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catchingfyre — Part of The Crowd
Published: 2012-06-25 09:23:23 +0000 UTC; Views: 2499; Favourites: 140; Downloads: 56
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Description
Behind the Inspiration: So I guess a lot of this inspiration came from the search results of "gummy bear photography" and the new photography props I'd gotten that day.
Behind the Shot: The bokeh and green tones are natural from the bushes, sunlight and trees outside my window. However, they are enhanced with the Sparkling Green effect by *EliseEnchanted
TAKEN IN: MY HOUSE
MODEL: FAMILY MEMBER
ACTION BY: *EliseEnchanted
TOOLS OF THE TRADE:
CANON EOS 40D
CANON MACRO LENS 50MM
PHOTOSHOP CS6 EXTENDED
❤ мy ρнoтogяαρнy ❤
❤ ṡoмε ρṡ αcтιoиṡ ❤
❤ ṡтocĸṡ ❤
❤ ιиṡριяαтιoи ƒяoм... ❤
© Madison Frye Photography
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Comments: 40
Hey there! This is petit-bonheurs from Feedback Frenzy e.deviantart.net/emoticons/s/s… " width="15" height="15" alt="
I must say, this is quite an interesting photo! I really like your concept here... I'll go into further detail as I break down the categories e.deviantart.net/emoticons/s/s… " width="15" height="15" alt="
Vision: Thinking of this concept in the first place is something to be very proud of. What a neat thing to come up with! The gummy bears and the needle and the juice...wow. Just amazing. I love it.
Originality: I think that this is SO unique. I've seen stuff about being apart from the crowd a million times, so that kind of detracts a bit from me (maybe it's your deviation title that kind of made me feel that way, maybe something like Conformity would have made this more pleasing for me xD). But the actual IMAGE...is very unique. I can't tell whether this image is happy or sad or neutral, and I like that it keeps me guessing.
Technique: I really like those gummy bears e.deviantart.net/emoticons/s/s… " width="15" height="15" alt="
e.deviantart.net/emoticons/s/s… " width="15" height="15" alt="
Impact: Overall this is a really really interesting, unique image that says a lot. It makes me sad in a way because I feel like the message of the image is that they're being forced to conform to being "part of the crowd", but then again it's almost happy in a way because they're all gaining color! And then it seems neutral and open to viewer opinion e.deviantart.net/emoticons/b/b… " width="15" height="15" alt="
e.deviantart.net/emoticons/b/b… " width="15" height="15" alt="
All in all, this is such a cool image that I think says a LOT and can keep your viewer thinking about this, and that it's really hard to forget! Nice work, I hope to see more from you!
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Thank you! I really appreciate your kind words! 
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Oh you're so welcome!
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Well I've decided to do each of my wonderful team members today :')
Welcome to "Critique with Firepianosushi", here for Feedback Week #FeedbackFrenzy
Here I will attempt to drop some useful constructive criticism on these worthy works a.deviantart.net/avatars/o/t/o… " alt=" " title="otlplz"/>
First of all, the lighting is amazing! I like the way the hand and bears are lit from the back, and that the background is green to match the bears. The symbolism of the title is also really powerful. I imagine that, because the bear in the middle is both green and white, it is trying to be accepted by both "groups": the two green bears and the two white bears. However, it has to suffer pain to become something it is not. I really like how clear the reflections of the objects on that surface are, and how closely they match the actual objects. The little colored strip between the second and middle bears adds a nice diversity to the photograph, making it not just green and white. I'm guessing that's a kind of prism-like reaction that the surface is having with the light. The whole scene has a nice unearthly vibe to it.
I don't think there is much that needs to be changed, but the dust specks behind the bears on that surface bother me a bit. The area in front seems completely flawless, and then there are the impurities behind the bears, which takes away from the 'unearthly' atmosphere. I'd suggest cleaning that part so that they don't seem so visible. That way it will seem unnaturally clean, like the way things are in hospitals, which really contributes to the effect this piece has on its viewers.
Another really minor detail is that I think that both the syringe and the bottle with the rest of the green liquid should seem less full. From this photograph, I feel like the syringe might have been used to color the two completely green bears, so the plunger should be further down, at a lower volume marking. The bottle seems to be too full as well, judging by the amount of liquid that is already in the syringe. Removing some liquid from that will help. Doing this to the syringe and bottle will make the photograph seem less staged and more like a real occurrence.
Overall, this is a really beautiful photograph with a powerful message. Many people have tried to adjust themselves to be accepted, but it becomes too difficult and painful. The lighting and reflections really help to make an eerie atmosphere, which I really like. The changes I suggested are not even crucial to the effectiveness of the piece. It's simply amazing :')
On a side note, wouldn't it be rather difficult to get the gummy bears to stand on their own like that? They always seem to be such unstable creatures...
That was "Critique with Firepianosushi". Hope to see you again soon a.deviantart.net/avatars/3/d/3… " alt=" " title="3dlaplz"/>
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Wow, thank you so much for your amazing critique! I feel so honored to have a "Critique with Firepianosushi" XD 
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Oh, I see now XD that makes sense.
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Hello! e.deviantart.net/emoticons/s/s… " width="15" height="15" alt="
This is for #FeedbackFrenzy . They said to critique your team mates' works, so here goes! Keep in mind that I am by no means a real photographer, so all of this is totally amateur observations and you are free to tell me to stick it up a tree. e.deviantart.net/emoticons/let… " width="15" height="15" alt="
Obviously the technical aspects of this photo are very well done. I love the balance of the colors, the reflections are great, and the little details like the bow on the bottle add a bit of personality. Everything is clear and well framed. I think the lighting works too in that it highlights the bears, but little else.
My only real critique is that I'm not sure what you want me to take away from this. It is somewhere between being cute and disturbing. The idea that all the gummies will eventually be the same can be taken as a good thing or a bad thing - unity is great, but so is individuality. So the concept you're trying to bring me is a bit muddled.
I'm not sure how you might go about clarifying that because I'm not sure what you're trying to convey. If you were going for the more disturbing angle, I would say put some rubber gloves on your hand model. Something about rubber gloves and syringes always puts me in mind of scary medical characters like Nurse Ratchet. If you're looking more at the cute angle, I might recommend giving the bears colors of the rainbow, or spreading some kind of glitter on the surface they rest upon so it isn't such a severe reflection.
Those are just ideas, and honestly the picture is already very good so it probably doesn't need anything at all. I just would like a clearer story to it.
I hope this is somehow helpful. e.deviantart.net/emoticons/s/s… " width="15" height="15" alt="
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Thank you so much for your very thoughtful critique. Yes, I was going to look for gloves but then I thought it might look TOO sinister, however, I like your suggestion with the glitter, I might have a go at that sometime. (:
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I've added you to my watch, so I eagerly anticipate this sometime.
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Naww, thanks!
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Critique for FF: First off, wow! This was put together very nicely!
I would like to start off by the composition - I like how the syringe is being put into the gummy bear in the middle, and how there are two to each side (two green bears and two transparent bears). It gives an idea of a sequence, where each of the bears is being 'converted' in turn. I like how everything is set out and I think it works really well.
The overall colour scheme is majorly green - even the bokeh in the background, reflected back on the mirror/glass of the table, seems to have been thought through. I like how there is such clarity on the bears and the hand is so dark in comparison.
The DOF works perfectly here, as the bokeh adds a lot to the image, and with the bears and the hand perfectly in focus. My only criticism would be to lift up the table / glass / mirror the gummy bears are on next time, so the sofa (or whatever it is) cannot be seen (even if out of focus) in the background. For some reason that and the wall seem to distract the attention from the subject itself.
Other than that, perfect photography! Keep shooting! e.deviantart.net/emoticons/b/b… " width="15" height="15" alt="
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Wow, such considerate words! Thanks! I really treasure what you say
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You're very welcome! Keep up the great work.
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Overall, this picture is really really cool. e.deviantart.net/emoticons/b/b… " width="15" height="15" alt="
e.deviantart.net/emoticons/b/b… " width="15" height="15" alt="
e.deviantart.net/emoticons/h/h… " width="15" height="13" alt="
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Well, I will update the photo with those lovely words and kind critique! Thank you so much! And the hand is not mine, I grabbed the closest family member XD
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Hi, here is my critique on this piece, courtesy of #FeedbackFrenzy .
First of all, I like the concept (the story) of this piece. It takes an aspect of human society (the "need" to conform) and applies it to simple edible snacks. I also like the colors you used, how the green that the gummy bears are sort of fits with the foliage in the background and how the table you used for the shot adds a reflection to the bears and the person injecting them. Lastly, I think the contrast and the DoF you used for this shot was just right, and the image is very sharp.
Some things to consider: Usually, I don't like photos that have been majorly edited (I think its best to fiddle with the contrast and levels, and crop of the photo only,) but I think it may be an even more interesting piece if you take two pictures like this; one with the bear being injected and turning green, and one with the bear as-is, and photoshopping it so that the reflection of the bear as-is is the reflection of the one being injected. I'm not saying that this picture is bad because you didn't do it, I'm saying that it might be a neat idea to test and experiment with.
Sincerely, Jonathan
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so, this is my final critique on your work for Feedback Frenzy and so I hope you enjoy
I ADORE how you've pulled off this concept - there are SO many photographs out there with this concept yet none that I've seen quite like this.
There are so many elements I like about this photograph and only a couple I don't like as much.
Firstly what I DO like:-
I LOVE how you've made this concept, the use of gummy bears is innocent and rather childish yet with a darker over tone making me think of the teenage years where people struggle to fit in - the painful, dark element of the needle also gives us this feeling like we have to go through pain to become something we're not thus the more important message that we shouldn't try to do this in the first place.
I love the refelection in this image. can I ask what was used to create this reflection? although this image has many different elements in it and so it can be quite distracting and hard to focus I really have a weakness for reflections and this one is perfectly executed, almost identical to their real counterparts.
I really like how soft the tones and hues of this image are with a lovely overall green, although this doesn't work entirely well on the hand as it appears VERY dark to us. perhaps a fill light needed to be used just to lighten the hand slightly or even keeping this part out of the editing process when it came to the green filter/action would've helped.
One thing that also throws me slightly off is how the first white gummy bear is at a slight angle. I love how it looks individually with it's reflection yet within the composition as a whole, whilst all the other bears are fairly straight it ruins the unity and, if anything, the very middle gummy bear should be the slightly bent one as it is going through the pain of conforming.
Also, I wish just a couple of things were swapped around in this composition; the little pot of green dye/ink looks lovely in the photograph and as a reflection but being in front of the hand its very dark and harder to see. In my personal opinion, placing that pot to the very left of the image and having the hand cropped down so that it was just up to where the plastic of the 'injection' ends on the thumb then it would've created an overall more aesthetically pleasing composition. that is just my opinion though.
another slight thing I don't like is how the wall.window frame is visible on the left side of the image as it throws the balance off slightly so perhaps just being aware of exactly what's in the background would be best for planning out photographs or you could simply crop that out of the frame
The last thing I'll comment on is the level of liquid in the syringe... The way I see it is as if the syringe had already coloured the first 2 bears and is moving along the line to colour all of them and so if that were the case then the liquid would be down to a point of already having coloured two. but perhaps I'm just being extremely perfectionistic with that.
Either way - Overall this is a wonderful concept pulled off extremely well and you should be very proud of this piece
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Wow, thanks for the long critique! I'll have to read through it in depth when I get home.
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Haha okay and no problem ^-^ I really like this piece
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Hello catchingfyre!
Member of Team 21 here to give you feedback within the challenge
Wow this is an awesome concept
I love how the unchanged bear right next to the one that is getting changed in the moment is twisted, like he is trying to get away from what awaits him but he just can't manage to move his feat.
The overall colours are very beautiful and match very well. Especially that the hand and table like the background all look green and then you are using the green dye to make the bears green too.
And also I like the link between the green dye that could also symbolize a kind of poison, poisoning theire mind to make them uniform.
One suggestion I have: Maybe the table could have been a little cleaner. Don't get me wrong, it's not really dirty, but if it was perfectly clean it would underline the feeling of a medical intervention and the drive for perfection.
Wonderful work, amazing idea and excellent execution!
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Thanks!
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Critique for FF ^^
Favourited~
This is really fantastic, and I have no words to express my love for this concept. I love how it really feels like an assembly line where people are lining up to be the same. I also love how the large hand compared to the bears really give a feel of a higher power controlling and injecting them with stuff to be the same. It kind of feels like a shot at advertising and branding, and I love it. Technically, this is also impressive. I love how well the greens throughout the photo work together, and the reflection is just perfect. I love the props too; the little bottle is just adorable! I also like the choice of using white bears as it really attracts light and highlights them well. This is really brilliant. Keep up this amazing work!
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Such a lovely idea! Using the gummy bears was such a cute idea.
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Haha, thanks! I love it too
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Thank you for your kind comment
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