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Author Topic: A few from Japan...  (Read 12559 times)

BernardLanguillier

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A few from Japan...
« on: January 03, 2008, 06:48:50 am »

All images shot in Fukushima prefecture, Japan.

A cold shoot with a lot of fresh snow making snow shoeing a bit of a pain, but a lot of fun. The D3 and 24-70 f2.8 performed flawlessly in these conditions.









Comments most welcome.

Cheers,
Bernard

Eric Myrvaagnes

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A few from Japan...
« Reply #1 on: January 03, 2008, 09:53:42 am »

From the Fan Club: What can I say? It's always a treat to see your work.
Thank you, as usual.

Cheers,

Eric
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Andy M

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« Reply #2 on: January 03, 2008, 11:08:33 am »

The first photo is outstanding

Have you thawed out yet?
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Lisa Nikodym

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A few from Japan...
« Reply #3 on: January 03, 2008, 12:40:52 pm »

Another member of your fan club here   ...

The first three are OK, but the fourth is the one I find *really* beautiful.  Have you considered that it would make a great Christmas card?  (Every year I print my own Christmas cards with some appropriate image I've taken.)

Did you notice the giant eye in the middle of the first one?  After I noticed it, it keeps drawing my attention away from the rest of the photo...

Lisa
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wolfnowl

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A few from Japan...
« Reply #4 on: January 03, 2008, 04:51:19 pm »

Quote
Did you notice the giant eye in the middle of the first one?  After I noticed it, it keeps drawing my attention away from the rest of the photo...

You've heard of Japanese Snow Monkeys?  That's a rare glimpse of a Japanese Snow Crocodile.  Something has to keep the monkey population in check.  Trust me, I'm a biologist and we know these things!

All seriousness aside, congrats Bernard from another fan club member.  The 2nd and 3rd are my favourites, especially the blue overtone of the 3rd image.

Mike.
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If your mind is attuned t

Eric Myrvaagnes

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A few from Japan...
« Reply #5 on: January 03, 2008, 09:27:41 pm »

Quote
Did you notice the giant eye in the middle of the first one?  After I noticed it, it keeps drawing my attention away from the rest of the photo...
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=164817\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Dagnabit, Lisa! Now when I look at #1 I keep waiting for the eye to blink.  
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francois

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« Reply #6 on: January 04, 2008, 10:33:35 am »

#1 and #4 are also my favorites, with a slight edge for #4…

Anyway, "chapeau bas" is all I can say!
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Francois

john beardsworth

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« Reply #7 on: January 04, 2008, 12:11:17 pm »

Nice stuff.

Looked over your site and spotted a couple of typos for you - "photogrpahs" on your pictures of the month, and you are missing a "d" in "are probably still better capture with..." in the making section. And "Portfolio's" is wrong - there should be not be an apostrophe there as it's a plural. I'll check over your Japanese later, much later.
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Chris_T

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« Reply #8 on: January 05, 2008, 08:30:15 am »

Quote
Dagnabit, Lisa! Now when I look at #1 I keep waiting for the eye to blink.   
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=164909\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Good eye, Lisa!  The "eye" is in the cener of the image and is highly contrasty. No wonder it becomes a focus point, once realized.

Questions for Bernard. Am I correct to assume that you did not intend to create an "eye" (in fact did not notice it) in your viewfinder or in your jpeg? Now that it is noted, how do you feel about the image? If you were to shoot the scene again, would you treat the "eye" differently in your composition?
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BernardLanguillier

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A few from Japan...
« Reply #9 on: January 06, 2008, 05:12:53 pm »

Thank you all for your kind comments.

I have to confess... I had not noticed the eye, but it is indeed pretty obvious once you have spotted it... would I have framed differently if I had noticed it in the field? Hum... maybe, but I would have focussed more on the pond.

Cheers,
Bernard

alainbriot

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« Reply #10 on: January 06, 2008, 07:39:01 pm »

Hi Bernard,

A couple of suggestions...






Very inspirational images :-)

Alain
« Last Edit: January 06, 2008, 07:40:22 pm by alainbriot »
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BernardLanguillier

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A few from Japan...
« Reply #11 on: January 06, 2008, 10:09:00 pm »

Quote
Hi Bernard,

A couple of suggestions...

Very inspirational images :-)

Alain
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=165526\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Hello Alain,

Happy new year to you and Natalie.

Thanks for the suggestions, interesting as always.

Cheers,
Bernard

alainbriot

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A few from Japan...
« Reply #12 on: January 06, 2008, 10:22:33 pm »

Bernard,

You are welcome.  Happy New Year, from Arizona to Japan.
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TMcCulley

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« Reply #13 on: January 07, 2008, 01:12:53 am »

Quote
Thanks for the suggestions, interesting as always.

Cheers,
Bernard
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=165543\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Alain,

Your suggestions inspired me to take the images into LR and look at them in all the possible ways that appealed to my eye.  I understand how your suggestions made the pictures much leaner and I would be very interested in knowing why you suggested those crops.  All of the crops I came up with were very differently focused but in the end I kept coming back to Bernard's original panorama's and prefering the way he presented them.  As an example, Photo 4 I think that the  forground pool of water is more important to the scene than the background water.

Bernard,
Thanks for the pictures.  I love things that excite and inspire.  

Tom
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alainbriot

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« Reply #14 on: January 07, 2008, 02:18:35 am »

Quote
Alain,

... I would be very interested in knowing why you suggested those crops.  [a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=165573\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

I am simply trying to find the strongest way of seeing these scenes.  Of course these are just suggestions.  

Alain
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Chris_T

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A few from Japan...
« Reply #15 on: January 07, 2008, 09:15:17 am »

Quote
Thank you all for your kind comments.

I have to confess... I had not noticed the eye, but it is indeed pretty obvious once you have spotted it... would I have framed differently if I had noticed it in the field? Hum... maybe, but I would have focussed more on the pond.

Cheers,
Bernard
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=165506\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]

Another suggestion for you and other posters. If you really want the viewers to only focus on your images, don't mention the location and equipment. These would only distract them and influence their conclusions. Unless that's your intent.  If not for the "eye" of the "Japanese Snow Crocodile", I swear that these were taken in my backyard in the US.  

The three most frequent and troubling questions/comments from viewers of my work:

1. Where was it taken?
2. What camera did you use?
3. It is beautiful (without explaining why).

I learn nothing about my work from these.
« Last Edit: January 07, 2008, 09:23:13 am by Chris_T »
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jule

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A few from Japan...
« Reply #16 on: January 07, 2008, 05:48:23 pm »

Quote
Another suggestion for you and other posters. If you really want the viewers to only focus on your images, don't mention the location and equipment. These would only distract them and influence their conclusions. Unless that's your intent.  If not for the "eye" of the "Japanese Snow Crocodile", I swear that these were taken in my backyard in the US.  

The three most frequent and troubling questions/comments from viewers of my work:

1. Where was it taken?
2. What camera did you use?
3. It is beautiful (without explaining why).

I learn nothing about my work from these.
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=165612\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Sorry Chris, I disagree. I am interested in the location, couldn't care less about the equipment, and neither have any impact on how I perceive or respond to an image.  

If you find that most frequent questions from viewers are these two questions, why not get them out of the way by providing the information, then get on with discussing the image?

.. and the "it is beautiful' comment, I agree can sometimes not be all that insightful as to why.... but more often than not Bernards images are just that - quite beautiful, and we have come to expect that from him...so perhaps we have become a bit complacent in being more objective and analytical with Bernard's images.

Any chance of posting any duds for us Bernard?? ....  
Julie
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OnyimBob

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« Reply #17 on: January 07, 2008, 06:32:13 pm »

Quote
I am simply trying to find the strongest way of seeing these scenes.  Of course these are just suggestions. 

Alain
[a href=\"index.php?act=findpost&pid=165577\"][{POST_SNAPBACK}][/a]
Of course these are Bernards photographs and Julie is correct in that we have come to expect (and are frequently rewarded by) beauitiful images from him.
However, I must say that for me Alain's suggested treatments lift these images from great landscapes to another level!
This is in no way a criticism of Bernard's images; what it says to me is that every person's "eye" is different, and I find it fascinating to see how the same image/scene is perceived by different people.
Thank you both,
Bob.
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iancl

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« Reply #18 on: January 07, 2008, 07:02:44 pm »

Well, since someone else started the discussion of Alain's crops, I add my own two cents.

I really like all of Bernard's images as originally presented.

I like number one for its overwhelming whiteness and the slight warmth to the colour balance. The sheer beauty of the snow on the branches is stunning. I do find it a touch busy and long for a stronger sense of a subject. Ironically, now that I see the 'eye' I finding it a somewhat clearer image in that regard.

I feel number three might be suffering the most from the small display size (given that it is a longer crop). I also think the blue cast wouldn't stand out as strongly if it wasn't directly beside other more neutral images.

As for the two images that Alain cropped, I found them to be the most dynamic compositionally of Bernard's posting.

In image two, there is a strong sense of perceived movement with that branch seeming to reach forth towards the water.

In the fourth image, I almost feel precariously on the edge of that water ready to look down and find myself with my toes in it. Of the four images, it is the one where I most feel like I am right there in the image.

I find that Alain's crops take that dynamic quality away from both of these shots and give a much more visually relaxing and a more pleasing sense of composition. If I was looking at a website, a magazine, or a travel guide, I would find Bernard's crops more captivating and engaging. If I was buying a print from my own home, I definitely pick Alain's crops. For a print, for a domestic setting, I would take Alain's crop of number four first.

My $0.02.
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BernardLanguillier

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« Reply #19 on: January 07, 2008, 10:24:58 pm »

Dear all,

Thanks for the additional discussion and feedback.

I am really interested in hearing these at this point of time and I am deeply convinced that there are several ways of looking at an image.

My initial proposals are young images that I have only spent little time working on at this point of time. I feel that they have good potential, but need more work to reach a sufficient level of maturity.

One of the great values of high quality panos like these is that they do offer real crop potential without risking too much to compromise on the quality of the print, even if it is large.

I also believe that Alain's crops might not be how he would end up printing the image if he had more time to use tools like cloning etc to play more with crop limits.

All in all, this is highly valuable for me.

Thanks again.

Cheers,
Bernard
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