distantvoice

Hi, Dennis. I should upload some photos from Conques to my flickr portfolio at the end of January (we were there in the middle of July 2007). But I have a new profile called "Distant Voice" with the same photos that I have just uploaded to photo.net.

Dennis, you are too kind for me. I like your works much and it is really a pleasure to comment them. I like this crop much more - it really works! As to the sepia, it is a matter of taste. In such cases I usually make two or three versions. I reopen them after two weeks to have a fresh look and then I choose. I would prefer this one a little less saturated but it is still very appealing to me as is.

I am an admirer of Gerard's minimal art since I joined PN so it is very difficult for me to be really objective. Certainly it is not the best of his works but still it is a unique piece of art. As usually it is a striking image that engaged me at once. Dynamic lines create a complicated pattern but thanks to the prominent perspective we can feel the distance as if we stood there. We could discuss possible alternative compositions, crops and so on but I am not sure if it makes sense. There are some things that I'd rather not see in this image (especially in the top right and bottom left corner) but they do not distract me much, maybe these "imperfections" are in fact necessary as without them one could find this image somewhat sterile.

Alexandre, welcome back on PN :). I'm visiting it now from time to time. Quite funny how the workers seem to head for the "Galeria Centrum" as if they were willing to grab the treasures inside. As always well observed.

Although we usually feast our eyes on your perfect colour images the monochrome photos make your body of work truly exceptional. This composition could be studied for hours, technique is simply excellent but for me the most important is that you have seen and managed to show us something behind - a kind of universal message that lets us meditate about the forces of nature and our own place on earth. Are we like these isolated rocks that were mountains a long time ago?

Great piece of art. You have captured the tension between the bright and the dark parts of this image. The barrier which is the only firm element here works as a point of reference for the moving dynamic forces of nature. This photo makes me meditate, surprisingly it is calming.

Interesting. We are using the same equipment and I am just thinking about square format and selective blurring. The ropes in the foreground add dynamism and make this work engaging but they weaken the melancholic mood of this scene.

Having said that I've checked your portfolio and found this photo from the same session. In my oppinion it's much more engaging. There is some kind of enigma which I'd like to see in the photos above. Although the message is obvious this photo made me think about it much longer.

I must second Landrum Kelly. The idea and the high standard of its realization catches the eye. But for me it is an example of a commercial aesthetic image that is totally devoid of meaning. It is not your fault of course, you did your job well, it is really an exceptional nude photo. The question is if it meets the Photograph of the Week criteria, if it is really worthy of discussion. For me it is not. Anyway I am not a great fan of diptychs where two photos present the same subject and the only difference is the composition. It always looks as if the author could not decide which composition is better. Both are aesthetically successful but by juxtaposing them you haven't said anything more.

Interesting portrait. There is some ambiguity in the expression of their faces (melancholy/sadness) that makes this photo enigmatic. Appropriate colouring.

I like it but imo a square with the middle part of this photo could be even more engaging (left and right parts do not add anything but rather distract). Sepia tonality is quite heavy.

Aesthetic though quite popular subject. Anyway dark tonality makes it working for me. It is all about rhythmes and you have done your best to show this. With some other photos of this kind could be a satisfying fine art landscape series. I'd try to do more shots of this kind with some objects floating on the water, imo some point of interest there could break the symmetry and make the photo even more engaging though less abstract at the same time.

Dennis, to be honest I do not see any reason for doing HDR here. HDR is useful when the contrast is large but here we have just the opposite situation. I do not understand fully your intention but I could quite easily get what you have here post-processing each of the original files attached in Photoshop. First I would set the white and black point in the levels. Then I would probably use the light/shadow but I would have to see the result of levels correction. After that I would convert the photo to B@W using Channel Mixer and finally I would adjust the contrast precisely with the curves. Before sharpening I would probably use Unsharp Mask with large radius (100-200) and small amount (5-15%) to increase local contrasts. That would give a similar effect that you have got here.

 

For post-processing the three attached images are almost identical. Each one of them contains the same information - just in the different parts of the histogram.

Dennis, both are great sculptures. Maybe I will see Moissac at last next June (I am going to visit France next year). I will try to do something interesting with Romanesque sculpture and architecture if I have a chance/time but I will probably convert everything to B&W later. The chance is that I will do the same with some of my earlier photos.

 

The composition is nice here but the fact that the face is out of focus is a disappointement. Anyway having seen these two photos of yours I am more and more convinced that B&W is the proper choice for Romanesque architecture and sculpture.

And I do not agree with Laurent. With this dof it is the cat that draw our attention the most and I like it. For me it is rather a sad story about the life in the urban jungle. Somehow this life survives though it is constantly bombarded with agression and unfriendliness.

Maybe there should not be more space above the tree but some space above the castle would help, I think. So I would prefer a lower point of view and pointing the lens a little bit higher.

This image... full of melancholy, sadness, yet beautiful. As life. Best wishes, Michal.

Piotr, dzieki za komentarze. Przepraszam, ze nie odpowiadam tak czesto jak powinienem, ale zainstalowalem sie ostatnio na flickerze i troche mnie to wciagnelo.

 

To kolejne Twoje makro, ktore jest po prostu urzekajace. Bajkowe kolory i niebanalna kompozycja. Bardzo lubie te Twoje intymne pejzaze, widac ze wkladasz w te zdjecia duzo serca. Moze ociupinke obrocilbym tu obiketyw w prawo, grzybek jest jednak chyba za bardzo zblizony do krawedzi kadru. Przydaloby sie troche drugiego planu przechodzacego w tlo. Tak czy inaczej, piekne.

I think I would prefer it after some perspective and lens correction (the barrel distortion is quite prominent, hmm... I use the same lens and have not observed yet such a distortion; with 24-105 f/4 L we have plenty of that). I never was in England but for me Battersea is one of the landmarks that should be preserved rather than destroyed. Are there any projects for adaptation? I guess that your photo which could have a title "clouds over Battersea" was to evoke the atmosphere of decline. It does.

Mike I like it very much. The composition and the colour palette reminds me some works of Joe Cornish. Light is beautiful. In your works the light is almost always the first - just as Joe Cornish wrote. I have a small reservation concerning sharpening as for me the sharpening halos are too prominent (especially under the cloud on the right). Regards, Michal.

Great moment captured and a well-considered composition and crop. Appropriate dof. What focal length did you use here?

David, the colours are beautiful. The composition is straightforward but the location is magnificient. I like the waves in the foreground and the light. The only thing that distracts me a little is this pole on the left. I would prefer it too without these trees behind it (their darkness does not match the colour palette of the rest of this image) but the right side of the photo balances them well - especially this cloud in the top right corner.

Piotr, swietne zdjecie. Pieknie rozplanowany kadr i wspaniale urzekajace kolory. Juz bez tego mlodego drzewka w tle byloby niezle, a tak jest po prostu cudownie. Gratulacje, jestes dla mnie mistrzem makro.

Erwin, I would not call this an abstract but this is a truly exceptional photograph that evokes many feelings and provokes many thoughts. At the same time it is a good presentation of this charming and wise animal. A part of his horn is blown out but the rest is perfect. I would prefer it less sharpened but that is subjective as I understand that you intended to emphasize the texture of the fur. Regards, Michal.

Here is my proposition for sharpening.