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Author Topic: Leaves On Water  (Read 4009 times)

jani

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Leaves On Water
« on: April 12, 2009, 06:34:28 pm »

This isn't quite as riotous in colour as the previous two offerings, even though it belongs to the same shoot as "On the Edge".

I revisited this image just today, and I had a go at four reinterpretations of the scene (two different crops, two different colour choices).

[attachment=12962:4270_Lea..._Water_a.jpg]
[attachment=12963:4270_Lea..._Water_b.jpg]

[attachment=12966:4270_Lea..._Water_c.jpg]
[attachment=12967:4270_Lea..._Water_d.jpg]

I prefer the last version myself, perhaps with a slightly tighter crop. I'm not sure that it's really a keeper, though.
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John R

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Leaves On Water
« Reply #1 on: April 12, 2009, 07:06:48 pm »

I would guess the first image colour to be closer to the natural colour. I really like the interplay of light and wave action, but the lilies appear to be almost lost in the interplay no matter which way the image is cropped. I tried on my computer, and I think if somehow you can bring out the lilies more, the image would strike a better balance and become more whole by giving as much weight to the lilies as the waves and light. Just some thoughts.

JMR
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dalethorn

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Leaves On Water
« Reply #2 on: April 12, 2009, 11:58:06 pm »

Quote from: John R
I would guess the first image colour to be closer to the natural colour. I really like the interplay of light and wave action, but the lilies appear to be almost lost in the interplay no matter which way the image is cropped. I tried on my computer, and I think if somehow you can bring out the lilies more, the image would strike a better balance and become more whole by giving as much weight to the lilies as the waves and light. Just some thoughts.
JMR

Generally the same impression here - I clicked the images before reading this.
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jani

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Leaves On Water
« Reply #3 on: April 13, 2009, 10:03:57 am »

Thanks for your helpful comments!

Actually, the second and fourth images have the most natural colour.

All images have been adjusted for black point, brightness, contrast and "clarity" in Lightroom 1.4.

The images with the almost monochrome water have reduced blue saturation with 60 and increased vibrance.

Obviously, I also struggle with how to bring out the leaves, especially those that are positioned so that they reflect a bit too much light.

I've made a few changes here (increased saturation and colour adjustment for the leaves):

[attachment=12990:4270_Lea..._Water_e.jpg]
[attachment=12991:4270_Lea..._Water_f.jpg]

The previous image in the sequence doesn't have the same wave patterns and play of light, but the leaves stand out more (same adjustments as above):

[attachment=12988:4269_Lea..._Water_a.jpg]
[attachment=12989:4269_Lea..._Water_b.jpg]
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jani

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Leaves On Water
« Reply #4 on: April 13, 2009, 10:15:39 am »

And if I stop being subtle about the saturation and contrast tweaks, I get these versions:

[attachment=12993:4269_Lea..._Water_c.jpg]

[attachment=12994:4270_Lea..._Water_g.jpg]

[attachment=12995:4270_Lea..._Water_h.jpg]
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John R

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Leaves On Water
« Reply #5 on: April 13, 2009, 04:50:25 pm »

How about something in between the subtle and the extreme. I used magic lasso on leaves and simply tried to enhance saturation and brightness using Photoshop elments. It is very difficult to see differences when the images are not side by side. One thing is certain, an image like this makes you think, becaues noone wants to dismiss the beautiful play of light and waves.

JMR
« Last Edit: April 13, 2009, 06:37:43 pm by John R »
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jasonrandolph

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Leaves On Water
« Reply #6 on: April 13, 2009, 05:39:49 pm »

I like the ripples of the water.  The lilies almost get lost in them.  I would prefer to see them a little larger in the frame.  Aesthetically, I like the first one best.  I haven't tried cropping, but this may or may not work.  I do like the composition, and cropping may take something away from that.

jani

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Leaves On Water
« Reply #7 on: April 13, 2009, 08:36:44 pm »

Quote from: John R
How about something in between the subtle and the extreme. I used magic lasso on leaves and simply tried to enhance saturation and brightness using Photoshop elments. It is very difficult to see differences when the images are not side by side. One thing is certain, an image like this makes you think, becaues noone wants to dismiss the beautiful play of light and waves.
Thanks for all the feedback, it's been very useful. (I'm not ignoring you, Jason, just responding to this particular post.)

I agree that this helps enhancing the leaves, but the crop is now pushing the limits of what's usable for a print; the cropped area represents approximately 2060x1520 pixels of the original 3504x2336. For the sake of illustration, here's the complete capture (reduced to 1/3 detail):

[attachment=13001:4270_Lea...ter_orig.jpg]

Ordinarily, I'd avoid having the subject near the center of the frame, but I didn't in this case, it appears that I was trying to avoid something else, perhaps some unfortunate reflections or other disturbing elements (like the subsurface rocks in the lower right).

That said, I made a 19.5 cm x 29.5 cm print of one of the near-BW versions above, which subsequently got the typically nasty ink marks that Ilford Gold Fibre Silk gets in an Epson R1800, which forced me to reconsider the 19x29 matte I'd assumed I'd be using and instead go for a 20x25 frame (with 19x24 visible). That works quite well on the wall, and here's what it looks like:

[attachment=13002:IMG_9179.jpg]

(The colours are off slightly because of the competing light colours of the light, flash light and wall colours.)
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John R

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Leaves On Water
« Reply #8 on: April 13, 2009, 08:46:29 pm »

I will take your word for it, as the framed image looks very dark compared to the original you showed. Your place must be a Gallery! BTW, nothwithstanding the issue of the green lillies, the wave and light highlights are just beautiful.

JMR
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button

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Leaves On Water
« Reply #9 on: April 14, 2009, 12:45:31 am »

Quote from: jasonrandolph
I like the ripples of the water.  The lilies almost get lost in them.  I would prefer to see them a little larger in the frame.  Aesthetically, I like the first one best.  I haven't tried cropping, but this may or may not work.  I do like the composition, and cropping may take something away from that.

I also prefer #1 for the lines of the ripples, as well as the implied motion from bottom left to top right.  I also like the cobalt color of the water in that one.  I would like to see more detail in the leaves, as well as less saturation in them, as this shot (to me) is more about form and line than color.

John
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jani

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Leaves On Water
« Reply #10 on: April 14, 2009, 05:46:30 pm »

Quote from: John R
I will take your word for it, as the framed image looks very dark compared to the original you showed. Your place must be a Gallery! BTW, nothwithstanding the issue of the green lillies, the wave and light highlights are just beautiful.
My home isn't ideal for image viewing, and that shows. I'm working on that, and I've found Alain Briot's guide to setting up your own home gallery helpful. My ambitions will be two orders of magnitude cheaper, though.
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jani

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Leaves On Water
« Reply #11 on: April 14, 2009, 05:46:46 pm »

Quote from: button
I also prefer #1 for the lines of the ripples, as well as the implied motion from bottom left to top right.  I also like the cobalt color of the water in that one.  I would like to see more detail in the leaves, as well as less saturation in them, as this shot (to me) is more about form and line than color.
Blimey, even less saturation?

I was trying to go for a slightly dreamy look for the water in the desaturated versions. It can probably be made to work in B&W. Here's a series with different degrees of saturation reduction, the last one in grayscale.

[attachment=13024:4270_Lea..._Water_i.jpg]
[attachment=13025:4270_Lea..._Water_j.jpg]
[attachment=13026:4270_Lea..._Water_k.jpg]
[attachment=13028:4270_Lea..._Water_l.jpg]
[attachment=13029:4270_Lea..._Water_m.jpg]
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button

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Leaves On Water
« Reply #12 on: April 14, 2009, 09:44:02 pm »

The third of these works- it's the right balance of color and luminosity for the message of this shot.

John
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jani

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Leaves On Water
« Reply #13 on: April 19, 2009, 11:56:48 am »

Quote from: button
The third of these works- it's the right balance of color and luminosity for the message of this shot.
Yes, it's nice and subtle, but I'm unsure whether I can translate that to a print under my current printing conditions.

Thanks!
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