landscape T I M E

It's a great shot, and this is the type of image (because it does not adhere strictly to one of the compositional strategies except maybe Bakker's Saddle) that will elicit many "taste in my mouth" comments. Some like French cuisine, others prefer the Japanese approach. Nevertheless, these perspectives are useful in themselves to illustrate there are indeed varying valid perspectives.

 

Me? I like the crop as Tomas did it. I also like the frame just because I think most images whether they be paintings or photographs are enhanced by additional esthetic elements that a well done frame provides.

 

But then I also think expertly applied makeup enhances the face of a beautiful woman in most instances.

 

A purist I am not.

Nice abstract, but that cut off top of the middle wave above is the biggest fault of this image. It ruins it all otherwise well done. At least for me. Not cropping but more space above I would like to see. Regards,

One can't just walk past this one. The texture is simply irresistible. The photo is definitely good! It's a little oversharpened, though. And, then, there's one final thing - it's been done before and if my memory doesn't fail me, by Rick Decker.

 

Regards,

Konstantin

Do you want to show us the lines and textures, or do you want to show what it is? There is no way you can convince me that a small black featureless element adds anything to the viewer's understanding or appreciation of the scene. It draws the eye away from elements that were the obvious reason for taking the picture because of its contrast, and it's the only shape in the frame.

 

Nothing was removed from the left side that compromises the balance of the composition or adds to our understanding of the image. This image could have been taken upside down and we'd never know.

 

If you want to take a geological record shot, then take additional pictures that show us some recognizable context.

Interesting. This really looks like "the wave" to me... My reference image. http://www.estherundpetr.ch/reisebericht_16/Bild041.jpg

 

All striations look the same...

Carl, Tomas has "Washington" as the location on all his shots. Must be his home base.

 

I think this is the first nice B+W I have ever seen of this location. I really like it. I think the crop kills it but that's just me. The crop doesn't allow the wave to gather momentum. The original gives the sense of movement that the wave offers. The crop is too confined to allow it. So for me the emotion is with the original. The black spots don't effect my view of this image in the slightest.

 

Congrats on the POW

I mentioned Washington in my first post.

 

If the interest is in the "sweep" rather than the details in the lines, then there appears to be more room below and to the left to emphasize it even more, based on your attached image.

 

Dave, I know your portfolio pretty well, and I don't recall seeing any small unimportant elements hugging the edge of the frame.

This is a high contrast monochrome of a tightly cropped shot of the WAVE, near Coyote Buttes, Arizona, not far from Page. As such, it is neither original as a subject--even in an 'abstract' context, nor accurately described. It is not in Washington.

 

Not an original subject. Not Washington.

Here is a non-'artistic' view of the subject area. It is not intended as a 'personal vision' statement. But this will let others know what the area is like. © 2004 Best Scenics, Ltd.

Recognized this immediately as the WAVE. I know, it's damn hard to make something out of this place that gives the viewer more than instant yawns, but this shot didn�'t achieve this.

 

Sorry [yawn], my bed is callin ' ...

Yes it is shot of the Wave in Arizona, I just have WA state in my profile for all my shots. If it's original or not doesn't concern me much since it's my original. If someone else done it before SO WHAT. I believe that almost everything has been done before so why is this server up and running strong?? It's the stupidest reasoning that drives me nuts !! Anyway for rest of you with little bit more of a common sense thanks for critiques and comments. Sorry for the mislead with location, but I really never paid attention to it.

I like the picture and think it is generally good, but agree that it doesn't stand out from a number of other Wave shots.

I think this is marvelous, and it's a different view of a scene we've all seen many times. I like the b&w treatment of it, and the abstract nature the tight crop gives it. Kudos, Tomas!

Carl, yeah, I am an anal nut job about stuff like that with my own work but it really doesn't bother me much in other peoples images. Not sure why that is to be honest with you, and you aren't the first to notice that either.

 

I should clarify that a bit though. In studio 'stuff's' little things drive me out of my mind whether it's my images or someone elses. In more 'natural' kinda images my eye is a lot more forgiving. Let me also say that I am not in love with those black areas being discussed, I just mean that they don't affect the overall that much.

 

You are correct though Carl, if I had shot this I probably would have framed them out.

I would like to see other--at least one other--portrayal of your shoot at the WAVE to see what aesthetic was present at that time. Perhaps you might wish to share; I see no evidence of such shots in your portfolios and it seems puzzling. Kindly give us another glimpse of your marvelous desert shoot.

my first impression was that it looked almost similar to weston's image of the lettuce. a very dramatic and striking composition.

terrific texture. the fact that it has been done before doesn't make it less original. oringinal as in "how" not in "what."

Tomas' shot says nothing new about depth; texture; spatiality; nor contrast-- on this subject. Most of Tomas' shots vastly surpass this piece. It is at the level of seeing yet another BW image of Tunnel View at Yosemite.

Hi Naftali--

 

The subject is so obviously convoluted--by nature-- that one has to --avoid-- getting such a shot at the WAVE. Thus there is little 'how': the shot is obvious with the bowl of the Wave. Tomas shot from the edge looking into the bowl. Getting something different takes some effort: not shooting from the same spot that hundreds of others have before.

 

If I showed you a picture of Jenne Farm (I'm about 2 miles from it right now) would you give me high marks for 'originality'--even if it is gorgeous and so on--but virtually the same shot showed up in a Budweiser commercial 20 years ago? DO I get extra marks for going monochrome?

Almost as nice as the Bruce Barnbaum pictures done, of the same subject, in '98!

I like the photo, the lines the abstract feeling, but i think I would try to rotate it 180 degrees to complicate the view/er a little bit.

 

I can not try this right now but I will see at home how the rotation change the feeling.

It has perfect exposure, very good texture. But the eye is leaded by the lines to the top of the photo where the photo is stopped abruptly.

Wow......This Is an awesome photograph! There is a lot of movement going on even though the photo is very still in essence. "TIME" was a well chosen title. Props man!!

Well, I appreciate having gotten the location of this shot clarified. While I think such things are important, I acknowledge that not everyone else feels that way about it. But I found it very confusing to think that the State of Washington had suddenly added this feature to its geography.

Chip, easy does it. All his images say Washington. Maybe that's where he lives? Maybe he misunderstood what 'location' meant. Simple mistake IMO. And any how, any one who knows and has studied landscape photography knows this is the Wave.