't be only a photograph. We wanted to give it a deeper meaning and purposes why certain things are in the image included. Reasons for the items we used:
As (night) shade plants we decided to use...
fern because it is the oldest plant on the planet (appears in the fossil record 360 million years ago), stands for the past and for lasting. Ferns have been studied and found to be useful in the removal of heavy metals, especially arsenic, from the soil which we found important since we wanted to visualize the cleaning of the planet.
As well we also decided to use ivy becasue it's a allegory for the Divine, it's been used as a symbol of ever lasting life, as sign for a living soul even when the bodys are dead.
Location: While we surched for a location, we found this one and decided immediately to realize it here since it shows the destruction. Leftovers from humans and buildings with grafiti on it overgrewn by plants.
Skin: We decided to use a blue skin color, since it's supposed to be cold, dark, shady, night - which seemed to us good to visualise in blue.
Light and photosynthesis: if there was no appetite in the world, it would be a much better place. Actually there exist groups of humans on earth who actually live ONLY from sun gazing and drinking water – nothing else. Of course the creatures (Enderians) must function differently than humans to be able to produce enough photosynthesis to survive only by moon and starlight.
Human remains: we decided to use cables and tubes since they are used for energy, to transport things, conect things, bring technology to life. It's like the veigns in our bodys, roots for trees.
Execution:
Creating this as a photo was a lot of work to achieve this image. As mentioned we needed to find the right location of course. It took us 3 hours only to build the nest of cables and tubes where she rises from. Further it needed 4 hours to glue the cables to her body and afterwards she got bodypainted (all my admiration goes to the model who was incredibly cold resisting while we prepared her). Finally we could start shooting and after that it took me many hours/days of postproduction (which is kinda difficult when you only have a mousepad of a laptop to work with - plus my mac died so i have kind of difficulties to access all my datas and stuff (lucky the mac store could safe them *phew*).
I hope you enjoy it. I know it seems kind of like a painting or photomanipulation but it is not and that's been also the limitation of our possibilities for creating the image.
This is my entry for
's Sci-fi-Fantasy-Fusion contest (here you can read more about it: [link] )
model > the gorgeous Lea >
--------------------------------------------------------------
This piece can be purchaised. Just contact me.
--------------------------------------------------------------
© 2009-2010 Michelle Fennel Photography | www.michellefennel.de
My work is protected under copyright law. My images are not produced, represented, sold, distributed, or licensed as stock photography. You may not use, print, distribute, reproduce, alter, edit, or manipulate my work in any way, either in it's entirety, or in portion, without express written consent and license from me.
In other words, don't steal...make your own.
------------------------------------
other pieces of mine:
Please read:
First of all I wanna underline that this is PHOTOGRAPHY and not photomanipulation or a drawing. this been photographed as it is here - no stock used, no additional pieces added (for deviantart admins i proof it with a link to the unedited version - just ask)
Introduction:
Before I tell you the backround story to the photograph. Then how we thought of visualizing it and which meanings we put into single subjects and last how we executed it.
Backround story:
Humans were never satisfied with their natural being and capabilities. They always longed for more. More power, more possibilities, more strength, more wealth, more knowledg... It came that far that they replaced themself more and more with machineries and technology and destroyed themself over time. Technology been so powerfull and dominant that humans only remained as crippled creatures: Half robot, half human. So it was bound to happen, that nature used the situation and took over. Plants overgrew houses, villages, cities basically everything humans ever created. Those plants also poisoned air and water and with nature spirits it took over the control of those human-technology-corpses and it rised a new, peaceful, higher race on earth: the Enderian. After the earth been strewn with refuse from humans, nature found a possibility to clean up with human residues: Element creatures – breath takingly beautiful, pure in their existence, born from nature and in absolute connectivity with it, but materalised from human remains. Finally rose or born from leftovers they don't need any additional nourishment since they are able to survive only by producing photosynthesis by the light and energy from the moon and stars. Creatures that are there for each other, are longing to give and help, communicate by thoughts and for who clothing is a foreign word. Once a year they glow in phosphorizing colors to attract partners and as soon as they are found the glowing disappears. Apart from Enderian remained night shade plants on earth, which need darkness and moist climate – everything else extincted. After the human failed miserably in caring for the planet, nature found its own way.
Meanings, Metaphers:
So we had made up this story and thought of bringing it to life. It shouldn't be only a photograph. We wanted to give it a deeper meaning and purposes why certain things are in the image included. Reasons for the items we used:
As (night) shade plants we decided to use...
fern because it is the oldest plant on the planet (appears in the fossil record 360 million years ago), stands for the past and for lasting. Ferns have been studied and found to be useful in the removal of heavy metals, especially arsenic, from the soil which we found important since we wanted to visualize the cleaning of the planet.
As well we also decided to use ivy becasue it's a allegory for the Divine, it's been used as a symbol of ever lasting life, as sign for a living soul even when the bodys are dead.
Location: While we surched for a location, we found this one and decided immediately to realize it here since it shows the destruction. Leftovers from humans and buildings with grafiti on it overgrewn by plants.
Skin: We decided to use a blue skin color, since it's supposed to be cold, dark, shady, night - which seemed to us good to visualise in blue.
Light and photosynthesis: if there was no appetite in the world, it would be a much better place. Actually there exist groups of humans on earth who actually live ONLY from sun gazing and drinking water – nothing else. Of course the creatures (Enderians) must function differently than humans to be able to produce enough photosynthesis to survive only by moon and starlight.
Human remains: we decided to use cables and tubes since they are used for energy, to transport things, conect things, bring technology to life. It's like the veigns in our bodys, roots for trees.
Execution:
Creating this as a photo was a lot of work to achieve this image. As mentioned we needed to find the right location of course. It took us 3 hours only to build the nest of cables and tubes where she rises from. Further it needed 4 hours to glue the cables to her body and afterwards she got bodypainted (all my admiration goes to the model who was incredibly cold resisting while we prepared her). Finally we could start shooting and after that it took me many hours/days of postproduction (which is kinda difficult when you only have a mousepad of a laptop to work with - plus my mac died so i have kind of difficulties to access all my datas and stuff (lucky the mac store could safe them *phew*).
I hope you enjoy it. I know it seems kind of like a painting or photomanipulation but it is not and that's been also the limitation of our possibilities for creating the image.
This is my entry for
's Sci-fi-Fantasy-Fusion contest (here you can read more about it: [link] )model > the gorgeous Lea >
--------------------------------------------------------------
This piece can be purchaised. Just contact me.
--------------------------------------------------------------
© 2009-2010 Michelle Fennel Photography | www.michellefennel.de
My work is protected under copyright law. My images are not produced, represented, sold, distributed, or licensed as stock photography. You may not use, print, distribute, reproduce, alter, edit, or manipulate my work in any way, either in it's entirety, or in portion, without express written consent and license from me.
In other words, don't steal...make your own.
------------------------------------
other pieces of mine:
Image size
598x900px 480.72 KB
© 2010 - 2024 Michelle-Fennel
Comments170
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Overall Vision
Originality Technique ImpactI admit this image caught my eye right off the front page, yet, had it not been for your fervent need to portray this image as pure photography, I might not have taken the time needed to even prepare a response, much less analyze this photo.
But analyze I did. And far be it from me to call into question the validity of your claim, as you do appear to have great talent as a photographer, but I feel as though a claim of such would be hardly truthful. Lets begin, shall we?
For starters, what grabbed my eye was the stark contrast of the tubing, against the colors of the model and the background colors, as a whole. Eye grabbing as it may be, there are several factors in the lighting scheme of the scene, that would have affected the tonality (or Curve) of the red in the image, or rather, specifically in the tube portion of the image. Upon closer inspection, parts of the tubing, which should have been affected by ambient light diffused from elements such as vivid green leaves within close proximity, showed no sign of curve dissolution or discoloration. Unless these tubes had their own light source from below, then I would almost certainly attribute them to be modified in some way, shape or form. And to be honest, separate lighting theory seems doubtful, considering the directional lighting the show on the shiny bits. Which, of course, leads me into my next point.
First note: These tubes look to either be heavily edited in post via Photoshop, or a clever photomanipulation using 3D renders of squiggle noise. Several portions of these tubes appear to reflect direct light from a source that contradicts the overall lighting of the scene. Also, shading is present in some areas over the skin, and not on other areas in which logically, light coming from any direction should cast some sort of shadow or breach from the solidity of the tubing. Where there should be light reflection on the tubing, there is none, and where the tubing should be taking coloration from environmental effect, there is none.
Now, as a person who has worked with several body painters in the past year I have found myself educated to a degree in the process of such exercises, enough to know that the painting of any live model takes a significant amount of time, if it's going to look right. I also know that if there is any kind of external piece or accessory that the model will be wearing, that it is to be added after the painting is completed, unless the artist intends for it to be covered in paint That being said, I will go into my second point.
Second Note: Any person who has done any kind of work photographing or painting models knows that anything even remotely close to the models skin is going to get painted on, unless PAINFULLY and obsessively covered in masking tape and carefully removed. One would imagine that after going to the trouble of mentioning how difficult it was to construct the tubing, and set the scene, as well as GLUE the tubing on, that the next logical step would be explaining how long it took to complete painting and touching up all the spots you most likely missed. For those of you not following me, let me explain: The author in this case made note to mention that the tubing was glued on first.
If you take care to blow up this image in any image editing software, you will notice the cleanliness of the lines between certain points of interruption in color. Example, the point where the tubing meets the right wrist should show signs of paint diffusion, where the painter would have changed brush strokes in order to avoid painting over the tubing, or painted gingerly around what could have been masked tubing, and gone through and touched up before removing the tape entirely. Instead, you will find a smooth, uninterrupted color flow, which suggests the either the model was painted before the tubes were glued on, wasn't painted at all when this was shot, or was painted, and had the tubes digitally added in post. Nothing to this level of detail would suggest anything other than several hours of painstaking work that should have been mentioned, considering the trend, but wasn't.
Lastly, I found the lighting in this image overall to be quite confusing. You have a obviously primary light source coming from the upper right corner of the image, lighting that is coming from center field, as indicated by the curious direction on the tubing in some parts, and in none of the parts that it should.
There are shadows where there should be none, and no shadowing where there should be, especially considering the directional lighting present in the shot, and the presence of shadow casting tubing over lightly colored skin.
Third Note: The lighting in this "photograph" is a nightmare. Someone got lazy
In closing, I find the aesthetic value of this piece to be high, the imagery stunning, the coloring and pose to be brilliant, and the overall work to be excellent. However, to make such a statement as to declare this pure photography, unedited and unrefined using digital means is both an insult to the eye and intelligence of photographers and photomanipulators alike.
Good day.