Jason-Gordon on DeviantArthttps://www.deviantart.com/jason-gordon/art/Sparring-577941306Jason-Gordon

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Sparring

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Description

I wanted to have a go at some sort of VFX based image. I didn't really know what I wanted (as may be obvious by the relatively cliché result), but it was a fun exercise.

I'm interested to hear people's opinions; does it read well? Is it just far too cliché? Let me know :)

Oh, and if you're interested, here's the original shot I took:
Sparring plate by Jason-Gordon

Also, I used a couple of stock resources from around here:
Statue: Mt Hachiman: 14
Summer in the Alps

:ahoy:
Image size
1500x1000px 358.5 KB
Make
NIKON CORPORATION
Model
NIKON D750
Shutter Speed
1/160 second
Aperture
F/4.0
Focal Length
17 mm
ISO Speed
100
Date Taken
Nov 13, 2015, 4:02:27 PM
Sensor Size
8mm
© 2015 - 2024 Jason-Gordon
Comments3
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ajiani's avatar
This is really cool! I love how you've worked the lighting into the models themselves, they seem to really BE in the space you've set out for them. The picture overall is awesome, the colors work well together though it's a tough job to create a balanced feeling with contrasting colors, you've managed that. One reason is that you've skilfully used white light where the "elements" meet, so they blend without cancelling out each other. You've also faded a lot of the background into black and that really makes the viewer focus on the most important thing, the duo's clashing abilities.

Maybe even a bit more contrast and shadow on the ground behind them, to really bring out how strong the blue and orange light sources are. The space now looks like it isn't really affected as much as I'd like to see from a heated battle. A really strong, long shadow might give a little more explosive feeling to the two abilities merging in the middle, and even some motion blur could enhance the movement. More contrast on light and shadow could cancel out the open feeling of the space and bring even more intensity and closeness. I get the feeling that this picture takes place a half a second before the actual BOOM. Why? The models have just a bit of a more relaxed pose than if they were actually fighting a force with their extended arms, which is a detail out of your hands as it is simply the stock image. The ground is intact when usually shrapnel, cracked pieces of rocks and stuff is flying about after an explosion. The part where the two abilities/elements meet, could send out a vertical halo like effect, a bunch of sparks, and I'd like to see the flames spreading out on the surface of that shield-like blue ability as if the flames crashed onto it and are licking all around the surface. Now it looks like it is JUST about to make contact. 

But the thing is all the choices you've made actually work together. The kind of slightly relaxed pose of the models combined with the "not quite the time for an EXPLOSION" moment, with the brilliantly held back use of extreme effects gives this a feeling of two friends or colleagues sparring.

One thing I'm questioning is the setting and the model's outfits. The scene is like straight from a game of Tekken with a mismatched couple and a mismatched randomly chosen battlefield, a game-y like feeling where their fantasy abilities fit the environment, but the characters don't. I wonder what the scene would look like taking place on a cold dark street corner where the characters would fit the environment but their abilities would be excitingly "out of place". 

Overall Fantastic job, has a great impact, all the choices you've made really work out for this piece. And, I love cliches, I think it looks great. :) Keep up the great work!