X Files (Click for larger view)

I was somewhat fixated with this stile and photographed it from every

conceivable angle ......including this one! Your thoughts and comments are

always most welcome. Thank You.

The composition is spot on here Alf, your choice of aperture has really added to the misty mood, great shot all round.

Jed

 

Are these step ladders?  I wonder what they are doing there...what's their purpose.  I like the way they are embraced but my eye flies to the other side, into the mist, I am always attracted by the unknown.  Take care my friend!

Alf,

Love the tones in this image.  I haven't seen a stile since my childhood days on the farm, and ours was not this fancy.  We only had wooden steps.  This is a great POV.  Congrats on an excellent image.  

Hmm, . . . Familiar territory.

I like this POV and, I see you were up early again! Although, I think I like the view a little better from a little farther to the left.

 

Regards always,

Jim j.

Seeing this relatively small slice of image, it begs our imagination to fill in the full context and opens up a world of possibilities.  Excellent b/w translation.  I'm a tad distracted by the strong sun element but it's certainly realistic so therefore forgiven ;-)... Mike

Hi Alf,

  Beautiful b/w scene with perfect composition & details.  Take care, Patsy

I like the perspective and the mixture of nature and man made stuff! Great moody tones and overall look!

 

Best regards, Alf!

 

PDE

Hi Alf,

Interesting B&W image! The scene has a moody and mysterious atmosphere..

Hi Alf,

Great title! Great focal point leading the eye into the almost eerie/moody atmosphere beyond! B/W works so well here!

Best wishes. Sarah.

Hi Alf, hope you are well. This still does not stir any emotions within me. However, i'm in the minority and as i'm struggling to get critiques on my images, i may have to take some misty shots. LOL

All The Best

Gary

Sincere Thanks! 

The view is perhaps unique because you don't normally get to see stiles from this angle. In this case though there was a gate right next to the stile and I could get a good position to take the shot.

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

PANAYOTIS 

 

No, these are not step ladders though to be fair they do resemble them. These are a means of access over walls and fences and are known as a "Stile" they are generally found along public footpaths and some are a very simple wooden step, some are made from rock, and some like this one are a bit more elaborate.

I too like the mystery of the unknown and aura of the mist is enticing. 

Sincere Thanks for your thoughts and posiitve feedback.

 

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

BILL

 

They come in all shapes and sizes but all serve a common purpose. These are a bit more elaborate than some, but they all have a certain charm.

Thank you for your interest and thoughtful comments Bill.

 

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

JIM 

 

Yes, all taken on the same session and only minutes apart.  I agree with you about the viewpoint. This view though I thought was unusual and the "X" was just irresistible : - ) 

Sincere Thanks & Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

MIKE 

 

It's strange that the sun looks larger in this image than in similar shots taken seconds before and after, I think the ever changing density of the mist may have has something to do with it. 

Many Thanks for your thoughts and comments Mike, much appreciated! 

 

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

PATSY 

 

Thank you so much for your interest and thoughtful feedback! 

 

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

PIERRE 

 

A valid point Pierre, "man made stuff" for me, when mixed in the correct proportions of natural elements, always seems to accentuate nature. Like a tiny house on a prairie, it just seems to work. 

Many Thanks & Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

JUHA 

 

"Moody and Mysterious" is exactly what I was aiming for.

Thank you for your interest and thoughtful feedback! 

 

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

SARAH 

I couldn't resist those "X Files" connotations : - )

The strong possibility of that composition was so inviting how could I resist : - ) 

So glad that the eerie mood was so strongly communicated to you.

Sincere Thanks & Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

GARY 

 

I am very well thank you and hope you are too! 

Maybe you should concentrate on the positives and ignore the negatives looking at images that displease you can hardly prove to be inspirational : - ) 

I love nature, natural occurrences and phenomena , mist just happens to be one of them, but rain, snow, ice, wind, sun and the myriad of permutations that combinations of these elements present should offer something that stirs your soul.

Happy Shooting! 

 

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

 

Maybe you should concentrate on the positives and ignore the negatives looking at images that displease you can hardly prove to be inspirational

Sorry Alf don't get what you mean, I'm just trying to join in, I critique quite a few on here. They may be shots I like or shots I don't like, that's the nature of the beast. What I don't get is why I and many others like me don't get any support/critiques. I thought that's how it was suppose to work on here.

All The Best

Gary

Your contributions are always very welcome positive or otherwise.  What I was trying to communicate was that on a personal level I only stop and join in if I have something positive to contribute, and don't waste time on shots that I simply "don't like" unless I think I can add something that may prove helpful.  Stating your likes and dislikes can be useful to fellow photographers but adding tangible reasons can help even more.  As for reasons why your images don't attract comments .......well I don't know the answer to that one .......but positive suggestions and contributions to other photographers images must help. That's not to say you have to like every image you comment on, but in my experience, unless an image has some redeeming qualities I don't see a point in commenting in the first place. Hope this explains my views better.

 

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

Hi Alf

 

I really love the B & W tones... The composition is most unusual and therefore most compelling...but the moody atmosphere that is accentuated by the mist is the key to this wonderful image.  The combination of sharp foreground detail that puts the viewer right on the spot and the aura of mystery that lays ahead is like an adventure waiting to happen!  Beautifully done Alf!  Thanks for sharing :)

 

warmest regards

 

Jacqueline

Hi Alf, well I wish someone would tell me where I'm going wrong as regards to getting critiques good or bad I don't mind. Its very frustrating to submit an image and get no response. I submitted 3 earlier this week, taken with my new D800 which I had for my 65th birthday. I walked miles for the Clydach shots and I thought they were good and only Mike took the time to comment. I always thank people for commenting on my images and I rarely rate anyone's images less than 5. With regards to yours I'm probably your biggest fan and the only time I've criticized is on misty shots. The word Critique I would suggest means to criticize good or bad. Therefore, as I have very few people to reply to I spend my time commenting on other photographers image's.

All The Best

Gary

Wonderful B/W composition!

I like this composition better than a previous one on which I made a comment - better perceptual depth and the 'element balance'.  Well done!

'Working' an area can pay big dividends as you so aptly demonstrate here.  I love a good B&W but I'll bet the colour version is a knock-out too. I also like the triangular compositional arrangement of the elements, stile, sun, tree.  You have many great choices from this outing.  Always a pleasure to view your take on the world.  Best, LM.

Many Thanks for your interest and thoughtful feedback, much appreciated.

The perspective is very unusual as you don't normally get to see Stiles from a "end on" view, and the X shape seemed to be begging to be photographed.  The mist was just an extra element that I hoped would capture peoples imagination as it did mine.

 

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

GARY 

 

I can imagine that it is very frustrating not to receive feedback. However like any community it takes time to make acquaintances and establish oneself.  I don't spend nearly as much time as I used to commenting on images, but that's simply because I don't have the time any more. But just to put things in perspective, you have made 104 comments or critiques as you might say, whilst I have made over ten thousand.  That's not to say that numbers should be the overall deciding factor where reciprocal exchanges are made. It is I believe more in the content and spirit of the content where this is established. 

I have long since stopped using the rating system because for me it doesn't have any value.

Critique can be "good or bad" as you have stated, but where it is bad I try and add constructive criticism to help other photographer improve. 

You haven't actually criticized any of my shots, but you have repeatedly remarked that you don't like "Misty shots"  this doesn't actually constitute criticism it is merely a repeated revelation of your personal tastes. 

Now whilst I can appreciate everyone's taste differs considerably I'm not quite sure how repeating the same message of "I don't like misty shots" is supposed to help me improve my photography.  I really have no objection to you repeating this as much and as often as you wish, but "constructive criticism"  would be preferable. You asked for reasons as to why perhaps you might not receive as much reciprocal feedback as you had hoped and I am trying to offer the information in the most polite way I can. 

Best Wishes 

 

Alf 

 

MAURIZIO

 

Many Thanks for your interest and kind words!

 

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

TONY 

 

I noticed below that Len made a comment on "working an area" and I have you to thank for making me aware of the importance of that and of the connotations associated with portrait orientated shots and magazine covers ......Sincere Thanks! 

 

Alf 

 

LEN 

 

TONY HADLEY very kindly gave me advice some years ago about "working the area" and thankfully it stuck in my memory. 

The colour version has a very different feel to it, it has warm tones and hues and gives a much more distinct impression of a summers morning, whereas this one looks positively chilly! 

I actually managed to get to three lakes in one morning, they all had a misty layer and this was the last of them.

 

Always good to hear from you Len! 

Alf - you are too kind - you are making me blush `Black and Blue`(*_*)

Hi Alf-really, a unique perspective, love it, The foreground ,nice & sharp showing good detail in the steps, The gradual change from sharpness to a soft focus of the middle ground , conveying sense of lonelyness & mystery with the sun making an effort to break thru,. It is a very compact scene & quite attractive.Very Best Regards-Ross

You have rendered this scene beautifully and the mood in the mist compliments the X patterned stiles that brings in some 'mystery' in the photograph.

Great landscape!

 

Lester

You are a true gentleman : - ) 

 

ROSS 

 

Many Thanks for your observations and thoughtful comments. It is indeed a unique kind of perspective as you don't very often get to photograph one of these stiles from a side view. Only the fact that in this case there was a gate open made it possible, usually they span solid walls or fences on either side. 

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

LESTER 

 

I liked the stile as foreground interest for the other angles I photographed it from, but the X shape did something different to the mood and I guess that's why I chose the B & W processing, yes "mystery" is right. 

Sincere Thanks for your interest and positive feedback Lester.

 

Best Regards 

 

Alf 

 

Beautiful composition and atmosphere! I love the tree silhouette in the fog, but even without it the photo would be very nice because of an interesting subject.