A last deep breath before going

While hanging out on a mountain in Switzerland I was fascinated by the

gliders... by the way, in a flash, their sail would fill and off they

went. Does this give you such a feeling of trapped energy?

 

Your comments and criticism are much welcome: I've mixed feelings on

the composition of this shot (too much land?).

composition is fine. I would like a little more detail on the human. the colour of the paraglider is terrific.

Well done:]

I'm not sure. The snow hints at the altitude the shot's taken at. What effect does cropping out the sharp end of the shadow have, so that its spilling out of the frame? Makes it more interesting? Less? Tough one, but I do get a feeling of anticipation, just waiting for the jump.

I prefer the original crop with the lines running from the bottom left corner to the top right - makes for the energy and tension in the image. I do feel the shadows on the guy's figure and face stop me from seeing some of the detail I'd like to, but the exposure, from looking at the snow and the colour of the wing, looks perfect. The shot gets the feeing of pent up energy and commitment really nicely. Have you tried it? I took lessons several years ago, and realized it was a guaranteed way for me to die young - but fun!

Lovely, saw an actual lift off in Noumea from the side of a mountain. Can't believe they can stay up in the thermal air for hours. Nice catch Sal.

Looks pretty sharp for a kit lens. Love the snow. It adds to the sense of adventure. I like how clean and simple this is.

I prefer the original on the cropped one as I think that the human "bird" needs the breathing space, more compatible imo for the subject. I would have liked to see more details on the man.The diagonal crop and orange "wings" transfers the feeling of tension before take off. Pnina

The paraglider nearly scratching the frame is a good way to enhance tension!

Excelente luz y color,, bellisimo encuadre ...perfecta..saludos.

Beautiful capture. I love the composition,light and colors.

Salvatore, I prefer the crop of your original upload. That said, I might have liked just a little more room above the sail.

 

Obviously, it's that beautiful orange color that first grabs attention. I love the tension on the figure. That he must lean forward against the pull of the sail hints at what's coming. The lines of the snow and ground work in harmony with the main subject. While it might have been nice to have more detail in the figure, to do that would have meant overexposing the rest (since I don't think you ever use fill flash). I think you made the right choice. Do you have any shots of them as they lift off?

After reading all of the previous comments it'll be hard coming up with some original thoughts but I'll give it a go anyway. When I look at this photo I can easily "abandon the normal premises" for viewing and focus on abstracting bits and pieces from the whole scene. Bits and pieces that flow very nicely because the focal points are diverse and interesting. I see wonderful shapes in this frame that grab and keep my attention regardless of detail. When viewing this way I feel that it's not absolutely necessary to have full detail, shapes will do just fine when you can tell what the basic forms imply. That's in regards to the comments on wanting more detail in the dude. I don't think it's necessary to crop this at all again because of the shapes being the dominant attention grabber, in my case anyway. The shape and brightnes of the snow really help balance the image. If it were just plain ground I don't think it would be as appealing. The ground shape definitely implies stability and a "grounded" feeling but this is totally shot out by the wonderfully intense color and shape (again with the shapes)of the parasail. It adds great dynamic to an otherwise static scene. If the guy were just standing that way in a very strong wind without the sail it would create the same effect, only less. Finally, the light clouds in the sky also help create balance and interest by giving the viewer a 3D sense. In other words, they add depth.

 

I hope I just made some sense! Anyway, it's a very nice photograph and I've enjoyed staring at it for awhile. You've done well.

Thanks for your feedback on this image. I see that it roughly works the way I supposed it to.

@David I know, the human should have more details, but this would (1) imply PS'ing what I usually do not do -ignorant rather than purist- and (2) don't you think that a shadow makes it easier to think of him just as a 'human' indeed... more anonymous, more likely to be anyone of us?

@Stephen I had lingered longly with a crop similar to yours, but then thought that more snow would enhance the diagonal structure and went for it, but I see the rationale behind your choice.

@Jeremy Me on a paraglider? No way... I get terrorised just watching them taking off. I need a rope to win my fear of heights, not a sail!

@Laurie I past here a photo of what it looked like a few seconds later...so you know what you'll feel once you'll try it. Far safer than riding mules, I'm told ;)

@Jason I like your analysis of the "ground" feeling coming from the land. This might be why I did not crop eventually.

I'm glad that you've linked this to your later submission. It gets me. Diagonal composition of close to primary colors over the patch of snow plus the perceivable tension. Regards,

Pawel, thanks. I'm glad to see the composition indeed conveys what I had in mind while -quite fastly- trying to shot this.