What’s Your Preference?

naeno · #1 (**permalink**) 09-30-2009, 06:36 PM

I posted this in Share My Shots, and kept being asked how I did it. I gave a brief explanation over there, but figured I'd go more in depth since people kept asking.

The final result:

The steps I took to get there:
My kids got hold of a pocket mirror and it broke cleanly in two a few months ago. I've been holding on to it hoping to get a chance to use it, and this idea finally popped in my head.

I was REALLY hoping to get this pretty much SOOC, but that didn't happen. Here is my very, embarrassingly SOOC camera shot, but it's the best way to explain how I took the shot.

First off, I cropped the picture. Then, I adjusted my curves and levels to my liking for the reflection and used an unsharp mask on my eye. I also did a small amount of dodging (to lighten the iris), burning (to darken the outside circle around the iris), and cloning on my eye.

Now, I hear you saying, but wait, that smaller reflection doesn't have exactly the same reflection as the big one. I copied the larger one, created a new layer, pasted, and scaled it to the same size as the smaller one. I did this one more time to get the littlest one.

I then decided to clean up the background. I was hoping to leave it, but it just looked so much cleaner with out it. To do this, I created a new layer with the black color and put it as the top layer. To the new layer I added a black mask, making the mask become completely invisible. Then I went through with my paintbrush and painted any unwanted sections white (thus bringing back the black color).

For lighting, I had an overhead skylight and two pendants lights.

Let me know if you have any questions.

Saralonde · #2 (**permalink**) 09-30-2009, 09:58 PM

Very creative idea! Thanks for the explanation. This could be used in lots of interesting ways.

MSidPhoto · #3 (**permalink**) 10-01-2009, 01:50 PM

Interesting effect

tokyorush · #4 (**permalink**) 10-02-2009, 02:07 AM

Awesome...simply great with minimal preparations and post-production...

One hint, lose the glasses, might look better with your eye in the prism (or whatever it is) and a closer crop. Don't get me wrong, don't have anything against people with glasses, I am one of them, just think might give it a simpler look.

Even as it is, great...

naeno · #5 (**permalink**) 10-02-2009, 10:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tokyorush

Awesome...simply great with minimal preparations and post-production...

One hint, lose the glasses, might look better with your eye in the prism (or whatever it is) and a closer crop. Don't get me wrong, don't have anything against people with glasses, I am one of them, just think might give it a simpler look.

Even as it is, great...

You're right. However, I tried doing this without my glasses, and it was tricky enough with my glasses, that getting it without my glasses was utterly impossible! This was my best picture. I took what I could. Thanks!