The Lone Warrior: A Senior Black + White High Dynamic Range Diptych by Jeremy Cliff (2016)

The left picture is of a bunch of dull, dying flowers with two bright, lively flowers in the middle. I chose the flowers because they symbolize my message very well. My message is making the most of life, regardless of its problems. The white (pink in real life) flowers are still blooming despite the dull atmosphere, whilst the other flowers have all died off. The overall color of the background is very dark and dreary, which is a big contrast to the foreground flowers. The other picture is of a lone tangerine on a small tree. This again, represents taking advantage of one's surroundings. The one tangerine may be alone, but it is still full of life and energy. They “speak” to each other in the way that they are both lively objects in a dead atmosphere.

The photo of the flower was a more vibrant and the white flowers were a darker shade of pink. I used several brush and saturation tools to darken the original. Then, I greatly adjusted the exposure of the white flowers so they stand out like a sore thumb. I had many problems while shooting the HDR photo, mostly related to keeping the camera still. I managed to fix it in the left photo, but it really shows in the right one. However, I do feel as if the double lined objects give the picture a certain style, like a sketch. The lighting in the center is also not that great. I couldn’t adjust it without getting it very grainy, which did not look attractive at all. However, I probably should have done something to the lone tangerine. The focus is also a bit off, it is more on the Home Depot sticker, which indicates where the plant came from. I do however, like the shadows on the columns. They make an interesting “two-face” like design. And the double exposure does give it some character. I’d definitely need to use a real tripod next time.