I've been playing video games for most of my life. I've also been playing with cars, and for even longer. When I was a kid, I played Pole Position with a plastic racing helmet on my head.
Simon is only three, but so far he's following his dad: obsessed with cars and now racing them, at least in video games so far.
Anyway, I have my thoughts on this picture. I'd like to hear yours. Please. It wasn't really fair of me to take a picture of my son for the first one. Critique the picture, not the kid!
I really dig this shot. I think having the game he's playing project over him is really awesome (how'd you do it?!)
ReplyDeleteNice framing too. Great shot.
I printed a screenshot of the game from the web onto transparency and projected it with an old overhead projector. I gutted the projector and put a couple speedlights inside. Also, I metered the room lights right out.
ReplyDeleteIt's something I'm trying to get used to for another project. It would be much easier if I had a video projector, but I want a slightly fuzzy optical look without being able to distinguish pixels and it has to be portable. I can't rely on plugging anything in. It means a lot of trial and error. Simon probably went to bed with a big afterimage spot in his vision.
Yeah, I second Chris, how'd you get the cool projection?
ReplyDeleteI don't usually photograph people, so I don't have a lot to say if I were to try and critique the image. I mean, I'm reaching here, but why did you choose to allow some of the negative space around the projection remain in frame? Would some subtle camera rotation fill the background with more projection and at the same time show more of Simon and his hands?
Look. I have no clue what I'm saying, but I know you're looking for thoughts/critique so I thought I'd give it a shot. More like questions really. Photography to me has always been less of an "art" and more of a fun little hobby so I have a hard time treating your personal expression as something other than gray area.
You know, I wanted more of the image in the frame. In my head it was going to be a wider shot and Simon would be framed by the whole screenshot, like he was in the thing. Seriously, I imagined I'd get the steering wheel and hands right on his chest.
ReplyDeleteBut he's three. It was hard enough to get him to ignore me while all this was going on. Also, the couch and curtains behind him just made a mess of everything I projected on them. So I worked with what I had. If I tried this again, I might get better and I might not. Either way I'm unlikely to.
As for the negative space, it's...unfortunate, I'll agree with you there. Once I decided to work with what I had, I put the things I wanted where I wanted them in the frame and worried less about the rest of the space. But it's not great.
I don't mean to make excuses. I think your comments are totally valid and I just want to explain how I got there. This picture requires explanation in a caption and I find that...annoying. I wish it told the story on its own and it doesn't.