Diana Magor, MPSA, APSA  

Get you gone by Diana Magor, MPSA, APSA

October 2025 - Get you gone

About the Image(s)

I had fun with this. I needed a picture for a critique night where we bring pictures we've been working on and aren't quite sure what to do to improve them. I started with a portrait of a model who had dressed as a wizard, and placed him in a woodland scene. the I used my smoke image which you've seen before and altered it to mono and changed the luminosity of it. I created a separate layer to paint in a shadow below the wizard's feet. When I finished, I opened in silver efex and used the dramatic preset which increased the contrast and produced a darkening of the edges.
My firends said I needed a longer shadow extending towards the ghost, and that the bottom of his cloak was still too sharply defined so I needed to clone in some of the leaves around the base. One person thought the ghost needed brightening. Having done all those things, this is the final result.
What do you think?

4 comments posted

Ed Ogle   Ed Ogle
This is a great image - very magical looking.

Your friend is right. The shadow of the wizard doesn't match the shadows of the trees. It looks like it was a cloudy day so shadows should be very faint. Also the bottom of the cloak has too much separation between it and the shadow.

Finally, I would add a bit more transparency to the ghost and blur it a bit.   Posted: 10/03/2025 16:50:27
Stephen Levitas   Stephen Levitas
Oooh, very creative. I am fine with the wizard, his pose, lighting, and shadow. But at first glance, I thought he was conjuring a giant soap bubble. Once I saw that he did not have one of those giant soap hoops, I read your comments and understood. Ed's ideas would help. I might suggest that the conjured object look more like a conventional space alien or a cinematic ghost. What about Hamlet's father's ghost? Seriously. I mean that.   Posted: 10/05/2025 03:25:49
Tom McCreary   Tom McCreary
You have an interesting and creative image. I think that the wizards expression and pointing are great. What I have a problem with is the ghost looks more like what it is, smoke. But then, who knows what a ghost looks like?   Posted: 10/15/2025 20:25:44
Diana Magor   Diana Magor
Ok so it looks like my ghost is wrong. I don't quite know how to create a ghost from a real person though!
I find shadows are very difficult to get right -somehow they end up too dark or not the right shape. The edges of things are also difficult-again I often just blur them a little to make them look part of the background. I'll work on it some more.   Posted: 10/22/2025 15:35:06

 

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