The World Waits for Gnome Man
Oct, 2016Views
423
Likes
Awards
Member Selection Award
Winner in Do you Gnome Me? Photo Challenge
Peer Award
Superb Composition
Magnificent Capture
Outstanding Creativity
Genius
Top Choice
Top Ranks
Top 10 rankTop 30 rank week 1
Top 20 rankTop 20 rank week 1
Top 10 rank
Categories
Same photographer See allBehind The Lens
Discover more photos See all
Behind The Lens
Location
I was walking to class when I saw this amazing Sulfur Shelf fungus growing under a tree. Usually I have to hunt for the mushrooms I photograph, but this one was so blatantly out in the open that it startled me.Time
I returned with my camera around late afternoon. The light was fading fast, so I knew I needed to make every shot count.Lighting
I'm glad I was delayed until just before dusk to take this photograph. The shadows give a more dramatic tone to the set up. Also, the light in the background actually came from a window into a building. I was careful to line it up with the gnome's scythe such that the light didn't obscure anything, but was instead framed by the blade.Equipment
I took this photo using a Canon Rebel XTi resting on the ground. No flash.Inspiration
Ever since starting to shoot with a DSLR, I've loved taking pictures of mushrooms. A few years ago I learned about a local cigarette trash bin with a metal door at the bottom that someone had written the words "gnome door" on. Apparently there is a phenomenon where people place gnome statues, gnome drawings, anything gnome related in urban areas to see if people find them. I started hiding miniature gnomes I'd 3D printed to see if my friends would notice. About a month ago, my uncle game me a model toy in a sealed bag that he'd won at a comic book event. There was no way of telling which of the available character toys was inside, but one of the options was a gnome with a scythe and a mushroom shield. Guess which one it was? After shooting the Sulfur Shelf in this picture for about twenty minutes, I remembered that I'd brought the gnome toy back to school with me. I had a little too much fun positioning the little guy in the most dramatic pose I could manage. Ultimately, he brought a sense of scale to this picture, and for me represents the sense of wonder I still try to see in the world.Editing
I barely did any post-processing because the light was already just what I wanted. I enhanced the yellows a bit and lightened the shadows in the foreground. Finally, I cropped the image slightly.In my camera bag
When I took this picture, all I had was my camera and a few magnifying lenses. I did have a little army man I'd found on the beach in Florida, and at first I used him as my subject, making him look like was aiming his bazooka at the enormous, alien-looking fungus. Ultimately, I decided the gnome man would be a much more interesting focus.Feedback
The biggest thing I learned from this photo was that it pays to keep both your eyes and your mind open. I only found the mushroom because I was looking off the sidewalk. I might not have remembered the gnome toy if I hadn't asked myself what kind of scene I wanted to build. If I had shot at a different time, the light wouldn't have been nearly as appropriate for the angle that I wanted. All these factors were necessary for the final product, and I can't say I fully planned any of them. But if I hadn't spent the time looking and experimenting then this photo would not exist.
