|
| Group |
Round |
C/R |
Comment |
Date |
Image |
| 93 |
Apr 21 |
Reply |
Thanks, Michael. I'm gathering that it has a devoted set of users, and that tells me it's got something going for it. At this point, I feel I'm still in the process of learning how to move from idea, from intent, to realization, using the tools in already have in Photoshop. I use the TK panel extensively, and only this week I've been acquainted with using the History Brush. Sounds like the Vivenza workflow is much like what one can accomplish with the history brush, though Vivenza may make the process more "intuitive", at least for straightforward edits. Thanks for explaining. Looking forward to seeing more of your work! |
Apr 13th |
| 93 |
Apr 21 |
Comment |
Very nicely done! Hard to image any improvement at all. I like the elongated share of the tree in the foreground; it really helps establish that this is shortly after sunrise and, in turn, justifies the deep shadows between the ridges.
I don't use Nik Vivenza, myself, so I don't have a feel for how you used it. Would you care to elaborate? |
Apr 13th |
| 93 |
Apr 21 |
Comment |
It also occurred to me that one could (if one wished) make the image feel more ominous ... |
Apr 13th |
 |
| 93 |
Apr 21 |
Comment |
would be a drive that would have run across the frame. a lot to like here. The crop seems ideal: breathing room both to the left and right, plenty of negative space / sky above, and just enough foreground. I like where you chose to stand to shoot, looking up, so that the stone wall obscures the view of what I'm guessing would have been a drive running next to the building and across the frame. All-in-all it works superbly to support the title.
If you hadn't told me, I wouldn't have guessed that you worked the saturation on the building. Nice delicate touch there.
You might be noticing that I really enjoy post-processing, and esp. enjoy fiddling with other folks' images where I don't have a romantic attachment to my own expwerience at the time the image was captured. I hope that's not offensive.
I did try a couple of techniques to heighten the dimensionality: a gradient up from the bottom to add texture up close, receding up the hill; an adjustment brush (with luminance range mask) to make the stone wall a bit clearer; and another gradient coming down through the roofs, with a color range mask to limit the effect to the roofs themselves, to gently emphasize the receding slope of the roofs. As always, this is just be playing around with a bit of "well, this is a possibility ..."
|
Apr 13th |
 |
| 93 |
Apr 21 |
Comment |
Boy, storms are hard to depict, huh? I think you done good! The snowman is a good touch; to me it suggests that the story is the snowman watching the storm coming in, or looking down into the valley.
I find that the messy snow in the foreground is a significant distraction, and even makes it difficult to grasp the snowman. I don't think the broad band is contributing, and would suggest cropping it. I think you could also lighten up the sky a bit, maybe with a couple of radials and/or adjustment brushes. Wouldn't hurt to make the trees a bit greener and less dark.
Hope you don't mind my fiddling with it. You'll see that I really enjoy post-processing, and I know not everyone does. Take my thoughts only as "this is a possibility if you like it" ... |
Apr 13th |
 |
| 93 |
Apr 21 |
Reply |
Glad you found the result pleasing. I'm still a bit nervous fiddling with other folks' images; keep anything I try as merely suggestion, as in "well, here's something that's possible" ...
For the light bleed, I first added a radial filter centered on the left edge near the fence and extending far enough to compass the farmhouse and the field in front; for this filter I just add (quite a bit of) warmth.
I wasn't particular happy with the effect on the field in the left foreground, so I backed it off using a larger radial filter centered out of the frame beyond the lower left hand corner; for this filter I pulled down, just a bit, the highlights and whites.
As I understand it, the usual intent with light bleed is to create the illusion of a light source from outside the frame. In this case, with the sun quite obviously to the upper right, that doesn't reconcile with reality, but I still like the effect.
Note, I think the work I did on the truck (which I very carefully limited to same) had a subjective (not actual) impact on the surrounding as well. |
Apr 13th |
 |
| 93 |
Apr 21 |
Comment |
I like this. As it happens, I lived 'til age 10 in southwest Kansas, and my family drove across western Kansas and eastern Colorado many times over the years. I clearly recall the grain elevators, silos, and old equipment, but I have the most nostalgia for the wide open almost-flat-as-far-as-you-can-see plains.
I think you could get away with upping the drama in the sky a bit. I took the liberty of tinkering with the image, and adding a bit of light bleed in from the left, cooling the right side a bit, grading in a bit of texture to bring the foreground forward a bit, adding shadow this side of the truck, and finally pushing up both texture and clarity on the truck. It *is* the subject, I assume? I hope I kept it subtle enough that one would know unless it were pointed out.
It's unfortunate about the fence, but it looks like you did position it the best you could, so it's as unobtrusive as possible.
|
Apr 11th |
 |
| 93 |
Apr 21 |
Comment |
I like this a lot. So very different than most intentional camera movement images. And the exposure is, to me, spot on, with the last reddish glow of the evening still visible. And the range of reds and golds works very nicely.
Evokes fond memories, for me. |
Apr 11th |
| 93 |
Apr 21 |
Comment |
I like what you do with long exposure and evening lights. Makes something special out of what is rather mundane by day. I also like that you captured the blue light reflected in the building windows. You also were very successful at conveying the wet sheen of the surface.
I find the image confusing, though: am I viewing the fountain, with the receding street that happens to be in the background? Or looking down a city street in the evening, towards a nice sunset, and an interesting fountain that happens to be in front? The receding perspective and headlight/taillight trails suggests the former. The brightly lit fountain, with the lines the lead to the heart of it, would suggest the latter. To me, this creates a tension that is inconsistent with what otherwise seems to be a serene image. Jerry's crop reconciles this in favor of the receding streetway. I tried cropping to favor the waterfall, but I don't think the result was particularly successful. |
Apr 11th |
 |
7 comments - 2 replies for Group 93
|
7 comments - 2 replies Total
|
