jewels session for "MODA"magazine

I think it's a great photo. I would like to see his eyes open wide and his hair dyed the same color as the cat- I know it's "hairless" but there is some fuzz there... that's about contrast- if they want to spotlight the jewelry more, he could reposition his hand and arm.

I like this photograph - a lot! The contrast in textures is lovely not to mention the black/white balance.

However, I find I am distracted by the watch to the point where my eyes do not easily find the rest of the picture to the right, instead returning to the watch in the foreground centre.

Breathtaking, just great! more please

Regards

Ray

Interesting discussion.
A very well-composed photo.
While the technicalities attract attention and praise, the composition, the set-up look very artificial.

First off very nice mood, but if I was the client would have said " What are we selling?" The jewellery needs to be seen more, so by cutting out the body & moving the vase & cat closer to his face,

Silvia could have come in closer and by using a long lens @ say F4 had the jewellery as her centre of interest with the models face slightly out of focus. Just my 5cents worth.

Regards,

Ray Roberts.

well done!

This is a very powerful image but the ring and the watch distracts my attention from the subject. Outwise, it's an out-standing image. Congrats.

Great idea, great job, fabulous compositon....simply a masterpiece! Best regards and congrats

this is great image..for me silvia used right kind of light to get separation from subject to back ground.

Excellent technique, nice composition, no emotions or point that I can see. It reminds me of "nature morte". Could work for juellery advertizing.

I know there is a point in there somewhere..i just cant figure out what. At the first glance i loved it, when i relooked at it, i think the watch and the ring are definitely an overkill. And it looks so well staged, as though it must tell a story, but fails to do so.
But definitely captivating..

I get a strong feeling of deja vu from this but I don't know why. Maybe it is because it looks like a million other pseudo-meaningful images generated by the advertising industry. Or maybe it is derivative or convergent on something. Clean and tidy enough but lifeless and I find it difficult to engage, I think because the cat's attention is elsewhere, the guy seems to have died, the jewelery seems a bit over obvious and the cat is in a particularly inelegant pose with it's fat flabby bulbous naked belly dominating. So a good eye magnet but does it go further?

I'm in two minds about the image. It's a brilliant idea, and the contrast actually works, so I do like image. I would have preffered if she'd used a naturally dark skinned model. The painted man makes the whole thing look a little contrived in my opinion, which detracts from it's dream like quality. Also, the composition already has a lot of contrast, so the lighting could have perhaps been a little less contrasted. But hey, that's probably what the client's brief called for. I also feel that with so much contrast your does tend to eye travel all over the image without coming to rest on any single point. Still a great image though, very creative and original.

This image makes me feel unconfortable, however it is elegant and attracts attention. Warm regards.

Lighting is well done. Technically, my eye keeps wandering to the ring & wristwatch. They're really non-elements and very distracting. I keep going back & forth between the man & cat. It holds interest. I just don't see the correlation between the two

1. The first thought that occurred to me was that it would be interesting to see how this image looks with the man's eyes open, and then I noticed others had mentioned this.
2. The cat should be placed slightly lower in the picture- there is not enough space between the cat and the top border IMHO for a perfect balance.
Jay

Is he really in blackface?

In my opinion there's too much art in this photo. I don't like it at all as a photography to have on my wall.
I think it would do an amazing job as an eye-catcher in an ad.
Technically the photo is superb, so it's all about the motif which just don't suit my taste.

I think it showcases the jewelry effectively. (I thought it was a cat and sleeping woman.) Lots of cat lovers out there, including me.

PS or not, it's a great example of holding shadow detail. I think the tonal range is what makes the picture interesting.

Cat vs Jewels

After seeing all the images and reading the concept, I, personally, believe that the concept is overshadowed by the cat…

They are great images, but you barely notice the jewels in the first photo (Cat/man/jewels); the second image, hairless cat paw… Scary! Beautiful jewels!! ; third image (cat and crown)… it looks like a computer graphic or animate for one of those fantasy or futuristic movies-cat eyes overshadow jewels; the last but not least (cat sitting facing the camera), the cat attracts all your attention, the jewels are almost blended with the rest of the dress. Your eyes are drawn to the cat as if it is the main subject, not the jewels. As I stated before, love the images! But I think the jewels are not shown off as the main product. But it is a fashion magazine… anything goes!!

The pictures are very dramatic and very striking, but it makes me want to buy a hairless cat more than any jewels.

As others have said, this is over-worked. But more importantly for me, the imagery is possibly trying to say too much and ends up conveying nothing. It even feels a waste of effort in attempting to sus it out!

I disagree with the views saying that the cat or the man alone could have created a better or a more powerful photo! I think the photographer has deliberately chosen both as they complement one another and create kind of a mystery moment shared by those jewels!
I believe that this is a very well composed photo which has nothing to do with advertising as those jewels are far from showing any details of jewelry artwork!
I give 10/10 to this photo.

 

I am very impressed by this
Many of the prevous negative criicisms, I believe, are the result of failure to recognize the artist's statement that it was shot for an advertisement for jewellry. As such, it should be judged in that context. Advertising is a surreal world/endeavor, and ignoring this a failure not of the image and it's creator, but of the commentator.
Congratulations to the photographer for excellent concept and execution.

I'd tend to agree with Wyne Melia here and look at this picture for what it is : an ad.
I think someone in this thread nailed it when suggesting that life is fragile, whereas jewelry lasts for ever. That's the concept I too read in this picture. And what a very audacious way to advertise for jewelry ! The man could be dead or asleep, and the cat looks a bit like some monster coming out directly from some science-fiction movie or some egyptian pyramid... So, yes, the desaturation of all elements in this composition except for the jewelry is indeed a common place, but all else seems very dary to me : this picture will make any magazine reader stop and feel uneasy, I'm sure. I can't imagine a more effective double-page spread ad... So, this week, I'll really congratulate the photographer and/or ad director for this concept.
Now, what about the execution : trendy, for sure. Modern. Bold. Striking. Well-composed. Well-lit - light does not have to come from one single direction in a set like this. The montage looks precise and well-done, although that's tough to judge at this size. So, for me, it all looks very professional. I like the deep blacks here for once, and I like the shine on the man's face - for which I wonder whether some silver fondation was used during make-up...?
So, anything wrong about this image at all...? In my opinion, no. It's all great, clever, striking, well done. The kind of POWs that I'd love to see more often on photo.net, and which allowed me as well to find an awesome and profesionnal portfolio.
Other pictures I like a lot in this series : http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=8579006 and http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=8598321
Another very interesting image : http://photo.net/photodb/photo?photo_id=8491400
And other very well executed photoshop pieces that are well worth seeing, in Mrs Bratanova's portfolio...