Luminous Landscape Forum

The Art of Photography => User Critiques => Topic started by: Dave (Isle of Skye) on April 01, 2012, 01:26:40 pm

Title: Low Key and High Key images
Post by: Dave (Isle of Skye) on April 01, 2012, 01:26:40 pm
Hi all,

It has been sort of misty and smoggy here over the last week and all-in-all very un-photographic.

Here are a couple that I did take and work on that my better half likes, but I am not so sure - what do you think, is it the print button or the delete button?

Dave
Title: Re: Low Key and High Key images
Post by: aduke on April 01, 2012, 01:31:32 pm
Dave, I like the first one a lot, if it were mine, I would print it. The second has a very nice feeling, but it looks like the boat ought to slide out of the frame to the bottom left. It could use more weight on the right.

Alan
Title: Re: Low Key and High Key images
Post by: michael ellis on April 01, 2012, 01:54:12 pm
Hi Dave-

I like these both very well. They are quite atmospheric and moody. I would print both.

Michael
Title: Re: Low Key and High Key images
Post by: armand on April 01, 2012, 02:37:27 pm
I like the first, powerful yet simple composition.
Title: Re: Low Key and High Key images
Post by: Dave (Isle of Skye) on April 02, 2012, 07:42:01 am
Hi all,

It has been sort of misty and smoggy here over the last week and all-in-all very un-photographic.

Here are a couple that I did take and work on that my better half likes, but I am not so sure - what do you think, is it the print button or the delete button?

Dave

Here is another version of the same scene that I shot a little while before the other high key image, when the fog/smog was even more opaque, but also with an added dash of colour - again not to sure about it though.

Thanks for the replies and I am quite surprised you all seem to like the low key shot, which even though I obviously made it, I am still not that enamoured with it - but I will take your advice and see what it looks like on paper, but might be a bit tricky to get a good print out of this image without the inks blocking up, although having just completed watching the "Camera to print and screen" videos by Michael and Jeff, I am a lot more confident in getting a reasonably good result. Great set of videos BTW and if you haven't yet invested in a copy, I highly recommend you do.

Dave
Title: Re: Low Key and High Key images
Post by: shutterpup on April 02, 2012, 09:57:24 am
I still like #2 best, followed by #1. The third one you posted was the one I didn't care for at all.
Title: Re: Low Key and High Key images
Post by: RSL on April 02, 2012, 11:46:32 am
I agree with Pup. #2 is something special. I don't see the composition being unbalanced. The subtle mountain range in the background provides all the balance needed, though it takes careful looking to see it. Like Pup I'm not too taken with #3. It might work if the boat were burned in a bit though.
Title: Re: Low Key and High Key images
Post by: Christoph C. Feldhaim on April 02, 2012, 12:38:50 pm
My favourite is #3 composition wise and I agree with burning the boat just a slight bit.
Title: Re: Low Key and High Key images
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on April 02, 2012, 01:32:36 pm
I like #2 best (the boat has room to move into, as it's moving left to right), but #3 would do nicely with the bit of burning in of the boat that Russ suggested.

Eric
Title: Re: Low Key and High Key images
Post by: Rob C on April 02, 2012, 03:55:29 pm
FWIW and IMO, I like the first one as subject, except for the lower half; I'd mask off the sky and give the low area a blast of Curves.

As it is, the lower half looks, to me, as of it was a bady exposed wet print that needed less exposure but more development. In other words, it has the 'milky' look of a bad wet black/white print.

Or it could be my monitor has gone funny on me.

But shucks, I work with a cellphone these days; that changes everything!

;-)

Rob C
Title: Re: Low Key and High Key images
Post by: Jeremy Roussak on April 02, 2012, 05:45:30 pm
1: delete; 2: print.

IMHO

Jeremy

(now I'll read on to see if I'm right)
Title: Re: Low Key and High Key images
Post by: Dave (Isle of Skye) on April 05, 2012, 09:40:47 am
I agree with Pup. #2 is something special. I don't see the composition being unbalanced. The subtle mountain range in the background provides all the balance needed, though it takes careful looking to see it. Like Pup I'm not too taken with #3. It might work if the boat were burned in a bit though.

How about this version Russ?

Title: Re: Low Key and High Key images
Post by: Christoph C. Feldhaim on April 05, 2012, 10:13:08 am
This one is very well balanced.
I like it.
Title: Re: Low Key and High Key images
Post by: aduke on April 05, 2012, 12:27:14 pm
+1

Alan
Title: Re: Low Key and High Key images
Post by: armand on April 05, 2012, 02:02:24 pm
The last version is better but I still like a lot the first photo. As a side note those 2 birds are a nice touch.
Title: Re: Low Key and High Key images
Post by: stamper on April 06, 2012, 04:01:37 am
FWIW and IMO, I like the first one as subject, except for the lower half; I'd mask off the sky and give the low area a blast of Curves.

As it is, the lower half looks, to me, as of it was a bady exposed wet print that needed less exposure but more development. In other words, it has the 'milky' look of a bad wet black/white print.

I agree with Rob. Perhaps not a "blast of curves" but certainly a steepening of the curve on the lower half of the image. As it is the contrast looks the same over all of the image and a separation of the hills to the sky would be imo better.

Title: Re: Low Key and High Key images
Post by: Dave (Isle of Skye) on April 06, 2012, 05:37:39 am
As a side note those 2 birds are a nice touch.

Yes I agree, your eyes are drawn to them (once you see them) even though they are only tiny little specks.

Rob: I could certainly try giving the lower half of image #1 a blast of curves, but the shot is more or less how it looked, murky and with very flat light, hence why the sun didn't burn out, but what the heck, I am more than happy to try what you are suggesting to see what it looks like.

Dave
Title: Re: Low Key and High Key images
Post by: Dave (Isle of Skye) on April 13, 2012, 04:38:45 pm
FWIW and IMO, I like the first one as subject, except for the lower half; I'd mask off the sky and give the low area a blast of Curves.

Rob, do you mean like this?

Dave
Title: Re: Low Key and High Key images
Post by: Tony Jay on April 13, 2012, 04:54:44 pm
Rob, do you mean like this?

Beeeauty!

Regards

Tony Jay
Title: Re: Low Key and High Key images
Post by: aduke on April 13, 2012, 07:09:58 pm
Excellent!

Alan