Hello Everyone: First I´d like to say I´m happy to have found this web site.It´s given me a lot of laughs as well as joy seeing that surging wellspring of talent flow out of my 40 in.Bravia LCD TV.night after night (I just got it and boy are these images something else on the big screen) .Its great to see all this spontaneity,improvisation and innovation.There´s a lot of talent in here.Well. I finally got my 10 posts.I guess I can now vote now too.It´s been a bit of a marathon but I wanted the voting status before I realized what I was getting into.I think.Anyhow I did and it was a torrid march at that,considering this is the first experience I´ve ever had with this wicked craft.I really am having fun right now.Actually I haven´t had this much fun in a while....really.That´s the good news,the bad news is that my wife left me.Anyhow to what this post is about.Congratulations on your win Vlad,the image was the epitomy of ...dry humour...I like how the striking image complenents the conceptual impact so well.Anyway as I was looking at it I noticed a shadow.Clouseau couldn´t have done any worse.I was intrigued so I rectified as well as I could ....just to see,like I said I just dabble in this and I´m here to learn.This is the result. Interesting it is.If your interest is it.

[url][/url]

So it is now 4:50 AM (I´m in Spain don´t you know) I´m getting tired and my wife says she´s gonna give me one more chance.Yeah really,do you believe it,well she said it in Spanish.She said.Si no dejas ese maldito sitio web no se como se llama de una vez voy a tirarte a ti, el ordenador y el BRAVIO por el balcon.Honest.I must be off.Boy I shure miss Algonquin park in moments like these. Good night all

i've got to say, despite being one of the first to point out the reversed shadow, that perhaps vlad was right to add the sense of mystery by doing it like that. cos i think i prefer vlad's version to the 'correct' version

good luck with your wife luxwiz

I agree.The two shadows on the same side seem to make the sun hotter.If the image feels right it ,do it.And speaking of sun,it´s gonna be coming up soon.This time I´m really going to bed.Good night

The sand dune looks better with the shadow on the right as it feels more natural for the light to come from the top-left. Perhaps you should try flipping the boat, not the dune.

it may be wrong, but it feels and looks better wrong,

Vokaris the image does seem to have a more natural feel with the light source from the upper left.Maybe there´s a psychological basis to this rootted in the fact that if you are right handed you would draw or write on a paper with the light source to your left and slightly up so the shadow of your arm doesn´t get in the way.Considering the majority of the population is right handed this would tend to imprint an "upper left light source template" as a default setting in the esthetics are of brain configuration.Thus you become unwitingly programed to feel it´s more natural with this inclination.Just a theory.Its just a little unsettling having something unnatural like incoherent light shadow interaction feeling "more right" than its rational rectification.It sits well in surrealism but in realism its unsetteling.Not the image but the awareness and observation of its inconsistency.If you don´t notice it alls cool.It´s when you become aware of it that you feel that way .Then it´s like thinking of pink elephants when you´re told not to think of them.Illusion and magic and chops seem to function in this way.Maybe I should´ve shut up.Keep the illusion in life.OR
Your solution is the right one.Change the shadow in the boat and keep the light source on the upper left. Here it is. Now which on "feels right"?

Great thread..I LOVE when people actually talk about this stuff.
It's a very nice chop and you are correct about the shadows.
I'd agree, it doesn't look to have been the artist' intention,
but an oversight.
A very nice chop and worth correcting.

hey Vlad ...did you ask to have your work re-touched?
I love the "comments option" to help me improve my skills...but if anyone re-touched work that I have done ( I kow that it needs it!!!) It would bother me.

I'd love to have this done to my chops.
LUX! Make me your victim anytime you like.
If you can get me to pay more attention to stuff like that..
I couldn't thank you enough.

Luxwiz, this is all great. I didn't really expect to get the 'Lighting 101' (the last time I remember hearing this was in grad school). And, yes, it feels more natural to many of us who read left-to-right and top-to-bottom, it may be different for people who read and write right-to-left.

If you want to make this even more perfect you should keep the yellow cloth inside the boat on the right-hand side, as it adds to the visual line of the dune rising and falling. I believe this has a lot to do with why not many people were bothered with the shadow mismatch in the first place. Looking at the good study you did, Vlad's image works better than the quick fix I suggested.

Or maybe (just maybe) we should all learn a valuable lesson and move on to chopping new and better things and put this one to rest. Cheers!

I hope I didn´t offend anyone.I didn´t intend to shake a bees nest . My intention was noble.It was simply a technical observation which intrigued me and how this inconsistency in the shadows influenced the overall esthetics of this beautiful image (not making a judgement on wether it´s against the law to put the shadow on the wrong side of where GOD put it).I was drawn to this site because I saw it as an opportunity to learn how to do some of these fantastic images presented here.I´ve never done this type of art before,although I do dabble in painting,illustration and photography and this (chopping) fascinates me.As a matter of fact I studied sciences not arts at U. of Toronto (molecular biology to be precise).There are the tutorials but one also learns by observation and sharing what one observes,as his opinion, with his fellow peers.How can one learn and share what one learns by shutting up and just saying yes its all nice and that´s it.I thought and I still think this site is a learning opportunity and not just a beauty pageant.Besides I could have been working on my "rusty chain" post instead of doing the work to demonstate this point with the boat post (not retouching Vlad´s photo).I´m not advantage (yet) and I only have a day or two to do each post.And it takes me quite a while.I believe in free and open expression without hurting sensibilities is essential to learning.
By the way ScionShade after looking at your portfolio I can see you´ve got your chops down.Be careful I may look at a few of them and analyze them a little to learn from your great work and maybe even share that knowledge with others.I myself would consider that a compliment.Thanks for your support on openness,free expression in learning.Which,believe it or not,is my first reason for staying at this site.Then it´s and sharing common interests and entertainment,in that order.
Vokaris,now I can lay this to rest and follow your suggestion....Or maybe (just maybe) we should all learn a valuable lesson and move on to chopping new and better things and put this one to rest.... One for the Gipper.

Not to be a bee's nest...Nice pun if intended.....I undesrstand constructive criticism....and I dont want to be known as having a big stick up my ass (maybe too late) but I was/ am slightly offended that someone would re-do someone elses work especially without a request to do so. Like I stated that is whet the comment box is for. I see you have made use of it....that was enough...or like I asked if Vlad asked for it then fine its deserved and appropriate.

thank you for responding neubie.Maybe I should have contacted Vlad before doing the demonstration.My intention is constructive participation,no more no less.Alls cool.Cheers

Ok now will someone please help me remove this stick ......Cheers bro....