Old pile fondation

Una imagen bien lograda, me agrada la nitidez de principio a fin en la fotografia aunque el angulo seleccionado cuenta con ciertas distracciones. El impacto visual de la fotografia se concentra desde el centro hasta el cielo como fondo. Seguramente el tono de los colores fue por el uso de filtro. La escena es al parecer de un puente congelado y nos lleva en todo su trayecto por una historia fotografica bastante interesante !!! Felicidades al autor de la fotografia.

Wow, as I looked at the thumbnail of this, my stomach started to turn. I thought for sure

that the title was going to be something like "Winter Sewage Spill on the Potomac".

 

One thing I love about what computers can do for us in the interpretation of color versus

the organic processes, but here, I am sorry, I just have to question this result. I don't care

if it was anything else-natural or unnatural, this is just a bit sick. Color is a major element

of the design and content of a piece and here I just am not having a pleasing result with

this. So, if the intent was to put someone off, this is indeed successful. I pulled this into

photoshop and there are many ways this could go that would be more appealing, but I am

left here being glad that we have not yet developed "smellavision" and thinking to warn all

"Don't eat the Yellow ice!"

 

A nice scene, maybe it should have been b/w!

This is a beautiful picture. Besides of that I don't know what can be discussed about it,

contrarily of the wonderful photo of last week. This picture is too easy for the eye and the

brain, it's understandable to the first look, it's somewhat empty.

Fabulous rendition. Maybe a bit of space right of the first pile on the right wouldnt disturb?

Wonderful and eerie scenario!!!

Reminds raw chiken meat and flesh. I wonder how long it took you to shoot the image as it is plain to see you were on a slow shutter speed. Was it slippery??

Just what Christian Deichart said regarding the positive sides. Just what Mona Chrome said regarding the colors. I too, would love this in BW.

No, Marc G.! I'm sorry to bluntly put here that you are shutting your eye just because it scares! Have some guts and accept it, take the beauty of it in and don't wish to hide its uniqueness in black and white because it sores the eye.

My eye escapes to the snow on the right and I don't think this area says anything interesting about this place.

 

I like the idea of framing left and right so I'd crop this just to the right of the 2nd tall pylon from the right side. It keeps the viewer moving toward the subject, creates a triangle, and this increases depth.

 

Well done photo. I like that the photo shows more of the disorganized view of things. It would have been easy to settle for a simpler, more aesthetically pleasing view. Contrast is tough on ice shots, so this is likely the best lighting you're going to find, and it was used well on the subject. It's ugly, cold and unforgiving--why try to make it pretty...

I'm on the side who vote for colors here. This I'm sure is the exact color it was taken. I see ice this color sometimes here but never found a way to photograph it as effectively as Vilnis.

 

I agree that it could be dramatic in B&W but it would be a completely different photo. This one presented here really take advantage of the colors.

 

I really like the feeling coming out of this one. It is overall a simple photo without too much controversy, but it is complex in some way and this is why I think it deserve the POW.

The scene is threatening and could have been taken out of an old tale � ice, sea water, storms, dangerous crossing and a mysterious small forest at the end of the bridge. If you know the photographers other photos you would know of dangerous chasing dogs too. All the elements are here for the discomfort of the spectator. This is what makes the photo good and even very good.

 

Without the colours much of the general mood of scene would have disappeared and what is left is a more traditional photo which would maybe be more agreeable to look at, but, in my view, only yet another spectacular photo.

 

To this can be added the mastering of a good composition because of its simple means: the two pillars and the the central pillar splitting the horizon between the storm and the forest. The frozen sea with a more white ice highlights the trace of the bridge that leads your eye across.

 

All together an interesting POW, although I would be surprised if it leads to an as interesting discussion as the one last week.

 

Congratulations to Vilnis and to the Baltic countries where much innovative artistic expression have been coming during recent years.

 

Anders

What stands out most for me is the way the black of the trees and on the piles contrasts with the rest if the image.

 

It's a shame about the noise in the sky though.

"No, Marc G.! I'm sorry to bluntly put here that you are shutting your eye just because it scares! Have some guts and accept it, take the beauty of it in and don't wish to hide its uniqueness in black and white because it sores the eye."

 

Well, ok. :-) I fully understand what you are saying, and certainly respect anyone's desire to have "sore" eyes, because this is nature as it is. Agreed. But I don't agree this picture "scares". I just enjoy this picture less than I would in b&w, because having sore eyes will not help *me* to enjoy the picture. But this is purely subjective, and I certainly don't require everyone should agree.

You wrote: "This I'm sure is the exact color it was taken."

 

Not that it really matters, but the technical details mention about "a warm polarizer". This shows, that the photographer deliberately chose to warm up these colors. That is: they are not as "natural" as they may seem to be.

This photograph really strikes me visually! While B&W would be effective too, I feel that the colors in this image give it some life & warmth in an environment that's obviously NOT! Very effective use of "less." I'd be interested in some of the details if film was used as to whether its character contributed to the warmth. . . maybe I just missed it?

I suspect that this will initiate a lot of comments, just as last week's POW did. Personally, I think the photograph, with the existing colors is magnificent. I am slightly troubled with focus near the bottom. yet...

 

(A note from my other, darker side, Willie the Cropper) A re-review of the photograph finally gives me the idea that the scene should have been a square and cropping between the number two and three posts on the right (closer to the number 2) side gives it that shape.

 

I do love the color -- it's fantastic, and the power of the photograph makes me shiver. The storm, to me, has already passed, its winds having blown spume onto the already ice covered and treacherous passage makes crossing even more dangerous. what little of the dark,rain-swept sky that is visible bodes more storms before the day is out.

 

I really get into this photograph -- might be the weatherman in me, but it rates very high in my book. Did I say I love the colors? Congratulations and well done! I hope you took dozens of photographs of the area. Every angle could be made into interesting and informative photographs. Yes, and art. Nice!

It is an interesting image, but I wonder if the timing could have been better. Without seeing other images taken at the same location it is hard to judge if the opening in the sky is moving to the left or to the right. The way it is captured here, compositionally, it feels that the highlight is broken/disrupted; personally, i feel the peacefulness of the image is incomplete. I wish Vilnis timed this a bit better so that the highlight had not been disrupted as such. Otherwise, I like the natural framing both sides, that is I would not have moved sideways just to clear the view to the highlight.

Very cool shot, but I find there's a sort of awkwardness to it, which throws me off. Really hard to put a finger on what the problem is. Something tells me that as nice as the low-angle perspective is in giving shape and texture to the ice, I think a higher angle would have allowed us to grasp the landscape a little better - with more separation (snow) between the line of ice and the tree-lined horizon. I would not have included the pole at left either. The "beginning" of the "path" or "line" should not be so forcefully framed.. I think ideally it should just lead in from the corner without obstruction. See attachment.

Fascinating subject- cropping seems a bit static- perhaps a higher point of view is called for. Turn up the color a bit to remove the overall drab, flat cast. Forget the BW- it probably won't help in this photo. Perhaps someone could prove me wrong.

B&W for those wondering, I personally far prefer it though I still feel that the ice looks more like gobules of goo rather than ice, maybe like something out of a futuristic horror movie.

Just an add to the comment about the color being this way in reality. I really don't think,

even had Marc not pointed out the use of a warming filter, that one who has spent

anytime in the landscape would come to the conclusion that this could be the color as it

was. There is warm light coming from the break, but there is nothing to suggest that

there is a blanket of golden light anywhere to create this look, only the result of synthetic

manipulation. I know for me that my goal in shooting landscape is to have my ice and

snow look like that of dead chicken skin--I haven't quite gotten there yet, but I think I am

getting closer now. The suggestion of black and white on my part were more to the point

that if it was intended to be separated from the reality of the moment, I think b/w would

have been a better choice than yellow-brown.

 

Anders has taken the opportunity to again let us know that creativity and innovation are

coming from the Baltics these days, but even if one were to fully agree, one could not look

at this image and see it as innovative in its approach. This is very much in the vein of the

great western landscape or West Coast School of Photography as made famous by some

old guy from Yosemite/San Francisco/Carmel. I

think we would be hard pressed to say that most of us would have passed this one up had

we seen it, and I think most would have seen it if we were willing to go out in this weather.

This is not a statement to take away from the shot or creativity of the maker, but more just

a reality check on the idea of innovation being embodied in this photograph.

 

I really struggle here to see any metaphors other than ones that are superficial and require

little or no thought--maybe I am just not that deep!?! I think this is a nice image(with a

different color palette), one that many would enjoy looking at and it may even have life for

a bit of time due to the odd nature of it, but I am not sure it would have the legs to carry it

over a long distance and it would soon fade away after our next adventure into the

landscape.

 

But these are really all just first impressions, if I get any definite opinions I will be sure to

pass them on.

I'm surprised that so many viewers seem to take the subject matter for granted, as if you could count on going out to your local pier mid-winter and find that it's been covered with a thick layer of ice. So this isn't your warm fuzzy subject - about as far removed as you can get, actually - but the lighting and composition are spot on, so you have a result that is aesthetically pleasing photographically, and as a result, turns the usual snapshot response of "I wish I was there" on its head.

 

Makes me wonder if people who don't like this are in the habit of responding only to pretty subjects. Don't you find "interesting" and "intriguing" worth pondering? Isn't that really more important than considering a crop, a FG sharpness issue, or a B&W conversion? How come we obsess so much about mechanics? (yeah, I know, I've done it a time or two myself. . . . but only when it's really necessary.)

This image has great power and disturbance. I am led into a frozen world where life is in

hybernation. It speaks to a fear of a future doom from an uncontollable ice age. Nature

has vanquished and all will have to wait for another day. Except, of course, for Vilnis

whom was gloriously put there to record the sight. Only another piece of ice could have

passed up the potential here. The coloration is exquisite and the sky is memorable,to me,

for the lovely bit of blue in the top right. The composition is basic forward march, but I am

willing to go. Its all so opposite from L.A. that how could I not be attracted to this. There is

something primal here, we all must feel it. It does go deep. There could be much

discussion about our human instincts. I don't believe it is a technically dominated image

and owes its sucess to the scene it self and the stirrings that ,at least ,I feel when looking

into it. Nature on top!

The "warming" troubles me a bit. I adjusted the Red-Cyan slide a bit in the direction of cyan, but I cannot verify that this is a more accurate rendition. I would like to see the original file prior to warming.

 

--Lannie

Vilnis,

 

Congrats for a well deserved recognition. For those of us who are crurious, please humor us by telling the technical details of this image: i.e. equipment, ISO, aperture, etc. Thanks!

I can't decide how I feel about this. Generally I like to wait a day or so anyway though, to let things settle in. Overall I quite like it but it feels more cute documentary than fine art if that makes sense. Although it does kind of look like a pile of intestines I feel no meta to it, it is what it is. Bigger is definitely better. As a stand alone I feel it lacks something. I think as part of a series it would be stronger. I guess also at this stage I think the warming filter might have been too strong. The temperature is balmy but the scene is pretty frigid. I know it could be a warm spring sunset but by straddling the divide it definitely loses some atmosphere. I get no sense of the power of nature that it invokes in others. On the otherhand I have seen various shots similar to this from the great lakes region of the USA, so maybe it would have ended up being cliche otherwise.