That's really cool. Did you see it as you took it, or did it surprise you once you looked at your shots?

I like it. The smoke is very cool, and the arm/hand are well placed. The first thing I thought when I saw it was, "I wonder how many times he had to reshoot that to get the lighting right?" I'd never get it right. BTW, a coworker of mine just leaned over my shoulder to say he liked this one too.

Paul

This image was not touched up in any way. The only I did was crop it a tad. The smoke and the figure in the smoke is real. What do you think?

Thanks. I am glad you like it.
No, I didn't see the figure in the smoke at first. In fact, I didn't notice for several days. But when I saw it, it really struck me.

I like it. The smoke is very cool, and the arm/hand are well placed. The first thing I thought when I saw it was, "I wonder how many times he had to reshoot that to get the lighting right?" I'd never get it right. BTW, a coworker of mine just leaned over my shoulder to say he liked this one too.

Paul

Kewl!
Lighting is really tough sometimes. I have learned a lot by working on the set. You have to shape light sometimes. And even then there are some that won't like it. :) I have heard that this shot might be too harsh for some. I personally like the stark contrast thanks to the subject at hand.

wow, weird things are happening in this post! Is it haunted ... ? :D

I call this "flippage"

Way cool shot Tim! Congrats on the very interesting smokey figure. Really a thought prodder. Thanks for sharing.

Excellent, I like how you captured the smoke and chess board. Looks like difficult lighting conditions.

My only minor nitpic is the burnout on the chess board itself hs lost all the detail, just a hint of the checkerboard would have made it perfect.

Is it my warpped mind or does it look like Robocop? or am I thinking of the Robot in Scifi called maximillian schell or something like that?

If I had a nic pic on this one I would not mention it because it's way too good, so original and everything else good I cannot think of. I strive for originality and so far have failed. This will keep me going.
Tom

I love this photo. Really incredibly cool shot...and as others have said, original.
Emily

lovely shot! and to top it off the smoke looks like a figure intently looking at the player's next move. Nicely done. I don't mind the over exposted board so much.

Rooboc, definitely

I like this photograph..
There is a lot of symbolism going on.
The board seems a little too hot, but since you can see the pieces well, it seem to bother me as much.
What made you do this photograph anway?
Welcome to PR.com too BTW!
I look forward to seeing more from you.
Brian

Welcome to the forum. Very good image, and the harsh lighting is what makes the shot work. It creates the atmosphere of being in a smoky dimly lit room with just a direct light lighting the game.Great image

This image was not touched up in any way. The only I did was crop it a tad. The smoke and the figure in the smoke is real. What do you think?

Tim, this is quite striking. The lighting conditions appears to be difficult as people have stated but you nailed the exposure. I really like it.

Seb

very cool, love this shot......................the board is spot on for me, the pieces look surreal, almost hovering above it.

great shot, congrats

anew.

This image really grabs one. and I think you ought to sell it for a lot of money to one of the anti smoking groups.

Something that's not a criticism - I wish the game were more developed with fewer pieces on the board and more scattered around the edges.

I also have a few suggestions for title -
Checkmate
End Game (these would be better with an end game on the board)
Fool's Gambit

Hope you post some more.

Damn that is cool...

The lighting on this is very harsh, but your framing of the subject and clarity of the pieces make this picture work. You did a great job on the composition of this...and it is really amazing that the "figure" was captured in such a perfect spot.
I love chess and this is a classic shot showing a hand moving a piece, but I have never seen one pulled off this well. Congrats.

I have to agree with Chunk that an end game would have thrown this photo over the top, but that is asking too much I think :D

Curious, was this Film or Digital?

I agree. Too many pieces on the board and the burn out is a shame.

But the lightning, the hand pose, the smokey figure. That get's it over the line for sure.

It's going to be a while before I see a better shot!

very cool, love this shot......................the board is spot on for me, the pieces look surreal, almost hovering above it.

great shot, congrats

anew.

Wow! Now that is awesome! I'm replying to anew's post because I agree with it.Imo showing detail in the board would have detracted from the myserious mood.
A small nit is the whisp of smoke in the upper left center that is mildly distracting to me.
Terriffic shot! Welcome to the boards. Congrats on the sticky!!
Mark.

i only have a one word comment: wow.

i only have a one word comment: wow.

Thanks to all for the nice words and thoughts regarding this image. I should answer a couple of questions.

Yes. It is digital.

The whisp of smoke bothers me a little too, but at the same time proves to me the image is unaltered. :)

The lighting had to be this strong in order to get the depth of field I was working with. Sometimes you lose something in order to gain something else.

I plan on posting some more pics soon. In the meantime you can visit one of my Websites. www.timeberly.com or www.painfreecomputinganddesign.com
Cheers!!

I'm wondering why this never ended up as Featured Photo. It was stickied to do so, but never made it there.

:confused: :confused: :confused: :confused:

Amazing capture...advertising agencies pay thousands of dollars to achieve affects like this...great job...well done.