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BEN JOSEPHS

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Member Since: 1/2007 Last Seen: 1/21/2012

July & August Photo Challenge: Forced Perspective

Tue Jul 19, 2011 9:52 AM EDT

not-news, photography, newsvine-photographers, photo-challenge, forced-perspective, july-august-2011

Newsvine Photographers Photo Challenge

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"Forced perspective is a technique that employs optical illusion to make an object appear farther away, closer, larger or smaller than it actually is. It is used primarily in photography, film-making and architecture. It manipulates human-visual perception through the use of scaled objects and the correlation between them and the vantage point of the spectator or camera."

Rocky was kind enough to let me do some yoga on his back. Namaste. © Benjamin Pecka

Thanks to js-445607 and this article for the inspiration behind this challenge. In particular, it was the photograph with the street light keeping the sun from setting. Because this challenge was published so late and to allow everyone extra execution time, a new challenge won't come out until September.

Searching the internets for additional examples brings a lot of common applications: capturing the sun, dangling the Taj Mahal from fingertips, licking gigantic cherries on spoons, fixing the Tower of Pisa, holding miniature Eiffel towers, and cool and creative stuff like this. Check out this forced perspective group on Flickr for additional examples.

Articles should also contain the tag: forced-perspective, and please provide a link to your submissions in this article.

This article is an activity of Newsvine Photographers. Participating members develop photo essays on a monthly theme, using existing images, or by shooting new ones.

Per group guidelines, all photographs are original.

Last month's theme was Music. Those articles can be viewed here.

© Benjamin Pecka 2011. All rights reserved. Do not use without permission.

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Public Discussion (51)

No, it's not perfect. The DoF isn't quite right (though I don't know it can be in this situation) and the foot isn't quite lined up with the horse. It was 96 degrees with dew points in the 80s (!!!!!!) so I wasn't about to futzed and finagle too much, came out of this shoot dripping in sweat (and then I about 'died' of heat exhaustion biking to work).

I think my yoga form is a little better than that; two seconds for that pose is not long enough (was also balancing on a wood block and not the steaming sidewalk).

8 votes

#1 - Tue Jul 19, 2011 10:23 AM EDT

Ben JosephsRestored

Forgot to put this in the article: using Photoshop, or something similar, isn't really the recommended way to accomplish these shots.

9 votes

#1.1 - Wed Jul 20, 2011 1:33 PM EDT

I was going to say, it looks like you've been Photoshopped onto an Xmas ornament!

5 votes

#1.2 - Thu Jul 21, 2011 12:25 AM EDT

I would have lined up the foot a little better if it had been Photoshopped. ;-)

2 votes

#1.3 - Thu Jul 21, 2011 9:44 AM EDT

After spending an hour or so with my chin on the ground trying to do something even 1% as good as this I would say "the foot" is extraordinarily well lined up.

2 votes

#1.4 - Thu Jul 21, 2011 11:59 AM EDT

I love forced perspective

9 votes

#2 - Tue Jul 19, 2011 10:53 AM EDT

Wow!....Don't know whether to grab my simplistic "old trusty" and try this or cringe in fear!

Ok, brains a stirrin'.....

I'm really starting to appreciate the Vine more and more these days...

9 votes

#3 - Tue Jul 19, 2011 11:04 AM EDT

Me too. It's really starting to come together. :)

8 votes

#3.1 - Tue Jul 19, 2011 1:09 PM EDT

Sounds interesting, Ben! But I'm glad we've got some extra time to play around with this one.

8 votes

#4 - Tue Jul 19, 2011 12:00 PM EDT

The hardest part is thinking of something, otherwise it's not really that hard to accomplish (unless you are your own model then you have to run back and forth until its right).

7 votes

#4.1 - Tue Jul 19, 2011 1:12 PM EDT

Thanks for the extra time to come up with something. I am looking forward to participating and seeing what others come up with!

8 votes

#5 - Tue Jul 19, 2011 12:05 PM EDT

Well done, Ben -- a great example you've given us.

This will be tough one:)

7 votes

#6 - Tue Jul 19, 2011 12:25 PM EDT

Cool idea this challenge Ben. I'll have to get my thinking cap on. Rocky is a strong horsie.

6 votes

#7 - Tue Jul 19, 2011 3:33 PM EDT

Should be very interesting.

6 votes

#8 - Tue Jul 19, 2011 3:58 PM EDT

I think this one going to be cool to see what everyone comes up with!

7 votes

#9 - Tue Jul 19, 2011 5:07 PM EDT

Cool challenge, Ben... looking forward to the results.

5 votes

#10 - Tue Jul 19, 2011 5:32 PM EDT

Changed around the header a bit. Any opinions?

6 votes

#11 - Tue Jul 19, 2011 8:56 PM EDT

It looks good!

5 votes

#11.1 - Tue Jul 19, 2011 9:03 PM EDT

Looks good, though I'd probably get rid of the dotted lines under the text. Makes it seem a bit busy and doesn't really seem to add anything. JMHO. Please feel free to disagree.

jobs

4 votes

#11.2 - Tue Jul 19, 2011 11:21 PM EDT

It seems kind of plain and boring to me, just testing. I hate link lines too, think the editor would strip out any attempts at removing them, only option would be to remove the link.

5 votes

#11.3 - Wed Jul 20, 2011 12:42 AM EDT

Ah, I didn't realize they were links. There's a way to do it. I'll look it up.

jobs

3 votes

#11.4 - Wed Jul 20, 2011 9:05 PM EDT

The tag to use is "text-decoration:none", something like this.

< a href="http://www.google.com" style="text-decoration: none;">Link to Google .... etc...

But, unfortunately, it doesn't seem to be working in conjunction with Newsvine's structure. I can get it to work in a simple html file.

jobs

2 votes

#11.5 - Wed Jul 20, 2011 9:59 PM EDT

Yeah, the editor strips out code it doesn't like. Thanks.

3 votes

#11.6 - Wed Jul 20, 2011 10:37 PM EDT

A tad OT: If I haven't missed it & you've done it already, I think a tut on how to do the table in here (among other HTML things) would make a good article. I've tried the code for the different header & font sizes from that old Pimp My Newsvine article, & it never seems to work when I preview to see if it took. Is it just that it doesn't show up in preview mode but will when published? I so wish NV had a WYSIWYG editor b/c I hate messing w/ code, haven't done it in about 3 yrs & have forgotten the little I knew from rusty disuse, lost all my files when my old pc demised :-(....but if some helpful soul explained it....:P I also don't see a thing on my column header to toss in banners like McSpocky does. I'd love to jazz stuff up a little & I bet others would, too. Maybe some of you technically inclined guys could do some how-to articles?

4 votes

#11.7 - Thu Jul 21, 2011 12:34 AM EDT

ST, check out Mal's articles on HTML.

2 votes

#11.8 - Thu Jul 21, 2011 2:23 AM EDT

scar, you're pretty much relegated to the HTML in the Pimp My Newsvine article unless you have the "beta" capabilities, so you won't be able to embed anything, or code tables, etc. I think you can still ask for it, but the tech guys have said they really don't want us to code our own HTML unless it's necessary but that they're willing to add stuff to the editor if we can give some case examples. A lot of us in the Newsvine Photographers have it, and we've begun some experimentation.

There are a lot tutorials written on the beta tools, mostly done by Mal, and I'd be able to happy to send the links if you find yourself with "beta".

1 vote

#11.9 - Thu Jul 21, 2011 9:41 AM EDT

I love Rocky. =^_^=

6 votes

#12 - Wed Jul 20, 2011 12:25 AM EDT

Being an experienced tree ornament, Rocky's been around the block or two, and is even showing signs of wear. And adding his painting defects, Rocky has personality.

6 votes

#12.1 - Wed Jul 20, 2011 12:44 AM EDT

O he is an ornament, then! I have a very similar one to yours.

6 votes

#12.2 - Thu Jul 21, 2011 12:36 AM EDT

Yup. Rocky is an Christmas ornament from my childhood, not quite sure what compelled me to use him as representative for the Newsvine Photographers Photo Challenges, but it's been good to have him as a photography 'muse'.

2 votes

#12.3 - Thu Jul 21, 2011 9:51 AM EDT

Rocky Rocks!

3 votes

#12.4 - Fri Jul 29, 2011 11:47 AM EDT

I think so too, figuratively and literally. :)

3 votes

#12.5 - Fri Jul 29, 2011 11:54 AM EDT

FABULOUS!!!!

I have been trying to do this and it is DAMN difficult. I meant the photography... well actually the yoga looks pretty tricky too... ;-)

7 votes

#13 - Wed Jul 20, 2011 5:40 PM EDT

http://stevef.newsvine.com/_news/2011/02/20/6094497-i-finally-got-a-decent-shot-of-the-moon

5 votes

#13.1 - Wed Jul 20, 2011 6:11 PM EDT

Hi Fletch,

I don't count that image for this challenge because the moon is photo-shopped into the image... I thought the challenge was to do it all in-camera.

5 votes

#13.2 - Wed Jul 20, 2011 6:22 PM EDT

Was going by A.Mac's as well, so I thought of this one you did. But yes in camera will be a challenge. Still trying to figure out how Ben got Rocky to hold still long enough for that one.

5 votes

#13.3 - Wed Jul 20, 2011 8:57 PM EDT

Well, I figured having his gold string in the photo would ruin the effect, so it had to be taped down, I used a teensy too much and after the wind blew him over a couple times, he stood there long enough for the tape to melt to the blacktop.

4 votes

#13.4 - Wed Jul 20, 2011 10:41 PM EDT

Forced Perspective. Model Car? - danny-3140462

5 votes

#14 - Thu Jul 21, 2011 2:24 PM EDT

This one is also excellent!

4 votes

#14.1 - Thu Jul 21, 2011 5:32 PM EDT

Cassie Meets A BIG Bunny - MalamuteMan

4 votes

#15 - Thu Jul 21, 2011 2:28 PM EDT

Mal is not too happy with this one... but Mal will try again...

4 votes

#15.1 - Thu Jul 21, 2011 5:32 PM EDT

"Forced Perspective" from MY Perspective - A. MacArthur

2 votes

#16 - Thu Jul 21, 2011 9:08 PM EDT

This article provides nice information about this photo thing here in Newsvine. Nice photo too, voted up.

2 votes

#17 - Sun Jul 24, 2011 8:15 AM EDT

Proud American-252641

This one will be a challenge! I will need some studying to pull this off I think. :o)

2 votes

#18 - Sun Jul 24, 2011 5:43 PM EDT

OMG! I can't believe I forgot about this Kids in the Hall skit using forced perspective.

5 votes

#19 - Fri Sep 9, 2011 7:47 PM EDT

Without checking the link... I'm guessing it's the "I'm crushing your head" skit.

3 votes

#19.1 - Fri Sep 9, 2011 8:40 PM EDT

Yup, that's the one. I might have to shoot that one.

5 votes

#19.2 - Fri Sep 9, 2011 10:04 PM EDT

Too funny!

3 votes

#19.3 - Sat Sep 10, 2011 6:42 PM EDT

Hmmm... Not sure how to do this. :( I will work on it.

3 votes

#20 - Sun Sep 11, 2011 3:59 PM EDT

Here is a great example Mrs D...

3 votes

#20.1 - Sun Sep 11, 2011 5:38 PM EDT

Thanks Mal!!! I think I understand now. I will have to just think now HOW to make it happen. :)

2 votes

#20.2 - Sun Sep 11, 2011 5:43 PM EDT

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