Luminous Landscape Forum

The Art of Photography => User Critiques => Topic started by: Slobodan Blagojevic on April 23, 2015, 10:45:03 pm

Title: The Big Sky Country
Post by: Slobodan Blagojevic on April 23, 2015, 10:45:03 pm
Been to Montana. Apart from mermaids, they do have other attractions, like the big sky. Two renderings:

(https://farm9.staticflickr.com/8702/17063274540_d7d6a4dff9_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/rZPK3C)
The Big Sky Country - B&W (https://flic.kr/p/rZPK3C) by Slobodan Blagojevic (https://www.flickr.com/people/20843597@N05/), on Flickr

(https://farm8.staticflickr.com/7634/17224859956_9f513be257_c.jpg) (https://flic.kr/p/sf6UL5)
The Big Sky Country (https://flic.kr/p/sf6UL5) by Slobodan Blagojevic (https://www.flickr.com/people/20843597@N05/), on Flickr
Title: Re: The Big Sky Country
Post by: BobDavid on April 24, 2015, 12:07:41 am
I like the second one a lot. The muted the colors work really well. I like the simplicity and vastness of the play between blue and yellow. But the noise is distracting--it flattens the space and muddies the scene.
Title: Re: The Big Sky Country
Post by: francois on April 24, 2015, 04:58:39 am
I like both, the first one for the "elegant" lines of the furrows and the second one for the soft blues and yellows. I'm not too hot about the grainy sky, though.
Title: Re: The Big Sky Country
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on April 24, 2015, 11:01:45 am
I prefer the B&W version. The curve of the rows adds a lot.

When I go to the flicker site, both photos are quite blurry, but not here on LuLa. Any idea why that is?
Title: Re: The Big Sky Country
Post by: pcgpcg on April 24, 2015, 11:28:20 am
When I go to the flicker site, both photos are quite blurry, but not here on LuLa. Any idea why that is?
The photo has not finished loading. It's sharp as a tack for me.
The noise is so pronounced it almost works to convey another feeling to the photos. I'm not sure what, but, in the end it fails and becomes distracting for me as well. Nice composition.
Title: Re: The Big Sky Country
Post by: ashaughnessy on April 24, 2015, 01:09:09 pm
As Paul says just before me - the picture is still loading and will remain blurry until it has fully loaded. Once fully loaded it's fine.
Anthony
Title: Re: The Big Sky Country
Post by: Slobodan Blagojevic on April 24, 2015, 03:42:52 pm
Looks like, in the fight against any traces of the dreaded digital noise, we've lost any taste for a film-like grain? Is grain in color more objectionable than in b&w?
Title: Re: The Big Sky Country
Post by: Harald L on April 24, 2015, 03:45:23 pm
Both are well composed (as expected from Slobodan) and moody. I even like the grain, regardless it is artificial or not.

Harald
Title: Re: The Big Sky Country
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on April 24, 2015, 04:47:23 pm
As Paul says just before me - the picture is still loading and will remain blurry until it has fully loaded. Once fully loaded it's fine.
Anthony
I guess Flicker doesn't like Internet Exploiter 11 (or v.v.) Three whole minutes and it hasn't finished loading. But in Firefox it takes about 2 seconds.
Title: Re: The Big Sky Country + No-Grain Version
Post by: Slobodan Blagojevic on April 24, 2015, 05:33:04 pm
Ok, here is a color version for the no-grain crowd:
Title: Re: The Big Sky Country
Post by: pcgpcg on April 24, 2015, 06:37:57 pm
we've lost any taste for a film-like grain?  
It appears you were inspired and took the subject matter to heart.  ;D

Is grain in color more objectionable than in b&w?
I like it better in the color version.
Title: Re: The Big Sky Country
Post by: Michael West on April 24, 2015, 10:35:44 pm
Im voting for the first photograph which to my eye has a very nice geometric flow 
Title: Re: The Big Sky Country
Post by: rmyers on April 24, 2015, 11:49:44 pm
Black and white with grain, please.
Title: Re: The Big Sky Country
Post by: bernie west on April 25, 2015, 01:57:08 am
Too much noise.  I like the first one composition wise and the black and white suits that.  But what's with the messy noise??
Title: Re: The Big Sky Country
Post by: pcgpcg on April 25, 2015, 10:36:22 am
...what's with the messy noise??
It's a grain elevator folks. Very clever Slobodan!
Title: Re: The Big Sky Country
Post by: RSL on April 25, 2015, 11:03:02 am
I like the shot, but mainly because in the fifties and seventies I lived in Montana for roughly four and a half years and spent a lot of time flying over Montana and its surrounding states.

I don't get the point of the noise, though, Slobodan.
Title: Re: The Big Sky Country
Post by: Eric Myrvaagnes on April 25, 2015, 06:40:39 pm
I don't get the point of the noise, though, Slobodan.
He mistook it for a noise elevator.   :D
Title: Re: The Big Sky Country
Post by: Slobodan Blagojevic on April 26, 2015, 02:01:01 am
You guys are raising too much noise about something that is not even noise...it's grain, people! Film-like grain. It is an effect. Not unlike vignetting, subdued colors, polarized sky, warm white balance, etc.
Title: Re: The Big Sky Country
Post by: mbaginy on April 26, 2015, 02:10:43 am
I like both images, not preferring one over the another.  And I prefer the images with grain.

I add grain to most of my b&w conversions and some color shots.

Nicely done, Slobodan.
Title: Re: The Big Sky Country
Post by: fdisilvestro on April 26, 2015, 04:36:24 am
I like both images, especially the B&W. However, the grain does not look natural (to me, and btw I do like grainy images) I'm not sure if you downsized / compressed after applying the grain. If I view the flickr images at 300% (firefox browser zoom), it looks like artifacts / pattern noise, not random like real film grain.
Title: Re: The Big Sky Country
Post by: stamper on April 26, 2015, 04:45:20 am
Grain or noise can be beneficial but in these two images it spoils the likeability of them. I prefer the "cleaner" versions.
Title: Re: The Big Sky Country
Post by: Bob_B on April 26, 2015, 08:48:53 am
I like both images, especially the B&W. However, the grain does not look natural (to me, and btw I do like grainy images) I'm not sure if you downsized / compressed after applying the grain. If I view the flickr images at 300% (firefox browser zoom), it looks like artifacts / pattern noise, not random like real film grain.

I think Francisco has a valid point about the grain size being a bit too large and (perhaps) too regular, but I very much like the b/w composition.
Title: Re: The Big Sky Country
Post by: pcgpcg on April 26, 2015, 11:47:28 am
it's grain, people!
OK, last time... it's a photo of a grain elevator, with the grain elevated. Slobodan you should admit to pulling off a very clever photographic play on words as well as a well-composed and fun reminder of those grainy days.
Title: Re: The Big Sky Country
Post by: Slobodan Blagojevic on April 26, 2015, 12:07:54 pm
OK, last time... it's a photo of a grain elevator, with the grain elevated. Slobodan you should admit to pulling off a very clever photographic play on words as well as a well-composed and fun reminder of those grainy days.

Finally, a brainy comment about grainy images! ;)
Title: Re: The Big Sky Country
Post by: Slobodan Blagojevic on April 26, 2015, 12:16:35 pm
In an effort to please both sides, here is a clean one:
Title: Re: The Big Sky Country
Post by: armand on April 26, 2015, 01:26:37 pm
In an effort to please both sides, here is a clean one:

Wait, I didn't get the chance to pick a side ... Oh well
More on topic I do feel the grain is a little too much on the first version, it seems sunny enough that there was no need for a high speed grainy film if that's what you were looking for.