Hi Dan. Your images of the last couple of months definitely make me think I should be exploring more and trying different things. This one is again very interesting. I agree that the original is a little empty. But I have to admit I am not sure what to think of the elk in the prison. Without your story, I believe I would default to thinking it is about the facility being deserted and now overrun. But I don't know that that was really the intent, so again, not sure what to think.

On the technical side, something about the elk does not look quite right to me. I am curious - the room was shot at 11mm while the elk presumably at something a lot longer. Did you perspective correct the elk to 11mm before inserting? If so, I'd love to understand how you did that because I tried to do something like that once before and found it very, very challenging (never got things to look right). I also have a hard time really seeing the elk's eyes; I think it might help make it look more realistic if the eyes were more visible.

Otherwise the atmospherics you've created are amazing. I might have gone a cooler tone which to me adds to the bleakness, but that's personal taste.

I had the idea that an easier thing to "add", particularly given the ultra wide lens capture, would be light. So I played with that to come up with the attached. The thought here is that the prison is decayed enough there is a hole in the roof. I think the white wall in the back is too bright, but fixing it would require re-doing the sun rays and I was not up for that. Clearly could be a more carefully done version but you get the idea. Just a thought.


  Posted: 05/06/2023 09:32:54

Hi Dan,
My take is this is art. This art made me think and made me keep looking to understand what it is.
It triggered a lot of questions or doubts; "why Elk in the room", Is this Elk real", "what room is this", etc. as I see the image. I would imagine that it is a part of the strategy of art creators to make views think and appreciate.
For me, I found this interesting with mixture of unbalances, size, texture, mood, in relation to Elk vs room. Thank you for sharing. I enjoyed it a lot.   Posted: 05/09/2023 21:41:15

Hi Dan, interesting image that definitely made me think too. The darkness and the distressed walls definitely project a sense of heaviness and of course knowing it was a penitentiary increases this feeling. So for me in a way the image by itself tells a story. I understand your point about the white wall in the back and how the eyes tend to go there. Still I am not convinced by the elk, maybe because it feels superimposed and with a different quality image. Robert's ray of light solution is intriguing and works for me - but it makes it a different image. Maybe adding some object that is more associated with a prison cell? although it could make it fall again into the more typical jail cell photo. Overall the image projects the feeling you are seeking, and as Haru says adding the elf makes into art.   Posted: 05/10/2023 11:25:28

Hi Dan
I love your creativity and how you always strive to create something that is different and not something anyone has seen before. This image made me wonder how the elk got there and why it was there etc. You definitely achieved an image that makes the viewer look and engage. I think it could work and I like the idea of something unusual like the elk in the room. You have the shadow correct for the elk but I do think the lighting in the room does not match the elk and this is why it feels a little off to the viewer. The ceiling of the room is very bright yet the body of the elk has only a streak of highlight. I think Robert is right about the eyes as well. With the elk looking at the light source they should be brighter and have a catch light perhaps. I have always found compositing very difficult especially when it comes to matching the light. I do love the idea and it definitely made me engage with this image.   Posted: 05/10/2023 14:19:48

Hi Dan. A dark image. I like composites, which is why I joined DD20. I went to Alcatraz in the eighties when stationed at Treasure Island. Not a big fan of prisons (or crime.) There are a lot of interesting features to look at in your image. The bottom of the image is too dark for me to enjoy and could be cropped. The elk is also dark. I might consider moving the elk to the left a bit or a horizontal flip. Excellent shadow work.
The elk would also be a good image to include as an original for us to see.   Posted: 05/14/2023 17:25:21