January Image: "Purgatory"

How I did it -

This image is my attempt to create a modern version of biblical 'Purgatory' where souls stop before they go to heaven or hell.  First I made a mirror image of the hallway I photographed in a temple in India. Then made the left side darker.

Next, using layers I inserted various characters I have photographed the last several years at various festivals and locations. Making the left side characters darker and more ghoulish and the ones on the right side brighter.

COMMENTS:
 

Carol McDonald	You did an excellent job on this one. I don’t think I would change anything.
Peter Keverne	Interesting concept and very well carried out.
Nancy Sams	This is my all time favorite of yours, Aavo.  I love the clarity, the color, the way my eyes moves in the image and sure wish the idea had been mine.
Nellie Bretherick	I assume the characters on the left side of the hallway are the sinners and those on the right are the blameless ones!  I think the woman in red should have been flipped as all the light is coming from the right of the picture and the light on her is coming from the left.  It doesn't seem quite right.
Karen Mason
Norman Piper

Member Bio

Aavo Koort - Biography I was born in Estonia and came to the US when I was 15 years old. Even before that I was interested in photography and used my father’s Voigtlander 2 to take black and white photos. When I attended NY City College I had a very basic darkroom About 10 years ago I started learning Photoshop and that activity will continue forever. Last year I bought my first digital camera. Up to that time I scanned slides into Photoshop. I am very active in the Channel city Camera Club in Santa Barbara, CA. Last year I was the club’s president. Travel is my other hobby and I have over 100 slide carousels of travelogs. My main photographic interests are scenics, portraits and altering reality. I have attended about 5 PSA Conferences in the past 10 years.