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You Might Hate Lance, But You Have To Love...

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Anonymous

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Alpe d'Huez said:
Not bad.

As one who's done a lot of Photoshop work, it's not mind blowing and I know how it was done, but it's a decent shot, and good use of a technique. If I had one critique, I'd say there is a little too much negative space.

Otherwise, nice job.

eeeeeverybody's an art critic.:p
 
Jun 23, 2009
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Alpe d'Huez said:
Not bad.

As one who's done a lot of Photoshop work, it's not mind blowing and I know how it was done, but it's a decent shot, and good use of a technique. If I had one critique, I'd say there is a little too much negative space.

Otherwise, nice job.

I agree. It is an easy, amature Photoshop edit. (For those who have e-mailed asking how it was done -- Desaturate and blur one copy, stick it on top of a color copy of the image. Use Clone Stamp to remove annoying spectator on desaturated layer. Use Airbrush set to 40% to erase desaturated layer wherever you want crisp colorful image.)

I also agree it isn't the best shot in the world. I actually prefer other images from my trip. I think my favorites are

crw_2376(jun%2021%202009)(edit)_std.jpg


and

crw_2401(jun%2021%202009)(edit%201)_std.jpg


Third, to the guy who e-mailed I was the guy from Indianapolis standing next to you in turn 2 at the bottom of the hill for 5.5 hours waiting to get a good shot or two. On Sunday I was worried I wouldn't get a useable shot, on Tuesday -- after taking the red-eye home -- I had trouble chosing my favorite shots.

Finally, I feel compelled as a fan of all cyclists and a particularly strong fan of Lance, Levi and Chris, I find the constant accusations of cheating, etc. from behind the anonymity of ones keyboard amazing. The negative comments on this messageboard, in this thread and others, in the last 24 hours are staggering and exhausting. Several constitute flat out defimation, based on little more than speculation. Quite frankly, many people here make the uber idiot Greg Lemond look half-way intelligent (which is hard to do). I have always enjoyed watching Lance. He introduced me to cycling, first as a casual Tour de France watcher and now as a hobby to supplement running. I enjoy following Lance, Levi, Chris and others via twitter (I also follow Michael Rodgers and Dave Z... as Lance has turned me from a casual cycling fan into a serious fan of the sport who rides 60 to 80 miles a week.) Lance's work against cancer is unattackable. He could be sitting at home counting his money, and instead he uses a significant portion of his time for a noble cause that will affect each and every one of us in one way or another during our lifetimes. No matter what he makes that is loosly associated with his Livestrong work, he is giving his time anddoing a lot more than you or me to positively impact the world. If the haters (i.e. those drinking too much Hatorade and eating to many hatertots) spent 1/2 of the time they spend bashing Lance and others on something 1/2 as productive as Livestrong, I suspect much good could be accomplished. Instead, they choose to do what people do when they do not have much to say (pound the table loudly and yell).

I am looking forward to watching Lance ride the Tour, and I am proud to have taken a detour on a business trip to see him, Levi and Chris ride in Nevada City last weekend. Whether you like Lance or not, his presence along with his team mates in California last week caused many people like me who otherwise would not have heard of this great American Crit to pay attention and attend a wonderful domestic cycling event. Those who constantly rag on Lance sound like my cousin who discovered Colio, the Cure, the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Nirvana before the rest of the family -- in each case loving the artist a year or more prior to their huge break and then hating them once discovered by the masses. To a certain extent, I think Lance haters want cycling to be that band they love but the masses have not discovered. Believe me, I find it funny when a very casual fan points to a Mavic neutral support vehicle and asks who the "yellow" team is. I also find it annoying when after 5.5 hours staking out the exit of turn 2, a casual fan pushes her way past me to try and snap a photo of a high speed corner in a race with a 4 year old camera phone. However, I recognize that bringing the sport I love to the masses ultimately has a positive impact on cycling. Lance brings attention to the sport, like MJ brought attention to basketball and like Tiger brings attention to golf -- while doing a lot more to promote a worth while cause that I ever recall MJ or Tiger doing. This attention might not be what you want, and will cause some non-cycling fans to line the roads, but in trade is much better than no attention on the sport.

Anyway, back to the topic at hand, the photo...
I was going to toss away the image, but others kept raving about the unedited original:

crw_2437(jun%2021%202009)_std.jpg



So I tried to turn a shot that had serious problems into a shot I could live with. I am very pleased with the results and am equally glad that some of the posters in this thread and the several people who e-mailed about the image enjoyed the shot. To those who have requested a printable copy and who have asked if they can use the image -- a full resolution version is located at the link below. I grant a non-exclusive right to everyone who downloads the image to use the image for personal use. (If you really must "pay" something for the full resolution image, as several have suggested via e-mail, all I ask is that you do something positive in excahnge for the image, like donate to Livestrong, or another charity of their choice.)

Full Res. Edited Image:
http://www.gnat-man.com/lance%20fav.jpg

Craig
 
A

Anonymous

Guest
nice photo, but do agree, a little too much negative space.. not much you can do about that really.. apart from a crop but his front wheel is a bit low down to do a decent result with cropping..

nice photos though.. :D my tour ones are gonna look crap compared :D
 

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