Twist

The composition works here, but I would prefer light tha revealed the shape better. The hard light has revealed hte texture thought, and I wouldn't want to lose that.

And now for something completely different... I was inspired by some

uninspiring prints as I looked at the doubles. See technical details.

I lost a lot of detail in the scanning and the shading wasn't so

harsh, but you can see what I was going for. Comments?

Although I tend not to like these sorts of images -- for example, the stuff that John Paul Caponigro puts together in Photoshop -- I must admit this one has a bit of appeal to me.

 

Unfortunately, that appeal vanishes once my eye has locked onto the seam between the two images. While I'm sure it would be a lot of work to blend them together better, I think the end result will be better for having done it.

I think this image is ok as is (minus the seam). Contrasty, but not horrible... but to me the more pleasing/interesting shot is the original. I like the composition, and although the light is not optimal (It never is at mid-day unless you are in the slot canyons of the Arizona-Utah border.) it did bring out the texture of your subject. I think if you had reflected a little bit of light back into it and into the background, you would have been able to emphasize the shape and form as well as the texture. To me this is a classic example of creating a "more interesting" image through manipulation that actually turns out to be not as interesting as the original frame.

the original single shot merits some discussion. I like the tuft of grass and would have tried to put it on a power point. Also try to avoid running a strong daigonal line into a corner. Texture with a clear point of interest as you've done is a good approach.

I agree with the others about the seam, the harsh light and the patch of grass. The thing about the grass is that it's a highlight located along a strong oblique line, making it a double attraction for the eye. I think it would work better in color, though, as the green grass would contrast nicely with the bland rock.

 

I just shoot a similar scene recently; I scanned the pic, but haven't uploaded it on PN yet. I'm not quite satisfied with the colors, but I was thinking of it as a future Atget list picture. If there's any interest in discussing the compared merits or composition strategy of both, I'll officially upload it.

 

Here's the picture I was talking about.

I took a little break to avoid packing for my trip. I spent a lot of time trying to not lose texture and put the grass in a good place. I really never found something I liked.

a prefer your uploaded scan. the placement of the grass is good. It's too bad there isn't more contrast between the grass and the rock, but I like the idea.