The Tension of Rhythms

Your comments and suggestions are most welcomed.

a fine composition with different layers, so much to explore! the sombre colours contribute very much to the great mood displayed here.

This is probably the best yet in this series you've been working on -- another fascinating exploration of low-hanging clouds and their effect on the landscape. David, I can picture you checking the weather each day for the skies that permit you to capture these images. Here I'm mesmerized by the subtle colors in what, at a casual glance, might appear to be a dull sky but of course is anything but dull. That line of sunlit cloud in the distance TL and the blue TR are just perfect for this image, as is the reflected light on the distant pool. This is a rather unique composition, in that the foreground is full of things to look at, yet the real action is going on quite far into the distance.

 

I also think you've succeeded again in creating an image in which sky and land echo each other very closely. Part of the interest in your last few posts is that the shapes of the irregular channels and mudbars in these wetlands closely resemble those of the clouds above. (You thought we hadn't noticed, eh?)

 

This is another of your "dark" landscapes that rewards contemplation.

David, Chris has expressed it most eloquently already. The detail in the FG with the eye being drawn to the distance produces a great image. You really should state 'View Large' in your opener as these images lose impact in the smaller views. This is one of those shots that I would love to see printed.

Quiet, bleak, desolate. That is the mood the image evokes in me. Perhaps there is little hope where sky opens at the horizon when viewing large. Another fine dark landscape of yours. Best wishes, Peter

David, as different from your previous recent images, this one give more space to earth and less to the sky, but it works as well, as there is interest in the details in the fg. and the eye is "traveling" to the source of light at the end. Reminds me the paragraph in the bible, that in the begining God created the earth and sky!...deserted because man was not created yet....

 

A nice addition to your series David.

David: Lovely. While I will take a mildly contrarian position regarding the 'dark" luminosity of the image, I am affected by this capture because it continues the strong work of documenting aesthetically the disappearing frontiers of vistas that are unmarked by human elements. When I look at this, I just marvel that there are no power lines or other clutter that we, as a species, ubiquitously impose on the earth. Here is ground and sky in a relative virgin state and that reasonates within me emotionally. Perhaps I've just lived too long in the densely packed Eastern USA.

 

I would like to see a bit more luminosity in the foreground to elevate it's visual impact into stronger balance with the sky and simply because I am so taken with the small details of the rivulets, the "left behind" standing water pools and the grasses. (Example attached.) I suppose that's really preference versus critique, though.

Thanks Klaus. This one is rather somber. I like that tone.

 

Chris, I'm sorry to report that I do not have to wait long for such skies. Our weather is quite like yours. The shapes here of the sky and contour of the land do match up. Luck is a significant part of our craft.

 

Jeff, fortunately this one will print up large. Now that I have seen Pat's work on this, I have more work to do before this is print worthy.

 

Peter so good to hear from you. This mood moves me too. Thanks for your comments.

 

Pnina, it seems we are so far removed from nature these days. I do feel an affinity for such places and I am fortunate to live about 2 miles from this spot, as the crow flies.

 

Pat, thank you so much -- firstly, for understanding my vision, secondly, for improving it. I really like what you did. If you have time can you share the details? I don't know if you really realize how much I respect your skills. But I am in awe...

 

 

I hate to follow Chris, he forestalls so often my points :-)

Agree completely on the crosstalk of sky and land, a very important stylistic element for me. Your trademark tones, in the foreground, are just right for my (bright) monitor: dark enough to keep the secret, bright enough to discover the shadow details. A crucial question is how much and which PS is necessary to convey the feeling of that moment. I am afraid that Pat disclosed too much mystery in the foreground (I guess, in LAB mode ?). I am getting more and more cautious with PS. No nitpicks from me, an excellent landscape

 

Cheers

Carsten

I agree with Chris about this being the most successful of the series imo. A superb light and perspective. There are some landscapes in the River Thames marshes somewhat like this but there is always a boathouse, a heap of rubbish, or something to detract. I agree about the need to view these shots LARGER to get the full benefit.

 

Congratulations on a thought provoking series of shots.

Hi David, I agree with Chris on the mimicry of the skies and the estuary beneath...beautifully reflective and silvery to my eyes. If the foreground were lighter that impact would be lost I feel...I love the melancholiness of this. excellent.

In answer to your question: 1.) converted to LAB mode/16 bit. 2.) opened a curves layer and edged up the dark tones by roughly 5%. I also steepened the A channel by 5 points at both ends of the scale to further separate and intensify the reds and greens. I left the B channel (blue/yellow) alone. Finally, while still in LAB, I used Smart Sharpen at low strength (.01 radius at 90) on the Lightness channel to restore some of the acuity lost in JPG compression and Unsharp Mask at low strength/high radius (10% strength @ 24 radius and 0 Threshold) to boost local contrast.

 

Converted back to RGB and used a Selective Color layer to add slightly more red and yellow to the reds alone. Finally, I used color burn and color dodge layers to lightly trace (4% opacity brush) along the rivulets to add a little more dimension.

 

Of couse, these work steps are only descriptive of what I was trying to do with an already worked JPG. I'd certainly approach a raw file differently. Specifically, I'd try for the color emphasis and EV adjustments in the raw converter itself to advantage linear space, including blending two conversions to extend dynamic range. Once in PS, (theoretically) I'd only have to do some burning/dodging and sharpening although I probably would do some color work in LAB on a duplicate file to see if I was missing any opportunities. Carsten's comment about caution with PS is well taken although I tend to fall into the "do more" than "do less" camp.

 

Just out of curiosity, have you done a custom color calibration of your camera for Adobe Camera Raw?

Carsten, Colin and Peta thank you all for your comments. Colin I'm afraid these undisturbed areas are quickly disappearing for all of us.

Carsten, the issue you touch upon is really one with which we all trying to come to terms. Here I think Pat deftly brought out more detail while increasing the luminosity and clarity. I don't think too much has been revealed -- look at the shadow area beneath the right bank. Anyway, I really must confess that I like what Pat achieved better.

 

Pat I really must try this in LAB. What is your experience with printing after doing your adjustments in LAB? And no, I have not done a custom calibration for the camera. Tell me more, if you have time...

Pat, each of these explanatory posts of yours is like a mini-seminar covering not only processing, but more important, how to think about optimizing the results we get from our raw images. This is not something one picks up by flipping through a Photoshop book. Thanks for giving us a glimpse into how you approach an image.

Actually, you cannot print in LAB. You have to convert back to an RGB colorspace and therein lies the rub with using LAB. You are committing to take an image through two mode conversions and you pay a toll to do so. The relative significance of the toll, if editing in 16 bit mode, is comparatively slight but it is still there. Not something you would want to do unless the advantages outweigh the costs by a clear margin. OTOH, when you have an image with subtle colors, using LAB offers a way to separate and intensify colors without the brightness variances introduced with saturation moves.

 

Thomas Fors has written an excellent java script that allows you to easily custom calibrate your camera's unique color profile with ACR. The script and instructions are here:http://fors.net/chromoholics/download/.

 

You do need a GretagMacbeth Color Checker Chart. Essentially, you take a raw photograph of the Color Checker Chart in good, flat lighting within a color neutral environment to prevent color spills (I just use a white sheet as a backdrop). Ideally, exposure should be such that the brightest white square in the Color Checker (Lower left square) will measure between 238-245 without any EV adjustment. Convert from raw with no other adjustment into the ProPhoto colorspace. Use the Pen tool to tell the script where the corners are and then just run the script. Time is highly variable but figure on 1-2 hours. The script returns a set of calibration factors that you can then plug into ACR as a means of customizing color treatment to your specific sensor. Typically, you only need one set of calibration factors for non-flash work (i.e. sun) and another for Tungsten lighting if you use flash. I suppose if you did a lot of work in florescent lit locales, a third might be advisable.

One thing I forgot to mention vis-a-vis using LAB. Converting modes should always be done on a flattened file. Hence, using a duplicate file is essential. You can flatten it without losing your original layers. When your work is complete in LAB, flatten that file before converting back to RGB. Make the mode conversion on the flat file, then select all and copy. Go back to your original RGB, unflattened file and "Paste". It will add a new layer with your LAB adjustments. That way, you can print (or view) with or without the LAB adjustments by simply switching the layer on or off. The original file never goes through the mode change.

 

Thanks, Chris. You posted while I was writing the follow-up post.

Pat, once again thanks for taking the time to share you insights and techniques with us. I was aware that you couldn't print with Lab but I was curious about your results in working an image in LAB then conversting back. Your skills, Pat, are impressive. Your generosity, though, is touching...

I do love the dark atmosphere in these. Dark, but relaxing, creates a wildness that seems to scare away the civilized world and provides a space to loose your thoughts into.

Another great murky mood David. This has all your trademark elements. My only feeling is that a slightly higher camera position might have provided a different balance between the bright centre ground and the foreground, but it's only a thought, and I might think differently tomorrow... :-)

I admit I don't have the patience to read through all the text above - but I could spend hours looking at the picture. You seem to have fine-tuned your understanding of forms to a most interesting level.

Seems like a combination of what you've taken from the Nisqually landscapes and the Southwest landscapes, with the almost dry, rubble filled foreground playing such a key role. It's also one of the best and most apt titles for an image I've seen in a while. Tension is exactly what is there with the dry foregound, the wound of the drainage channel, the wet mud of the tide flat, the water in the estuary and then, in the background, a more substantial, less hostile looking land with trees. I like also how on the upper rhs the channels between the landforms and the opening clouds and blue sky suggest liberation from the oppressiveness of the rest of the image.

 

This is some very consistently moody/atmospheric work David - very fine work, I should add.

Stephen, Leigh, Andrea, and Jeremy thank you all for your generous comments. Jeremy, its good to hear from you again, sir.