single photos The Haunted Wood

Congratulations, Graeme!

 

A very well-balanced view of a piece of weatered knotted wood, that somehow is full of life and fantastic beings...

To answer the questions from the elves:

 

Q. Does this image hold your attention? If so, why is that the case?

 

A. Easy, there are so many things to be seen, each time I look there is something else for my imagination to run riot with (the small dwarf centre left is the most recent example!)

 

Q. Why is this more than just a square image of old wood, with a lot of very dark parts? If anything, what does the image remind you of?

 

A. It is a still from a dream (or nightmare) and it is like a great book. As the viewer I can go off and make anything of it that I want, it is very personal.

 

Great stuff Graeme, I'm off to see what else you have to inspire me.

Whereas the image is just of wood, the wood took a very long time to grow. Therefore, I would prefer to look at this image as the culmination of quite a few previous decades.

My first thought when I saw it was, 'topographic map.' The texture of the wood

highlites contours of a twisted landscape. Beautiful, thank you.

Graeme, I see a lot of spooky faces here. Sort of reminds me of a scene from "Raiders of the Lost Ark". Guess my social inclinations are now outed:) Levity aside, a worthy result for your efforts. A subject I hope I wouldn't have passed by without investing a frame or two on it had I been there. Why the square crop & not full 4 x 5 aspect? Best, LM.

Len,

 

I chose a square aspect to crop out some unwanted details and thereby improve the composition. There was no need to weaken the image just to gain extra image area.

 

Cheers,

Graeme

A lightning flash on the surface of a dark sulphur sea, a maelstrom of wrenched tendons and muscle fibers, a piercing series of shrieks and groans, a gaggle of melded skulls with cruel eyeless gazes and advancing tongueless jaws.

 

And in the upper left corner -- Richard Milhous Nixon?

Has the look and styling of a pencil drawing. Very dramatic range of tones and a composition that takes my eye on a virtual roller coaster ride. I keep thinking that the longer I look at it, the more likely I am to discover some kind of hidden object woven into the texture of the wood.

It reminds me of the sculpture "The Gates of Hell" by Auguste Rodin(I could be wrong, but I believe the title and the artist are correct). Beautiful tonal range and I love the simple composition. It is what it is.

Truly extraordinary - and I don't use that word lightly. This is a photograph I'd like to see in print just to fully appreciate the tonal range and detail.

 

I also share your philosophy of making the best of what's available to you from your surroundings, rather than feeling the need to visit exotic lands in pursuit of great images.

It reminds me of semi petrified Mutumaiyu wood (African wild olive) from the Masai mara. I love this type of detail, and with the grain of the wood blended into the photo grain.

I guess I am a tree hugger at heart.

G

The subject of wood is so boring. However, there have been people who have been clever enough to make it into something mythical or surreal. In your case, you have suceeded at that. In some way, the picture of the wood reminds me of Edward Weston's work.

Beautiful image,taken with classic format,excellent!!!!!!

Congrats Graeme. This is beautiful. I agree, find wonderful things in your own surroundings.

Excellent realization, and, please, take a look at his portfolio...

It's a very high end portfolio, with many wonderfull photos.

By the way, who's better than a wooden Tachihara for

this "The Haunted Wood" ?

My compliments

regards

Graeme, I'm particularly attracted to natural wood growth especially driftwood. This is a wonderful capture and I'm interested to know if you saw the faces before you took the photo, or were they a happy discovery post shooting.

To answer the question posed as to why this is POW this is more than just old wood. The title fits it perfectly. Looking at it one doesn't need much imagination to see ghostly figures. It's also technically very well done. I'm going higher than 7 for originality. Great job Graeme

Great to see an Aussie up there in POW!! I agree with above poster that the white broder is a little distracting and doesn't define the edge in a satisfying way. Somehow I want a slight brown wash over it to convey a little warmth to really give me that old wood feel like the tree people in Lord of the Rings.

I read the elves' question and answered it before reading the technical details (or Stanley's earlier post) and my answer was: Rodin's "Gates of Hell". Well done.

very nice, although there are a few highlights near the edges of the image that I would like to see burned down a bit, they seem distracting and pull me out of the picture. harsh shadows and highlights are due to the limitations of the monitor, as is the case with this similar image of mine....

 

 

 

I'll be checking out your website right now!

 

Mark

My mental jerk: hobgoblins, petrified smoke, nature's hyperbolic

taffy pull.This image is cryptically weird. I love it. Your work is as

rare as hen's teeth, mate :)

It looks as if it could be an aerial photograph, in the same way that some macro and aerial photography emulate each other. Well Done!

"In some way, the picture of the wood reminds me of Edward Weston's work."

LOL

See graeme, I'm not the only one to be obsessed with comparing your work to Weston's !

It is indeed a very fine job, with an excellent tonal range (although you didn't seem to get it right on print, that is such a pity) and contrast, and the square crop suits it best. Now the subject in itself could be boring but it isn't, at first one is amazed at all the curves that the wood has grown into, and then when it's time for a closer look, some mysterious ghostly faces appear, looking very plaintive and freaky, this is haunted wood indeed. If one was to illustrate a children's book of fairy tales, one would undoubtedly pick this beauty. And it's so original too, we rarely see such pictures (well, I know a famous photographer that did something approaching :-)

Take care Graham, I hope you'll find peace of mind concerning your work. Enjoy it as much as we all do and you'll be fine.

adrien

Hi Adrien,

 

Yes, I had a little chuckle when I read the comparison with Edward Weston and I thought of our earlier discussions. There must be something to your assertion after all :) The digital print looks just fine to me, so I'm not disappointed with my failure to reproduce the earlier contact print.

 

I do indeed enjoy the work I've done. I just have the feeling that I can do so much more, if I can just find the time to explore the medium more fully.

 

Jonathan,

 

I did think about toning the image with a warm hue, but that would detract from the "haunted" feeling, which many people associate with a certain coldness. Turning the image a blue hue would not work for me either, since wood is associated with earthy colours (even though this particular wood is actually bleached grey in real life).

 

So, grey it is.

 

Cheers,

 

Graeme

An old painter here used to say that only perishable subjects deserve to be painted. But, maybe, also to be photographed ? An extraordinary image made of wood mortal remains. (Was it dead indeed?) It is an excellent example of a well built photo. Starting from the pleasing heavy B/W tones, through the illusion of an infinite structure, and up to the haunted pressure on the dark side of the viewer's mind - ghosts, hell, nightmares... A lot of ghosts! Congratulations for the well deserved POW, Graeme! Blago