Luminous Landscape Forum
The Art of Photography => User Critiques => Topic started by: John R on January 08, 2010, 08:01:09 pm
-
A couple from an area close to the Credit river in Caledon and from the same area called the Badlands of Caledon or Cheltenham. It is always worth exploring even if I have visited many times. It helps to attune you to things you never usually look at, even if I froze my buns off. I like the second because the natural beauty of the bush surrounded by snow belies the fact it is really trying to survive in a hostile environment. I had to wear sunglasses because it was bright in the snow.
JMR
edit: added two more images.
-
A couple from an area close to the Credit river in Caledon and from the same area called the Badlands of Caledon or Cheltenham. It is always worth exploring even if I have visited many times. It helps to attune you to things you never usually look at, even if I froze my buns off. I like the second because the natural beauty of the bush surrounded by snow belies the fact it is really trying to survive in a hostile environment. I had to wear sunglasses because it was bright in the snow.
JMR
I like the first better. You could hang it alongside a shot of sand dunes from somewhere like Death Valley!
Jeremy
-
I think you're on to something with the second, though I'm not sure it's quite there yet. The shadows cast by the branches are interesting to me, but the dark shadow across the bottom is distracting. The subject is worth working over thoroughly though - can you re-shoot at various times of the day to play with the shadows?
-
I think you're on to something with the second, though I'm not sure it's quite there yet. The shadows cast by the branches are interesting to me, but the dark shadow across the bottom is distracting. The subject is worth working over thoroughly though - can you re-shoot at various times of the day to play with the shadows?
I saw it differently, especially when I got back to review the images. Anyway, I do have one without the shadow.
JMR
-
I like the first one a lot. The second version of the second one also works well for me as you took it without the shadow.
Try to get a grog (*), you deserve it!
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grog (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grog)
-
John, They're both delicate and exquisite. I like them both. To me, when I put the original version of #2 next to the shadowless revision, the original comes off as the better of the two. I think both of these are potential candidates for a contest, though I'm not sure which one. Probably Color magazine's portfolio contest. At first I didn't see the color as essential to the pictures, but after looking at them a bit longer I concluded I was wrong. The subtle blues really are important to both. Bravo!
-
I second what Russ said. Bravo.
-
I like the first one a lot. The second version of the second one also works well for me as you took it without the shadow.
Try to get a grog (*), you deserve it!
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grog (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grog)
Many thanks. I'll take the grog or a brandy. I once attended a night class many years ago and we went an excursion to these same hills where the snow scenes are located. That's when I discovered the Badlands. It was bitterly cold, -20 Celsius, in January, and you would think people would know and dress better. Most lasted about 15 minutes and then fled to their cars. Photography is not like hiking, you tend to move slow and try to take in everything around you. Consequently, if you are not dressed for the cold, you won't last long. Anyway, I left too and we all went for a grog!
JMR
-
John, They're both delicate and exquisite. I like them both. To me, when I put the original version of #2 next to the shadowless revision, the original comes off as the better of the two. I think both of these are potential candidates for a contest, though I'm not sure which one. Probably Color magazine's portfolio contest. At first didn't see the color as essential to the pictures, but after looking at them a bit longer I concluded I was wrong. The subtle blues really are important to both. Bravo!
Russ, I tried looking at these in BW and kept coming back to the original colour version. The snow looks so muddy and gray and the blueness is lost, as you have noted. Thanks for the comments.
And thanks also to Tokengirl, Francois, Shirley and Jeremy.
JMR
-
Lovely images, John. Both of them. The delicacy of tone in the branch shadows is very inviting.
I chose to remove all colour from this image so that I could darken the sky in the BW conversion.
(http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4011/4259115197_5c5cef7f1b_b.jpg)
-
Peter, that is so Surreal! Very nice.
-
Peter it's a great shot even thought the sky does not have the same luminous quality of the snow.
JMR
-
Peter it's a great shot even thought the sky does not have luminous quality of the snow.
JMR
Hmm. Good noticing, John. I'll get to work on the sky with curves. The sky is a separate conversion from the RAW, a three-stop or so negative exposure correction.
Thanks, Shirley. You can credit Mother Nature for the surreal part. She's the set designer. : )
-
Just added two more images from the Badlands taken today. Very direct and harsh light. Tried one BW and one vertical. And Rob, after I get home later, I am going to have a grog, because now I have a cold and I really need it!
JMR