<<< o >>>Blackpool Pride 2008 #2 12 comments + add yours
chromasia.com

I don't know why, but happy smiling clowns always seem a bit sinister to me. You'd think it would be the other way round - sad clowns seeming odd and out of place - but it's the happy ones that I find incongruous.

In terms of the post-processing, both this one and yesterday's were processed in LAB Color Mode. As those of you who follow my tutorials will know, my next issue is a follow-up to my Introduction to LAB Color mode tutorial. One of the topics I'm going to be covering is how to alter a specific colour or colour range without using a mask. For this image the technique was applied quite loosely, but if you take a look at the original image (linked below) you will see that I've shifted the yellow tones towards a washed out shade of lilac, and that the reds are now much more magenta than in the original.

A colour-neutral version of the image is here:

.../archives/blackpool_pride_2008_2.php

captured
camera
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aperture
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shooting mode
exposure bias
metering mode
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12.49pm on 17/5/08
Canon 1Ds Mark II
EF 70-200mm f/2.8L IS USM
120mm
f/5.6
1/160
aperture priority
+0.0
evaluative
100
580EX II (-1/3 FEC)
RAW
C1 Pro
1x1
 
people [portraiture] + no print
comment by sansebastian at 08:09 PM (GMT) on 18 May, 2008

beautifull portrair , but i dont like theglasss, but nice job

comment by Jennifer at 08:10 PM (GMT) on 18 May, 2008

Goodun! I know what you mean about smiling clowns - they do usually look menacing - but this one looks a bit of a sweetie.

comment by luminouslens at 09:56 PM (GMT) on 18 May, 2008

I have to say, I actually think the smiling clown only looks sinister in the darker, edgier version you posted... In the original he looks more friendly and more human, more like some guy with face paint. I think it has something to do with the more natural warmth of skin tones in the original. Of course, I assume that you went for cooler tones and sharper lines in order to bring out the sinister feel.

comment by ORD at 12:04 AM (GMT) on 19 May, 2008

thanks for posting the original!

comment by cy at 04:36 AM (GMT) on 19 May, 2008

wow. when did jerry springer go clown? he really looks like him. i guess hosting a t.v. talk show and being a mayor is just the start.

i do like the distance here. it is like he has squatted down to talk to you as a small child. really pulls you in.

comment by cy at 04:38 AM (GMT) on 19 May, 2008

for anyone who is curious as to who jerry springer is
http://www.imdb.com/media/rm2480117760/nm0001761

comment by Andrew at 04:55 AM (GMT) on 19 May, 2008

scarry. why are all the gay people clowns?

comment by jkm at 01:08 PM (GMT) on 19 May, 2008

Yep, which Stephen King novel was it again that had the nasty clown in it? Been spooked ever since! I am with Jen on this one though and think he's harmless ;-) Definitely prefer this one to yesterday's.

comment by djn1 at 04:03 PM (GMT) on 19 May, 2008

Thanks all.

And yes, even though the way this one was processed has added a slightly edgier feel, I think he's (mostly) harmless too.

comment by Jide Alakija at 04:12 PM (GMT) on 19 May, 2008

You didn't use your Sto-Fen (omini bounce) with this one did you?

comment by djn1 at 04:18 PM (GMT) on 19 May, 2008

Jide: yes, I did.

comment by Ed O'Keeffe at 10:55 PM (GMT) on 27 May, 2008

Scary is just not the word here - not sure what is but wow, I love the photograph but hate the subject!