This photo from Reuters' Best photos of the year 2011
http://blogs.reuters.com/fullfocus/2011/11/21/best-photos-of-the-year-2011/#a=97
reminded me of Gena Obukhov's "Insomnia" image (IRTC Winner 2002).
http://www.irtc.org/ftp/pub/stills/2002-08-31/golonls2.jpg

G.

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On 03/12/2011 09:51 PM, Gilles Tran wrote:
> http://blogs.reuters.com/fullfocus/2011/11/21/best-photos-of-the-year-2011/#a=97

Is it wrong that this looks fake to me?

-- 
http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

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Orchid XP v8 <voi### [at] devnull> wrote:
> On 03/12/2011 09:51 PM, Gilles Tran wrote:
> > http://blogs.reuters.com/fullfocus/2011/11/21/best-photos-of-the-year-2011/#a=97
>
> Is it wrong that this looks fake to me?
>
> --
> http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
> http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*

Yes it looks like a fake a bit, or better like a rendering done with some
autodesk software. the professional softwares seems to seduce their users to a
certain style of images which seems to be the case here. But I say it seems to
be the case. If you look very close at the "life" picture from 2011 you will
find no repetitions in the windows, the balconies or other objects. So if it is
really a rendering - even with professional software - the author had done a lot
of effort to awoid this impression. May be he did, cause I have my problems to
believe his "Big Brother"-story, but I'm living in Germany and not in Korea. I
noticed a certain degree of perspective distortion but no focal blur. This
speaks for a rendering, but by the 800 ASA the photographer claimed to have used
this could be due to the graininess of his material. So I cannot judge, but the
similarity in concept to the picure of Genady Obukov is really striking.

Regards,
Michael

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>800 ASA
sorry ISO, but I tend to mix up things. And nice to have a sign of living from
Gilles. I have learned a lot from you, many thanks for your contributions to the
community.

Regards,
Michael

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Am 06.12.2011 21:50, schrieb TawnyOwl:

> Yes it looks like a fake a bit, or better like a rendering done with some
> autodesk software. the professional softwares seems to seduce their users to a
> certain style of images which seems to be the case here. But I say it seems to
> be the case. If you look very close at the "life" picture from 2011 you will
> find no repetitions in the windows, the balconies or other objects. So if it is
> really a rendering - even with professional software - the author had done a lot
> of effort to awoid this impression. May be he did, cause I have my problems to
> believe his "Big Brother"-story, but I'm living in Germany and not in Korea.

 From the little I've ever heard about North Korea, the story seems 
pretty credible.

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> Orchid XP v8<voi### [at] devnull>  wrote:
>> On 03/12/2011 09:51 PM, Gilles Tran wrote:
>>> http://blogs.reuters.com/fullfocus/2011/11/21/best-photos-of-the-year-2011/#a=97
>>
>> Is it wrong that this looks fake to me?
>>
>> --
>> http://blog.orphi.me.uk/
>> http://www.zazzle.com/MathematicalOrchid*
>
> Yes it looks like a fake a bit, or better like a rendering done with some
> autodesk software. the professional softwares seems to seduce their users to a
> certain style of images which seems to be the case here. But I say it seems to
> be the case. If you look very close at the "life" picture from 2011 you will
> find no repetitions in the windows, the balconies or other objects. So if it is
> really a rendering - even with professional software - the author had done a lot
> of effort to awoid this impression. May be he did, cause I have my problems to
> believe his "Big Brother"-story, but I'm living in Germany and not in Korea. I
> noticed a certain degree of perspective distortion but no focal blur. This
> speaks for a rendering, but by the 800 ASA the photographer claimed to have used
> this could be due to the graininess of his material. So I cannot judge, but the
> similarity in concept to the picure of Genady Obukov is really striking.
>

Here's where the shot was taken:
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=hotel+koryo,+pyongyang&hl=fr&ie=UTF8&ll=39.007404,125.738783&spn=0.004018,0.006539&sll=39.025652,125.757666&sspn=0.064278,0.104628&vpsrc=6&hq=hotel+koryo,&hnear=P%27y%C5%8Fngyang,+Pyongyang,+Cor%C3%A9e+du+Nord&t=h&z=18

Hotel Koryo (where most foreigners get to stay) is the reddish brown 
tower in the upper left, and the building with Kim Il-Sung's portrait is 
to the south east of there, just north of the green appartment building 
with a blue roof.  Unfortunately, The Great Leader's portrait is on the 
wall we can't see.

What surprised me about this picture is that he was allowed to take a 
Canon 5D Mark II to North Korea.  Up until a few years ago, you weren't 
allowed anything that had a zoom and were limited to 1GB memory cards, 
to prevent spying or smuggling in propaganda.

Anyone who wants to learn a little more about life in the DPRK should 
check out Eric Lafforgue or Kernbeiser's photostreams on Flickr.
-- 
/*Francois Labreque*/#local a=x+y;#local b=x+a;#local c=a+b;#macro P(F//
/*    flabreque    */L)polygon{5,F,F+z,L+z,L,F pigment{rgb 9}}#end union
/*        @        */{P(0,a)P(a,b)P(b,c)P(2*a,2*b)P(2*b,b+c)P(b+c,<2,3>)
/*   gmail.com     */}camera{orthographic location<6,1.25,-6>look_at a }

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Francois Labreque <fla### [at] videotronca> wrote:
>
> Here's where the shot was taken:
>
http://maps.google.com/maps?q=hotel+koryo,+pyongyang&hl=fr&ie=UTF8&ll=39.007404,125.738783&spn=0.004018,0.006539&sll=
39.025652,125.757666&sspn=0.064278,0.104628&vpsrc=6&hq=hotel+koryo,&hnear=P%27y%C5%8Fngyang,+Pyongyang,+Cor%C3%A9e+du+N
ord&t=h&z=18
>
> Hotel Koryo (where most foreigners get to stay) is the reddish brown
> tower in the upper left, and the building with Kim Il-Sung's portrait is
> to the south east of there, just north of the green appartment building
> with a blue roof.  Unfortunately, The Great Leader's portrait is on the
> wall we can't see.
>
> What surprised me about this picture is that he was allowed to take a
> Canon 5D Mark II to North Korea.  Up until a few years ago, you weren't
> allowed anything that had a zoom and were limited to 1GB memory cards,
> to prevent spying or smuggling in propaganda.
>
> Anyone who wants to learn a little more about life in the DPRK should
> check out Eric Lafforgue or Kernbeiser's photostreams on Flickr.
> --
> /*Francois Labreque*/#local a=x+y;#local b=x+a;#local c=a+b;#macro P(F//
> /*    flabreque    */L)polygon{5,F,F+z,L+z,L,F pigment{rgb 9}}#end union
> /*        @        */{P(0,a)P(a,b)P(b,c)P(2*a,2*b)P(2*b,b+c)P(b+c,<2,3>)
> /*   gmail.com     */}camera{orthographic location<6,1.25,-6>look_at a }

So the matter of photography or rendering is settled. Unfortunatelly we cannot
settle the matter of the north-korean people which seems to be more severe I
ever imagined.

Regards,
Michael

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"Gilles Tran" <gil### [at] gmailcom> wrote:
> This photo from Reuters' Best photos of the year 2011

Isn't it a bit early for best photos of 2011?

Not only do the media regularly report news that has yet to happen, they're now
declaring the year completed more than a month early.

Of course, they're only giving the customers what they want.  It is said that
the proof that there is intelligent life elsewhere in the universe is that they
haven't contacted us.

P.S.  Nice to hear from you.  Your renders are fantastic.

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