I think I like the images that I can't quite understand the best. Can you please explain for me the double image in the globe?

The lack of perfect symmetry in the crystal will drive me a little crazy, but I really like this one. Did you blur the background through software, or did that happen automatically because of how focused the crystal is?

Such nice tones and colours. The only thing that distracts me as well is the lack of perfect symmetry in the crystal ball. But you can't be perfect all the time. And I'm curious as to why the top half of the crystal ball is blurred...is this due to PS or a natural occurence?

Are you using a mirror with the crystal ball? I know that based on the distance from the crystal ball the image in it will be either rightside up or upside down. A possible way to get both images at the same time is to use a mirror. This would also account for one image being sharper than the other.

Dave, I'm really impressed with this one. I like pink, and the color pallete is really appealing to me, but putting that aside, this image works on other levels.

I'm assuming the photo was taken through a spherical crystal, which inverted the image like a magifying glass, and that the ball is sitting on a coffee table or some sort with a glass top, thus the reflection of your subject.

Its very symetrical. Its a mirror of opposites and sameness. Small is big, left is right, up is down. It demonstrates how two things can be completely different and completely the same.

Kudos.

It looks like mirrors in the crystal ball, but it could be PS work too, who knows! (besides the creator himself). I think my favorite part is the clarity of the bottom half of the ball, but it might of been nicer to have it either all blurred, or all sharp. Nice blurred person in the background.

This is really beautiful.
I love your use of the muted pinks.

Very good idea ! I like the tones. Great job.

nice picture,well balanced!I like the splitted image in the sphere..

So I'm guessing you have a freshly polished glass table? ;) I thought it was one of those globe picture frames at first.

Lovely shot, great composition too - I'm amazed you didn't crop it.

You have a very patient family too.

Juice: Jason's explanation is spot-on: the crystal ball was sat on a glass-topped table. And this explains why the top half of the ball is blurred; i.e. the glass isn't a perfect mirror.

Anthony: the blur is natural.

Eskimo: the things that look like mirrors in the ball are part of the ball's mount. The table isn't entirely level so I need to stand the ball on it's mount (a cube of crystal with an indent in the top). I may well try this one again with a mirror instead of the table, and a less visible means of ensuring that the ball doesn't roll off.

Aegir: yes, she's patient, but she was also watching TV at the time so it wasn't too onerous for her ;-)

Wow she looks just like her mum!

You're very creative - that is lovely. The tones are fabulous, I just sat staring at it for a mo. Great one.

ahh, i haven't commented in days- my lame computer went out on me, it's fixed now (hurah!). I love your swan pic from a few days back, nice and crisp- and now we have the complete opposite, yet still wonderful. Thanks for sharing!

To me crystal balls symbols a clear look into a somewhat cloudy or unclear future. I love the fact that probably 75% of the shot is blurry, with the exception of the view through the crystal ball. Great symbology.

This picture really did confuse me, but I didn't put too much cognitive effort into its mysteries. Thankfully, though, people like Jason think about such things.

Do you, Dave or others, find that the camera performs worse on older batteries? I have rechargeable batteries, so this applies to battery cycles. I have felt agitated by the performance with mine. I use an Olympus C-750 ultra zoom, not DSLR, so it has a motorized zoom and auto focus, and I get agitated by the camera's performance and want to blame the batteries :-). I appreciate feedback.

I really love this picture!
Beautiful pink!

I think this shot came out pretty nice. Something is off though. I think it might be that double reflection in the globe.
I agree with you that the other shot is much better.

Jesse: I just bought an C-750 Ultra Zoom, and it does take a long time to zoom or pan. I don't think it's simply the batteries, either, since I am using brand new, freshly charged 2500 mA batteries in it. When I was digging around for info before I made the purchase, I did see one comment that the zoom was slow. All things considered, I'm willing to live with it.

Ok. So correct me if I'm wrong. Now that you've explianed it to me...let me just make sure I understand cause if you really think about it, it's very intriguing.

The camera is resting on the table. 80% of the cameras natural frame is the direct blurred image of your daughter. The top half of the ball is the mirror image of your daughter. And the bottom half is the reflection from the table of that same mirror image (umm...). The image in the ball isn't symmetrical because the ball is resting on the indent, making the ball not symmetrical.

Sorry if I'm being a pain.

You know David, I know I give you a hard time when it comes to photography principles and heavy digital processing, but this is solid. Good composition, good use of exposure and lighting, understanding lighting and symmetry, and using Photoshop as a digital darkroom to 'perfect' the shot rather than 'fix' it. Well done...

great david,
this one is great
well done, moody, emotive, and creative at the same time
I did not comment on the last few ones, because they seems a bit below the established chromasia standard
this one is excellent yet again

Where did you position the flash for this shot?
Your work is so creative :D

Damn clever! Great to see you raising that bar once again! :-)

I really like this picture - the colors are warm and soft, and the concept is really nice. Fantastic shot!

i like the idea, and the shot,but this soft pink ........... (i guess that's a matter of personal taste)

i'm not overwhelmed. here is why: i like the idea, the playing with scales and reflections (reminds me of some flemish painting techniques from the 17th, and some say even 16th , century).
but go beyond the "technical trick", and the pinky shades: look at the form that has been created. it looks, and i'm really really sorry to say this, like some strange frog or other creature with two black crooked legs and two heads. then there's the cut: although it's natural, several people suggested it was PS, since it's extremely brutal - it makes the "more real" body seem to superimpose on the "less real" (blurred) one. this is very aggressive, and i simply don't grasp (it might of course be just me) why both bodies are cut in half, and in such an aggressive way. it seems a little like the "kaleidoscope effect": you were so impressed by the reflecting images, you left aside the main issue: your subject and the way you portrait it (in this case: her).
there's my blunt opinion. i hope i didn't hurt anybody's feelings.
oh, and she's nothing like her mom :)

new art

I like lens. Lens let remember us that make photo is like put lens on some object or feeling. I like this photo, dave.

I´ve been watching your photoblog for a while and it´s amazing. Very beautful photographs...You have a abstract style thta is yours...

Vvoitek,

I disagree with a couple of your assertions/observations. So in the spirit of a non-lazy internet and in jovial fun, lets have an argument. ;)

I don't think the figure looks at all like a strange frog. The model's pose is somewhat classic. That the way the effect was created isn't immediately obvious adds, rather than detracts from the composition.

The way the model is cropped by the tabletop seemed completely natural to me. That people were suggesting it was PS is simply a symptom of the natural expectation in this day an age that every special effect is accomplished by CGI. Its natural, and I suspect more prevalent among the photogapher crowd than the average joe. You are probably right in one respect though, if the model had been slightly higher, or the table lower, the image would be better.

My last contention, and I think the most important one, is your assertion that the portait of the model is the main issue in this photograph. My first impression wasn't that this was a portrait. It doesn't work as a portrait for several reasons, the only part of the model that is in clear focus is upside down, and very small. Her pose doesn't give you a clear view of her face either.

I think the main intent/type of this composition is more abstract. The model is only one element in a much different message. I loved how completely opposite everything was, yet how clearly they all fit together. The larger image, which is usually the clearest, was instead out of focus. The sharpest image was horizontally and vertically inverted. The pose of the figure is "L" shaped, and because of that, the smaller inverted figure forms a clear rectanlge with the larger out of focus figure, creating symmetry.

And inspite of some criticism, if you take away the reflection in the table, the image would suffer. Somehow, her reflection adds enough weight to balance the smaller figures against the lager one. It provides something of a bridge too, being caught in between the two opposites. it is in focus, but not totally clear, it is right side up but in mirror form. It also provides a bit of visual rest, a place for the eye to settle because it is in focus and it is rightside up.

Its a pretty photo asthetically, but its a far more intriguing photo mentally. I feel like I'm only vaguely articulating its merit.

Best Regards,

I love this shot. Great depth of field and sharp focus where it's important.

Thanks everyone. And I'll probably have another go at this one soon using a mirror (instead of the table) and a lower angle to balance the reflection. What I'll also try is a larger depth of field as I suspect that the shot might be more interesting if the edges of the crystal ball were in focus too.

nice tones and colours.perfectly done!

Beatiful shot, it's so unusual that its interesting.

The only distracting element I see is the asymmetry in the ball. It's also interesting that I don't really like pink, but it works for me here. After reading Jason's disection written above I have to ask, how much of that do photographers really think about before taking the shot? Or, David, for this shot specifically? Maybe I just don't "get it", but that seems like about 10 times more thought than I would put into it. Am I really that far off the mark? Sure, some of it was planned, but I'd like to know how much of it, really.

... and where can I get a crystal ball?

tif: for this shot, I did think a lot about the composition, but not the interpretation, so it was mostly planned but not thought through in quite so much detail. What I didn't think about, or didn't think about enough, was the asymmetry ... next time ;-)

As for crystal balls: I got mine on eBay.

You get some intersting results from this cyrstal ball thang! Love the pink and white tone sthat fill the image.

Awsome

This is a perfect shot - again. I feel silly, because that's all I have to say - again...

http://blog2479.xfresh.com/blog/Default.asp?user=stazaa

check this copy...

Very beautiful, I like!

pjan: thanks, I've seen it.

It looks like someone has stolen your image, man.

http://blog2479.xfresh.com/blog/Default.asp?user=stazaa

I thought you'd like to know.

~xlnt results here, especially the overall impact from the softer hue of pink~

wow i love this :D