Official Thanks to Starbucks Anarchist for taking the Nicest Picture of Rockit and Me

[La Lioness Priyanka]

I cant wait to have it framed!

Thank-you thank you!!!!!

[Starbucks Anarchist]

1. You're welcome!

Now what do I get in return? :evilgrin:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

2. dear god! wasnt the pleasure of my company and my quick dinner good enough?

:P

seriously, i love the picture. thanks a bunch

[Starbucks Anarchist]

4. Yeah, but you know how us guys are.

:P

[opiate69]

3. I'd say you should ask for the hottie walking down the street in the pic..

[Starbucks Anarchist]

5. I don't dig blurry women.

:P

[Gormy Cuss]

12. There are women you DON'T dig?

Who'da thunk it.
:P



on edit: It IS a really nice picture of lioness and rockit.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

13. LOL!

:rofl:

[driver8]

41. If she's breathing, has a pulse, and can utter a complete sentence...she's perfect for you!

Who am I kidding -- she would be perfect for any guy!!

[Starbucks Anarchist]

43. Actualy, those are my standards.

:rofl:

[Richard Steele]

47. Personally, I think that whole "complete sentence" thing is really overrated. nm

[Oeditpus Rex]

6. That's the one

Somehow, his flash not firing made it even better.

SA — I love the composition, dude. Getting the street in there really nailed it. :thumbsup:

Your camera must have a hell of a stabilization feature. There's no way I could've made that shot without my hands shaking. :D

[Starbucks Anarchist]

9. I do have to give credit to ThomCat.

He suggested a profile shot of them, and I took it from there.

[Oeditpus Rex]

15. Gee, I wonder what made him think of that

[SeattleGirl]

7. Beautiful picture, SA!

Of course, you had beautiful subjects to work with!

[Starbucks Anarchist]

8. Indeed!

:hi:

[RetroLounge]

10. Brightened it a bit to see your faces better

:hi:

RL

[Oeditpus Rex]

14. I messed with it a little bit, too

Wanted to keep that "city nights" look.





Then I added some grain and light diffusion to give it that "gritty-city-nights" look.





Note that I'm in no way implying that either of these is an improvement on the original. I just like to play with Photoshop when I see something a certain way.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

16. can you photoshop that girl out

[Oeditpus Rex]

17. That was one of the first things I thought of

She's a distraction, but if I cropped her out it'd wreck the composition.

I could try, but it wouldn't look that great. Call Me Wesley or someone else could do a much better job, I'd wager.

[Flaxbee]

36. I don't think it would wreck it...

you could just take her out and still get the street lights, the sidewalk and street going into the background -- look again, or at least, post it if you can so we can see what it looks like -- ??

pretty please?

[Oeditpus Rex]

37. Trust me, I know my limitations

It would require a lot of artful cloning to take her out and make the remaining space look natural, and I'm just not good at that.

People like CMW are Photoshop whizzes. I'm a hack.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

18. I actually think the girl helps.

She's in motion, while you and rockit are standing perfectly still -- I think it's a nice contrast.

[Left Is Write]

23. I think so too. Her presence contributes to the overall feel of the photo.

I like the darkness also - it underscores the summer-night-in-the-city ambience.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

24. I used the flash first, but it ended up wiping out the background.

Not using the flash definitely helped.

[lost-in-nj]

27. You are so right

just a moment in time of lioness and rockets life.. stopped.....

lost

[Oeditpus Rex]

32. I went back and forth with it

While she does lend an extra element of realism and immediacy, I also find her intrusive as well as an unwanted eye magnet.

Remember that great photo of SG's daughter and her groom kissing in front of the warehouse door marred with grafitti? Part of me thought it would've been even better with a wino sleeping against the opposite door jamb, and had they been just two people talking, it would have. But that was a romantic portrait, as is this one, and those don't need irony or pathos or dramatic juxtaposition.
But then, this just illustrates why the science and mathematics that make up photography is considered an art. :toast:

[Richard Steele]

19. I think she helps balance the composition. You should keep her.

Not just visual balance- symbolic as well.

She's alone, in motion; blurry and indistinct in the backround.
You two are the OPPOSITE of all that.

[Starbucks Anarchist]

20. GMTA!

Check up a few posts. :toast:

[Richard Steele]

21. GREAT minds are one thing....you might want to start worring!

She really does make the difference between it being
just a good photo and being ART, doesn't she? :toast:

[Oeditpus Rex]

33. The girl doesn't do that

The composition and the street do — particularly the lights.

The photo wouldn't lose anything if the girl weren't in it. Whether she adds anything to it is debatable. I vote that she doesn't, but that's just my opinion. Everyone sees art differently. (See my post 32.)

[Richard Steele]

34. And the only vote that really matters is the CUSTOMER.

If Lioness wants the girl gone, she should be gone.
her pic, her choice. The fact that I wouldn't do it
really isn't relevant.

[wildhorses]

11. great pic!!!

y'all are the cutest couple:hi:

i would crop the girl out on the right...just need the 3 streetlights...my .02 :shrug:

[some guy]

22. no no - your other right.

:P

You can't ask to have Rockit cropped out. :rofl:

[wildhorses]

30. fuck..i am SOOOO left handed

i forget my right IS your left :rofl:

[Starbucks Anarchist]

25. Thanks!

Think you meant the other girl on the left, though. :rofl:

[wildhorses]

31. yes, i did

:blush:

:rofl:

left handed dyslexics...raise both hands :hi::hi:

[lost-in-nj]

26. WOW

I can see why

beautiful... both of you

:hug:



lost

[bigwillq]

28. It is a nice pic!

:bounce: :hi:

[Nikia]

29. Nice picture

You look very cute togther.

[jonnyblitz]

35. that is a great picture!

I must say.

[Rockit]

38. ThANKS Starbucks!

And hey, guess what cd I found this morning? That's right, junior wells!

[Starbucks Anarchist]

39. You're welcome!

I still can't find your CD, though. :mad:

One of these days, you can burn me some blues CDs, and I'll burn you some bebop, huh? :hi:

[Rockit]

42. you got it.

I'll hook you up with another copy of my CD and we'll do the "great blues/bebop exchange of '07"

:hi:

[driver8]

40. Lioness, you never take a bad picture -- you are gorgeous! But I'll give

Starbucks antichrist credit where credit is due...that's a great picture.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

44. i take plenty bad pics, i just dont post them.

thank you though :hug:

[Seashell Eyes]

45. Wow, this is a great pic!

And the smiles are genuine, not the "you are taking my picture" smiles.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

46. thanks!

[gmoney]

48. another "improvement" attempt...

everyone has their own tastes though... but looking good whichever way. (Couldn't you find anything low cut?)

[La Lioness Priyanka]

50. i love this version. thanks gmoney.

[enigmatic]

49. That's a fantastic picture

and don't cut anything out of it; the woman walking on the side adds to the picture....

[La Lioness Priyanka]

51. thanks enigmatic~!

[Call Me Wesley]

52. That is a great picture!

:hi:

[La Lioness Priyanka]

53. ty!

[Call Me Wesley]

54. I couldn't resist, so here's another version.

But the girl has to stay definitely.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

55. i love this one!!

thank you!!!

[Starbucks Anarchist]

56. Thanks!

:hi:

[Call Me Wesley]

57. Thank you!

I apologize for tampering with it, but I always do this with my own shots, too - and the great composition is unchanged. I did one without the girl, but then the lively contrast is gone and there's just empty space. It's fine as it is; I just adapted the curves a bit as good as I could with the jpg, bringing the stars in the pic a bit more out. :hi:

[Starbucks Anarchist]

58. Your photography experience far outweighs mine, so it's okay.

:D

EDIT: Love the Groucho Marx quote in your sig. :rofl: