Tiny Islands

BARRIER

I have posted this image to get an idea of preferences relating

to "foreground barriers" The subject come to light when I recently asked

for comments regarding foreground boulders from a recent

posting "Veils of Derwent" and the response was really interesting. In

this particular shot there is the presence of a barrier nearly across the

entire image. Your thoughts and comments are always appreciated.

Thank You

You are on an exponential curve bounding to new heights. Love it. I like the foreground interest and its clarity which contrasts sharply with the powder blue 'background'.  Great shot.

Hi Alf,

What a beautiful spot.  The foreground here creates a layered picture, foreground, water, mountains, sky.  Your previous picture had lines creating the depth, this one creates the depth using a foreground.

Both are great. 

I only have a little doubt about the sand.

Once again a wonderful picture.

Well Done,

Ben

Very impressive shot, Tiny! I like it, congrats.

Best regards,

Eugene

really a beautiful image , great project and realisation. This way, seem to me the foreground is breaking through the foreground whit a stunning effect.

congrats

Vezio

i mean " through the background ".

Very impressive and beautiful shot shot , wonderful light and colors ...................... Best regards.

Great eye on this, Alf!  First off, it's just plain ole' beautiful!  I love the layers and shapes mimicking each other.  The long island in front somewhat follows the same shape as the bank of sand.  Then the reflection of the larger mountain inversely mimics the shape of the sand.  And even the one big island in the foreground has a similar topography to the mountains in back.  Pretty brilliant I'd say.....and even if you didn't notice it when you took the picture, you can say you did.  :-)  

Really beautiful work with impressive lighting, Alf!

With best regards,

Ruud.

Stunning landscape shot with good composition & superb colour tones & light !

I love it.  I think it pushes past natural into an unreal but sophisticated zone.  I really like it.  It goes straight into my "Favorites" folder.  best, j

Marvelous landscape with beautiful colours . I'm not sure if cropping some of the foreground gravel off the bottom would give a stronger composition . I tried holding a card over the bottom but I'm still not sure.......... you could try doing the same ! Bill

Alf, I took a look at your other shot but think this is way better. On the subject of foreground vs no foreground in my opinion there is no hard and fast rule that you can apply and in many cases instinct takes over. I often find myself giving elements in a photo a priority rating while composing, for instance if I was to apply that to this photo the sky is superb and I think it's worthy of the nearly 2/3 split. I find myself rating the mountains and the reflections the next strongest element so in this case I might have tried to show those without the rocky island, but I do like the inclusion of the small area of shoreline. Obviously this is all subjective, and when you are not at the actual location it's easy to think what you might do differently, however the resulting shot is very impressive despite any of this.

Best wishes, Dave.

O.k., now I understand what you mean by "barrier."  When I commented on your "Softly" photograph, I hadn't seen the "Veils of Derwent."  A few thoughts:  I don't see the boulders in "Veils.." as a barrier at all.  They are a nice compositional element, and if I mentally remove them I think the photo is diminished -- it becomes too plain.  Regarding "Softly," I still think that a foreground element that breaks the mirror image would be fine and might enhance the photo, but I want to emphasize that it depends a great deal on what the foreground object is (aliens??).  I can envision an / some object/s integrating very well into that overall scene, and others just being an inclusion that is distracting and diminishing.  Obviously many viewers prefer it as is, and as a mirror image with really great clouds it does convey that sense of "softly."

IMO, "Tiny Islands" shows us a barrier.  While it's a peaceful image (mirror-like water with reflections, haze on the water, soft blue sky), the foreground elements are completely at odds with the rest of the photo.  They differ in color, texture, and sharpness.  In addition, other than being in the same water, they really have little connection to the rest of the photo; in fact, they hide some of the reflections and background.  This grouping of foreground rocks with a few shrubs and moss (?) really is a visual barrier.  It's much different than the view that is presented and the feeling that is generated in "Veils..."  I think this is a good example of a foreground element that does not integrate well with the rest of the photo.  "Tiny Islands" is, to my eye, two distinctly different photographs rolled into one, and they get into each other's way.

Suppose the foreground rocks/shrubs were removed but the gravel beach was left.  I think that would be a better photo.  While the beach still contrasts with the rest of the photo, it's much more subtle and less intrusive, and it has the positive effect of enhancing the sense of depth of the photograph.  Still, I don't think the aesthetics of a gravel beach come close to matching the aesthetics of the boulders in "Veils..."

So my overall thoughts:  "Veils..." needs those foreground elements, "Softly" could go either way with care, and "Tiny Islands" would be better without the foreground elements (although I'd want to raise the camera to include more of the sky, avoiding a 50:50 split that this image, unlike "Softly," can't sustain very well).  

All IMO, of course, and offered with the hope that it contributes to the thinking and discussion that was requested.

TONY

Thank you for your interest and positive feedback , very much appreciated. Theres another word I'm going to store away for future use "exponential". But I'm with you on this one, it is the contrast between front and rear elements that seem to make it work. Although I'd love to got the shot from a slightly more raised position.

Cheers Tony

Alf

BEN

Sincere thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, very much appreciated. I agree this place is spectacular, and the early morning timing was the key thing. I think your analysis is pretty accurate, the depth being realised through a solid foreground and hazy background. As for the "sand" it is in fact muddy gravel, and I know exactly what you mean about its inclusion, it would be far better if the water was at a slightly higher level covering it up, but cropping it out altogether would upset the balance of the image too much I think.

Kind Regards

Alf

EUGENE

Many Thanks for your visit and kind words, I'm very pleased you liked it!

Best Regards

Alf

VEZIO

Thank you so much for your thoughtful analysis and feedback. I know exactly what mean, there is a stark difference that seems to give the image some impact.

Best Regards

Alf

FALAK

Many thanks for your interest and kind words, much appreciated.

Best Regards

Alf

CHRISTAL

Many Thanks for your thoughtful analysis and positive feedback, its good to hear from you I hope you are keeping well!  I'd love to claim the credit for observing the similarities in shapes and form, but alas, if I did  it must have been subconciously, but I'll take the compliments every time : - )

I think the thing that stood out for me was the stark solid little island in front of me compared to the hazy backdrop, of course to make it all absolutely perfect the water would have been fractionally higher and therefore the island itself would have been perfectly reflected.....but maybe thats one for next time.

Take Care Christal

Alf

RUUD

Thank you for your interest and kind words, I'm really pleased you like it.

Best Regards

Alf

SAGNIK

Many Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts, I appreciate the feedback.

Kind Regards

Alf

JAMIE

"Insane" I can do insane all day long : - ) I didn't change any of the colours, but I did darken the top area of sky slightly. I'm really pleased it works for you Jamie and I'm truly honoured you consider it a favourite,

Best Regards

Alf

BILL

Many thanks for your thoughtful feedback and suggestions, much appreciated.  I agree with your thoughts in theory regarding the cropping, (I tried the card cropping technique) but when it comes the resulting image, it looks kind of compressed. If I could wave a magic wand though, I'd want the water level to rise by a couple of inches thus covering the gravel and allowing more comprehensive reflections of the island.

Cheers Bill

Alf

DAVID

Many Thanks for your thoughtful contribution, very much appreciated.

 I agree there is no hard and fast rule, just a perception of elements as either "interesting" or "obtrusive" (barriers) If you get time, please read Gary Woodards critique on one of my previous postings "Veils of Derwent" he explains it far more eloquently than I ever could

I think you hit the nail on the head when you mentioned "instinct takes over" in this particular case thats exactly what happened. I paid a lot more attention to the composition of other images taken from the same location that morning, but must confess to taking this one as a bit of an after thought. I did previously concentrate my efforts mostly on the reflected sky and mountains, and I will post some of these at a later date.

Best Regards

Alf

STEPHEN

Sincere Thanks for your in depth analysis and thoughtful critique. I find the whole topic fascinating, the elements that trigger the psychcological thought processes that  determine "likes and dislikes" regarding photographs is probably an unfathomable topic, and one we have barely touched on. But I agree entirely with your analysis ref "Veils of Derwent". 

 As for "Softly" ....hmmm maybe a foreground object would improve the shot, but I find it more difficult to add an object in my imagination than subtract one from an existing image, your logic though cannot be faulted.

Aliens?? I'm as puzzled as you are : - )

"Tiny Islands" your description is exceptionally accurate, however I think the photograph is effective to some degree despite the percieved barrier, or maybe even because of it. For me at least the stark contrast between sharp foreground and hazy background gives a good impression of depth. I do however take on board your observations regarding hiding the reflections, that was something I was conscious of, but couldn't change, and if I could take this photograph perfectly, I would want a 20ft step ladder and the water level to rise by about two inches in order that the island would be reflected perfectly. .

I did also get numerous images without this "Tiny Island" and also a few shots of this island from another angle and much further away, which makes a great difference. I chose this image though to demonstrate the significance of foreground object as a "barrier" and I think you followed the line of reasoning and added more food for thought to the discussion. Its great to get your thoughts on this topic Stephen, and your time is very much appreciated.

Kind Regards

Alf

Another beauty, Alf! There's such an unbelievable feeling of serenity here...nature's greatness itself. Well done! Kind regards.

A haunting scene with a combination of lovely detail in the foreground island and the blue misty mountains and sky. A lovely range of reflections in the water complete a superb landscape.

Regards..........John

Wow. Those colors are gorgeous, just looking at it makes me feel like graving a jacket. You sure have a keen eye for pleasant images.

Congrats

Alex

Beautiful shot.Superb exposure control with very nice uniform tonality. Thanks for sharing.

My best regards.

Kallol

When you do nothing, you leave it all up to the Japanese engineers.  They may be well paid, but you know....  Anyway, it's not "untouched" an any sense of the word.  In one of the shows Ed Swinden and I did together, he had some very contrasty pictures.  I'm not very clever, you know, so whenever someone commented on how drastically processed they were, I felt compelled to point out that they were much closer to a literal representation of the light in the scene, which was contrasty and would have been softened by the film or the firmware.  No one understood.  "Do what you want, but be what you are."  Hall and Oats.  Keep making great pictures.  best, j

A tremendous looking work Alf, the scene looks like it's in 3D. The blue hue is beautiful...very well done for an exceptional looking shot....Regards

Alf,

  Beautiful scene with wonderful colors, lighting & composition.  Thanks for sharing.  Take care, Patsy

Hi Alf,
What an interesting and vivid discussion is going on here re: (natural) barriers :-)  I'm sure that you must be pleased with all the different opinions and point of views.... I don't know what I could really add to the whole thought process, as so many eloquently formulated reasons -- pros & cons -- have been given already. I do believe that it really boils down in the end to a matter of each photographer's personal taste.... 
Anyway, just letting you know my thoughts quickly: I very much appreciate your different approaches to the same scenic setting, and it's really interesting to observe the differences in mood and overall feeling in your last 3 photos. Imagining which photo I would like best to see on my wall, I think that I most likely would pick "Veils" for the reasons I stated earlier underneath it (& the combination of colors is absolutely lovely..!) Although I appreciate "Softly"  as a photograph, It doesn't do the same for me for some reason -- I find the colors a bit too strong & surreal (mauve/pinkish) for my taste.... Composition-wise, I think it works as is ( without barriers) as I feel that the islet with trees beyond provides enough 'solid focus' and balance to the softness of the overall photo to work as it does. 
I like the above photo too, and I'm one who thinks that the difference of the foreground (textures & color scheme -- rocks, shrubs & sandy patch included) actually contrasts rather nicely with the rest of the scenic, softer setting beyond. One thing, though, that I would have liked to see is a tad more space (water & reflections) on either side of the curved brownish foreground (both patches)... The bottom part of the photo feels maybe a tiny bit 'too tight'  for my liking, and in addition, I think that the foreground's impact might actually be reduced somewhat by having more blue space surrounding it.... Anyway, as stated above, these are just my personal thoughts, Alf -- As you probably know, I always very much enjoy looking at your landscapes :-)

Alf, I really like the way the three areas interact, with the pebbles overlapping the reflection of the trees and the island of rocks and trees overlapping the background mountains and their reflections. It gives a nice complexity to the composition. Also I really like the light and the way it is reflected throughout. 

Well done for being there at that time, I'm sure it was no accident. A beautiful landscape that would grace any wall, Regards