I like it a lot!

So many symbols, details to interpret. just what I am learning now, symbolism in art. I know you love those big black birds and I can see this tells a lot.... I am sure this picture is not to see once to fully understand it. The beauty of this kind of pictures is that each one can see and understand its own story. You really master this gender, Toad, and I like very much to see your works.

I see for example the pink heart, not red but pink... this makes me think about a young love? Now the heart is a balloon... it will not last forever...??

Inspiring Art, Toad....

Outstanding. Really alive and direct.
Come on Dali, we're leaving....

Right matey: can you please tell us how you created this image, from lens/aperture onwards please, and with no omissions, else I fear I will ever speak with you again.

Wow. That's quite… wow. I'd love to hear the back-story on this.

I have to say that the M9 seems to be agreeing with you. The colours and detail are amazing, the pose and lighting are excellent. The whole effect is of incredible fidelity that just enhances the surreal costume and scene.

(I do have one question, provoked by this photo but not directly related to it: how are you finding the composition with the bright-line viewfinder The framing at the very top is absolutely perfect, and I'm wondering if that's from the camera or if it's been cropped in post. I find that my Ikon isn't precise enough to reliably frame the very edges, but that I often quite like the results regardless.)

Well, first of all thank you to everyone for taking the time to comment on this "untitled" work. In another thread, I commented on how my titles are always works in progress. This one is no exception. Clearly, this fellow is English and including a German word in the title is both misleading and inappropriate. When I change the title to "My Heart", it becomes over representational - like I am explaining the punch line - and I'm trying to get away from that in my titles.

Well - the techy side first. The setup was in a factory space with about 60' ceilings. Heavy duty incandescent lighting mounted on ceiling.

Leica M9 with 28mm Elmarit-M F2.8 ASPH.

The back story is the interesting part of this. Some of you may remember a thread I posted about a photo session that I did with a group of aerialists. Over the last few months, I have been fortunate enough to work with the group more closely, and I am starting to get enough material together to... but I digress..

One of the benefits of hanging around on the fringes of the Circus Underground is that you meet lots of interesting characters. This fellow is a stilt walker by trade, and the balloon is his latest creation. He walks among the crowd, engages them in conversation, and twists balloons into shapes for the kids. The whole act has a puppet show vibe.

We have been talking about working together, but we didn't connect until last week. He is a natural actor,and could easily improvise on my suggestions for poses and angles. I got a lot of good stuff - and this one is my favorite.

oh...and the sky is something I shot in 2003.

Ta Toad. So the only "composite" bit or layer is the sky?
The circus/aerialists troupe would appear to be an absolute Godsend of possibilities, absolutely fascinating....and ah yes, you did get the 28mm! Have you got the time to pen a few thoughts and reflections about it sometime?

matthew Wrote:I do have one question, provoked by this photo but not directly related to it: how are you finding the composition with the bright-line viewfinder The framing at the very top is absolutely perfect, and I'm wondering if that's from the camera or if it's been cropped in post. I find that my Ikon isn't precise enough to reliably frame the very edges, but that I often quite like the results regardless.)

I love the bright line finder. It is a huge benefit to composition to be able to see *outside* of the view and adjust accordingly. I also love that I see the image at the exact moment of capture. I don't even have the post photo review on the LSD (ooops - I mean LCD - Freudian slip) enabled any more. If I really need to check something - it is only a button away, but the need to check has almost gone away now - and that is completely due to the live viewfinder..

So what about cropping? You are totally correct in that the bright line viewfinder is not 100% accurate - and I can see how that would be a huge problem for many - but I crop and post process *everything* that I shoot - so not a problem for me.

Zig Wrote:Ta Toad. So the only "composite" bit or layer is the sky?

Yes - sorry to disappoint. People have become so used to my photos being complete fabrications that they tend to fall short of the mark when they are only me working with a model...

No, no my man, the more "actual" the better, as far as I'm concerned.