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Canon DSLR Challenge | all galleries >> Canon SLR Challenges - FAQ >> CSLR - Best of... >> Best of 2004 > In a Nutshell*
1st Place
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29-AUG-2004 Olaf.dk

In a Nutshell*
1st Place

At one particular time in my architecture studies I came to the conclusion that my left brain
was too much in control over my designs. I used this realization and let go of the analytical
and rational thinking for a while. It was a tremendous break-through for my creativity.
When I presented the project I'd been working on, I started by putting a walnut - cracked open
like this one - on the table. I didn't say a word why - and went ahead presenting my project.
At the end I got the reaction I was hoping for, and was asked what was with the walnut?
My reply: "The nut represents my brain - and there you have it - my problem in a nutshell!"

*


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Guest 07-Sep-2004 17:49
I'm late commenting on this, but it is clearly one of the most outstanding shots in the gallery, simply perfectly lit. Great stuff. Phil
Canon DSLR Challenge07-Sep-2004 02:09
Olaf,

You've managed to delete my quibble. Congratulations! -- Victor
Canon DSLR Challenge03-Sep-2004 10:43
Thanks Roumen!

Unrelated to any comments, I just noticed that the Exif shown when clicking "full exif" wrongly states that this was shot in Progam Exposure Mode - it was shot in Manual.
--
Olaf
Canon DSLR Challenge02-Sep-2004 03:21
Beautiful idea, composition and lighting. Now the hot spot is absent and is not drawing attention to itself. Congratulations! --Roumen
Canon DSLR Challenge01-Sep-2004 22:56
Thanks Victor - much appreciated! I had disliked that myself, but didn't go the extra mile and then forgot about it. I shot this in RAW and had used +0.5EV in ACR, so I went back and did another "development" at -0.5EV, layered the underexposure on top of the overexposure and masked off everything on the top layer. Then I painted with white at 33% opacity on the mask over the slightly clipped area until it looked good. The brightest pixel changed from RGB=255,253,230 to RGB=249,206,157. My flashlight had a hotspot in the middle, which is why it got that way in the first place... What do you think, OK now? --Olaf
Canon DSLR Challenge01-Sep-2004 21:58
This is a beautiful composition. My only slight quibble is with the specular light near the center of the photo. I would have rather seen that as being a nearly maxed out bright spot that was nevertheless not clipped. -- Victor
Canon DSLR Challenge31-Aug-2004 18:38
Thanks Lonnit - I think... ;-) --Olaf
ctfchallenge31-Aug-2004 02:18
Congratulations Olaf - I do believe this is your best shot yet! Perfectly beautiful! ~ Lonnit
Canon DSLR Challenge30-Aug-2004 21:07
Colin, your comment made me laugh! I used a thin, dull knife which I pried into the seam in the back and carefully moved it along the seam towards the tip. --Olaf.dk
Canon DSLR Challenge30-Aug-2004 21:02
Thank you once again Anders! I gave it ten more pixels at the bottom (out of 800). This is actually closer to how I'd taken the photograph. In the original, there is still a little more at the bottom and a little less at the top. --Olaf.dk
Guest 30-Aug-2004 14:53
Lovely shot Olaf. Great lighting. Wish i could crack nuts like that. Usually I am picking pieces out of granny's wig :-)
Canon DSLR Challenge30-Aug-2004 08:31
One thing that I thought when first seeing the picture was that maybe you could crop off a little bit at the top, and add just a tad more at the bottom. Maybe.
-Anders/FretNoMore
Canon DSLR Challenge30-Aug-2004 07:46
Thank you all for your encouraging comments!!! I am overwhelmed and flattered by the amount of positive comments this has received - and all in just a few hours!?!? Nobody sees any room for improvement? --Olaf
Canon DSLR Challenge30-Aug-2004 06:41
Lovely shot Olaf, great idea and of course, the warm tones compliment the photograph wonderfully................ Vikas
Canon DSLR Challenge30-Aug-2004 05:34
I love it, definitely better in color. This is a winner!
-Anders/FretNoMore
Anna Yu30-Aug-2004 03:41
Yes the smooth and warm tones are great in this image. The walnut certainly looks like a brain.
roberta30-Aug-2004 02:32
Olaf,
Beautiful shot and the gradient background is very attractive. Yes it was worth all your trouble! Roberta
Canon DSLR Challenge30-Aug-2004 02:00
Marvelous! Fantastic color and lighting! Shu
Jonathan (Yoni) Nissanov30-Aug-2004 00:21
WOW! Fantastic. The warm tone, sculptured wood feel-well, I guess while not technically wood it is nearly wood and here it looks carved out of wood. Absolutely beautifully done.
Georgia Roessler30-Aug-2004 00:13
Stunning shot, Olaf!
Great idea, beautifully executed! Your lighting is perfect!
Canon DSLR Challenge30-Aug-2004 00:07
Fantastic shot Olaf! Great title and perfectly in line with the theme. I'd love to learn how to take shots like that. -Byron
Canon DSLR Challenge29-Aug-2004 22:26
OK Anders - any better? --Olaf.dk
Canon DSLR Challenge29-Aug-2004 21:37
Good one! I like the light and shadows. Those are tasty too. :)
My gut feeling is it would look better in warm colors...
-Anders/FretNoMore
Canon DSLR Challenge29-Aug-2004 21:33
Couldn't make up my mind whether to leave this in color or not... --Olaf