I struggled quite a lot with this weeks challenge, I'm not comfortable overexposing images, but am actually glad I tried, the result was a lot better than I expected. I chose a white rose as it seemed to suit this theme better than any strong colours would. I also tried a different approach in how I developed my image, I have had a program that came as part of a bundle that I thought may well add a bit more to the effect called Snap art 4 which creates many different types for drawing or painting effects, I went with pastel drawing but photorealistic. I did lift the shadows a little, but apart from that I didn't do anything to change the exposure, so this is how it came out of the camera.
I chose to use a mirror image created with a black tile rather than a mirror as I wanted to get a completely black background to help with the illusion. These are one of many ornaments we have around the house that are fun. I shot this in very low light to avoid any spill onto the background, only using a torch bounced off the ceiling behind the camera. I have flipped the picture just because I preferred the lightest clown to be at the bottom.
I wonder how many people in the UK are aware of the markings on our coinage. When placed in the right position they make up the Royal Coat of Arms. Since the old £1 coin was taken out of circulation the template has gone, but the Coat of Arms itself is still there if you are willing to look for it.
