1st Place The Phantom of the Opera by Michael Puff by Canon DSLR Challenge

Canon DSLR Challenge | all galleries >> Canon SLR Challenges - FAQ >> CSLR - Best of... >> Best of 2007 > 1st Place The Phantom of the Opera by Michael Puff

previous | next


12-MAY-2007	Michael Puff

1st Place The Phantom of the Opera by Michael Puff

by Gaston Leroux

The reader knows and guesses the rest. It is all in keeping with the incredible yet veracious story. Poor, unhappy Erik! Shall we pity him? Shall we curse him? He only asked to be "someone", like everybody else. But he was too ugly! And he had to hide his genius or use it to play tricks with, when, with an ordinary face, he would have been one of the most distinguished of mankind! He had a heart that could have held the empire of the world; and in the end he had to content himself with a cellar. Surely we may pity the Opera ghost!

other sizes: small medium original auto

previous | next

Please do not delete, update, or otherwise edit others' entries
* Submitter retains all copyrights *

Guest		18-May-2007 14:37
I should have logged in below... Debbi

Canon DSLR Challenge		18-May-2007 14:35
Well done...and where in the heck did you get the outfit and mask? Looks expensive for just one image Michael........or do you wear this out in town LOL? (Thanks for the smoke link) Debbi

Canon DSLR Challenge		15-May-2007 21:13
Last thought for you, Michael....the image simply has more import for me with this being you...at some level I wonder if it isn't safer for you to hide behind the idea that this is Gaston Leroux and not you....but the picture has much more emotional import for me with this...being You. There you have it....a brave man vs. a fictional character. I do not find it unusual at all that I would find the former more appealing than the latter. Best Wishes, Traveller

Canon DSLR Challenge		15-May-2007 14:39
Well, I guess I'm one of the few who loved Phantom of the Opera and this is a terrific interpretation of both the book and the play! Great work Michael and wonderful PP too! Thanks for the link on photographing smoke. I'd really like to try this some time, well, the smoke thing, not the Phantom! ;-) CJ

Canon DSLR Challenge		15-May-2007 07:57
A human being full of feeling & longing? A person with depth and history? A man neither over weight nor rail-thin? A face that contains both wisdom and the pain that born that wisdom? A person finally unafraid to show all of this about himself? I find that to be a pretty rare thing....in anyone. I think you look awfully good. You wear your age well...there are many fine things about youth, beauty is one of them, and as a artist, I along with most people, have and do worship physical beauty. I've married it repeatedly, and repeatedly unsuccessfully. But then, unlike you, I am a shallow man. This is a very fine and meaningful self-portrait. Be proud...I will vote for it, now(smile) Very Best Wishes, Traveller

jnconradie		15-May-2007 05:25
Thanks, Michael, I really appreciate that info. Very gracious of you. Regards jnconradie

Guest		15-May-2007 04:45
Traveller, honesty (as they say) is an excellent policy. The model is me, only the third self portrait I've ever done and I hate doing them. I do old and decrepit without assistance...young and beautiful needs a model :-) -Michael

Canon DSLR Challenge		14-May-2007 22:47
No, Michael, the picture is wonderful....the exclusion of all colors except white, black and red, just...affecting. I would urge anyone to vote for this fabulous image...though I will not, to speak in all honesty. It is a picture full of real emotion...and I think that is your real attraction to it, beyond the fact that you created it of course. Who is the model, if you don't mind me asking? A friend, or you yourself? Best Wishes, Traveller

Guest		14-May-2007 21:15
Thanks all for the comments...deeply appreciated. Traveller, I'll merely say that, in my opinion, Stephen Sondheim is the genius of the American musical and all others pale by comparison...you can infer from there :-) I'll add that if you only see the phantom of the Webber musical represented here then I failed to properly represent the phantom of Gaston Leroux. Nico, I suppose that the proper way to do the smoke is to rent a smoke machine and light it properly...but I didn't go that far. The smoke was added in post. Several months ago, Barry sent me some good info on photographing smoke, see:http://www.photocritic.org/2007/artsmoke-photographing-smoke/ . The smoke in this image was from several images of smoke against a black background combined on a single layer. The smoke layer was the top layer, blending mode changed to "screen" (which makes the back background transparent). A layer mask on the smoke layer removes the majority of the smoke from the figure, but allowed me to let it swirl around the hand and edges of the figure. Hope that helps explain it. -Michael

Canon DSLR Challenge		14-May-2007 17:56
OH, TRAV!!!! Finally, a voice of reason!! Ugh, webber. Tell me... can you ever hear "slowly, gently..." (or whatever the words are), without singing "School days, school days, dear old golden rules days." in your head? Sigh.... ~ Lonnit

Guest		14-May-2007 17:47
Outstanding Michael, another superb entry. JudiB

Vikas Malhotra		14-May-2007 10:49
Simply Excellent Michael. Cheers< Vikas.

Canon DSLR Challenge		14-May-2007 07:50
Son of a Gun! How are you Julie? It is so nice to see your name.... As to this image, I have mixed feelings. I wasn't going to say anything but...I just never got The Phantom of the Opera thing....I've never liked any of it...to include the music. I am one of the few people that think that Andrew Lloyd Webber has actually been bad for the theater. My intense critical dislike for ALW colors everything I see about his work...so I really shouldn't say anything. I will note however that if you are ever in Paris, you must take the Paris Sewer tour...fabulous! Really....Lon Cheney could be down there, but nothing from mind and imagination of ALW. Sorry, Best Wishes, Traveller

Julie Bird		14-May-2007 04:47
A masterful use of colour and content. Wonderful. Julie

Canon DSLR Challenge		14-May-2007 00:07
Great!Great!Great!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Spectacular image!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!+!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Elena

Canon DSLR Challenge		13-May-2007 18:08
As usual, your attempt to raise the bar for yourself is successful! Extremely well done! -Cat

Canon DSLR Challenge		13-May-2007 13:15
If any image here will suffer from being "too good" and therefore not recieve votes in some misguided and jealous attempt to punish the artist for their extreme talent- this would be it. Jim H2

Canon DSLR Challenge		13-May-2007 10:38
one of your best! theFly

jnconradie		13-May-2007 10:24
Michael, this is such a superb piece of literature... and I have seen the musical... and the movie... more than just a few times! You did really well. The comments and thoughts in the field below the pic is also most thought-provoking. That twirl of smoke around his right hand is priceless. By the way, I have also tried (and failed!) doing smoke-filled pictures, so I would really love to know more about how you produced the smoke and how you lit it. Outstanding contribution and I am honoured that you went to so much trouble to produce this. Compliments and regards jnconradie

Canon DSLR Challenge		13-May-2007 05:09
Oh, my! So very well done. ~ Lonnit

Guest		13-May-2007 04:12
Thanks guys. I was interested in either the Phantom or the Picture of Dorian Grey, but I couldn't find a young handsome man so that I could be the ugly old portrait for the Dorian Grey idea, ergo I chose the monstrous route of what I could do on my own :-) -Michael

Canon DSLR Challenge		13-May-2007 01:44
Beautiful Michael, spectacular composition, striking contrasts and excellent portrayal of such a moving literary work. ~ Regards Melbob

Charlie Beck		13-May-2007 01:15
Extraordinarily well done, Michael. I saw both musical theatre versions of this show (Lloyd Weber’s version was my favorite), and of course I read the book. You captured a perfect image of the title character.