MLMUG's Picture of the Month
Judged by Stan Horwitz

"iPoddy Room"
By Dale Fletcher

Background:
Our photo of the month for May is a composite work by Dale Fletcher; our resident graphics artist extraordinaire. This photo was shot using two different cameras, then combining three photos into a single image. Due to the unique nature of Dale's image, the format of this month's photo gallery page is different than our standard format.

With tongue (or is it fingers?) planted firmly in cheek, Dale included the following text with his photo submission:

Not wanting to fall behind the times, we upgraded the office "Powder Room" to version 10.5 with a 30 Gig Seat top. The primary iPod must be removed for actual use by certain patrons (a small price to pay for any geek). A backup is on the roll dispenser for when you just can't be without the latest podcasts. There is no time to waste in this information age and these devices help improve our productivity. The Lid and Roll dispenser were shot instore with a Minolta XT with existing light in auto mode, then matted into the Office bath (shot with a borrowed Canon Powershot). Basic Lighting, color shift and grain matching were done in Photoshop 7 as well. No modern office bath should be without these basic necessities. This facility is now known as the "iPoddy Room".
In terms of how Dale created this composite photo, Dale said:
The office powder room was shot with a Canon PowerShot 175 attempting to show the required area at an angle that complimented the upgrade planned. Then the lid and roll dispenser were shot in a retail store and computer show with a Minolta XT 3MP using existing lighting in full "auto" mode, except for "strobe off". Even with the planning, it required some camera angle alterations and lighting alterations to match the angles planned for the scene and objects.

It took considerable light and color shifting to get the various "white" elements to match (that was the interesting part of the project for me). The two cameras were a Canon PowerShot 175 and a Minolta XT. Both cameras are pocket cameras in the 3 MP range. Photoshop 7 was used to combine the photos. Photoshop's 3D Transform tool allowed us to pretend we could rotate on the "Z" axis (QuickTime VR style) until the image information of the back of an item showed as grey (since it's not really there). This feature has been removed from newer Photoshop versions in favor of a few plug-ins that cost extra. Guessing the strange camera angles and lighting to get the three images to have the same look and feel was a great exercise in reality perspectives.
~~~

Would you like your photo to appear in this column? To submit your photo, please send it in jpg format to [email protected]. Please abide by the following submission rules:
  1. All images must have been taken with a digital or film camera
  2. Only tasteful photos (i.e., no violence or nudity)
  3. Include a brief explanation of what the photo is about
  4. The camera you used (or scanner)
  5. Where and when the photo was shot
  6. Selection is entirely up to the newsletter editor
  7. You agree to have your photo published here
  8. Submission limit of one photo per month, please
  9. Submissions limited to MLMUG members-only
Credit will be given to those whose photos are selected.

View the MLMUG Picture Gallery

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©2007 by Stan Horwitz, Dale Fletcher, & MLMUG
Posted 05/02/07
Updated 0504/07