Hah! This'll teach them to draft me onto the Recognition Dinner Committee.
They were going to do boring old cards with the date and time on it... for a Hollywood themed party!?!?! I think not.
My new, more betterer concept is 11 X 17, printed in black and white on a nice movie poster stock, and will be delivered rolled and tied with film-strip ribbon.
For the photography, we grabbed a lady from our content department, and made her dress up in about $100 worth of prop clothing from the local costume shop, and, using a shop light, took some photos in one of our spare rooms. The "red" carpet and the spotlight background were done completely in Photoshop. It doesn't come through in the optimized graphic, but there's a scan line texture over it to give it that "it's on TV" look.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Looks like a drag queen....mabye check out some 1930's posters for design ideas to make it look more "Hollywood".
Posted by Johnny (Member # 878) on :
It all looks really classy except for the lens flares. Yes, I'm one of those people.
Posted by WizArtist II (Member # 1425) on :
What's wrong with the stock PhotoPaint lens flares that show up in almost every work nowdays? ESPECIALLY since this is the FLARE forum?
Posted by Shakaar (Member # 1782) on :
Very good- yeah... no lens flares, get rid of them! Away with the lens flares!
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
Aren't those supposed to be be photographers' flashes?
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
They were. Yes. But looking at it through fresh eyes, I can see the wisdom of the above posts. I'm trying one of the other poses we did and reworking the lighting a bit.
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
OK... different pose, reworked lens flare.
I like lens flares, provided they're done correctly. Posted by WizArtist II (Member # 1425) on :
I think that looks a lot cleaner and the flares are more subtle and natural to me. There, but not intrusive. Maybe its just me, but shouldn't there be some more lightness to her left hand/arm? Kind of a counterbalance to the light shaft?
Posted by Vice-Admiral Michael T. Colorge (Member # 144) on :
Looks like something for a Drag Queen Bingo fundraiser... hmm we might use this for Stonewall this year.
The second version looks good but I prefer the original pose with the second version.
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
I think the second pose definitely looks less drag queenish, but I've sort of consigned myself to the fact that it's going tobe hard to get away from that totally when you've got someone wearing a fake blonde wig. The dress doesn't exactly bring out her feminine shape, either.
This is why professional photographers and professional models get paid.
Posted by WizArtist II (Member # 1425) on :
couldn't you cinch the dress around her waist in front to give that hourglass look?
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but women you barely know that work with you and have just been asked to put on a frilly dress so you can take pictures of them, get more and more nervous the closer your hands get to their boobs.
But yah, I should've. It didn't look that straight when I was shooting the pictures.
Posted by Masao (Member # 232) on :
I like the first pose better. The first pose looked like she was in front of an audience, acknowledging applause. The second one she looks more like a streetwalker or a gangster's moll.
If this is a red carpet at a movie premiere or awards ceremony, I suggest some flashbulbs going off; they could take the place of the lens flares. How about a mic stand?
Another possibility is to have a background that looks more like someone receiving an Oscar (or taking a curtain call) on a stage. You know, with lights along the edge of the stage, a hint of an audience?
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
As far as her figure goes, she appears to have at least one hip in the first picture, if that helps.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
You could always cinch her aistline in a tad via Photoshop.
...mabye replace her legs too while you're at it.
Hmmmm...I really prefer the first version: this one looks like she's being nailed by the 'ol Martian Death Ray.
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
Ok... final version:
It has to go to the printer today, so no more tinkering. Everyone at the office likes the cigarette one better so I cinched the waist a bit, moved the left leg into something that looks a bit more lady-like, added smoke to the cigarette, and did something with the background.
Oh... and I added a rating at the bottom, fo that extra feel of believability.
Posted by WizArtist II (Member # 1425) on :
Looks good.
Posted by Jason Abbadon (Member # 882) on :
Much better. How'd you add the smoke? Took it off another photo? Looks too good to be just done via Photoshop.
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
Went to www.sxc.hu and grabbed a free stock photo of cigarette smoke shot on a black background, desaturated it, then set the layer to "lighten" and scaled.
Easy peesy.
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
What is the recognition dinner? Is it for older actresses? Is that the idea behind the 30's/40's esque woman?
Posted by Aban Rune (Member # 226) on :
The theme of the dinner this year is "Hollywood". So the invitation relflects that by being in the form of a movie poster and showing a celebrity-style recognition thing.
The dinner itself is just an employee thing. Recognizing outstanding emplyee contributions over the year. Plus, we get to leave the office at 3 and go to a free dinner. I hear there will be chicken.
Posted by AndrewR (Member # 44) on :
Will there be Taspar eggs? An office dinner is not and office dinner with out fresh Taspar eggs! Posted by Shakaar (Member # 1782) on :
I bet they'll try to save and go with O'Wan eggs instead... Everyone will take one bite and gag!
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