bobinder
ARTISAN
Thanks LCS, comments are always welcome - please don't feel intimidated!
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Cam's Camera: Mythology
- Thread starter bobinder
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petraherz
Governor
It seems that no sooner have I commented on my last Alice picture ('Reindeer Syndrome') about sources from her 'Shelter' series being rarely used in manipulations, than Kam identifies a pose from that very same series for blending into a new version of Sir Edward Poynter's famous painting. 'The Cave of the Storm Nymphs' has long been a favourite of mine, combining the genres of maritime painting and the female nude in a scene filled with awesome beauty and dramatic tension.
Elsewhere, I have been discussing Alice's portrayal of the femme fatale in recent works by @wikk and @Wragg , and this association is confirmed in the role provided here by Kam. Poynter's nymphs are as ambiguous as they are mysterious, assuming the qualities of both nymphs and sirens, a blend of types quite capable of luring a sailor for his pleasure as an alternative to his doom. Certain aspects and influences of the original painting were previously explored in Wragg's thread, 'Fit, Lovely Ladies Crucified' -
At the time that he was working on the painting, Poynter was a highly acclaimed artist at the height of his career, also being the Director of London's National Gallery and President of the Royal Academy. Whilst this particular work has provided inspiration for my own painting, Kam's introduction of Alice anticipates her impending role as a sirenesque character in an embryonic Bobinder project - a coincidence which is altogether remarkably prophetic.
I am pleased to see that Kam was able to work on a large scale for this manipulation. The painting is highly detailed, and justifies a large reproduction. Indeed, Kam has paid close attention to detail in terms of the scale, colour saturation and lighting of the new figure, and I am delighted to find my favourite muse so beautifully blended into one of my favourite paintings. The semi-reclining pose is perfect, and the melancholy expression seems to inspire the consolation of the painted figure beside her.
The overall effect produces a subtle, sensitive and sympathetic modification of the original composition. Poynter's figures lead the eye through a gentle curve up and down the picture, from upper middle distance to foreground, and back again. The compositional flow still works with Alice occupying the inside of the curve, although she now provides an alternative route for the eye to follow.
The source was photographed in bright sunlight at a wooden snow shelter on Ay Petri, and Kam has effectively reinterpreted these lighting conditions to complement the combination of backlighting and ambient light in the painting. This has been achieved by making colour and contrast adjustments to emulate the golden skin tones of the painted figures. The effect becomes more convincing once we observe the new shadows, carefully applied beneath Alice's legs. Equally important to the blending process is the use of a noise filter treatment which gives Alice's skin a vibrance and texture which approximates the influence of the woven canvas texture on the painted figures.
Kam's work also scores highly in terms of character interaction. Poynter depicted his nymph tossing a handful of gold coins in the air. The pile of coins is visible beside Alice's left leg, and now the nymph is caressing her hair. The airborne coins become slightly incongruous, but these are small details. Existing features are employed to disguise the fact that Alice's fingertips and toes are cropped out of her source photograph. And so her right foot disappears behind a pile of sea shells, and her left fingers are partly concealed behind her friend. Her right hand is visible in the source photo, between the buttocks and heels, but Kam has elected to delete this, and the hand is assumed to occupy a different position, somewhere out of sight.
Whilst Alice delivers the lascivious pose required by Valery Anzilov's erotic remit for Femjoy, her relaxed expression appears natural, suggesting some slight discomfort. This is consistent with the cold, breezy conditions on the exposed mountainside, which have produced goose bumps all over the model's skin, and particularly on her breasts. I tend to indulge most of the available opportunities to talk about Alice, and indeed Kam has employed her in some very original ways to date, but I hope the background detail helps to illustrate the high quality of the manipulator's work on this occasion. This is absolutely one of your finest interpretations, Kam.
I lost the original picture of Alice in this set by a mainboard crash, somewhere to found?
bobinder
ARTISAN
Hi Petraherz, here is the source image from 'Shelter', used by CamCrux in his 'Cave of the Storm Nymphs' manipulation.
CamCrux
Magistrate
Hesione was the daughter of Laomedon, king of Troy, and the sister of Priam.
The king had angered Apollo and Poseidon when he failed to pay the wage he had promised them for building the walls of Troy. While Apollo sent a plague on Troy, Poseidon chose a sea monster to punish the city.
Oracles assured Laomedon that if he sacrificed his daughter Hesione to be devoured by the sea monster the city would be spared. Thinking first of the fate of his city, the king did not falter and had his daughter exposed naked and fastened to the rocks near the sea.
However Herakles happened to be passing by with his friends Telamon and Oicles. He decided to save the princess if the king let him have some remarkable horses previously given by Zeus. A deal was struck. It is not clear if at that point the king had given up on saving Troy ...
In this decidedly macho scene, the hero is poised to slay the beast, while powerless Hesione is anxiously waiting for the outcome.
It is rumored that Laomedon, who may have been a bit stingy, failed to give Herakles the promised reward, which could explain why the hero later attacked Troy.
Modelling for Hesione is Mariposa.
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Mariposa makes an excellent stand in for Hesione, perhaps daring to look a fraction more optimistic now that a hero has decided to take his morning constitutional on just the right beach at just the right time! Surely Poseidon must be on the naughty step and the other gods have intervened?
What a nice surprise before my morning coffee - thanks @CamCrux!
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A nice gift for @Eulalia.
A gorgeous scene, a little unusual with the maiden bound on a nice sandy beach where if the monster doesn't get her, she's at risk of being drowned by the incoming tide (like my local martyrs were on the Solway) And Herakles is just telling her, 'Well, I could deal with that monster, no problem, but your Pa will have to pay my premium fee, I want horses, and not just any old nags, I mean horses of the gods!' She looks anxiously at him, 'Wh-what? Are you going to leave me here while you go and argue with my Daddy?' 'Oh, it shouldn't take long, I know how to strike a bargain, I've read "The Art of the Deal"- you just sweet-talk this monster guy, do a little dance for him, show off your assets to distract him - I'll be back as soon as I've got those horses.'
bobinder
ARTISAN
Variations of the 'Andromeda' formula have become something of a Kamerijk speciality. The manipulation treatments are developing a high level of refinement and 'Hesione' is no exception. Your previous 'Troy' picture depicts a later incident altogether, and I think the location here is coincidental.
Hesione was the daughter of Laomedon, king of Troy, and the sister of Priam.
The king had angered Apollo and Poseidon when he failed to pay the wage he had promised them for building the walls of Troy. While Apollo sent a plague on Troy, Poseidon chose a sea monster to punish the city.
Oracles assured Laomedon that if he sacrificed his daughter Hesione to be devoured by the sea monster the city would be spared. Thinking first of the fate of his city, the king did not falter and had his daughter exposed naked and fastened to the rocks near the sea.
However Herakles happened to be passing by with his friends Telamon and Oicles. He decided to save the princess if the king let him have some remarkable horses previously given by Zeus. A deal was struck. It is not clear if at that point the king had given up on saving Troy ...
In this decidedly macho scene, the hero is poised to slay the beast, while powerless Hesione is anxiously waiting for the outcome.
It is rumored that Laomedon, who may have been a bit stingy, failed to give Herakles the promised reward, which could explain why the hero later attacked Troy.
Modelling for Hesione is Mariposa.
The background shows a calm, sunny day, with hardly any sign of breakers on the beach. The sand is visible through the shallow water, and the scene presents clarity from the foreground rocks to the distant land mass on the horizon. An eroded aperture in the rock on the right, reflects the shape of the headland on the left, as well as the shape of the captive nude figure. The inserted figures have similar clarity, consistent lighting and convincing shadows - always a challenge where bright, directional sunlight is concerned.
The fact that both of the main figures are seen from behind implies that we are directly engaged as witnesses to this event. Herakles observes the movements of the aquatic monster, temporarily disadvantaged by the shallows, whilst Hesione remains concealed by the rock pillar to which she is chained by the wrists.
I believe Mariposa has featured in at least one of your earlier manips as well as various works by @pigeonwoo , @MahaShiva and @mvalim . We rarely encounter her in a rear view, and she might have cast a little more shadow on the rock, although that would be a very minor issue in a successful image, so full of tension and anticipation. This one has certainly been worth waiting for - nice work, Kam!
CamCrux
Magistrate
Thanks Bob and you're right, she should cast some shadow on the rocks. Don't know why I didn't think of it, and I'll correct it.Variations of the 'Andromeda' formula have become something of a Kamerijk speciality. The manipulation treatments are developing a high level of refinement and 'Hesione' is no exception. Your previous 'Troy' picture depicts a later incident altogether, and I think the location here is coincidental.
The background shows a calm, sunny day, with hardly any sign of breakers on the beach. The sand is visible through the shallow water, and the scene presents clarity from the foreground rocks to the distant land mass on the horizon. An eroded aperture in the rock on the right, reflects the shape of the headland on the left, as well as the shape of the captive nude figure. The inserted figures have similar clarity, consistent lighting and convincing shadows - always a challenge where bright, directional sunlight is concerned.
The fact that both of the main figures are seen from behind implies that we are directly engaged as witnesses to this event. Herakles observes the movements of the aquatic monster, temporarily disadvantaged by the shallows, whilst Hesione remains concealed by the rock pillar to which she is chained by the wrists.
I believe Mariposa has featured in at least one of your earlier manips as well as various works by @pigeonwoo , @MahaShiva and @mvalim . We rarely encounter her in a rear view, and she might have cast a little more shadow on the rock, although that would be a very minor issue in a successful image, so full of tension and anticipation. This one has certainly been worth waiting for - nice work, Kam!
If you wanted to send it to me in a pm, I can insert it into the original post if you'd prefer that, Kam.
mvalim
Magistrate
May be, some correction of the green reflex on the shadowed (right) part of her body would also be useful. (Probably, the original bakground was green)
CamCrux
Magistrate
Thanks for your comment and suggestion @mvalim. Mariposa does like to pose in the great outdoors, and the original image for my manipulation does contain a lot of green background : https://www.elitebabes.com/this-is-...-likes-to-chill-all-naked-3950/#gallery-01-18
However it doesn't really bother me that much here - maybe the greenish tint might be from the reflection of the sea ?
The RGB for that area of her body is something around 27.1, 21.2 and 7.5. If I lower the G too much, she will turn lobster red
mvalim
Magistrate
>The RGB for that area of her body is something around 27.1, 21.2 and 7.5. If I lower the G too much, she will turn lobster redThanks for your comment and suggestion @mvalim. Mariposa does like to pose in the great outdoors, and the original image for my manipulation does contain a lot of green background : https://www.elitebabes.com/this-is-...-likes-to-chill-all-naked-3950/#gallery-01-18
However it doesn't really bother me that much here - maybe the greenish tint might be from the reflection of the sea ?
The RGB for that area of her body is something around 27.1, 21.2 and 7.5. If I lower the G too much, she will turn lobster red
Technically, I use in such cases mainly the tool "Replace color" in Photoshop. It includes ajustments of darkness and saturation of a selected range of colors, together with the color tone; as a result, it allows significantly reduce an unfortunate reflex.
mvalim
Magistrate
Returning to this comment, I have made a fast correction, just as an example:Thanks for your comment and suggestion @mvalim. Mariposa does like to pose in the great outdoors, and the original image for my manipulation does contain a lot of green background : https://www.elitebabes.com/this-is-...-likes-to-chill-all-naked-3950/#gallery-01-18
However it doesn't really bother me that much here - maybe the greenish tint might be from the reflection of the sea ?
The RGB for that area of her body is something around 27.1, 21.2 and 7.5. If I lower the G too much, she will turn lobster red
CamCrux
Magistrate
Zeus does it again
Everyone is familiar with the story of Ganymede, the handsome lad ("the loveliest born of the race of mortals", writes Homer in the Iliad) who was abducted by Zeus from Mount Ida in Phrygia to serve the gods as a their official cup-bearer. For the occasion the kings of gods had assumed the shape of an eagle.
It is also an open secret that Zeus was a great fan of females, divine or mortal, so there is little doubt that he must have repeated the same tactics on more than one occasion, although the poets have left no record of them.
I have attempted to illustrate one of those divine abductions, with a young woman being flown up to Mount Olympus, much against her will as we can suppose.
Everyone is familiar with the story of Ganymede, the handsome lad ("the loveliest born of the race of mortals", writes Homer in the Iliad) who was abducted by Zeus from Mount Ida in Phrygia to serve the gods as a their official cup-bearer. For the occasion the kings of gods had assumed the shape of an eagle.
It is also an open secret that Zeus was a great fan of females, divine or mortal, so there is little doubt that he must have repeated the same tactics on more than one occasion, although the poets have left no record of them.
I have attempted to illustrate one of those divine abductions, with a young woman being flown up to Mount Olympus, much against her will as we can suppose.
cynthia the inocent
Tribune
And I bet she enjoyed it to
These randy Gods... is no woman safe?
nor even beautiful boys - those gods were inclusive!These randy Gods... is no woman safe?
M
montycrusto
Guest
What about randy God-Emperors..?These randy Gods... is no woman safe?
