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RachelOk — smile, face.
Published: 2011-02-13 15:00:07 +0000 UTC; Views: 1547; Favourites: 30; Downloads: 0
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Description
I can't say I'm good with makeup.*no self mutilation intended.
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Comments: 23
"how to turn into Joker?"
great portrait, again awesome use of contrast and lighting. love it!
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I was looking through your gallery for the more conceptual photos, but I had to comment on this one (especially after reading the comments).
What's really scary about this photo is that it's a reference to the Black Dahlia murder. Her face was cut into exactly that kind of "smile." (Gruesome photo you don't have to see: [link] )
James O'Barr, who created The Crow, also made this same connection, which was then used in the Joker's face as played by Heath Ledger: [link]
Ledger's face is painted white and red.
That's for the spooky element. What actually struck me, on the other hand, was that this continues your theme of binaries (you tend to have X & Y in your titles, usually binary oppositions that create an often ironic resonance). That play on "up down" in one of your other photos (and even your other dA account name) are also binaries in another sense.
Those little scissors look oddly happy (and your other shot, with face half in shadow is an explicit binary), and the suggested "cut" smile is the opposite of the neutral expression (and the result would cause the opposite of a smile). Those dotted lines on produces are usually labelled "tear here" (in this sense, tear as in tears from crying).
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Fantastic perception.
The Black Dahlia murder... I read about it before shooting this, as I usually do when I plan a photograph. Research any topic related to the theme I have.
For this, I have read about clowns too.
What you name 'binaries' (I quite like this name) is present in many things I do, though I don't intend to all the time. Opposites exist. And your fantastic perception catch almost all of them. (even my abandoned dA page ^^)
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absolutely fantasti! beautiful and mysterious mood! Magical!
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What to say???
Thank you Cheryl
PS: Pretty new avatar ^^
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Your welcome, Rachel
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Wonderful photo! The black, the white, the eyes, the lips, the scissors and line ...
Not sure how to describe it properly but it really works.
Beautiful work
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I feel I could have done it better, but still can't realize how. I tried this shot in 3 different days, and this is when I got the closest to what I've imagined.
anyway, thank you
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The only suggestion I could make would be to increase the light from the side and increase the contrast. Make the dark side of the face even darker. Would be interesting to try.
Maybe slightly more space above the eyebrows?
But its still a wonderful photo and your face is so beautiful
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Thank you again, especially for your suggestions. I like the contrast tip, I'll try this one.
Cropping my face is always a difficult task for me. I usually look at my photos as if it was someone else, trying to have a better sense of what to cut and what to leave, considering only the composition of the whole frame.
You know that we, women, tend to have imperfections that only we can see, like one single hair less on one of our eyebrows.. and stuff like that.
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Haha, yeah I know many women like that 
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excellent in every way..
you should be able to drag this to your 'live and feel' collections
very much very many great words... will come later..
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Your opinions are always welcome, and I'm glad to hear that.
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there's time and thought in this. and it shows. as a proper lightning and background.. and with the choose of the shirt
the black&whiteneness in this is .. black and white. high contrast with tones. excellent and beautiful.
a thought. which i'm actually glad you didn't execute in here. but i think it could be worth a try at least.. if you would photoshop those markings red. . .
i thought a while. .
and this is a scary picture.. the marking on the face implying how we're supposed to be.. and with that cut then, you couldn't speak.. you could do nothing but smile.. look like smiling.. no matter how you might feel. .
the other one was less scary.. i like it better.. just because of that.
great and excellent.
and other than that.. overall it looks like your spending a bit more time with your new - quite new.. not old at least..- camera and with your thoughts and ideas. .
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This has been on my mind for long, and I was unsure about executing and publishing it, because it's a scary concept. It took me time to imagine it right.. I'm not really satisfied, but I don't know how I could improve it. There could be hints of blood, there could be a shine of scissors.. There would be a stronger visual impact, but the concept would be just as scary... Also, as you noticed, it's not about physical mutilation.
I like your thoughts. We almost share the same opinion. And the differences are what I'm more interested in. You're supposed to smile only, no matter how you feel, without asking why... How things are and how things shouldn't be..
The other one was a fail. The last shot, timer was running and a bit before the shutter, Maria came... I turned the lights on and off, and that's what I got... at that exact moment, she was saying "mommy, that's sooooo cool!!!!!"... how wouldn't I smile?
(I still shoot with my old camera very often.. the problem is to find the right way to make things happen. That patience thingy... ^^ )
Just in case you'd like to see the first attempt [link]
And for all, thank you. I'm happy for the long comment.. now I can sleep. Good night.
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