|
| Group |
Round |
C/R |
Comment |
Date |
Image |
| 93 |
Sep 21 |
Reply |
You're not alone, Jerry. It seems that some folks like this image, and some don't and, of those, there are some who strongly dislike it. |
Sep 23rd |
| 93 |
Sep 21 |
Reply |
Agreed re the grasses |
Sep 23rd |
| 93 |
Sep 21 |
Comment |
Very much like the scene depicted, and I think it well processed. Good job with the shadows. I really do love going off the beaten track to find something interesting that others are ignoring.
As you're going for the panoramic format, you might try going even more extreme, cropping off the sky just short of the tallest rocks, and cropping up from the bottom to leave only a narrow ribbon of (what I'm guessing is) sage brush. We're all taught as landscape photographers that we need to include a foreground, but (I believe) there are times where there just isn't an interesting one, and I don't think it helps to include one anyway. Of course, one can sometimes manufacture one by going very wide, very low, and close to something interesting, but if one's all about trying to portray something in the distance then that defeats one's purpose. |
Sep 20th |
| 93 |
Sep 21 |
Comment |
A compelling image, one with a story. I agree wit Michael re narrowing the field of view so as to focus on the derelict.
The vast expanse of blue grey sky doesn't, to my mind, contribute much. I'm assuming you include it because you don't want to crop the top of the pole, and I fully nderstand that. I wonder (just speculating here) what would have resulted had you used a dark filter and took a long expsure to make the water glassy and smooth, thus echoing the sky, leaving only the land and the town in the distance and the derelict front and center. |
Sep 20th |
| 93 |
Sep 21 |
Reply |
Laughed out loud. |
Sep 20th |
| 93 |
Sep 21 |
Comment |
Paul, I really like it. And I laughed out loud at Michael's remark about me spending hours on it. Truth is, I'm traveling without my computer and tools, or I might have done just that.
It's a very impactful image. The play of light and contrast makes it very interesting and dramatic. For me, it feels ominous, and I kinda like that mood in landscpae photography.
I do like what Michael did with the light sculpting. And if I did have a few hours, I'd probably play with trying to get some separation from the rock formation in the distance; as it is, it's kinda lost in the tree, and the tree's kinda lost in the rock. |
Sep 20th |
| 93 |
Sep 21 |
Comment |
Hmm ... at first I was goig to comment something to the effect that you might want to add some drama by boosting the oranges in the rocks and the blues in general, but then I reread your notes and the comments and realized that you were aiming for just the opposite. I think you succeeded -- almost. The challenge, as I see it, is twofold. First of all, the dark saturated greens of the conifers are startling, but I suspect they're not intended to be the subject. Second, and this is the hard part: a pastel image inherently lacks the impact that saturated color and tonal contrast can create, and so one is faced with needing to create impact and interest in some other way. In this setting perhaps the wide vista works against your purpose; I wonder what you might have been able to do with a long focal length, finding a small area with interesting shapes and textures.
Kudos for giving it a try, though! I know that for myself I've learned a lot through studying after the fact the challenges presented in situations like this. |
Sep 20th |
| 93 |
Sep 21 |
Comment |
Welcome, Kelly. Looking forward to seeing more. Good job figuring out how to slow down the shutter under those conditions. As I'm sure you know, slowing it even further might have helped, but one works with what one's got at hand.
I suspect the problems you had with the water can be traced back to it being overexposed.
I do very much likw what you did with bringing up some orange and yellow in the rocks, though it seems to have had a side effect on some of the greenery that might not have been what you intended.
As others have noted, the aqua in the water is probably problematic. While I have no issue with getting creative with color, I think that in this case the color proves to be a distraction as the viewer is likely to struggle with its implausibility. Perhaps a lighter touch? Or a bit more "over the top" across the whole image so as to reassure the viewer that he/she needn't worry, as the image intentionally streches thebounds of realism.
Again, welcome, and I appreciate your detailed and clear description of your process, both capturing and post-processing the image. |
Sep 20th |
| 93 |
Sep 21 |
Reply |
Thanks Michael. The organisms that comprise the crust are quite different here:
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/225731902_Biological_Soil_Crusts_of_Sand_Dunes_in_Cape_Cod_National_Seashore_Massachusetts_USA
|
Sep 19th |
| 93 |
Sep 21 |
Reply |
There's nothing about the real world in this instance that would preclude rotating the image 180 degrees, so as to position the web in the place of honor ... |
Sep 10th |
 |
| 93 |
Sep 21 |
Comment |
Hi, Jerry, I often think that 50% of photography is NOTICING, 25% is SEEING, and the rest is craft. YOu did a great job on all three here.
The DpF and exposure are great. Okay, maybe some of the whites are blown out, but I don't think that detracts.
To my taste (only), I don't feel that the bottom quarter contributes much, and I find the right hand background distracting. I experimented with a 4x5 crop, but found I didn't care for the balance. I found I kinda like a 2x3 crop, though ...
You might also consider pulling your pblack point up a little bit. On the other hand, you might find it makes the background too prominent ... |
Sep 10th |
 |
| 93 |
Sep 21 |
Reply |
And one more thing ... this is a harsh environment ... and I think it not inappropriate that the image makes the viewer uncomfortable. |
Sep 8th |
| 93 |
Sep 21 |
Reply |
Thank you, Darcy. You are quite right, the shrub competes with the crust for the viewer's eye. I also posted this last month in DSG29, and received the same criticism there.
Of course, I don't mind! And I appreciate that you took the time and expended the effort.
For myself, I think the dark shrub, crouching on the edge of the dune, forms a continuation of the S-curve down to the lower left corner. Also, again for myself, I actualy like the tension: is this about the shrub? or the crust? or ...?
Of course, I may come back to this in a few months and feel quite different about it. |
Sep 8th |
6 comments - 7 replies for Group 93
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6 comments - 7 replies Total
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