Maria Mazo, PPSA
March 2025 - Dancing
Original
About the Image(s)
For this month's image, I created this composition. As the background, I used a shot from a recent weekend trip to Salamanca, a beautiful and monumental city. I mirrored the image to expand the background and create the scene.
Then, I selected three dancers that I photographed in a shop window in Salamanca. Using the transform tool, I positioned them in the scene, cleaned up some edges, and added shadows beneath their feet to ground them in the composition.
To unify the elements, I applied a texture layer??”a photo of boat paint I came across while my husband was buying wood at a nearby hardware store.
I then opened the image in Camera Raw to adjust the light and shadows. After that, I used Nik Efex to apply a vignette and a stylized filter, reducing their effects by lowering the opacity of the layer. Finally, I painted a yellow tint over the lights to enhance their warmth and luminosity.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
10 comments posted
Delightful! The cut-and-paste of the dancers is flawless which adds to the joy the dancers feel and communicate. The painting of the lights is a technique I'm storing in my memory for future use. It works beautifully. The mirroring technique creates depth here that helps make the image work so well. (My wife just looked over my shoulder at your composite and said, "Oh, wow!") I agree. Posted: 03/05/2025 08:49:04
Hi Alan,
Thank you and your wife for such a nice comment! When I saw these little sculptures in a shop window, they immediately caught my attention. I quickly took some shots because I knew they would make a great subject for a future composite. Posted: 03/12/2025 13:04:19
Thank you and your wife for such a nice comment! When I saw these little sculptures in a shop window, they immediately caught my attention. I quickly took some shots because I knew they would make a great subject for a future composite. Posted: 03/12/2025 13:04:19
Maria, You've done a spectacular job crafting a visual treat with this one. All elements work beautifully together and are visually strong. For improvements I wonder if you were able to create a slight increased "punch" to the central figure by lighting her slightly brighter or increasing contrast but this image pops as is. Posted: 03/05/2025 18:02:48
Hi Brad,
Thank you for your comment and suggestion. I agree with you that lighting the dancer could improve the overall impact of the image. It looks fine on my monitor, but I think that's because its luminosity is a bit high. Posted: 03/12/2025 13:07:39
Thank you for your comment and suggestion. I agree with you that lighting the dancer could improve the overall impact of the image. It looks fine on my monitor, but I think that's because its luminosity is a bit high. Posted: 03/12/2025 13:07:39
Maria, I feel like witnessing a ritual performed by the graceful intense dancers in the hidden temple. The light balls floating in the air add to the mystical feel, and I just love the muted gold tones and the textures - the shopping trip with your husband ended up with a real treasure! - I wonder about the Dancer on the right - it looks like she is rather close to the foremost Dancer - could she be a little taller in the perspective? Posted: 03/06/2025 13:23:12
Hi Kirsti,
Thanks for your comment and suggestion. While I was positioning the dancers, I struggled with their sizes and perspective. I wanted to make them as realistic as possible, but now I agree that making this one a bit bigger would help achieve more consistency. Posted: 03/12/2025 13:11:10
Thanks for your comment and suggestion. While I was positioning the dancers, I struggled with their sizes and perspective. I wanted to make them as realistic as possible, but now I agree that making this one a bit bigger would help achieve more consistency. Posted: 03/12/2025 13:11:10
Whoa! This could be one my favorite images I've seen in DD, just spectacular. The texture layer really brings it together and your coloring of the lights makes it so inviting. I think you positioned the figures perfectly and blended them as much.
As always, our eyes are drawn to the brightest part of an image which are those white panels in the back. I don't mind it since it brought me to the back of the perspective, maybe something to think about. Overall, just terrific, congratulations Maria! Posted: 03/10/2025 07:22:40
As always, our eyes are drawn to the brightest part of an image which are those white panels in the back. I don't mind it since it brought me to the back of the perspective, maybe something to think about. Overall, just terrific, congratulations Maria! Posted: 03/10/2025 07:22:40
Hi Matt,
Thank you for your kind comment! I'm glad you like it. I agree with you that areas with more luminosity or contrast act like magnets for our eyes, drawing attention away from the main subject of the scene. I will revise the luminosity in those areas. Posted: 03/12/2025 13:14:28
Thank you for your kind comment! I'm glad you like it. I agree with you that areas with more luminosity or contrast act like magnets for our eyes, drawing attention away from the main subject of the scene. I will revise the luminosity in those areas. Posted: 03/12/2025 13:14:28
I love this image, Maria! I feel so much joy and movement from these dancers. The texture layer adds a feeling of magic and even more movement. The golden colors feel as if they are shimmering, and I can practically hear the music. The composition is beautifully balanced, with the ceiling lamps and the side dancers showcasing the central dancer. What a wonderful image!
The brown border is effective when the image is on a light background, but I didn't even notice it against the black background on this page. You might consider adding a stroke outside it, or perhaps inside it.
Posted: 03/19/2025 16:42:23
The brown border is effective when the image is on a light background, but I didn't even notice it against the black background on this page. You might consider adding a stroke outside it, or perhaps inside it.
Posted: 03/19/2025 16:42:23
Hi Peggy, thanks for your comment and suggestion. I am glad that you like the image and I agree with you that the border is not very noticeable. Posted: 03/24/2025 20:26:35