Luminous Landscape Forum
Equipment & Techniques => Landscape & Nature Photography => Topic started by: Chris Calohan on December 23, 2013, 08:16:39 am
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I was watching where I was walking.
(http://farm8.staticflickr.com/7440/11513779645_97aaa22bdc_o.jpg)
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Well seen! And captured!!
Mike.
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I don't see it. What did you find??
It just looks like a jumbled up image.
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I cannot possibly imagine that you cannot see this...but then again, stranger things have happened.
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I don't see anything either. Would you explain what it is that you see/like in the image?
Thanks,
Johnny
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In case Chris doesn't want to give it away, how about Mike: Can you tell us what you see?
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Ok, I feel better now. If Eric doesn't see it then I know it's not just me.
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Must be arachnophobia ;)
Frank
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I look at a scene from a variety of viewpoints: light is probably the foremost element, leading lines next, followed by form or shape. Into that mix there is always some visual point that balances out a scene. In this case, I saw this beautiful background light, a heavy thrust of right to left diagonals in the pathway, the limbs and to some degree even the lean of the tree trunks, again, right to left in orientation. What stood out to me, that which caught my eye was this single small, wiry limb sticking upward and left to right orientation. The brightness of the one leaf combined with the tiny tendril of spider web just enough of a countering light element to balance the entirety of the scene. To me, there is great strength in to this small bit of light.
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Awesome back light caught up in the DOF, great find !
Dwayne Oakes
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Thanks for the explanation Chris.
Later,
Johnny
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Thanks for the explanation Chris.
Later,
Johnny
Thanks from me, too.
I see the twig with the sunlit leaf OK, but the combination of my monitor's resolution and my aging eyesight make it hard for me to find the elusive tendril of spider web. I applaud the concept.
Eric
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Thanks, Dwayne, Mike and all. Guess I am going to have to figure out how to get the proper BBC code to present my images the same as yours. Perhaps then, the detail will show through.
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If that is what you saw in this image then I would suggest that you de saturate those bright orange leaves below the little twiggy , because they steal the show! ;-)
David
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Seriously, the whole image is a jumble of a mess of "Stuff" that has absolutely no focal point. There is nothing that draws your eye into the picture except for those orange leaves but then, there is nowhere to go once you are on those leaves.
As for a spider web, as it is against the almost black of the trunk and it has no light on it to make it stand out, the whole image fails if the tiny web was what you were trying to capture.
I am looking at this image on a LaCie 324 monitor so I know it isn't my monitor that is lacking.... the web is BARELY visible until I enlarge the image 3 times.
This is one of those times when you needed to stop and STAY on the subject and EXPLORE it. Just taking a shot or two and thinking you "got it" usually means that you didn't get it. There is always a better image, a better view, a better story to tell if you only take the time to discover.
If you had moved a bit one way or the other, maybe the web you say is in there might have become more prominent and the crap in the background would go away.
There aren't any leading lines or anything except that you have too bright a background that is all messed up to the point that it detracts from anything else, limbs and trunks that don't go anywhere except out of the image. a tiny plant in the middle of the image with not enough backlighting to make it do anything but sit there and a spider web that doesn't show up.
All in all, this image fails on so many levels that you need to go try it again. Go LOOK for webs and take an hour or two and really shoot them. Keep minimizing the junk in the image till you have distilled it down to the basic element you thought you saw.
But, this is why you posted it, right? To learn and grow?
Too many times, our mind sees something and ignores everything around it but the camera sees everything and shows it all.
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I think the previous poster has given some great insight into the photograph originally posted and the closing thought
Too many times, our mind sees something and ignores everything around it but the camera sees everything and shows it all.
...sums it up quite well
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Seriously, the whole image is a jumble of a mess of "Stuff" that has absolutely no focal point. There is nothing that draws your eye into the picture except for those orange leaves but then, there is nowhere to go once you are on those leaves.
As for a spider web, as it is against the almost black of the trunk and it has no light on it to make it stand out, the whole image fails if the tiny web was what you were trying to capture.
I am looking at this image on a LaCie 324 monitor so I know it isn't my monitor that is lacking.... the web is BARELY visible until I enlarge the image 3 times.
This is one of those times when you needed to stop and STAY on the subject and EXPLORE it. Just taking a shot or two and thinking you "got it" usually means that you didn't get it. There is always a better image, a better view, a better story to tell if you only take the time to discover.
If you had moved a bit one way or the other, maybe the web you say is in there might have become more prominent and the crap in the background would go away.
There aren't any leading lines or anything except that you have too bright a background that is all messed up to the point that it detracts from anything else, limbs and trunks that don't go anywhere except out of the image. a tiny plant in the middle of the image with not enough backlighting to make it do anything but sit there and a spider web that doesn't show up.
All in all, this image fails on so many levels that you need to go try it again. Go LOOK for webs and take an hour or two and really shoot them. Keep minimizing the junk in the image till you have distilled it down to the basic element you thought you saw.
But, this is why you posted it, right? To learn and grow?
Too many times, our mind sees something and ignores everything around it but the camera sees everything and shows it all.
Just curious as to your expertise. I don't find the image a total failure nor your critique a total success. I didn't shoot it for the spider web, it was just a bit of bonus. I shot it strictly for the light.
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Hello,
I looked at this yesterday and wondered if anyone was going to give you the bad news. I fail to see anything remarkable about this image. I'm looking at it on a 17" iMac so I don't think it is my monitor, regardless that, no monitor will help this.
Here is my website if you care to check my expertise.
www.billproudphotography.com
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...and you can have a look thru my business website:
http://fahringersframinggallery.com/index.html (http://fahringersframinggallery.com/index.html)
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Dam you, Bill!!! You made it to The WAVE???!!! ;D
I'm soooo envious!! ...and now too old and broken down to walk that hike. Nice stuff you got there.
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So, Chris... How about showing the rest of us.. the ones whom you are doubting our qualifications to critique... some examples of your "expertise".
Post a few more of your best stuff.
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Never said I was an expert and didn't question anyone else, just you as I went through your posts for the last two years, most of which, picturewise have been deleted. The only one I liked, though it was rather touristy chiche-ish, was the lighthouse. The shot at Antelope Canyon was about as flat and lifeless as one could make an image and visually void of a particular focal point. I made a significant improvement in photoshop but on such a small image, it's hard to tell.
My stuff is on here. Is it all great...not by any stretch, but I am an admitted work in progress and some of the stuff I've posted is pretty damn good and that's by a lot of standards. I'm not from Missouri, but I like the "Show Me" motto. If you've got it, show it. If not, then go back to your canvas stretchers, glass cutting, printing stuff and leave me be. That others on here also didn't find a reasonable image to like...okay, but I've seen their work and know from whence they come.
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I dont think there is enough contrast/separation between the 'subject' and the background.
The bokeh is a bit distracting and the rest is a little bit busy.
Its a nice shot to look at though , and an idea to work on.
But I'm just an amateur so what do i know.
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This photo doesn't do much for me, either. However, what seems to come out of this series of posts is an interesting reflection of the forum as a whole. These are my own observations after a few years of dipping in and out of this forum.
We see many wonderful examples of finely crafted photographs - so well seen, captured and processed that even posting a photo here can be a bit intimidating. These photos are heralded and lauded appropriately.
Some photos posted cause us to reflect more deeply about what the photographer is trying to achieve with often very insightful discussions.
Others miss the mark completely and end up with few, if any comments.
Typically, no one here really wants to pounce on anyone and if they do, they typically have good reasons to, and they take the time to explain them, as did framah. But, it takes a bit of fortitude to do so because, often, the photographer takes the criticism poorly, becomes defensive, then, as in this case (and others I've seen here over the years) questions the credentials of the critic. This is unfortunate as most of us are here to learn.
If there's a criticism, we should be able to say so without retribution, provided they are not simply sniping comments. If you disagree, that's fine, too. If you are on the receiving end, take your lumps, learn from it or politely agree to disagree, and move on. But also take the time to think long and hard about the criticism and try to understand what the critics are saying.
The ones who learn best are those who can take a step back and be entirely objective about their own work and re-evaluate it in light of the criticism. That's not to say you must agree to what everyone else says and mould your work to the expectations of others. But if others think it doesn't "work", then perhaps there is a kernel of understanding that can be gained from the criticism.
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So, Chris...who are you responding to?
I don't have any lighthouse images on my site, so you must be talking to Bill. If you are going to respond to a post, reference it.
I am the one who does the framing and printing for 20 years now and have been photographing for almost 40 years.
You showed it because you THOUGHT you had it, but, in reality, you DIDN'T "have it" and for the reasons we posted. So, how about, instead of getting into a pi**ing match, you let go of your preconceived notions and try to learn something.
You also showed it because you wanted pats on your back for what a great shot you discovered and what you got was some reality and critiques. If you take a photography class, do you get all pi**y if the teacher rips your image apart? The answer SHOULD be no, as that is why you are there..and here... to learn.
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Thank you LuxBorealis for posting what I have been thinking.
It was not my intent to demean or bully Chris on his work but was hoping that an honest critique would help him to improve. I suppose I may have appeared as a drive-by shooter since I rarely post here, or anywhere else, for the very reasons Lux stated but my intent was to help, even if it seemed blunt.
framah,
Thanks for your comments. I've been fortunate to have been to the Wave three times living only 250 miles away. I wish I could say I've gotten anything I'm really pleased with and that is different than anyone else's. And my knees are almost gone as well.
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I have to agree with Terry's ("LuxBorealis") post, and I think Framah's critique was quite fair.
Chris, you have indeed posted many truly fine images on LuLa and I always look forward to your posts, but this one didn't move me.
In my 60-odd years of photographing there have been a number of times when I saw something that moved me deeply and photographed it, only to have knowledgeable viewers dismiss the result as uninspiring or worse. Having a great idea doesn't guarantee that the image will reach others the way it did you. That shouldn't lessen the value of the image to you. But you may need to accept the idea that some images only work for a very limited audience.