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Uncle Arthur

At the time I shot this, it was supposed to be a parody of maestros who take themselves too seriously. Now, many years later, it looks more like a serious portrait.

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Xabier Astigarraga 1 year ago

Great shot! The movement blur really attracts me

King Douglas Thank you, Xabier...I'm pleased that you like it.

FrankBa 1 year ago

this shot is simply incredible !!!

King Douglas Thanks again, Frank. More of a minimal blur here.

ESTERGOM Anastasiy Mikhaylov 1 year ago

Perfect idea!

King Douglas You are very generous, Anastasiy Mikhaylov

Mahdi Jahangir 1 year ago

thank you
great shot.i like it

selcuk uzanir 1 year ago

That's awesome !

King Douglas Thank you, uzanir.

Alexander Dacos 2 years ago

My compliments to you....it is very interesting...to see...how you use the flash perfectly....i think it will take a lot of time to get this quality.

Great work.

Greetz

Alexander Dacos

Aziz ABC 3 years ago

Wow , .. OUTSTANDING, .. my fav.

King Douglas Thanks very much, Aziz.

Jeremy Russell 4 years ago

Encore Encore !

:-)

Fabulous King.

King Douglas I see I never thanked you for the kind words...thank you, Jeremy!

Jeremy Russell LOL.

Your welcome King.

Have a good day.

Vincent Botta & Jean-François Degbomont 4 years ago

Well King, I must say I follow your stream of top quality images from the beginning here, but am too shy to interact :)

I want to say that all those wonderful images you show to us are very inspiring. In fact what I really appreciate, at this time of photoshop (yes, again, someone is going to speak about that :p) is that all that superb shot were done before that era... It is really interesting to see that a lot of 'effects' were very possible for a long time !

I am a photoshop photographer (in fact we are, as we are two photographer under the same account) and we tend to shoot while having in mind what we are going to produce when what we are shooting is going to pass in photoshop, if you know what I mean... This is very refreshing to see all those (pardon me the ugly words) "old school" techniques.

Thanks a lot for showing us your experience.

JFD

King Douglas Vincent and Jean-François,
Thank you for the kind words and I must say that I find your work inspiring as well.

I have posted some very old photos because I just bought my first high-quality scanner and this is my first opportunity to explore my archives in a digital fashion. At the age of 63, photography is also a current passion and I shoot new images regularly but nothing fancy as I have almost no equipment. "Old school" is not a bad thing to say, although I have seen it's meaning change over time.

I am a huge fan of digital photography and am working hard to master Photoshop as I mastered traditional darkroom techniques.

Thanks very much for writing,
King

Martin Gremm 4 years ago

An excellent portrait with a touch of humor. I like this a lot!

King Douglas Thanks, Martin.

Rui Palha 4 years ago

I never use flash or any kind of artificial lighting, as you know, King.
I am an humble street photographer looking always for a good moment with the best lighting I could have...sometimes I got it, many times I don't.

To be honest I don't know any artificial studio lighting technic.

All said I should say now:

This is an impressive (you can call it simple, I believe) method and the result is excellent, really stunning.
You should receive a prize for this great image.

Congrats, King.

King Douglas Thank you very much Rui Palha-Bresson. You may be humble, but your work is majestic.

Rui Palha Thank you, Mr King.

stefano longhi 4 years ago

great technique and great image
compliments
ciao :-)

King Douglas Thanks, stefano.

Mihaela Cojocariu 4 years ago

what an eight! :)) very good, but you already know it!

King Douglas Thanks, Mihaela.
K

Monique Leone 4 years ago

superlative tecnical
and great expressions
+++
BRAVO

King Douglas Thank you, Monique.
King

Alberto Peroni 4 years ago

Chapeau, Mr Douglas!!!

King Douglas And I bow in return. Thank you, Alberto!
King

Petra Kozina Halcakova 4 years ago

WOW! This is absolutely perfect! Congratulations!

Petra

King Douglas Can't get much better than perfect...thank you!
King

MOH 4 years ago

Masterpiece.timing and expression remarkable.MOH:)

King Douglas Thanks again, MOH.
K

Carola Lundmark 4 years ago

Really stunning. Love the expression in his face and the moovement in his hand almost makes me here music....Another great one by the King!
Best regards Carola

King Douglas You are simply too kind. You are a sensitive photographer. I hear music when I look at your work, as well. Gustav Holst's "The Planets" comes to mind.

Thank,
King

Nicole Goggins 4 years ago

Oh wow! your knowledge and experience is amazing!!! I love reading your explanations on how you take your photos, no matter how many times you have to repeat yourself :-) Incredible work once again!

King Douglas Thank you Nicole. I feel like a grandfather showing the grandkids how to bait a hook (no disrespect intended). Or like Dana Carvey as the old man on Saturday Night Live: "In my day, when there was no food on the table, we ate worms and we LIKED IT!"

I still take photos, you know...took one just a day or two ago. :>)

King

Jerry Berry 4 years ago

Thank you King for providing this excellent example of what can be done in camera. This is the kind of stuff that one misses out on learning when one sends their child to photography school rather than going oneself. That and having the equipment to pull it off.
Keep them coming. It would be so much fun going through your archives and hearing you talk about producing those images.

King Douglas This shot didn't take any fancy equipment; just a lens with a "B" setting, two flash units, one old spotlight, a few reflectors and a willing model. It helped that I had a lot of experience with this type of thing, but that could also be called practice, couldn't it?

I don't think we can over-emphasize that before Photoshop and digital imaging in general, some studio photographers were driven to create things like this to make their portfolios stand out from others. Motion and special effects were just one of specialties.

I once got an assignment for a very difficult (i.e., time-consuming) job for which there was lot's of competition--all the heavy hitters went in to show their portfolios. I asked the art director why he hired me. He said, "When I asked the other guys how they would accomplish the special effects, they all had an easy answer. When I asked you, you said, "I don't know."" He took my response to be respectful of the challenge along with an open-mindedness to alternative solutions.

Today, the answer to the question, "How will you accomplish this?" would probably be Photoshop. That's not a criticism. It's a fact of life. I *love* Photoshop and am working diligently to master it the same way I mastered traditional darkroom work.

One thing I enjoy from time to time these days is to get my wife's great little digital point-and-shoot to do things that point-and-shoots weren't intended for. That's part of the creative process. Now, when we have fantastic digital SLR's, who can explain the popularity of the Lens Baby, the Holga and photographing the screen of a twin-lens reflex camera?...all of which degrade the image? Does it have something to do with, dare I say it, art?
Thanks for writing,
King

Jerry Berry What I am hearing is" It is not the tools nor the technique, but the imagination of the creator that makes the shot" Of course it has to look good too.

King Douglas Well, sure, but tools and technique have to be a given. Looking good is in the eye of the beholder, I think.
Thanks again,
K.

S J Carter 4 years ago

Exquisite!!! Simply stunning. Beautiful work.

King Douglas Those are mighty generous adjectives, S J.
Thanks very much,
King

Anna Lepke 4 years ago

Great, just great. That's how i imagine a maestro conducting an orchestra ...

Well i like your attempt to make a parody. But I didn't get it like this. Fortunately you discovered this fact by your self. ;)

King Douglas Anna,
I don' remember now the purpose of this photograph. I think it was an advertisement for a television brand. Perhaps this photo was inserted inside the television screen to illustrate the sound quality...or something like that. It is of no importance now.
Thanks for your comment,
King

Renato Manzi 4 years ago

It`s YOU the real maestro King !!

King Douglas Please stop, Renato! Thank you, though. :>)
King

Judy W 4 years ago

DUDE!!!!! That is just phenomenal. BRAVO (no pun intended)

King Douglas You wrote "Dude." That makes me happy.
Thank you,
King

Jure Kravanja 4 years ago

amazing

King Douglas So many images on OE are amazing. Our mouths are constantly open.
Thanks, Jure,
King

barbara 4 years ago

music was my first love... and it will be my last
hope it is OK to say that on a photo site...lol
I admire your work and your photos are like music to my eyes!

King Douglas What a lovely thing to say. As a dancer, music was central to my art. The line the dancer traces in the air is like the line of music to me. I like to incorporate musical lines in my images, when possible.
Thank you,
King

Laurence Garçon 4 years ago

A perfect example of technical "maestria".
Fantastic...

King Douglas Merci, Laurence!
King

Ursula I Abresch 4 years ago

King, this is beautiful, both as a parody and as a more serious portrait.

King Douglas It does sit on that line between, doesn't it? Maybe that is what makes this successful. If the model was perceived as a clown, it wouldn't work. If his face were lest plastic and emotive, the photo would be less interesting.

Thanks very much,
K

Dominic 4 years ago

A perfect performance! Dominic

King Douglas A perfect compliment! Thanks,
K

Jacek Stefan 4 years ago

Cograts!
Best regards,
J.

King Douglas Thanks, Jacek.
K

Daria Endresen 4 years ago

You keep surprising and amazing me with your creative techniques, King.
Excellently captured and I do percieve this portrait seriously.
Wonderful, as always :)

King Douglas Thank you Daria. Most folks take this image seriously, which is fine with me. It is funny how our perceptions change over time.

Elisabeth Gustafson 4 years ago

What can one say.. Talk about living the music.. The man´s expression tells me he really lives the moment and are guiding it.. Exellent work!
/
Elisabeth

King Douglas You know, I don't remember now if this was supposed to be funny or exactly as you describe it. He's just a model...not a real conductor. Oh, well, it doesn't matter now, does it?
Thanks very much,
King

Elisabeth Gustafson I dont care what it is supposed to be, i just care about what i see and feel.. and for me, he is feeling what i see..! :O))
/
E

King Douglas The words of an artist. :>)

Jörg Hubrich 4 years ago

Simple for you, but impressive result for the viewer. The contrast of motion & frozen in combination with your light brings life into the picture. But one should not forget the pose, his look and the arrangement of his hands - and if you put all this in one picture you have a masterpiece.
I am wondering if you considered removing some of the "light-shutter effect" visible on his shirt at stomach hight - I know it would have given me some thoughts?
/Jörg

King Douglas I forgot to thank you for the many compliments on this photo. I appreciate it.
King

Jörg Hubrich hehe... you didn´t have to. I regarded your first comment just as worthy and appreciated, and just letting one know that the words were read and respected is more than enough in my book ;)
/Jörg

King Douglas Ah, Jörg, you are talking about the slight discoloration (yellow) due to spill over from the tungsten light, which was slightly warmer than the electronic flash, even after being filtered. I didn't even notice it. If I had, it would have been a simple mater to desaturate it in Photoshop.
You have a good eye.
Thank you,
K.

Stefan Nielsen 4 years ago

A true classic... Wonderful :)

King Douglas Thanks, Stefan.
K.

Fulvio Pellegrini 4 years ago

a masterpiece
F.

King Douglas You are too kind, Fulvio. I accept the compliment, but it is just an advertising photo of the type I used to do regularly, technically simple in comparison to some of the pre-Photoshop images in my OE portfolio.

Thanks,
King

Fulvio Pellegrini I'm not surprised by the PS solutions you used but by the expression, sharpness and moment you captured in this shot :-)))
Uncle Arthur is a pretty director, too :-))

King Douglas Fulvio...this is not a Photoshop effect. It is done in camera.

Thanks again. I'll tell Uncle Arther you said hello. :>)

Mal Smart 4 years ago

just great King, lovely to read the method of capture also. mal

King Douglas Thanks, Mal.
K.

John Colbensen 4 years ago

Like this one...cleverly executed

King Douglas Thanks very much, John.
King

Emily Bem 4 years ago

The lighting is great...and so is the mood! I'm assuming the effect is "in camera" ? Unique! :)

King Douglas Emily,
Yes, in camera.
Thanks!]
King

aR 4 years ago

j'aime la Vaporescence, mais comment fait-il pour bouger aussi vite la main et ne pas bouger le reste du corps.........

King Douglas K.

Le corps est d'abord allumé avec flash électronique, puis passe la main dans un mouvement en huit dans une petite zone éclairée par une lumière tungesten tandis que le reste du corps reste dans l'obscurité.
Merci!
King

aR trop compliqué pour moi heim...enfin surtout pas le matèriel......;)mais c'est pas grave.on fait avec ce que l'on a........c'est à dire pour ma part pas grand chose....

King Douglas Maintenant, je n'ai aucun équipement, pas d'infrastructure de studio, pas de caméra numérique. Telles sont les vieux jours.
Tous les mieux pour vous et pour vous remercier de m'écrire.
King

Ulf Börjesson 4 years ago

How is it made?
U

King Douglas This is actually very simple photograph created in camera in a single exposure: A combination of electronic flash on opening the shutter and a 2,000 watt tungsten spotlight aimed at the area where the Maestro's arm made the figure eight before closing the shutter. The powerful spotlight was necessary to balance the large amount of electronic flash...probably around 8,000 watt seconds.
Thanks, Ulf.

Ulf Börjesson Impressive method and stunning result. A true masterpiece!

King Douglas I'm a bit puzzled by all the attention paid to what I think is just a workmanlike professional photo. Perhaps it's the good work of my model. That's the OE experience...we get to find out what others think of our work.

Thank you again, Ulf.
King

lucian olteanu 4 years ago

amazing,but try to explain,please!

King Douglas This is a straight photograph created in camera. A combination of electronic flash on opening the shutter and a 2,000 watt tungsten spotlight aimed at the area where the Maestro's arm made the figure eight before closing the shutter. The powerful spotlight was necessary to balance the large amount of electronic flash...probably around 8,000 watt seconds.

Thanks, lucian.
King

Angela Bacon-Kidwell 4 years ago

I love this shot. It does feel very serious and I love the fiqure eight. Great!

King Douglas Thanks, Angela...glad you like it.
King

Koen Pieters 4 years ago

probably my fav of you so far King. Wouldn't mind hearing for this one how you pulled it off.

King Douglas It is very simple, Koen:
This is a straight photograph created in camera. A combination of electronic flash on opening the shutter and a 2,000 watt tungsten spotlight aimed at the area where the Maestro's arm made the figure eight before closing the shutter. The powerful spotlight was necessary to balance the large amount of electronic flash...probably around 8,000 watt seconds.
Thanks,
King

Koen Pieters LOL, sounds like rocket science to me.
But wouldn't it just have been easier if he had used one of these cool star wars light sabers for kids ;)

King Douglas Easier? Rocket scientists disdain easier. :>)

Juha Saransalmi 4 years ago

Wow, this is really good! =) -Juha

King Douglas Thanks, Juha.

Thomas Ljungberg 4 years ago

Maestros often take themselves too seriously. As any other artist...
As you say, it does look as a serious portrait.
As with many of your images, ones mind starts wondering how you pulled this of. I presume that it is a single shot, with the affect done "in camera". So my guess (I love these guesses) is that it is a long exposure in darkness, with a small lighsource to light up only the moving hand (since there is no motionblur on the rest of the model) and then ordinary flash/strobes to light/freeze the rest of the model.
Anyway it was done, it's a very nice effect.
/Thomas

King Douglas Thomas,
You are exactly correct, with he exception that the "small light source" was a 2,000 watt tungsten spotlight.
Thanks!
King

Thomas Ljungberg Well "small" is a relative term, right? ;-)
/Thomas

King Douglas Just so. I only mention the wattage because the old, slow, traditional films required massive amounts of light for an F22 exposure--in case anyone besides youself was interested.

Andrei Paul Nutu 4 years ago

Good photo! I suppose that the moving trail was not in the original, was it?

King Douglas This is a straight photograph created in camera. A combination of electronic flash on opening the shutter and a small spotlight aimed at the area where the Maestro's arm made the figure eight before closing the shutter.
Thanks,
King

Andrei Paul Nutu Thank you

Michael Jakesz 4 years ago

Amazing and funny!
All the best
Michael

King Douglas Okay, then, one vote for funny. I think it is.
Thanks, Michael,
K.

Michael Jakesz Ok, I feel I have to elaborate a bit...
Amazing, because of the expressive and tacksharp portrait of the maestro.
Funny, because the "8" made me smile.
And finally fantastic, because the balance between the frozen maestro and the flowing motion of the hand is so great, that it's almost surreal.
Being the photographic dilettante that I am, I would have bet that the motion was added in post-processing. But thanks to your continuing insights behind the scenes, I learned something new again :)

King Douglas Michael,
I hope you don't think I was asking for a compliment. I agree that this is a funny photo. I'm glad it was published and that people like it, but I don't think of it as anything special. It's just a competent studio shot--nothing that a number of my local competitors couldnt have done as well or better.

King Douglas In the old days, we shot a lot of Polaroid photos to get he right lighting/exposure balance. We shot b/w polaroids because the luminosity was what we wanted to see. In the case of shooting with a 4x5 view camera, the Polaroid image was exactly the same size as the transparency film, and that helped also.
Thanks again,
King