Wednesday Landscapes, 16 May 2018

[Leslie Reid]

You are invited to upload one or more of your landscape photos and, if you’d like, to accompany your image with some commentary: challenges you faced in making the image? your intent for the image? settings? post-processing decisions? why you did what you did? the place and time? or an aspect you’d like feedback on? And please feel free to ask questions of others who have posted images or to join the discussion. If you don’t feel like using words, that’s OK too—unaccompanied images (or unaccompanied words, for that matter) are also very much welcomed. As for the technicalities, the usual forum guidelines apply: files < 1 MB; image size <1000 px maximum dimension.

 

An unexpectedly chaotic morning this morning (involving an unexpected early knock on the door, earwigs, and artichokes), so clearly, it’s time for an abstract landscape. Have at it!

 

[Leslie Reid]

...and once I had it posted, I started playing with a new crop on a longer view, which I think I like better, though it's not as abstract:

 

[michaellinder]

Leslie, I like each of your images equally. Can you please explain what you mean by referring to the second one as not as abstract?

[michaellinder]

Hightened contrast and saturation

[Glenn McCreery]

Sand abstract

[JDMvW]

Nikon S2 - 5cm f/1.4

The Great River Road along the Mississippi - Illinois

[Greg M]

White Sands National Monument, with the Olympus E-M1 Mark II and 12-100mm f4 M. Zuiko..

 

[peteraitch]

[Bill Bowes]

[Dieter Schaefer]

[Deborah Vallette]

[Gus Lazzari]

8 Element Leitz Summicron 35mm f/2 shot at f/4 mounted to a Leica M9 - ISO 800, Post processed via the discontinued Picasa...

 

 

Yosemite - "Half Dome" at Sunset...

[Greg M]

Recent sunrise, in Monochrome..

 

[cinziofarinelli]

[Gus Lazzari]

8 Element Leitz Summicron 35mm f/2 shot at f/5.6 mounted to a Leica M9 - ISO 160, Post processed via the discontinued Picasa with the "Orton-ish" action applied...

 

 

Dana Point Marina, Southern California

[Leslie Reid]

Can you please explain what you mean by referring to the second one as not as abstract?

Sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner, Michael—I was off the computer for most the week. And I love the question—it really made me think about what I consider to be abstraction. I think I consider the first of my two images as more of an abstract because it has fewer clues to place it in a broader context. When the image loses that context, it no longer gets by in part on the basis of the viewer’s identification with the kind of place depicted; without those clues, the image has to stand (or not) very much on its own design merits (or lack there-of). It’s not so much a sand-dune, or an Allosaurus (anyone else see that, or is it just me?), but is a series of lights and darks and colors that either form a satisfying balance or a disquieting tension or an annoying hodge-podge. That’s one of the reasons I like your image here so much—I spent several minutes reflecting on how intriguing the different color combinations are, and how nicely the orange flows through the scene—it’s a satisfying balance. If there had been enough other clues to make me view it first as a place, I probably would be obsessing over how unreal the colors are. But because the clues are mostly absent (except for the foliage), I’m loving those colors. The abstraction freed me to really enjoy the design as a design.

[michaellinder]

it has fewer clues to place it in a broader context. When the image loses that context, it no longer gets by in part on the basis of the viewer’s identification with the kind of place depicted;

 

Thanks, Leslie. This does the trick quite well in helping me understand your distinction between the 2 images. And thanks for your kind words about my image. I find them quite encouraging.