Sorceress

[Damir Tiljak]

My first attmpt to post something

 

[Asher Kelman]

My first attempt to post something

Damir,

So glad you dipped your toe in the waters! I do like this enchantress. He spells would work on me if I was not already protected by a good wife, LOL!

Great when you share, but it takes a while before people get to know enough of your style that your work is immediately recognized.

An impressive model and a pretty real looking snake! So is there any European folklore that you tap in here, or just motifs that you have gleaned from movies and comic strips. Any works that you emulate?

Also let us know about the kind of feedback you want. Some folk are selling the works they share and don't want clients to see critique that might be harsh and others are open to anything.

I hold my own critique until I know what is appropriate and also I need to look at the genre to have some idea against what frame of reference the work is placed.

Asher

 

[Damir Tiljak]

Asher

There is only few projects that I do for me personally. Most of them are part of my activities during the workshops and various lessons. This particular picture is taken during Nude photography workshop for advanced students. There are several ideas behind the picture.

First one is to recreate some fantasy stories atmosphere, also to go as close to comic book illustration as possible, but to stay in the realm of photography, so inspiration is obvious.

After that we devise an idea, in this case it was the story about sorceress, intention was to do something that might be cover for the book for such a story. That was the second idea.

Third idea, actually the main idea was to teach students how to solve complex situation in studio. I insist to construct as much scene as possible during the studio shooting, even if plan to do something in postproduction, it should be somehow indicated in the picture.

You can see how we test various set up for creating logs, with wireless triggered flashes wrapped in red filter gel.

Stone blocks were made from painted Styrofoam.

Even the “magic stick” was to some extent real. We bring electric power line through hollow stick and put flash on the top. Unfortunately I was not able to get effect I wanted in the studio, you can see it in test exposure in which other studio lights was switched off, and therefore I finish it in postproduction. Another flash was in the fishpot (kettle) and covered with layers of plastic and green filter gel.

​

Snake is plastic toy.

Here is the second picture.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Samir,

Welcome back from your vacation! It's generous for you to share the backstory to this series, to which I'd coin the term, "book-cover-gothic"! It does not need that logs are perfectly demonstrated, just some sufficient carnival fantasy representation.

That describes what you and the photography students conceived, staged and photographed. But would you have been happier had the logs seemed totally realistic that one would be concerned for her safety is she accidentally went too close? I'm just probing to ascertain the "standard" you have if you might be able to use all the resources you might need to create what you envisioned at the onset to this scenario.

I admire your "hands-on" approach to making fantasy scenes to teach students to achieve what they imagine.

Asher

 

[A.K. Nicholas]

I think it works well as an exercise in problem solving with lights and sets. It could have all too easily been done in photoshop with stock images for the fire and other elements that don't intersect the edges of the model; but then there would have been no studio lesson. Training is when you learn something practical, education is when you learn how to think.

 

[Asher Kelman]

I think it works well as an exercise in problem solving with lights and sets. It could have all too easily been done in photoshop with stock images for the fire and other elements that don't intersect the edges of the model; but then there would have been no studio lesson. Training is when you learn something practical, education is when you learn how to think.

I agree with you, Aaron, it is a good process for a workshop. It's a huge effort but only by confronting a dilemma and solving it do the students learn skills that could be applied to their own personal challenges.

This art of gothic make-belief does not seem to have a standard of fashion photography whereby the fantasy has to be executed in a totally realistic manner. However, it's not in my realm of experience to work in this idiom of appearing to be a cover of a gothic art comic book. It probably is much harder than it might appear. Doubtless, there are fans of this genre who have well-honed expectations, that I for sure, would miss!

Still, I too like the model, challenge and the exercise!

Asher

 

[Damir Tiljak]

I think it works well as an exercise in problem solving with lights and sets. It could have all too easily been done in photoshop with stock images for the fire and other elements that don't intersect the edges of the model; but then there would have been no studio lesson. Training is when you learn something practical, education is when you learn how to think.

A.K. Nicholas,

I am sorry I don't understand your comment:

"Training is when you learn something practical, education is when you learn how to think. “

If your point is that on this set there is only practical issues to solve, you are on wrong track, there was more than that, and even the practical issues sometimes need to change the way you think to creative mode to solve that issue.

Too many people who practice photography have attitude „It can be done in Photoshop“, maybe it can be, but how many persons out there is capable of doing it properly?

Lets take the logs that we construct, this is highly creative process of solving the problem, not as easy as it seems. Of course it looks simple once you see solution, as do everything else. So many things that we take for granted was invented only after thousands of years of what we call „civilization“. If they are so simple and easy why none invent it in ancient Egypt?

Of course that you can insert logs in Photoshop – but what about lighting? How will the light spread from glowing logs? Also light on the top of stick, after all it is done in Photoshop, but initially we have original light and shadow casting from this light. Again – some highly skilled illustrator will take care about this particular part of scene, than we have to ask question, if we hire Photoshop art illustrator to do most part of the picture, why bothering taking photo at all? He or she can do everything much simpler and easier than we did.

All idea on this set was constructed by me and my students, and believe me it was not easy task to do. There was no help from previously made images, actually I never saw anything like this image, try to search the web and you will find it unique. There is some illustration, and as I mentioned we was to some degree inspired with them, but to take photo like this was not common task. I never see such photo before. During that process we learn how think out of the box and how to solve many problems that come with an unusual idea. Taking pretty girl and shoot it in the studio on plain background is as easy as spread the butter on the bread. We did it hundred times in past. But I want to make some specially tasted food I am no longer satisfied with bread and butter.

It does not matter if you like this genre of photography. I am not doing it regularly, that was the first time for me. What is important to all of us involved in that particular shooting is that we have a lot of new insight in creative thinking of problem solving in photography.

 

[Asher Kelman]

Damir,

A.K. Nicholas wasn't putting you down in any way. At least that's my reading.

I think he was commending on your effort. Students who go through the effort of solving practical problems will become versatile in any set and will be heros if ever stranded on a desert islands.

I like your method of making what's available adapt to your compositional needs. Still, it's hardly ever the case that one wouldn't also need photoshop for touch up. I myself feel that we all should become proficient in both manipulating the environment to get as close to perfect, but also have the needed skills to tidy up the faults that often creep in.

There's only one person I know who shows absolutely perfect, untouched images, every single time, and that is Richard Learoyd in his single positive print originals using Cibachrome. He has to be meticulous and once he has a system nailed, he sticks to it every time as the medium is fat to expensive to change the lighting for every other shot.

Asher

 

[Damir Tiljak]

Asher

It is difficult for me to understand some maning of message, English is not my native langauge, thank you for sotrting this out.
BTW link you provide is not working, can you please post it again?

Best regards

Damir