Swamp

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

No, not D.C.

The Everglades, Florida

[James Clark]

There's a lot going on in those.   I think you're probably familiar with Clyde Butcher?  He seems to find ways to isolate Everglades landscapes in ways that avoid the tangle.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

There's a lot going on in those.   I think you're probably familiar with Clyde Butcher?  He seems to find ways to isolate Everglades landscapes in ways that avoid the tangle.

Yes, James, I am aware of that. I also visited his gallery while there. What works for him are huge dimensions of his prints, some appear to be 6-7 feet long. At that size, coupled with the detail 8x10 camera provides, the exquisite detail and veracity become the main focal point, not the overall composition. The same images seen in a book or on a postcard do look messy too. This goes for the subject like these above. He often shoots broad vistas, with huge Florida clouds above, and that helps dwarf the clutter below.

[James Clark]

Yes, James, I am aware of that. I also visited his gallery while there. What works for him are huge dimensions of his prints, some appear to be 6-7 feet long. At that size, coupled with the detail 8x10 camera provides, the exquisite detail and veracity become the main focal point, not the overall composition. The same images seen in a book or on a postcard do look messy too. This goes for the subject like these above. He often shoots broad vistas, with huge Florida clouds above, and that helps dwarf the clutter below.

Makes sense.  No criticism intended, BTW.  I've never been to the Everglades so I have no idea what it's actually like on site (beyond what I've seen on TV).  How was his gallery?  Good work?

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Makes sense.  No criticism intended, BTW.  I've never been to the Everglades so I have no idea what it's actually like on site (beyond what I've seen on TV).  How was his gallery?  Good work?

The gallery was impressive in that respect, huuuuge prints. It is relatively tight space, so you do have to stand close to the prints and admire the detail. I was there with a photographer friend and we both came to the same conclusion. And yes, it is incredibly difficult to shoot inside the swamp for that very reason: clutter.

In these two examples, I tried to reduce the clutter by using a telephoto, cropping further in post, and applying a specific post processing that reduces the background clutter:


Nightlife in Florida by Slobodan Blagojevic, on Flickr


Nightlife in Florida II by Slobodan Blagojevic, on Flickr

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

It gets easier once you leave the swamp and can engage the sky:

[James Clark]

The gallery was impressive in that respect, huuuuge prints. It is relatively tight space, so you do have to stand close to the prints and admire the detail. I was there with a photographer friend and we both came to the same conclusion. And yes, it is incredibly difficult to shoot inside the swamp for that very reason: clutter.

In these two examples, I tried to reduce the clutter by using a telephoto, cropping further in post, and applying a specific post processing that reduces the background clutter:


Nightlife in Florida by Slobodan Blagojevic, on Flickr


Nightlife in Florida II by Slobodan Blagojevic, on Flickr

He looks cuddly.

[Rajan Parrikar]

The alligator images are excellent.

[RSL]

+1

[Paulo Bizarro]

The alligator images are excellent.

+1

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Of the first six, my favorite is the fourth. I'd love to see that plus both of the alligators in Clyde Butcher-sized prints!

Good work in a difficult environment.

[James Clark]

I like the third.  Nice layering of tones/content and looks good on my larger desktop screen, as suggested.

[RMW]

Hello All.

I find Slobodan's first 4 fotos a good example of how to make some order out of all the apparent "tangle". After more then 10 years of swamp photography I know just how difficult it is. (And how much I've struggled.)There's just so much going on among all that fecundity.

However, may I suggest we should consider not only these foto's contents but also our own personal and cultural points of view. I'm guessing most of us on LuLA have an aesthetic preference rooted somewhere back in the early Renaissance, if not before. Maybe swamp fotos require us to stretch our way of seeing. ("Swamp" used to be a very pointed pejorative term. It used to be thought of as less then worthless.)

The first time I saw a Jackson Pollack I said he must be kidding. Where's the legacy of Rembrandt in all that seeming mess?

Anyhow, I'm glad to see swamp fotos and I admire Slobodan's examples.

Richard

[mecrox]

Great, like Thomas Struth’s images of dense vegetation. They ask one to consider whether one is looking at the image or through the image. They show a kind of network despite the apparent chaos?

The alligator images are really creepy and effective! It is really hard to make quality images at night, imho.

[Dave (Isle of Skye)]

The alligator images are excellent.

I agree.

Dave

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

There's a lot going on in those.   I think you're probably familiar with Clyde Butcher?  He seems to find ways to isolate Everglades landscapes in ways that avoid the tangle.

Today, in my Facebook feed, this image popped up. Not to compare myself to Mr. Butcher, but to show how difficult ii is to "avoid the tangle" inside the Everglades:

[RMW]

C.B. - very careful and patient.