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Wonderfully creative scene where it requires a few seconds to take it all in. Lovely light, so either it was very well timed with the low sun coming through the window, or it was effectively done with an off-camera flash or strobe outside the window giving the same effect. Nice to know it was a real pony and not photoshopped in afterwards.
When I look at a photo like this, I can imagine someone having the original idea and scribbling it out on a piece of paper, then trying to figure out how to make all the different elements work. From waiting for a dry day, to carrying everything to the site and setting it up, to the multiple photos required all from the same spot, through to the editing and photoshopping all those elements into place. My only criticism is there are blurred spots in the background that are not consistent with other areas of the photo. When so much trouble has gone into the rest of the image, it's a pity that bit wasn't sorted. However, that aside, it's a great image.
Self portraits are never that easy, and double self portraits are even harder. It's not too difficult to set up a camera on a tripod and blend the different photos together in photoshop, but too often I see people doing this where they wear the same clothing in every shot. What I really like here is there is a sense of 2 different people or personalities - it feels more like brothers than the same person photographed twice.
This really is a wonderful tableau scene. We are drawn to the main figure with her amazing hair, but then there is plenty more for the eye to wander through as we explore the environment. It's not all understood in half a second. A photo like this requires time to enjoy. Beautifully lit, edited and crafted, it's clearly created by someone at the top of their game.
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A tableau is a constructed scene, usually with more than one person in it. In theatre it was a motionless performance, evoking a painting or sculpture. In photography we can do the same thing. So rather than "capturing" a scene, we "create" it - thinking about the place, the people, the outfits, the poses, the light, the interaction between the subjects and, most importantly of all, the story we are telling. Fire up your imagination and use your skills to construct a tableau!
233 Photographers
20,871 Ratings
Wonderfully dark, gothic and mysterious. Clearly staged it nonetheless feels like a scene from a horror movie. The expression on the girl's face is as empty as the doll she holds. The lighting is subtle and the desaturating and darkening of the surrounding environment add to the mystery while drawing your attention back to the main figures.
I think if the lighting had been a little more creative, this image would be perfect. That aside I love it. It's a strong narrative image that can be read on several levels. If you want you could take it as a challenge to socio-political assumptions about age and gender roles, or you can just smile at the simple fun of kids playing grown-ups. It's the viewers choice. I love it.
Given this is basically a self portrait, I can really appreciate the effort that goes into setting the camera on a 10-second timer and rushing round to try and be in the right pose by the time it goes off. I do think it would have worked slightly better if you'd been about 5 foot further to the right, under the grating and with the blank wall behind you. This would have balanced the photo more. However, a commendation for the effort is definitely in order :)
On the one hand I really like this photo. The outfits and setting are superb, and each of the characters in it have a different personality. It's a tableau! However, and here I know there will be those who disagree with me, for my taste the editing has killed what would otherwise be a great photo. "Overcooked" is what comes to mind. Good editing shouldn't really be noticeable to anyone except those who are looking for it. But in this case the editing overpowers the content, which is a shame. I would recommend going back to the original photo and starting again. You have good source material, and I know you could create a better version of it.
Very nicely done - a different take on a scene from Alice in Wonderland, with the old, decaying house. The distortion at the edges from a fisheye (or very wide angle) lens adds to the otherworldly feel, while the blending of the girl into the space is almost faultless. A very attention grabbing image.
I kept getting drawn back to this image. The old train carriage is naturally a wonderful stage, but it would be nothing without the lighting. The balance of light here really creates the mood, with the soft, domestic lamps outside but the red light within and the woman in her lingerie turning it into a den of iniquity. A very strong narrative image.
