Deep Thoughts........
Uploaded: April 05, 2004
My first attempt of creating a Portrait of my son Zakariya. This was taken sometime back in 2002. I liked the way it turned out and thought I would share it with all of you.
Theresa McCloskey April 05, 2004
Very nice, Naveed - love the reflection :-) #114624Dale Ann Cubbage April 05, 2004
He's beautiful Naveed! This is a great shot, and the reflection is wonderful! I love how you spell his name, too! #465235Lorelei A. Hoffarth April 06, 2004
This is beautiful! Can I ask - is it a mirror with everything black around him, or is it black plexiglass? I am doing a reflections project for our photo club and would love to try this out. #465294Naveed Sheikh April 06, 2004
Thanks for the wonderful remarks. Lorelei, to answer your question, it probably would have been easier to do it the way you think I did. But in fact, in the original image Zakariya was laying on our rug, and the background was filled with a TV, sofa etc. With Photoshop, I simply colored in everything black. I then selected his body, made a new layer, rotated it and changed the perspective. By altering the opacity of the second layer, it gave it that "reflection" look. It took a lot of work, but the end result is why I am hooked on Photoshop now! So you see, your method would be a lot quicker. Hope that helps. Thanks again for the comments. Good luck. #465303Lorelei A. Hoffarth April 06, 2004
Wow ... I never would have guessed! I love Photoshop too, but don't think I could accomplish that! It's lovely, although I was kind of wondering how the black was so "seamless." I'm gonna have to re-think this as my presentation is using slides - might have to try some Photoshop, and then have a few made into slides if they turn out. But I hear it's quite expensive to do that. #465778Naveed Sheikh April 06, 2004
Lorelei, it really is pretty simple. To get the "seamless" look, just select the colour for the background - in my case I selected black - and as an amateur that I am did it the hard way. I simply selected a large enough brush with feathering for the outer extremities and then a smaller brush size for the inner. I am pretty sure that if any Photoshop pros see this method they will probably think I'm crazy, but it worked for me. ... #465897Dale Ann Cubbage April 06, 2004
Wow, Naveed, hearing how you did it makes this even more impressive! That reflection looks real! Nice work! #465978Naveed Sheikh April 06, 2004
Thanks again Dale Ann ! #466004Leah Marshall April 21, 2004
I also like this pic, but would like to offer a suggestion to make it even better. I use real plexiglass to make these type photos for products. I can't pin point exactly what is off with the distortion of the reflection, but I think it should be closer to the subject, and more underneath. Hope I am not offending. #494904Ian Downey April 21, 2004
Hi there,Naveed Sheikh April 22, 2004
Sorry all for the delay in response, my computer crashed.... just got it back online. Thanks to all for your comments. Ian, I agree with you. But had you not have found out that this image, besides my son, was fully altered you still would have liked it. I am not a professional, nor do I consider myself to be an advanced amateur; but merely a proud father who tried to make a nice, frameable portrait of my first born to give to my father. As far as the "real world" is concerned, don't you think that props, filters, and simulated lighting (flashes) are also non - real world alterations. Sure they require precise adjustments, and involve alot of skill, but so does the use of photoshop. I appreciate your comments, and your honest opinion and hope that you don't get upset with my comments. #497447Dale Ann Cubbage April 22, 2004
Naveed, I have missed seeing your work! I'm glad to see you're back! And I agree totally with your comment to Ian. Photography is very subjective, it's what the eye sees and how it is percieved that is important I think. Had you not mentioned that the reflection was manufactured, no one would have known! Because you did an outstanding job on it! Beautiful image, still, no matter how you achieved it! #497450Naveed Sheikh April 22, 2004
Thanks, Dale Ann for your remarks. Glad to be back ! I will contributing some more in the near future !! P.S. Love your wedding and prom photo's they were GGRRRREEEEAAAATTT ! #497453Sherrie H. Penny April 24, 2004
Naveed, wonderful PS-ing.... #499841Tammy McAllister April 24, 2004
Hello Naveed,Naveed Sheikh April 24, 2004
Sherrie and Tammy, thanks for the comments. #500481Laura Clay-Ballard June 02, 2005
i really do love this one. I can see why you cherish it. #1424634Sign up for an interactive online photography course to get critiques on your photos.
Discussions by Category: You can view photo discussions on various themes in the Community > Photo Discussions section of the site.
BetterPhoto Websites: If you see an orange website link directly under the photographer's name, it's totally okay. It's not spam. The reason: BetterPhoto is the one that offers these personal photography websites. We are supporting our clients with those links.
Unavailable EXIF: If there is no other information but 'Unavailable' in the EXIF (meaning no EXIF data exists with the photo), the 'Unavailable' blurb is not displayed. If there is any info, it shows. Many photos have the EXIF stripped out when people modify the image and resave it, before uploading.
The following truth is one of the core philosophies of BetterPhoto:
I hear, I forget.
I see, I remember.
I do, I understand.
You learn by doing. Take your next online photography class.
Copyright for this photo belongs solely to Naveed Sheikh.
Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed, written permission of the photographer.
Log in to follow or message this photographer or report this photo.
I already have an account!