An Intentionally Silly Tilt Shift Portrait of Goldmember

July 1, 2008 | Filed Under Fun, Photos 

A friend told me about a current thread on the Digital Wedding Forum about tilt-shift lenses. It is basically a rant saying that they are the latest fad, and that most of the images that are created with them are just a gimmick. The funny part is that the naysayers have pretty much been shown the light and it has actually backfired and encouraged more people to give it a try. As a joke, one of the forum members said:

I’m sorry that experimentation and exploration pisses you off. I wish I could help you in some way. Maybe I’ll fix up an image with a TS lens, and add texture, and fine art borders. I’ll throw in some sun flare just for kicks. That should really freak you out.

That comment stimulated my creativity and that’s when the funny stuff happens . . . so I introduce . . . GOLDMEMBER!

Here is my response that I posted on the forum along with the photo:

Thanks for the inspiration! I have been moved by this thread to push the boundaries of my creativity and technical skills. I believe I have produced the finest image in my  photography career. I have been trying to determine exactly what my style, my niche, is going to be, and I think I’ve found it!

Since I believe in sharing the wealth in my newest discovered pot of GOLD, here are all the juicy details.

Technical:

Canon 5D + TS-E 45mm full tilt
f5.6 1/320 ISO50 with NDx4 filter (I cheated the synch speed which is why his foot is dark on right)
Nikon SB-26 fired with Pocket Wizards 1/64 power camera left
Sun providing flare + rim light

Creatively, I feel that the tilt shift allowed me to visually tie together the strong compositional cues in the image such as Goldmember’s face and key box, while drawing attention away from unsightly details like his enormous codpiece which could be considered boorish by some. I used a blend of Boutwell’s Grunge Rock, Grainstorm, and EZ Burn + high pass sharpening + a paisley texture to emotionally tie the viewer to the Austin Powers’ late 60’s style upon which the movie series was based. By selectively coloring his gold outfit I feel I have tastefully paid tribute to a one dimensional character. I completed the image by using my standard wedding blog sloppy border and watermark.

Overall I feel that this image is a heartwarming triumph of the human spirit.

I will remove my tongue from my cheek now.

I sure hope it makes some people laugh, because I sure crack myself up!

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