Dante's View

[David Eckels]

Reinterpreting a DV image from 2014.
Color version or lightly toned?

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

I'll vote for the lightly toned version, as the colors don't add anything for me.

Vey nice image. Better than anything I got from Dante's View.

[Michael West]

Reinterpreting a DV image from 2014.
Color version or lightly toned?

Lightly toned . Somber works

[John R]

I like the colour version, but the bottom left does stand out quite a bit despite being in soft light. My feeling is that the foreground peak or mountain makes that part more dominant and breaks the rhythm of the background mountains. When you couple that with soft glow or tone of the bottom left it becomes even more dominant. I think that's why the light, almost monotone version, seems to have a better balance. However, if you try toning that bottom left tone in the colour version, it may appear more balanced, more co-equal with its background. If you scroll the page and make the light tones disappear you will see what I mean. My two cents.

JR

[David Eckels]

I like the colour version, but the bottom left does stand out quite a bit despite being in soft light. My feeling is that the foreground peak or mountain makes that part more dominant and breaks the rhythm of the background mountains. When you couple that with soft glow or tone of the bottom left it becomes even more dominant. I think that's why the light, almost monotone version, seems to have a better balance. However, if you try toning that bottom left tone in the colour version, it may appear more balanced, more co-equal with its background. If you scroll the page and make the light tones disappear you will see what I mean. My two cents.

JR

John, are you saying that if the tones and luminosity of the bottom three ridges in the color version were more like those of the semi-monotone version, I might be able to cut down the dominance and improve balance?

[John R]

John, are you saying that if the tones and luminosity of the bottom three ridges in the color version were more like those of the semi-monotone version, I might be able to cut down the dominance and improve balance?

Exactly! Essentially, I think that is what you have done in the monotone version.

JR

[Bob_B]

I agree with John R: tonal balance is key. Also, I might attempt to subdue the fringing on the peaks against the sky. That said, you have a great image here.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Stop omphaloskepsis and go out and shoot fresh 

[francois]

I have a slight preference for the lightly toned version. Colors are not that spectacular and don't bring much vs the LT version.
I love the successive ridge lines, it's a "deep" landscape.

Well done.

[David Eckels]

I appreciate the input and I've stopped with the omphaloskepsis (great word!)
Dante's view was not only of hell so I stuck with the color version, but toned down the front ridge line.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Very nice indeed.

(And it doesn't need any additional omphaloanything.)

[John R]

Very nice indeed.

(And it doesn't need any additional omphaloanything.)

Yes sir, the rhythm comes through beautifully, as does the soft light; almost pastel-like. Also I wasn't about to challenge Eric cause I don't know what 'omphalo' means

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

Now, in all seriousness (and what else would you expect from me?), I simply prefer your original version. Color-wise. Compositionally, it does feel a bit cut-off at the bottom.

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

Also I wasn't about to challenge Eric cause I don't know what 'omphalo' means

If you ever meet an Omphalo in a dark alley, be sure to ask: "What are you, sir or madam?"

And then tell me.

[David Eckels]

Now, in all seriousness (and what else would you expect from me?), I simply prefer your original version. Colo-wise. Compositionally, it does feel a bit cut-off at the bottom.

That is interesting feedback, Slobodan. Of course, it WAS cut off from the bottom I felt the lower ridges, dark or light, were too dominant. In my mind they were symbolic of hell, but that wasn't the only thing Dante saw in The Divine Comedy and I wanted to "lift" the viewer's eyes to that reality, thus the color. Whether I was successful depends. The range of reactions is quite interesting and much appreciated.
I will have to see how the un-cropped version hits me though as all processing was done on this cropped version.

[Slobodan Blagojevic]

… I don't know what 'omphalo' means

Omphaloskepsis = a fancy Latin word for the good, old “navel gazing” 

[Eric Myrvaagnes]

And I thought there was a poem about an Omphalo. Something like this:

"The other day upon the stair
I met an Omphalo who wasn't there.
The Omphalo was there again today>
Oh, how I wish he's go away!"

I'm not sure I have it quite right. The meter seems a bit off.