I'm not alone

I like this picture and appreciate the work and creativity that went behind it. As for the story, here's the one I get: Oscar was a religious man. He went to his house of worship three times a week, at least. His wife was not religious, but she tolerated Oscar's spiritual interests. One day, Oscar heard that the world was going to end. His leaders at the church confirmed this with firey preaching and encouragements to everyone to make amends and prepare themselves for the hereafter. After Oscar had completed his ritualistic cleansing, he went down to the lake to wait for the end to come, as it was his favorite place. It was raining, so he brought his umbrella because he didn't want to ruin his best suit. On his way, he tripped and broke his left foot. He sat at the lake all day and all night. Early in the morning, as the fog was lifting off the surface of the lake, he looked up and saw his wife rowing across the lake in a small boat. In the boat with her was a grandfather clock, the kind with a glass door and a pendulum. She was rowing frantically with the clock in the middle of the boat. Oscar could hear her shrieking as she rowed: "I will not tell you again what time it is" Behind him, Oscar heard a camera shutter click, and simultaneously, the world began to end, with dark, evil birdlike cretures filling the skies, and calling to those below with shrill sinister voices: Let all humanity flee before the end of the earth!" Except to human ears it was the noise of fingernails scratching across blackboards. Huge holes appeared in various places on every continent, draining all the waters into the center of the earth. As Oscar watched, his wife and the clock were sucked into one of these dark holes, which accounts for the tilted horizon. Unfortunately, I can't finish the story because I'm too chocked up with emotion, but the camera click Oscar heard was a polaroid photographer, drinking green tea as he made an exposure. When the world ended, he dropped the picture, spilling the green tea all over it, and staining it.

Fantastic composition with amazing colors and very nice lighting
Bravo !!!

I don't know Doug, the more I look at this photo the more convinced I become that I am looking at a Dalmatian and a jukebox in that boat. Nice story though. The green tea is a lovely touch.
The " photographer " says this image is a composite of seven photos. There are barely more than seven elements in the image which goes a long way toward explaining the rather bizarre lack of continuity regarding scale.

I feel your pain, Gordon. I do. But at least Marius has it clearly identified in a folder marked "computer work" and has answered his critics straightforwardly with the information about the 7 photos. In the old days, it was like a mad rabble trying to find Dr. Frankenstein and his monster, with the "photographer" (aka the mad Dr. Frankenstein) laying low in the sidelines, hoping his digital manipulations wouldn't be uncovered. I can appreciate the fact that it's not a straight photograph, but I can also appreciate that Marius recognized what was missing from whatever his main shot was, and went about adding and subtracting to make this image. I'm glad for your voice of dissent. I'm also cautious not judge a Calder sculpture by the same standard as I would judge an Ansel Adams photograph.

 " But at least Marius has it clearly identified in a folder marked "computer work" and has answered his critics straightforwardly with the information about the 7 photos. "
 
Agreed Doug and I commend  Marius on his upfront reaction to our inquiries. The fact that this image is a  hodgepodge of seven other photos almost makes me want to like it.  It does make me respect the effort involved in creating the image,  irregardless of my feelings about the final result.
 
I never found fault with this image on the grounds that it is a composite rather my issue was with the lack of originality , the overall conformity to the currently in vogue standards for these composites . The brooding,  moody, inner landscape has been overdone.  I much prefer some of Marius other photos which stand out as more individual in stylist terms.

I like the feeling that the photo gives you when you look at it. If you double click on the photo, it will get a little larger. Well done and congratulations on the POW

I think that the composition in this photo is wonderful, as is the use of color.

I do feel that the mood does project a little sadness, and the colors really work to communicate this. I'm not sure if this was the artist's intention or not, but that is how it comes across to me.

The water does not look even. It is higher than the wooden planks which are out of place. Imaginative? Perhaps. Deficient? Certainly.

Marius,

I am a casual shutter-clicker. I do not have much photography skills and am struggling even with basic PP. Nor do I have passion or insight for photography. So, please, take my comment for whatever it is worth considering my acumen on photography, or lack thereof to a significant degree as confessed.

First of all, your embracing seemingly unpleasant colors and conviction about it are commendable. Beauty is not only in pleasantness and prettiness but also in otherwise, I believe. Your works, this and the one titled <Inside my soul>, are a good reference for me with respect to how to use unpleasant colors.

Secondly, image manipulation often results in a pompous gimmickry of fantasy genre for looks and marketability. However, you elevate yours into an introspective work. I suspect there is an inner working of one’s soul here, maybe in conjunction with <Inside my soul>.

If art is a journey of self-discovery and includes a process of allowing viewers’ participation in which they set out their own journeys, the depth of art may often be affected by how much the artist is to bear and show. You are willing to show a deeply personal side that many of us would have kept private, which could not have been easy for you. I hope you keep it up.

Thirdly, although it took me some time to shake the smell of “stylized kitsch” off the work incorporating soft light and sunset/sunrise in a setting that evokes, say, excessive lyricism -- I really do not want to use the term, romanticism, so I am adopting lyricism -- as commonly found in landscape/waterscape photos, the contrasting treatment of the foreground seems to discourage such impression. But, is the contrast strong enough? To me, it isn’t. The result is, the two worlds depicted in the piece are neither in harmony nor sufficiently disjointed so as to forcibly pull me into your worlds. Perhaps, the ambiguity is intentional. Nevertheless, it is still perplexing.

In that sense, I actually think the tilted horizon is effective as it serves as a source of tension that perhaps resides or should reside between the two worlds. Otherwise, the rather conventional composition aided by the lighting would look even more dangerously conforming, which may not be suitable for a personal work such as yours. BTW, why in the world should the horizon always be straight?

Lastly, I believe a great work of art either deepens aesthetic it is committed to or broadens the entire horizon of aesthetics itself by embracing elements that are thought to be inartistic. One can submit oneself to the mainstream aesthetics in an artistic pursuit. Or, one can challenge it. Or, one can even question the meaningfulness of photography itself. So, I would like to ask a question: Where are you at now? Of course, more or less a rhetorical one regarding if or not you are ready to "offend" aesthetically.

I am slightly embarrassed having pretentiously talked about something I don’t know well. I don’t even have a profile or a simple portfolio, so you can save yourself an inconvenience of clicking my name to check out non-existent credential. Please, consider my comment as an observation from a novice and take it for whatever it is worth.

Good luck.

a most pleasing composition that captures light diligently to create a story of natural calm. i was reading from tripitak before visiting the site so you have certainly maintained my zen. be proud sir.

Nice composition.......simply amazing!!!!

Some pictures have the quality and power to kickstart a cinema in my head. This is really really a book of stories!

Hey Marius...First, congratulations on the photo of the week, a coveted honor. I like the overall concept and that it brought out Doug’s creative writing juices is a real bonus!! I gotta agree with a ton of what was already said but maybe in my own way.

For me, as an Architect, artist, photographer and builder I see a ton of detail in my everyday world and when something looks outtta whack it usually is.

The very first thing that jumped off the page for me was the scale of the dock planks and the huggggge nails holding 'em down as opposed to the much smaller scale bench and the solemn soul sitting peacefully there.

I only had to go one more place when I realized that the composition was a collage as you graciously admit. And hey, by the way, nothing wrong with making a collage with 3...4...7 or 10 photos...your post process computer skills wayyyyy outreach mine. The second thing signaling manipulation or collage was that the plane of the water and the dock were incongruent as are the vanishing points of the dock and the overall composition. Not that all docks are perfectly parallel with water that they hover above but that is mostly the case. The dock plane looked more like a ramp into the water.

Here’s my idear for what it’s worth….I think when we are doing a serious “photo”, closely representing a "reality" that is believable then careful sensitivity must be taken….a lot of careful PS work is in order. If on the other hand, a fantasy work is planned, (an imaginary piece , a collage or manipulation or maybe better: "DIGITAL CONCEPTUALIZATION"), more leeway in detailing is ok but then I think the detailing has to signal that somehow. Maybe this is handled by creating a more of a euphoric, dreamlike feel, detailing in softer, textural treatments, still blending and composing carefully all of the elements. Because I see a photo here I am looking for a more realistic image and my detail eye comes out finding faults and that’s a shame because I also see a ton of work that you put into this.

I am hopeful that this helps. Again, congratulations on a very interesting photo and its selection for Photo of the Week.

bradley

It's immediately apparent that this image was heavily cooked in Photoshop, and at first, that annoys me a bit. But, after looking at it for awhile, I realized that it is indeed a beautiful image, and how it came to be really is immaterial and unimportant.
THE IMAGE IS THE THING. If it's beautiful, it's beautiful. And, this one certainly is.

' I realized that the composition was a collage as you graciously admit'

How is it not obvious?

Very interesting discussion, with good points raised all around. I appreciate and admire the work that went into this. A beautiful montage, imo.

But clearly I'm missing a lot because I can't tell how the horizon is tilted. Please, somebody enlighten me. Does it slant a down bit toward the right? It's not the curvature of the lake (where the water meets the land) you're talking about, is it?

I cannot see this surrealistic image without being struck but its attmosphere and its painting-like palette, but the perspective-mistake gives it away. The parallel sides of the landing define the horizon below the boat. Even if the platform 'd be sloping down, the boat at that positing photographed by this wide angle would be minute. This is analysis, but I started that because my eye wouldn't accept what it is seeing.

I think the image deserves this to be corrected.

Very nice thing to discuss Marius!!
In my opinion,whom sitted on the chair,is waiting for a disaster or happening.
The pic is very strong,and I like the way of his/her looking and staring,but I cannot feel his/her feeling.
Beautiful working with PS,and make the shot very inpressive.
Thnx for sharing...Regards(Bobby).

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Very nice composition. The subject positioned at the centre gives the image a sence od depht. It has also a dramatic feeling. Well done.

This is a beautiful image: full of beautiful colours, very well composed and very suggestive. Bravo and congratulations!!!

good work, when is the debate over real surreal going to end? digital or darkroom..........manipulation is manipulation. the master printers have been laying it on thick for the better part of fifty years. why is it so different when done digitally? the people who have been so critical have a right to there opinion. let's see your work. are you going to tell Maggie Taylor her work is over the top? is jerry ulesman over the top? Ansel Adams's dark black skies? Can we use filters? What about different depth of field settings? does everything have to be in focus? i tend to be more traditional with my own work, but love to see the boundries pushed and pushed. again, nice stuff.

A better question would be; when will people with a personal axe to grind, stop using the POW forum as a platform for their rants ? Despite the obvious fact that this weeks photo is a composite of multiple images , the vast majority, if not all of the comments, I have read do not use the fact that this is a digital manipulation as a point of criticism. In fact several comments suggest the opposite.

A better question would be;  when will people with a personal axe to grind,  stop using the POW forum as a platform for  their rants ?  Despite the obvious fact that this weeks photo is a composite  of multiple images , the vast majority,  if not all of the comments,  I have read  do not use the fact  that this is a digital manipulation as a point of criticism. In fact several comments suggest the opposite.

Although tilting at windmills is no doubt fun, the rant would be better served if there was some aiming before the tilting.