Probably me best photo

[amolitor]

Come on man, don't use photoshop.

COMMIT. COMMIT FULLY TO YOUR ART.

Set the self timer and HURL YOURSELF AT THE GROUND.

 

[JoshuaSimPhotography]

I did, and failed miserably. perhaps if I hold on to a poll next time that could work. hmm

 

[unpopular]

This is one of the most original shots I have seen since I joined this forum.

uhm. no offense to Josh, but did you come out from under a rock? Like, as in a really huge boulder with only a telegraph key to use for internet access?

The image is interesting enough, original however, it is very much not.

 

[Animaniac888]

I did, and failed miserably. perhaps if I hold on to a poll next time that could work. hmm

It would be cool if you were holding on a pole to stop being blown away by the wind.

Pole: p-o-l-e. Not p-o-l-l.

 

[Jaemie]

I did, and failed miserably. perhaps if I hold on to a poll next time that could work. hmm

It would be cool if you were holding on a pole to stop being blown away by the wind.

Pole: p-o-l-e. Not p-o-l-l.

A strong Pole would also work.

 

[Photographiend]

This is one of the most original shots I have seen since I joined this forum.

uhm. no offense to Josh, but did you come out from under a rock? Like, as in a really huge boulder with only a telegraph key to use for internet access?

The image is interesting enough, original however, it is very much not.

I like it, and i like the direction he is going with it. So,

 

[JoshuaSimPhotography]

Yay, let's make this into a thread where we fight about ideas, i am using this on my phone and I had autocorrect and I was in school so I had to type quick (so don't be a Daniel), the technique had been used may times before, but my approach and story for the pic was conceived from my mind and mine only.sure there were inspirations, no idea is made without inspiration

 

[unpopular]

I didn't say I didn't like it, only that it's not "original". Originality I think is WAY over valued.

 

[Photographiend]

Wait what? You do have to explain how this isn't original? I see people posting the same things shot in the same ways over and over and over...

seriously it is nice to have something to break the monotony from time to time. This did that and in a GOOD way.

 

[unpopular]

While I am sure that levitation photography has been around, the recent popularity began with a chinese photographer a few years back, I forgot his or her name. After, it became popular throughout Asia, and was further popularized by Japanese photographer named Natsumi Hayashi. She has a blog, Yowayowa Camera Woman Diary.

As I've said, it's not a big deal, originality is refreshing but any inspiration from Natsumi on Josh's part isn't going to detract from this image's merit. It's not my thing really (I'm not a fan of Natsumi, either), so beyond that I'm not going to comment.

 

[Photographiend]

Hey thanks for the info. I hadn't seen her work. But now that I am looking at it... I have to say I have seen way better levitation shots. Her link really elaborates the monotony I was referring to. Nothing new or shocking from one shot to the next. After the first couple it becomes very predictable.

Josh's style is already better IMO.

 

[Photographiend]

And now that I have googled it... yeah there is a lot of that kind of stuff out there...

 

[unpopular]

After a year or two of "daily levitations" it's pretty clear that Ms. Natsumi is getting a little bored, or at least her images are becomming a bit long in the tooth. The Chinese photographer had some more interesting stuff - crazy stuff even, something like people drinking tea on the outside of a skyscraper, and some of the earlier stuff had more substance.

This kind of trick photography has it's limits, I think, and it's easy to become absorbed by the intrigue of it. I think that is kind of what happened with Natsumi, people see it, you get positive feedback, you think you're onto something. But in the end where is the significance aside from the visual appeal, what is being communicated?

This is kind of what I am thinking when I see Josh's photograph. I wonder what the point is exactly what am I supposed to be seeing in this image aside from the tricks involved - tricks which have been done over and over and over to the point that they have almost become cliche. If you google image search "levitation photography umbrella", you do get a variety of variations - most plays on Mary Poppins.

I think it's OK to reuse old ideas and get inspiration from other photographers. Appropriation has become an important part of contemporary art, and this has even changed how we think of art, copyright and law. But at the same time I think it's important to push boundaries and expectations. For the most part, levitation photography has been limited to the realm of trick photography - and there is a sense of instant gratification involved, the images are visually compelling, but there is also a sense of "seen one, seen them all".

Unfortunately, Josh, I don't really see a whole lot in this image that hasn't been done before, and the image - like most others with few exception - still remains, IMO, more or less about the technique. I don't have any clearer idea about who you are as an individual, the world which you live, the world which we share or how you see the world and what you value within it or what how you see others experiencing and sharing the world which we all belong. In my opinion these things are what makes a photograph art.

It's a visually interesting image, and technically fairly well executed. However, I don't think it holds much significance beyond the techniques involved.

 

[JoshuaSimPhotography]

Thx guys, unpopular, I was trying to tell a story and I wasnt worried about technique after looking at this I realised that the foreground didnt match my story and I will reshoot! I know yowayowa and I am a big fan, but I did not try to copy her, I liked the story levitation depicts. This is for a specific brief, not a freelance shot

 

[JoshuaSimPhotography]

I didn't say I didn't like it, only that it's not "original". Originality I think is WAY over valued.

That is very true, no great ideas come without inspirations!