Splash #8

I'm surprised that the rotation suggestions are for a 90 degree counter

clockwise rotation. My first reaction is to rotate it 90 degress clockwise. I think this is because I'm more comfortable with light

coming from the upper left rather than the lower left.

 

That said, I may not have noticed this striking shot as much

if I had been more "comfortable" with it.

Where's the optical trick? He's shooting straight down, so the light can come from any direction. This was the orientation he saw, straight out of the camera (allowing for minor cropping.)

 

Take what Leigh says to heart. Getting these shots can be quite awkward. In addition to strange camera and photographer positions, placing the tripod so that there are no shadows can also be tricky.

using a view camera could create an "offset" in the photograph to help prevent the camera's reflection from being in the photo. I wonder if that's part of the technique? One thing that made this interesting for me is the fact that the 2D image is ambiguous regarding the 3D reality. I realized immediately what I was seeing, except that I thought that it was inverted, with regard to depth. That makes it quite confusing to figure out what's going on. It's much simpler to understand when you see it "right". I particularly enjoy the reflections of the reflections of the lights in some very small portions of the photograph. Somehow, if you study those regions, the geometry of the subject "snaps" into detailed understanding of the perspective and depth of the subject matter. These things make the photograph particularly interesting and challenging to view, to me.

Leigh- This is super candy for the eyes :) I find the entire composition pleasing. The gentle diagonal flow, in contrast with the harsh, detailed lines in the concrete. The light play is amazing & the fact that it is a puddle on an oily garage floor makes it even more interesting to me. I love close-up & personal & I find it amazing to experience the view that others see & don't see :) Truly well thought out, creating a terrific image :)

The question of orientation is an interesting one, so I've posted a comparison.

I shot nearly straight downto minimise DOF issues, but was forced to tilt slightly to create the reflection patterns. Frommemory, the lens would have been no more than 5 or 10 degrees off vertical, yet there isa greater sense of incline (or perspective recession) than I expected. My guess is that the rapidly diminishing DOF accentuates this impression.

Looking at the rotated version, it does appear more natural. However, if I try hard enough, I can also sense a verticalincline in that version too, as if this is water suspended on a shower wall.

Neither orientation feels completely natural to me, but my mind is more adept at converting the rotated version to distance / perspective cues.

The diagonal motion of the unrotated version makes for a more dynamic composition. I would have liked to be able to shoot this straight down, but because the gauze is perpendicular to the floor, some tilt is needed to get the patterns into the main body of water. Beyond keeping itself out of the shot, the view camera wouldn't help in this setup.

As Marc succinctly says, this could be probably be executed far better with the single goal of emphasising its essential beauty in the studio, with the gauze material directly above the water. It would have to be a rainy month, though, before I got around to doing it :-)

Much easier on the brain cells, thank-you. The image now is presented in such a manner as to be much more easier to read and therefore easier to appreciate the contained elements.

 

 

Since it is such an interesting subject and a very good photo it is hard not to pick at it, so I must add one more thing, though I would like to say two. I noticed this before the image was rotated but it stands out even more now and that is that the "island" in what is now the top right corner has been cut off at the top. This element is extremely important to the image as it creates a point of interest and balance to the composition by opposing the patterned area on the other side of the diagonal. Since it is so important it should have more space around the top edge to identify it as having importance.

 

 

I must apologize I assumed everyone could read my mind...Excellent eye, excellent image!

The original orientation does zero for me as compared to the final rotated version. With the original I look at it and say "ah, water on concrete" with the rotated one I sat back and said "what the heck is that and isn't it marvelous".

Wow,

 

My first thought on seeing this image was, "it needs to be rotated 90 degrees CCW". Now, seeing the comparison, I don't think it works as well. It is more "pleasing" I suppose. I instantly see the fact that it is a puddle of water. But, that actually detracts from the impression of the fractal pattern (which is, I think, the real magic of this shot).

Don't get me wrong, I like both orientations. They just give different impressions.

Great shot. I love the contrasting textures of the liquid and the scratched surface.

Great image! And so artistic

Aesthetically, unlike your other work, this doesn't do much for me. On the other hand I feel it very creative and original. It does do what it's supposed to and holds a viewers interest. Reminds me of mercury. Great job on the shadows & reflections

...stunning shot. The fractal-like patterns are remarkable! Great eye.

With a little time to kill, I thought I would see what was on the POW. Essentially, I have been

reading a lot of "great" comments here, but I do have to admit that I am left a little cold by

the image. It feels very mechanical to me, almost too sterile. The tonality is cold, the details

"soooo sharp", it just all feels too, too cold and too too mechanical.

 

There is a consistency in the folder of these shots, but I do wonder if there wouldn't be a

better treatment of these that would give them more depth and warmth and thus more "curb"

appeal. For now, they feel like scientific studies, well done and composed, but I can't get any

further into this or the rest of them. Just too sterile.

Mesmerizing! I love it.

 

--John

Very nice image but it's not a photograph to me.

 

Regards, Art.

Well it's a great example of what it is.

Unfortunately though it's basically tired old seventies art,so even if it's the best of it's kind it's never going to be meaningfull in any way

I agree that orientation plays a large part in the mystique of the image. I like the turned version, because it does make you go...what the? I personally feel that added warmth would not do this image any good, the stark reality of the image is part of its magic. The light and geometrics produce an image that is both abstract, and eventually, discovered as real. If I have to think about an image... this causes me to stop and look. To really investigate and classify what I am observing....that should be the first intent of an image. To get the observer to STOP and LOOK! Then and only then can they decide if they like it. I see a photographer with a fantastic eye and the knowledge to capture what he sees. This does not happen overnight. This is what you get with hard work and attention to detail. Sure, anyone can make a grand landscape interesting or a subtle nude that is well positioned and accented with light....but here an artist made a simple water splash intriquing. Now how many can do that?

Rotation, a gimmick? Perhaps, but Egon Schiele did it too (here is an example).

From a purely graphical standpoint, I think the vertical (rotated) version is superior to the horizontal one - as in, more balanced, and at the same time, more challenging. Like some other people who commented, my personal sense of photographic sight is honed more towards human elements, but doesn't all good photography boil down to interesting compositions, anyway? Henri Cartier-Bresson took humans and turned them into abstract patches of black and white not dissimilar to this POW.

Hi Leigh, This is a beautiful shot, not sure how I missed it earlier in the year. It was a great idea to use the surface tension of the fluid and the patterned door to get this effect. Love it. Best wishes Hugo