NikonGear'23

Images => Life, the Universe & Everything Else => Topic started by: Tristin on January 02, 2016, 01:40:00

Title: My band's debut album cover
Post by: Tristin on January 02, 2016, 01:40:00
Took well over a thousand shots to get this image.  It is mostly one image, part of the retina is focus stacked from a second image.  Was not an easy one to capture!

(http://i.imgur.com/Em7SdjN.jpg)

Here's a link to the music, for those into aggressive and heavy music. 
www.refusecontrol.com
Title: Re: My band's debut album cover
Post by: Akira on January 02, 2016, 05:27:48
Tristin, congrats on the release!  That should have been an intensive work, but it's worthwhile.  I listened to the album on Bandcamp.  Frankly this is not entirely my cup of tea, but it surely sounds cool.  I would need to investigate your lyrics to understand your message, of course.

The bass player is credited as "studio bass".  Do you mean, for the live shows, you perform as duo with the drummer?

The cover image well coincides with the impression of the music.
Title: Re: My band's debut album cover
Post by: Tristin on January 02, 2016, 08:29:44
Yeah, we havent found a bassist that fits yet.  I have a unique setup that fills the sound out, but would still be great to find a bassist!
Title: Re: My band's debut album cover
Post by: Frank Fremerey on January 02, 2016, 09:10:52
Picturewise I feel the eye is heads down and the fire is not organically fit into the pupil.

So. Photo good, editing not good for my taste.

Will listen to the music asap.
Title: Re: My band's debut album cover
Post by: Jakov Minić on January 02, 2016, 11:37:28
I agree with with Frank on the flames. I think the album cover would be just as good without it!
I like it hard and heavy. It reminds me of what my friend used to listen to in the 80s like Kreator, SOD, Sodom, etc.

Title: Re: My band's debut album cover
Post by: Peter Forsell on January 02, 2016, 12:31:49
Retina, really? Or iris? Very nice image though.
Title: Re: My band's debut album cover
Post by: Frank Fremerey on January 02, 2016, 12:52:02
Peter
The pupil is in flames (aperture)
The Iris is around the pupil (camera body?)
The retina is in the back of the inside of the eye (recording medium)
Title: Re: My band's debut album cover
Post by: Tristin on January 03, 2016, 02:33:12
The fire was not edited into the image, which is what made it difficult to get this image.  As for the direction of the fire/eye, it was intended to be jarring. 

Title: Re: My band's debut album cover
Post by: Gary on January 03, 2016, 03:13:56
Dude, I'm sweating just listening ... You guys must be awesome live.  If you're ever down south, PM me and I'll take some snaps.
Title: Re: My band's debut album cover
Post by: Tristin on January 03, 2016, 04:39:03
Thanks Gary, where in socal are ya?  We'll be better than the album, we record our instrumentation live and continue to get better.  ;)
Title: Re: My band's debut album cover
Post by: Gary on January 03, 2016, 05:11:18
I'm in La Mirada. A little community about 15 miles south-east of LA.
Title: Re: My band's debut album cover
Post by: elsa hoffmann on January 03, 2016, 07:01:38
it's one of those images what will attract many different views and opinions. But this is an emotional image as you are so closely involved in it. Therefor - if it conveys what you want it to - it succeeds. Nicely done.
Title: Re: My band's debut album cover
Post by: afx on January 03, 2016, 09:37:39
I absolutely like the idea of creating such an image in camera instead of combining flame and eye in post.
Fits my way of thinking.
Well executed!

cheers
afx
Title: Re: My band's debut album cover
Post by: Frank Fremerey on January 03, 2016, 10:51:09
The flames are reflected? Cool. Real flames? A projection?
Title: Re: My band's debut album cover
Post by: Tristin on January 03, 2016, 16:51:43
It was a bonfire.  I found the only way to get a decent sized reflection was to be really close to the fire and the fire had to be really big.  Then for the fire to come from the pupil, the subject had to stare directly into the heart of the fire while holding their eyes open.  The we would squirt lighter fluid into the fire while we cracked pictures out and cross our fingers for a good one.  Oh, and it had to be at night to avoid unwanted reflections in the eye.  Combine all that with shooting on a stopped down 180mm macro whilst focusing on the eye of someone squirming and trying to stay still in a lot of heat . . . . haha.  Took over a thousand shots to get this one!
Title: Re: My band's debut album cover
Post by: Thomas G on January 03, 2016, 17:01:38
Tristin,
thank you for the making of explanation. That's some effort you spend there!
The picture suits your music well, as I might state after listening to the tracks.

Thanks for sharing.
Title: Re: My band's debut album cover
Post by: Gary on January 03, 2016, 17:02:20
It was a bonfire.  I found the only way to get a decent sized reflection was to be really close to the fire and the fire had to be really big.  Then for the fire to come from the pupil, the subject had to stare directly into the heart of the fire while holding their eyes open.  The we would squirt lighter fluid into the fire while we cracked pictures out and cross our fingers for a good one.  Oh, and it had to be at night to avoid unwanted reflections in the eye.  Combine all that with shooting on a stopped down 180mm macro whilst focusing on the eye of someone squirming and trying to stay still in a lot of heat . . . . haha.  Took over a thousand shots to get this one!

Good story. In this case, I think the minimalization of post is a hard row to hoe. It would have been much easier just to photoshop the image. Kudos for you and your crew to figure it all out and execute same ... The hard way.  (There are times, when getting it right in the camera, makes one appreciate post processing/manipulation.) I imagine the effort, pain and good times resulting in this album cover will generate the seeds for the songs of your next album.
Title: Re: My band's debut album cover
Post by: Tristin on January 03, 2016, 18:10:09
Photoshopping it would indeed have been easier and faster, just like using triggers, clicks and piles of punch-ins like everyone does would have made our album much easier to make.  Tech provided shortcuts and trickery has really degraded the arts.  It's not just the product of the work, it's the heart that went into it.  That seems to have gotten lost along the way when computer tech exploded. 

Will many, if any, know the amount of time and work that went into the photo, rather than it being photoshopped?  Probably not.  Sadly, most challengjng things in art that are actually accomplished now days are assumed to be fake to a large degree.  But, that doesn't change the fact that going about your art with less shortcuts and more honest work puts you in a different mindset, makes you appreciate the art more and inevitably improves your art. 
Title: Re: My band's debut album cover
Post by: Gary on January 03, 2016, 19:31:05
Photoshopping it would indeed have been easier and faster, just like using triggers, clicks and piles of punch-ins like everyone does would have made our album much easier to make.  Tech provided shortcuts and trickery has really degraded the arts.  It's not just the product of the work, it's the heart that went into it.  That seems to have gotten lost along the way when computer tech exploded. 

Will many, if any, know the amount of time and work that went into the photo, rather than it being photoshopped?  Probably not.  Sadly, most challengjng things in art that are actually accomplished now days are assumed to be fake to a large degree.  But, that doesn't change the fact that going about your art with less shortcuts and more honest work puts you in a different mindset, makes you appreciate the art more and inevitably improves your art.

I agree 100%. Most/many people look for quick and easy and think that 'good-enough' is 'good' and often it is not. Most/many photographers cannot differentiate between and when photoshop is a tool and when it is a crutch.
Title: Re: My band's debut album cover
Post by: Jørgen Ramskov on January 18, 2016, 10:52:43
Impressive shot, I like it and what an effort it took. The music is a bit too extreme for my taste.
Title: Re: My band's debut album cover
Post by: golunvolo on January 22, 2016, 00:39:33
Excellent result and work philosophy. Refreshing to hear about it. Thanks!
Title: Re: My band's debut album cover
Post by: Erik Lund on January 22, 2016, 08:53:00
Nice image ;) You definitely didn't make it easy for yourselves shooting this...