Alan Kaplan  


Mannequins by Alan Kaplan

October 2019 - Mannequins

October 2019 - Alan Kaplan

Original 1

October 2019 - Alan Kaplan

Original 2

October 2019 - Alan Kaplan

Original 3

About the Image(s)

I photographed the mannequin in Original 2 from 3 different angles so I could have, in effect, 3 different mannequins. I took 3 photos of the street scene hand-held in rapid succession at 3 different shutter speeds, but all with the same aperture which resulted in 3 different exposures. I processed the 3 photos in Photomatix Pro, an HDR program.
The blinds in Original 1 are different from the blinds in the final rendering of the building. I cut and pasted the top of the third window onto the other 2 and lowered the opacity to reduce the reflection of the tree.
I used content aware and the clone tool in PS to repair the blemishes on the head of the mannequin that’s on a table.
Photoshop CC now has an “easy” way to extract images from photos. To extract a dominant image, such as the mannequin in Original 2, choose Select > Subject. Photoshop will surround the subject with marching ants. Use the “Q” Key to toggle between the marching ants and a layer mask. Use the Quick Selection Tool on the marching ants and the Brush tool on the Layer Mask to refine Photoshop’s selection. Use the “X” Key to toggle between the white brush and the black brush in the Layer Mask mode. The selection must be in the marching ants mode in order to be moved to another photo using the Move Tool.


This round’s discussion is now closed!
10 comments posted




 
I puzzled for a long time over this picture trying to fathom the story behind it. What was the young man there for? The first thing that hit me was one of these ladies in her ancient outfit standing next to a modern NO CARS notice. Then why were they dotted around ignoring each other? Sorry. I liked the colour of the one house reflected as flowers in the tree on the opposite side of the picture. It helped bring things together just a bit.   Posted: 10/03/2019 08:43:15
Alan Kaplan   Alan Kaplan
I am a big fan of surrealism and try to emulate the disequilibrium that surrealist painters are so good at. One of Salvador Dali's most famous paintings, "The Persistence of Memory" is long on disequilibrium and short on telling a story. Judging from your feedback, this composite has created a sense of disequilibrium for you. :)   Posted: 10/03/2019 21:59:31



Aavo Koort   Aavo Koort
I love the buildings and the mannequins. Great composition. I do not like the face in the sky. It competes with the models as the center of interest. Perhaps if the face was looking
down at the mannequins it would be part of the story.   Posted: 10/04/2019 17:28:59
Alan Kaplan   Alan Kaplan
There were times when I wanted an open sky and times when I wanted the face in the sky. Without the face, I felt the clouds were too strong. I didn't think at the time to add a different sky. That's why feedback is so important. Thank you for yours.   Posted: 10/06/2019 08:13:39



Brad Becker   Brad Becker
Alan, Another wonderful surreal image. I live in the "East Bay" which makes this one fun for me. I think you've done a great job here. I think it works as is. One thing I might try, if it were my picture would be to erase the right edge of the woman's head as the clouds streaming out might look interesting if they looked like they were coming out of the head like brains.   Posted: 10/06/2019 16:21:40
Alan Kaplan   Alan Kaplan
Thank you for your kind words. Do I understand you to say you live in Charleston? I was born & raised in SC, and this summer I finally visited Charleston.   Posted: 10/08/2019 12:01:44
Brad Becker   Brad Becker
No, I live in the East Bay which is the name for the area across from San Francisco (Oakland, Berkeley etc.)   Posted: 10/08/2019 13:02:19
Alan Kaplan   Alan Kaplan
Just a short plane ride away!   Posted: 10/08/2019 14:37:14



Peggy Nugent   Peggy Nugent
Fascinating image, Alan!
I really like how you used three shots of the mannequin (and perhaps a touch of manipulation?) to create 3 different characters. They form a triangle, and then the two nearest ones form a triangle with the giant face.
And then you have the flowers on one tree echoing the building next door, and the paleness of the giant face echoing the ladies on the ground. Very cohesive in a disconcerting combination!

It would be interesting to see it with Brad's suggestion.
  Posted: 10/27/2019 18:14:33
Alan Kaplan   Alan Kaplan
Thank you for your feedback. The Digital Dialogue feedback that we get is often fascinating and always helpful. Aavo does not like the face in the sky, yet Brad suggests that the clouds come out of its head as if the clouds were brains. Food for thought from both suggestions. There was very little manipulation of the mannequins other than taking 3 photos from three sides.   Posted: 10/28/2019 17:11:54