tonysvision

Thanks for viewing

Very nice - congratulations for getting up early enough to take this. I would try to add more detail to the foreground in post processing. Also I think it could be improved by placing that prominent foreground boulder to the right so as to balance the mass of the mountains on the left.

I love the combination of the lovely colors of the weathered wood and the water. Like another commentor, the image succeeds because it makes me want to be there. I'm not too sure about the vignetting of the upper part of the image, though. I would at least lighten the building to better reveal the lovely thatch.

Lovely clouds and foreground light - nicely composed. Makes me want to put a sweater on!

I like the feeling of this image - reminds me of my days as a dad of two young boys. I'd like to see it a little lighter, though, and it would have been nice to see faces.

I love this, heather - very nostalgic and well-done. Great use of color and perfect expression on the model. 

This image is all about shape and light, so i agree with the others who prefer the black and white approach that emphasizes these aspects.

 

To add further emphasis, you might consider a crop from the bottom to just below her hand, and from the left to just before her right knee. The important aspects remain, and the eye is not distracted by the pattterns of light and shadow in the image area below the window sill.

 

 A very lovely image, and pleasing use of soft backlight.

 

http://www.tonymindling.blogspot.com

After adjusting tonality and pumping up color (vibrance) in LR4, this

image went to ColorEfex4 to be treated with the Detail Extractor and

Midnight filters, then to CS5 for the artistic filters Watercolor and

Polarization. Then back to LR4 for a bit of a vignette.

 

I know there are those who abhor anytthing but "traditional"

photographic processes (whatever that is), and I was there once, too,

and apologize to Ansel and Edward. But I've been having fun

enhancing images with the tools available lately - I cover myself by

identifying these efforts (as if that were necessary) with a border.

Thanks for looking and for constructive critique.

Lovely. I like the contrast in shapes of the foreground and background trees. It also works as a crop to the upper 1/3, emphasizing that contrast.

Nicely composed, good that enough of the environment is included to add to the story. Although I would also like to see a version taken at the subjects eye level. The blown highlights and blocked shadows bother me.

Makes me want to dust off the vintage gear. The tilt is a bit bothersome, causing the audiophile in me to cringe a bit. But that is a small matter in relation to the fact that this photo tells a story. This idea is worth working on. I would like to see a version looking head on at the cartridge end, so as to also see the nice twist in the arm and its base. Also do something about the clutter on the left. Although dangling wires are part of the deal, they sure are in my setup. 

Isn't it great when they pose themselves for you in good light? And you've got the right lens on, and get them focused and the exposure made before they move on? Fine work, Gillie!

What interests the eye here is the contrast between the delicate tracery of the branches and the clouds with the concrete structure. To emphasize this, you could try cropping out all but the top 1/3 of the image. That also provides a strong diagonal line, and simplifies the image, so the eye doesn't wander. 

When I look back at my photographs, many off them scenics and what I try to consider "fine art", carefully photographed and painstakingly processed in Photoshop, or whatever,  those that stand out as having long-lasting importance and meaning are the snaps of family and friends. Your images and words are a great reminder that photographs can be a great touchstone to memories. 

Tony

I've been trying to work out how it is that this image is orders of magnitude above the rest in the series, which are very nice, in "mystery and allure" as an earlier commenter aptly put it. I'm going to give up and just enjoy it.

Very pleasing. Lots of interest here - the flowing water, graceful ferns, reflections - all leading to that nice little glint of the setting sun.

I understand Martin's comment, but for me, the fact that she was caught in a coasting mode makes the photo is more interesting. I had to think for a while about how she gets the machine moving, and was interested in the placement of the hand grips on the wheels - obviously geared high for speed. And you have to think about the technique a bit. If she had been caught spinning, then it would seem straightforward. But no, she must get the thing honkin', then rest for a bit coasting, then hit it again. And stay in her lane at the same time. Makes me want to know more about the sport. Besides it's an arresting photo - an athlete blended with a high tech machine.

This image moved me the moment I saw it. Reading the comments I realize itis a manipulated image. Whatever. To me it speaks of the wonders of the universe.

An abandoned homestead and narcissus gone wild near Cool, California

Thanks for the link, Doeke, and the comments all. Looks like a fog bow, alright. The photo was taken about 8:45 am and the fog was thinning with the sun shining partly through it. According to the web site, because of the smaller droplets, fog bows are thicker than rainbows, and the colors therefor more diffuse. The colors in this one, though, weren't apparent when I took the photograph, and aren't visible in the image at all, even cranking saturation all the way up.

Knickerbocker Flat, Cool, CA.

Can anyone explain this atmospheric phenomenon? i.e., how come a

"mistbow" is grayscale and a rainbow is in color?

Actually I used a polarizer instead of an ND grad when I found that the latter killed that nice light on the top of the tree. To control the tonal range, and especially to avoid blowing out the cloud, I combined two conversions of the same raw capture - one without exposure compensation, and one at -5/6 stop. I agree that the gradation at the top of the meadow, which is controlled by a layer mask, could use some work. Thanks for the nice comments.

A nice use of a silhouette to enhance a sunset. Another composition option would be to place the tree about 1/3 of the way in from one side, and the sun similarly on the opposite side of the frame.

A brief sunny spell between winter rains.

Don't like it. Don't like photos of ballet dancers, ever since entering my first camera club photo competition and the judges chose a trite image of a dancer tying her shoes, totally ignoring my own genius.

 

Well, ok - this one is kind of original, but I can't get over the feeling of peering from behind that bench the short dancer is sitting on.