Here’s the Photo of the Day.
Like it or not? I’d love to know, and it would be good for everyone if you told me why.
[BTW, this image is from our "OGI" file. What's that? Well...when Scott and I are editing photos after a shoot, combing through thousands to find the select few that see the light of day, we employ a practice that I can’t recommend highly enough. That practice is to put those surprise images--the unexpected happy accidents that have merit, but maybe aren't relevant to the job we're editing--into a file of their own with other like-minded (bizarre, unique, etc) images. We call that file “Otherwise Gifted Images”. That's sort of what I meant by the title of this post. It's got a double meaning... in one sense, like this image or not, the practice of saving random, unexpected stuff to a common file, or tagging it a certain way, is a good practice. In another sense, I do want to know if you like this photo or not. I'm bias, but I love it. In fact, I took a spin through that whole file last night and fell in love all over again with about 40 photos.. I’ll be sharing more of them over time.]
I like it, but I wish it was rotated the right way. When I first looked at it I had no clue what was going on and then I realized half was underwater and the other was out. I do like it though!
The deceptive orientation is why it’s so great!
Totally agree with you William!
Seconded! change the orientation, change the meaning from the photographer’s POV. I think it’s a bit ugly, but that’s what makes it great.
It’s all about the orientation. I thought it was a guy standing with his head either side of a sliding glass door frame at first glance. Then I processed that his body wouldn’t be different sizes either side of the frame, then I realised it was underwater and only then did I discover the sideways house and tree. Any photo that can have me double/triple/quadruple take like that is a winner. I think you’re very right to love it.
Very intriguing composition bordering on scary. Like it. P
That’s why it’s a good photo…
ohhhhh!!!!! i thought he was holding a sword or stick or something. love the photo more knowing the half water thing. Great shot! very interesting!
My thoughts exactly
A sword or sth. like it, but only then did I realize the building and the tree to be sideways… 
I like it.
I think it grew on me… it works the way it is. I think it is one of those photos you keep coming back to in order to see what you can see different.
Like! why? because it drew me in right away. …that’s all i need from a great photo.
I like it b/c it took me a few minutes to figure out exactly what I was looking at.
I completely agree with Claire, i like anything i cant figure out immidiately. at first i thought it was just a splice of one picture taken completely underwater and one above, but then I tilted my head and laughed to myself.
It’s a very interesting one for sure. The play from the magnification of the water is great. Love the image, and thanks for the OGI tip.
Love it! At first I was trying to figure out what he was holding in front of his face – perhaps a piece of glass or something? Then I started noticing the water drops rolling to the left then figured out the swimming pool part. Any photo that keeps my interest for that long is definitely one I LIKE!
Wow, very good.
Liked it the first time I saw it, but took me about 90 seconds to understand it.
It got me thinking … thah’s gotto be a good sign.
At first glance i didn’t know it was half underwater… but then after a close-inspection.. i love it!
I like it but I’m trying to reverse engineer it to no avail
oh oh oh oh…I just read the comments above me and I got it…NICE ONE!!! I wouldnt have understood it if you gave me 24 hours to think about it
Like but kinda uncomfortable viewing. I feel as if the central divide is poking me in the forehead and I’m rolling my head around to look around the image. It’s gets easier to view the more I look at it, I’m putting that down to the right hand side of the image, right side saves the image with a tiny bit more eye detail. In my opinion anyway
Loving it. It’s got a boatload of personality (pun intended, sorta). It’s ackward and makes you step back and look at it for a second time, which i love in pictures. It makes you go back when flipping through a magazine.
Also, i can’t believe i’m gonna say this… but’m wondering what it could look like if half of it was in color… underwater/not kind of thing.
Cheers,
LIKE. this image kinda makes you go, niceee….ow wait. what the?!? Awesome!!!
I like it. The distortion in the face creates interest and your eyes travel all around the photo trying to make it make sense to your brain. It is an attention getter.
I really like this photo, but it took me a few minutes to figure out why. There’s a certain duality about it. Maybe it’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde quality to it, and it also has a russian doll aspect, like the body on the right would fit neatly inside the body on the left. I also love the way the dividing line of water changes the facial expression, i.e., on the left his mouth is neutral or almost frowning, but on the right the corners of his mouth go up, almost a smile or smirk. In any event, this is the type of photo that really catches someone’s eye and causes them to give it more than a casual glance. Nice job.
Reminded me of Charles Bronson
Like it but I’d say match the ratio/proportion so that it takes even longer to figure out what’s going on. kudos
I also like it because it instantly dragged me in because I wasn’t sure what was going on or how it was composed…simply creativity at it’s finest
Like… because it makes your brain work for a bit to understand what’s going on, then you start looking deeper into the photo to see if there’s anything else weird!
I like it! It took me a few seconds to determine that it was taken partially underwater. Very cool effect! I love photos that make me take a second or third look. Good job!
It’s a very weird photo, but I like it. I like odd photos, great job.
Love it. Sometimes a picture just makes you feel. The duality comment above is what I felt. You can see two sides of a person in one shot. Engrossing, interesting, sexy, and dark all in one.
I like the rotation. I have a similar one that I present upside down. http://bit.ly/e3b9q8 (first one in the 4th last row. I’d link directly but I’m at work and cant get to my server from here.) I like the underwater magnification effect in yours. I did’nt even realize it was sideways for the first 30 seconds.
Love it. Think it should be orientated in landscape though. Although that may make it easier to figure out.
I don’t like it at all. Experimenting is cool, and it’s a great idea but something here bothers me. Could be the rotation, distortion, black and white, or just the look on his face. It’s just not interesting enough for me to want to really keep looking at it.
I wouldn’t hang it on my wall, or go running to show people. In that sense I guess I dislike it.
But the concept is cool.
It’s like 2 different worlds. The serene underwater world, and the busy world above the water.
Don’t like.I admit it’s creative but it just doesn’t do it for me. Took a while to figure it out as well.
I think I like it. It’s got an Incredible Hulk transformation feel to it. :c) It’s like he’s growing into the bigger man. I like that. Thanks for sharing and letting us be part of what you’re doing, Chase. You’re an inspiration.
PS: I liked your idea about filing these kind of images on a folder by themselves. Great idea!
I like the idea, I like the left side, with the magnification, but it doesn’t matter what I do, or how I look at, the water line really gets on my nerves. It keeps drawing my focus in, then the brightness and thickness of it means I only see the rest of the photo in my peripheral vision. I need to refocus again. I have to work at seeing this photo, the stopping power of this is stopping me from enjoying it.
Sorry, not a fav of mine.
HA! It was only after reading the comments that I realized it was taken on a pool and it was rotated! Kept thinking it was a bathroom mirror! No clue it was water! hahahaha… oh my…
Like the idea of rotating a photo taken landscape to portrait orientation.
It’s visually interesting but I find myself looking for eyes and an unbroken smile.
Kind of interesting. Took me a couple seconds to understand it. I like it because it reminds me of the hulk. The right side of the image is the human-self, but the left side (the under water) looks like the Hulk. Larger than life.
I like the strong textures in this photo.
LOVE IT! its one of those that make you go… huh?, oh, cool! the fact that it is vertical also adds to that surprise. it would have been less fun if it were horizontal.
LOVE IT! Like others it took me a minute to figure it out–but I like that it just made me stare at it for a while.
I don’t like it. It hurts my neck to look at it.
Did he slice the camera into two ?
like it cuz it makes you look longer than a few secs. fun work
Thanks for posting Chase! I like it. Portrait works for me here because the right side (lighter) pulled me in with some degree of force and then pushed me under the water to the (darker) side. He facial expression remains a mystery in a fascinating form.
I like it – changing the colour and orientation completely transforms the image.
Would be interesting to take out the background and simplify the image even further but also making it harder to read.
I personally don’t like it. It bothers me when faces/heads are distorted. The fact that the image is split in two I find my eyes fighting to focus, and it actually gives me a headache.
I find it a little disturbing, but I liked it even before I figured out how it was taken. That little moment of realisation made me like it more.
I like it, but I’d change the orientation to Horizontal. Perfect example of how trying new things leads to extraordinary photos.
Like it… and here’s why: As artists on a commercial shoot, or even an wedding portrait session, you essentially are creating an event inside an event. That is what being an artist is about: there’s no such thing as a happy misteak… misteaks happen for a reason. Never forget the ART in photography! Seriously, It’s there, you just have to be able to see it. phoTogRAphy —> yphARgoTohp
I hated it at first… I couldn’t figure out what I was looking at. After I studied it and figured out what it was, I began to fall in love with it. The center divide is a bit bright and distracting, so it is kinda hard to look at, but I think the subject matter overrides that. I really like it now.
Losing the house from the background would make it awesome. The tree is the first one that gives the orientation out (quite swiftly despite what some say) and editing that one out would already make the effect more enjoyable.
So at least the tree out of the picture and finding out how to achieve this with the model having less squinted eyes (clearly a situation where it’s quite hard for the model =) would make this probably even better.
Additionally editing out that small tree top peeking from the right side (or top) of the house would put out a bit of distraction. I like that the trees in the lower right corner is OK as they balance the composition with the house above.
Also. I really like the light in the left part with caustics and everything. Giving just a hint of boost for the light on that side might do good, maybe even boosting it partly. The right side is now a bit contrast-heavy compared to the left side (even though I like the contrast-contrast
that actually my eyes clearly wander mostly on the right side and all the coolness of left seems to be left slightly out despite of the greatness of the texture of the reflective light.
And to answer the question which I forgot: Yes I like it. There’s a great potential in this picture and I think a small amount of further tweaking would bring it to “the max” =D
Technically it’s cool, the way the water distorts the range of the lens and makes him look closer underwater vs. above water. Other than that, it’s just a goofing-around snapshot that belongs in a family photo album and an outside viewer would have no connection to. That’s how I see it anyway, doesn’t mean I’m right.
I like the rotation as it is. I think part of the appeal is the initial head scratch reaction where you have to give pause and figure out what is actually going on with the photo. Great idea with the OGI file!
I don’t care for it. I find the background distracting and the depth of field seems off to me.
I dig the shot, composition is uber cool…theres just something about the model that i don’t connect with, feels like john cougar meloncamp which reminds me of the 80′s, to wit i was a uncool pimply nerd when people made fun of me….so this photo makes me feel like its making fun of me…
I agree with Optic Bard. I’m not a big fan of this. It was kind of cool when I realized what was actually going on, but the more I look at it, the more I find it hard to look at. Cool concept though. I really feel it would be more appealing for me if it was oriented naturally, because it would still be a cool photograph and maybe not so hard to focus on.
I like it, I like that it isn’t what it seems like first. It looks like a cool leaned back pose at first, like you could make that pose if you were standing and leaning back half in and out a window because of the obvious diffraction….then you realize he’s not. Merits more time looking at it then most images. Cool, fun, not sure what you’d use it for though.
What I like about it is how it holds your interest as you try to decipher what it is. It holds plenty of visual interest. Very cool concept
Like it! So creative and I love how you rotated it, it throws the viewer off for a moment and makes them really look at the image.
You know…I like, but I don’t love it. I wouldn’t stare at this image for a while, and get lost in it. I appreciate everyone wants to give you (Chase) the right “Sunday School” style answer….but me….I am going to lean towards, No.
I find that abstract (for me, just my opinion haters) tends to lose much of the emotion when it involves people. I would rather looks at the emotion of the image, the expressions from an almost editorial stand point.
Just me…..maybe on a bad day.
At first glance it did nothing for me. I’d have flicked straight past it in a flickr pool (excuse the pun). But because I bothered to look at it more closely (because you asked me to!) I stopped to work out what it was and looked at it in its correct orientation, where I found it a lot more interesting and pleasing to the eye. Sometimes these odd rotations work, but in this case the pic is stronger and more interesting the right way up.
Like other commenters above, I didn’t like it at first because I couldn’t create a context for it. BUT….I *HAD* to keep looking at it trying to get the context, I couldn’t let it go.
After I “got” it, I still liked it…although (also mentioned above) maybe not in a “print this up put it on my wall and in my portfolio” sort of way?
I like it… at first its almost arresting; but then as you look at it again it reminds me of Jekyll and Hyde, like you are truly showing two personalities at the same time. Its not a beautiful picture but it is worthy of discussion.
Exactly, momentarily interesting, but then, meh…
Did not like this one. Cool idea that was well executed, but the photo is uncomfortable to look at.
Like it. Why? Because I’ve never seen anything like it before. And it’s creatively mind-bending. Two ingredients to a great image if you ask me.
Don’t know, but for some reason I get a bit of Herb Ritts feel from it.
Nice concept. And I like the OGI theme-ing, will be borrowing that for my photos as well. The photo itself is so-so
Like – my geekiness had me guessing as to what you had done. Didn’t notice the trees right away.
I like it! The orientation is delightfully confusing, and it inspired me to turn it more and dissect it from every angle, though I do like this orientation best because it is the “traditional style portrait” in a completely non-traditional portrait. I’m also in love with the magnification the water gives to the left side of his head, especially since the background of that side is so uncluttered like the other side, it seems so say that the calm, quiet and contemplative side of this man gets compressed into the activity of the outside world.
Thanks for another thought provoking image Chase!
In my humble opinion, this photo misses the mark. It seems as though the photographer is reaching to be creative. I do not understand the benefit of the effect.
Sorry, but I hate it. I have no idea what is going on in the photo. Is that a sword in front of his face?
Like I like to call these epic accidents
It’s weird and that insteresting to me. I like it.
I like it, and I like the image orientation – as Mark Romanek puts it: “if a broken chair has more latent resonance, then break the chair”. The image is ‘right-brain’ / interpretive, thus engaging…
Love the OGI idea…
Overall I really like it, it’s very interesting and different from anything I’ve seen. It does have a creepy quality to it that is hard to describe but it is what it is.
It’s very interesting but honestly it took me around 15 seconds to really understand what I was looking at. Would be a nice to display in a art gallery but definitively not on an ad… or maybe….
well, it sure makes a lot of talk! Great pics!!
Sorry doesn’t work for me. Not enough light contrast on the left, looks too much like too images stiched together. Just my two cents worth.
I like it. I like it because it made me work at deciding how it wound up looking this way…my first leap was assuming that it was a sweaty guy captured partially in a mirror while standing (yard /pool maintenance man leapt to mind), and it wasn’t (ok I’ll be honest and admit I did not get to rotating the image before I read that someone else did). Otherwise the shot’s crispy and contrasty and interesting.
Nope, don’t like it. The picture is all about effect. But the effect doesn’t serve a purpose. So the effect is just a gimmick.
I feel like the water surface should be horizontal. Otherwise a great photo!
Great photo. I like the originality and the choice to make it black and white. It makes it more interesting. I had to look at it for awhile to realize the left side is underwater. Very well done.
I *love* this shot!
The fact that you oriented it this way and framed it so tightly make it really hard to see what’s going on without looking closely. It’s immediately fascinating and intriguing. As it is, he could be a guy standing partially behind an overflowing glass watertank. The reflections in the windows and what I presume is a tree behind him indicates that he’s really in a horisontal position halfway submerged. Of course, it being B&W is what makes all this mystery possible. There’s also an interesting duality between the very clean, simple, and seemingly closer left side and the more detailed, busy, and seemingly distant right side. I also love his expression.
I like it.
Don’t take me too much time understand the photo, because see the TECH_ Underwater Camera episode =)
Thanks for the unrecommend tip.
I don’t know how long it would have taken for me to figure it out w/o someone saying it. Your rotation of it actually makes a big difference in my perception of the photo. I like it.
I like this. It makes you think and not think at the same time, especialy for me after deconstructing it I see more. I liket that it’s rotated 90 degrees from ‘normal’ I like the Ying/Yang thing going on. THe play of light and shadow is great. the use of soft and hard focus, the clean and simple background on the left vs the clutter we live in on the right. I like the tree growing out of his neck/shoulder. This would be a fun concept for a book, with athletes, celebreties and regular people.
I can see why you kept it. Very inspiring.
like it vertical.
love it horizontal.
I think it’s plenty cool as shot, no need to turn.
I think horizontal loses strength.
Love it! It took me a few seconds to realize what was going on. Anything that throws you off and makes you think is interesting. I’m keeping up my Project 365 at http://bit.ly/iabMgf and I’d love to get more stuff that makes people think. This gives me inspiration…thanks!
i think its awesome! i like the way its rotated because it leads you to believe the guy is standing in front of a window inside a house or something then when you turn your head you see a completely different image.
I really like how you changed it to a portrait layout so at first it’s sort of jarring and confusing to see the water line going up and down. Great photo!
It also took me a minute to figure it out. It feels kind of like when I look at something with one eye at a time. One eye has a slightly different focal point. If I could stitch them together without my brain interpreting, it would look something like the guy photo.
.
Yes, I like this picture.
Why?
Because I know how difficult it is to do a split shot like this with the lens half in the water and half out of the water. What most probably don’t realize is just *how much* the water moves when you’re trying to do this. So most of the shots are blurry, or 1/3rd of the frame is underwater, or nothing’s underwater, etc.
Also, I’m digging the gorgeous and even light and shadows.
Well done, Sir.
.
Love it! Made me sit up straight in my chair and lean closer to my monitor. In this day, any image on the web that gets a persons attention for more than about 10 seconds, is most likely a fairly interesting image.
I would print this LARGE and hang it for sure!
I like it. I can’t explain why, but I feel this nervous energy when I try to resolve the two halves of the face. Very cool!
1000 times better with the original orientation
I like it a lot. What’s nice is that the ‘twist’ is very subtle. I like the B&W conversion as well, it helps the mystery. If I saw blue water and a blue sky, it would be blatantly obvious what’s going on. At first glance, I thought it was two images, and slowly I figured it out (with a little help from comments above admittedly).. .but very fun.
hard to look at at first, but I cam back it three times. There is so much personality in that expression. At first I thought it was two pictures b/c the left side looks like a difference facial expression due to the refraction through the water.
I like how you got the sky and the underwater background to look very homogenous.
I think the house in the background is a bit distracting I want to see more definition in his hair outside the water. Pat of what hits for me is how the hair is diffuse underwater, but has real crisp lines outside. I would like it better if that was accentuated. It would also add a lot more mystery to the image as it would be harder to tell what is going on.
I like the picture but I am not sure I would want to hang it up in my house as art (the image is to invasive, part of what makes it good), would be a better commercial piece, would make a great image for a print add
There is something about this image that I’m particularly drawn to. It’s interesting….there is something about the background elements on the right of the frame that I’m not expecting relative to the subject, but at the same time not quite out of place. There’s a very strange feeling in terms of dimensions and space for this frame.
If nothing more, it’s attention grabbing! I like it! I like it a LOT!
Picture is awesome. How often does a portrait give you two different views of the same subject. Works on the best levels, fun and interesting.
Not my thing… but I do like that is was shot in B/W
Both like & dislike !
…. I love that it makes you think about it because it’s unusual & could almost represent a split personality of the subject …
I had to think about it for a while before I realised what bothered me about it … but I think it’s that the side of his head that is magnified by the water doesn’t have a symmetrical perspective (if that makes sense) & the top of the head is cut off only on that side – I’m no expert here so don’t shoot me … but to help explain, I want to move an inch or so to the left (or up) with the camera.
I know I’m being nit picky & thanks so much for sharing & spreading the Love
Although I’m a huge fan of most of your pictures, this one makes me feel uncomfortable…as if I have a scary and dizzy vision during a high fever! But that’s just me!
Having said that, I like the way you caught the water drops on his shoulder on the right side, the rim light on the jaw and shoulder on the left side plus the light streaks on his chest.
It really draws me in partially because the orientation and the split. It makes you do a double/triple take on it noticing other nuances of the image each time.
LOOOOVE IT! Any photograph that makes me think is cool in my book!
I like that it’s different and takes a moment to figure.
However, overall I don’t care for it. For me, it doesn’t flow with my eye, it’s too jarring and dis-associative. I immediately disliked the image when I saw it, though I’ll admit it did intrigue me enough to hold my attention. (part of that was you asking for opinions)
So, my final opinion is that I don’t like it aesetically, but it is a good conversation piece and if it were hanging in a gallery, I would take a moment to look at it and discuss it.
Toughie. I like the concept, great use of water but am bummed at one side being a tad over exposed, the other being under exposed. Would like more structure and contrast. I keep lookin, it’s growing on me. Would have been hard but an HDR of this would have been cool.
I like it a lot. Photographs that make you stop and scratch your head to figure out exactly what you are looking at (if done well) are some of the best. Any photograph that gets people to slow down and really look is a success.
PS. Maybe I should add ( to my remarks above ) that this photo makes me think of some of the paintings of Picasso and Kandinsky. Have you been taking art classes?
Don’t like it. The reason is that it’s a bad portrait. A good portrait provides a vivid view of a person’r state of mind and personality. This picture doesn’t do that. The slice and distortion detract from the person’s expression so you end up with little more than a smirk.
If I ignore the fact that it is a portrait, I can see why people might like it. It is an interesting art shot.
I like it. It’s interesting. It makes me think.
This is what I call a development reference shot, you know you are on to something but the experimentation needs to go further to achieve your final goal, sometimes you don’t get to that point and just move on but then one day in future something hits you and you know how to make the shot work.
Every artist needs to do this type of stuff once in a while and try to come up with something slightly different or new.
I like the division of light and shadow and the distortion between the 2 sides….adds to the feeling I get of distorted personality…like testosterone is raging and there is satisfaction in that.
I don’t know the context of the actually shoot though.
Thanks,
Jackie
**Love your books Seattle 100 & The Best Camera…
Great image which speaks for itself, so why are you asking for commentary?
The dramatic facial asymmetry makes it seem freakish, and made me contemplate how we value symmetry so much.
Don’t like it……it was interesting to look at for a second but after it didn’t do anything except for making me cross-eyed for a second. You can’t like em all sorry Chase.
I like it. I think it’s awesome. But I think photography is so subjective, I love alot of stuff.
I have a smart collection of images like this. But I dont call them OGI’s I call them ‘misfits’
Some of my favorite images come from this folder.
I like it. The image grabs your attention, makes you look, and look again. And the rotation, combined with distorted watery half image, creates tension and brings an interesting psychological aspect to the portrait. It’s both disturbing and intriguing.
Love it! Why? Because the unexpected aspect of it made me do a double-take when I saw it and immediately made me smile. Without over-analyzing, that gut reaction says to me Love It!
Not crazy about it, but images are all about context and intent. Put that image in a context and it might be the shiz. In a strange way it does compell me to look. Successful, whether I like it or not.
Love it. at first not so much….a little disconcerting and at first caused me to feel a little like i had left one of my contacts out. Once I really looked at it, argued with my friend (she didn’t like it…..doesn’t think images should be “weird”. I like the contrast of the expression that really isn’t a contrast…its the same expression, I know, at first seems like it is not.
Makes you keep looking until you figure it out. Love it. any image that makes you look until you get your brain to figure out what you are seeing, in my opinion, has won.
Actually the shot is weird to me.
Somehow it attract you and make you wonder what going wrong with the pics.
So the work is done…
at first, I didn’t realize its about Water
I like it
It’s interestingly quirky – but I wouldn’t like it enough to upload to a website. Just a random blog type thing like this.
A photo that demands more than a first glance will get approval from me more times than not because a photo should always stir an emotion or a thought. This one really drew me and to be honest, stumped me for a minute. Like others I thought this was an OGI photo because of the manipulation through glass since I have never seen it happen but then like others I stopped looking at the man and more at the details surrounding him. Thanks for the Friday morning challenge, better have my coffee first next time.
I like this picture. The subject is strong. The ninety degree rotation made me think. The distortion is natural – water.
i’m with oliver and some of the other folks above. it took me a few glances to figure out what was going on, and with each look where i picked up something different, i liked the picture more and more. when i finally spotted the trees, it all made sense! i think it would have been a less interesting picture oriented in landscape.
My first reaction was “that’s interesting”, but then my eyes started feeling funny.
Like very much. It’s a beautiful optical WTF.
Though I’d love to play with the “color” to bring out certain details etc.
Like! Because as a good photo should, it draws you in and invites you to spend some time.
What makes this photo to me is purely that it is interesting and it draws me in.
In this over-saturated world of images, videos, and the like. Isn’t capturing something interesting what matters? A reader’s attention? A pause to just like in a little longer.
Now that I’ve been drawn in, I notice other things as mentioned above, such as, orientation of the photo, that the distortion is due to water, but I also like the tree and how he is framed against the building. While those could be “happy accidents” they could also be compositional choices, as Chase could have also moved in the water to capture this from a different vantage.
I like it. Kind of reminds me of Two-face from Batman with different sides, but that just my geek showing.
I don’t like it.
It’s too distracting right off the bat.
Liked it! why? coz it kept me stuck, drooling all over the guy for more than 60 seconds. Thats a big big achievement for any fotograph!
I like it. One of those photos that makes you ponder and wonder. I haven’t pinpointed what it is about the photo just yet that attracts me to it. But it keeps bringing me back.
I like it and I dont.
Great photographs to me have tension in them. This definitely has tension, but it also is painful, drives me crazy to look at it.
Should have pressed the trash can icon twice…Gone.
Nice. Looks like Mark Walhberg on the left an jason Bateman on the right! with a bit of Chase Jarvis thrown in for good measure…
I love it but would also like to see it in color
I really like it. It reminds me to Fringe… the person in two parallels universes at the same time… maybe crossing between them…
Hah. Ingenious, Chase!
Don’t like it. It’s very disturbing to have the face half/half and not match. Even when I turn it to see the proper orientation, it makes me wonder why it couldn’t have been taken with a proper lense that doesn’t distort underwater. That would’ve been cool.
I think if the photo where rotated the way it was originally shot it would be boring. I think that having it rotated this way lends interest to the photo. It makes the viewer stop and think for a second about whats going on. Is that not what art is supposed to do?
Don’t like it. Neither funny nor visually appealing.
I like it because it makes the view return more than once and each time he rewarded with an “extra” discovery. Like Watching “Shrek” or the “DaVinci Code” and discovering all those things you missed the first time.
At first I couldn’t tell what it was. Then looking at it a second time still didn’t figure it out until I read the first comment. Does this make it a good thing? Well honestly people that I know that just like to look at pictures would most likely just pass right by this one not analyzing it, and even when I came back a 2nd time and found out exactly what it was, I am still not super crazy about it but I do like the concept. Maybe it’s the black and white like someone mentioned above? IDK…but either way man keep shooting and posting, I love it.
Thanks,
I like, reminds me of psychology and the subconscious specifically. It’s like an iceberg- the surface is little compared to the vast size of whats underneath the surface or in other words we are only aware of a tiny part and beneath our awareness is a huge amount of “stuff” that may go un seen ninja style. I like how the part of the man is bigger under water compared to what is above water. maybe i’m reading too into this. composition is cool. I like how i had to figure it out rather than see the obvious from the get go. nice work Chase as always. peace.
I love it, and I love the orientation. It’s challenging and quizzical. As viewers we’re required to pause, see it, take it in and figure it out – which is something I very much like in images. I am taken by the blankness of the negative space on the left and the very busy, nearly symmetrical space on the right. Moreover Hunky McHunkerson there doesn’t make my eyes bleed after staring at the image for any length of time
Nah. I want to like it, but it just doesn’t sit right with me. I feel like it’s trying too hard to be different.
K.I.S.S.
I think it’s a beautifully simple capture with no pre-conceptions and that’s what makes it so organic. The fact that it’s black and white makes it so strong, for me it would not work in colour.
Great shot Chase.
Nah, I don’t like he big separation line in between, if you would have got close with a normal lens, the line would have been negligible, and then I would have liked this shot so much !
Like it very much. At first it took me a second to figure out what he was doing…but then I remembered some underwater pics shown to me from a friend. Clever. It made me think…and I think that’s the point.
J.
I totally agree with what you posted. Many of us photographers shoot thousands of images and we only pick a select few to go up. It also sucks because although we like a creative standpoint some images we shoot, we know we can’t show them off to our clients or anyone else because we’re so caught up with trying to show our “best.”
Anyway, I like this one a lot because it forces me to look around the whole picture to catch all the details and to even figure out that he was underwater. I kind of wish it were in color, but I’m guessing the black and white makes it a bigger mystery as to where he’s located.
LIKE – because it made me look again and again and again and go hmmm…
Hi Chase,
I like the weirdness and Black and white processing. Your portrait looks a little bit like the portraits of a dutch famous photographer ”Anton Corbijn”.
like it. This photo makes me asks questions. That’s why it is good.
I like it if it’s Aquaman’s profile pic.
Cool pic dude.
I’m fairly bias to anything underwater…love it.
I love this. At first I thought it was a cracked mirror and then realized it was half underwater.
I like it! I like the distortion that isn’t distortion. I’m drawn to the two eyes that are different sizes and the then to the two sides of the head that match but don’t match. Entirely captivating…
Like it. It’s the first impression I get. I like it. I like that portrait. The big side vs the small side. Dark vs light. Soft vs detail. The soft edge of the person vs the hard edge of the building. I like the dividing line. I like that it makes me ask what kind of photoshop trick is this, but then to see that it’s just a photo rotated 90 degrees, makes it real. It seems to, almost, take more imagination just to rotate it.
I like it, the depth of the right side of the face looks cool and the left side underwater. Is that a sword in the middle?
LOVE it!! I could spend so much time in this image. That’s what we want, aye? more of this subject, please! (who is he?)
dig this photo. Although, once I looked at the photo orientated horizontally I kept rotating my laptop to see it horizontally again and again.
Okay here is the deal with this photo and why it has merit to me!
It’s a simple thing really because it does one thing when you see it and that is … It makes you take a 2nd look, there is no choice in the matter you just have to do it, Oh yeah you can fight the urge but you will lose that battle rather quickly!! and I will be taking that advice Chase thanks for your talent and wisdom.
Fascinating shot, I find it odd that both the close and far in mages are in focus,
i’m not a fan of the photo. IMHO It’s kinda “gimmicky” with the distortion, not much in terms of composition, expression and story telling either. I realize not every photo has to be perfect so i put it the “snap shot” category. Some people may love it for personal reasons but thats it. Peace
It’s like a car accident. You can’t help but stare even though you know you shouldn’t
It evokes an emotion in me, and just enough to have a second look. I think it is an interesting one, but not totally out of the box
It doesn’t work well in this form–murky on the left, messy on the right–but it certainly suggests an interesting line of experimentation to complete the concept, and there, for me, is where its value lies.
Intriguing photo, I’m a fan. It took me a while to figure out.
Very nice photo. I like it.
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