CHOPPER PROFILE 3
WEEKEND EDITION
This well know Frenchman joined the site way back on the 26 Dec 2002, with over 250 images and 13 wins, a portfolio with some kicking images he has been around this site looking and chopping for sometime. With his keen eye for detail and never afraid to try something new, it’s time to profile…
1. What is your nickname and how did you get it.
My nickname is just a contraction of my real name, Thierry Béghin to "thbeghin".
2. What is your real name and age.?
Thierry Béghin, 44
3. Where are you from and what’s so great about being there.?
Paris, France.I live in Montparnasse district, (south downtown). The city is very busy but tends to become a living museum, with a lot of monuments and history. It's not so big, and walking is a nice way to visit Paris.
4. What do you do to keep the bills paid?
I'm a freelance photographer working mainly for magazines and communication. I'm also working as a photoshopper for books covers (doing exactly what i'm doing here at PSC !!!) but not much because there's not a lot of money to take in books edition: 500$ max for a 10 hours of work is not enough ! The good money is in ads, but then it's more photo retouching, and i'm not interested.
Photoshop CS2 on a MAC G5 2Ghz.
I like to use pbase.com to find pics, but I had a pic removed once because a photographer complained, so I often try to do the pics I need for a contest myself.
1. What gets your creative juices flowing, how do you create that masterpiece?
I have a trick: first I download the pic of the day, using the method Reinman gave me( I recommend it), then I take a picture of my screen showing the pic of the day. Then, I give the film to my usual lab, ask for a print. Back home, I scan the print and open it in photoshop. It gives me time enough to find a good idea.
2. What do you use as inspiration?
Every thing that is around me. I have a notebook in which I stick pics I find in magazines or anywhere else. If there's a painter or photographer I like very much, I can even plagiarize without no shame at all.My only rule is the question, "What has not been done already and what will surprise them?"
3. Do you have a system?
I often make a quick try (5mns max) to see if my idea can be a good image: if i'm not immediatly convinced, i quit.I almost never spend more than 2 hours on a chop.
Never more than 2 hours, is this a hard rule or is there an exception to the case. You know one of those images that you just had to spend that little bit more time on because it just had to be?
When I began here on PSC, there was no advantage. The first answers to the pic of the day usually came after 20-30 mns. It was very difficult to win if you took more than one hour to post. I really loved that kind of hurry. Then, with advantage, skills and details became more important and I used to spend way too much time here instead of working...So now, "2 hours" is a hard rule for me.
4. Does a chop have to be done a certain way following steps or are you a messy chopper and just go with the flow.
I build the image enterely and then come back to details: light, shadows, color fit...
5. Filters, brushes and techniques.
Layer masks, clipping masks, layer styles, blending options, gaussian and motion blur, noise, sharpening...I mostly work by removing parts of an image: for example, if I want to darken the edges of a pic to concentrate attention on the center, I duplicate the layer above the original, darken it, create a layer mask and use the gradient tool to erase the center and only keep edges
6. What style of chop do you like most?
If it's funny or surprising, i like it! I don't really care about skills: there's a lot of different levels here, and PSC is not about skills but about quick ideas and reality twisting.
7. What chop did you do and it did not do as well as you expected?
This one did well, but I really would have liked to win:
http://photoshopcontest.com/view-entry/70154/display.html
8. How did you find PSC, and what do like the most on this site?
Hellekro made me come here 3 years ago. I like very much the energy coming out of everybody working at the same time on the same subject. That's what makes this place so special.
Tricks can't really be given. People have to find their own tricks by experiencing, reading and trying. The only thing is: Be carefull with shadows. It makes all the difference.
What is your favorite type of source picture and why?
a. machine (Car, boat, electronic parts)
b. people
c. nature
d. obscure views
e. all of the above
f. other
People or nature. I don't like machines too much and I hate objects.
1. What makes a good chop for you?
It's good when it looks real: good perspective, good shadow and great attention to details.
2. When you chop is it, Fast and solid, or slow and steady
Fast and I quickly get fed up when it comes to the fixing detailed part.
3. Do you prefer to vote on?
a. all source image
b. import and blend
c. effect i.e. rain/snow/flood/fire/blood
d. as long as it’s a good chop it gets my vote
e. all of the above
f. I don’t vote
I mainly vote for ideas.
What Ideas get you interested, and if it’s a real bad chop will that stop you from voting?
I can surely vote for a very bad chop.I like it when I can feel somebody behind the image.
1. What's your best chop.
my favorite:
http://photoshopcontest.com/view-entry/37163/display.html
I also like this one:
http://photoshopcontest.com/view-entry/42668/display.html
2. Now your worst chop.
Obviously this one:
http://photoshopcontest.com/view-entry/51046/display.html
I couldn't even cut and past correctly at this time!
3. Who do you consider to be one of the better choppers out there.
It's not today, but to me, hellekro remains the best of all times. She's the perfect mix of funny ideas and skill. She is the "spirit" of this site at its best. I also like very much mezzo's work, Nancers, for her hate of cats and children, l@rue's popeye pics...and a lot of others.
4. What you hate to see in a chop and why you hate it so much.
Robots, star wars,matrix, references to famous blockbusters, pics with a lot of blood...all subjects that show that you don't think by yourself.
5. The best chop of all time.
look at this one from helle:
http://www.kroglassen.com/Changereality/gallery/source/4.htm
and this one from nancers:
http://photoshopcontest.com/view-entry/56529/display.html
I would put these 2 pics in the top10 of the best chops all times, even if it's not technically perfect, I mean:
wouldn't you remove that spaghetti pot from the head of your child before taking him to the doctor? and do you really think that the doctor would first have a look at the throat of the child? and i'm not talking about that stupid cat photocopying his asshole!!!
Never seen those images, classics for sure.
Is there a PAAA (Psc Anonymous Addicted Associattion) somewhere? Because I would like to participate!!!
Well thanks for your time Thierry, great insite to the way you work. I have to agree that cat image of Nancers is one of my Fav's as well.
Blue_lurker
IT'S ALL ABOUT THE CHOP.
