iancoxleigh

Lovely! The sunstar is perfect – enough to be noticed not so much as to dominate the scene.

Nice! Blue on blue on blue on blue on blue.

 

This is an exceptional scene and I love the presentation with the washed out sky and low contrast exposure supporting the mood created with all the worn out and dated/peeling elements.

 

 

I have no idea what this pile of plastic(?) is, but, I love it.

Roman Forum?

 

Very nicely exposed. I like the way the architectural forms work here on top of one another and also the way they pop out from the nice gradient of the sky.

Nice indeed. Although, I do wonder about the warmth of the highlights – they conflict with the sentiments about such

 

Have you seen some of Brooks Jensen's images in his most recent portfolio (Silva Lacrimosa: http://www.brooksjensenarts.com/silva_lacrimosa/Silva%20Lacrimosa%20by%20Brooks%20Jensen.pdf)? His study is of an entirely different character in its presentation than this, but, the similarity in subject brought it to mind.

Again, I do love your images like this. The details are exceptional and surface texture positively shimmers.

Nice! I do like your images of textured details. Your toning combined with the higher contrast really gives this a startling metallic impression.

Amazing image! I love the textures and the range and richness of the tonalities. Seemingly perfect composition too.

Lovely light and composition, Ray. I like the lighter bits top right and bottom left that form a sort of "x" shape with the receding lines and shadow patterns of the front façade.

 

 

Fred, I don't know what to say; thanks seems insufficient. You clearly respond to this image exactly as I would and did. I thank you for taking the time to put those thoughts into such delightfully crafted words.

 

Doug, I do not share any of your sentiments about vertical versus horizontal images. I greatly prefer verticals and find them more 'natural'. I generally find horizontals hard to compose myself and I am even less likely to enjoy them in the works of others – especially 4x6 horizontals.

 

I do like your square® crop on purely compositional grounds. It is more dynamic and immediately engaging. It grabs your eye more fully. But, that said, I don't think such a composition fits this scene particularly. This is a very tranquil and calming moment. I am not sure that trying to make this "more compelling" furthers the mood and tranquility of the scene.

 

Thanks again, though, for your thoughts. This isn't the first time someone has questioned my choice of a vertical composition. Perhaps I need to be more conscious of others' preferences for horizontals in landscapes – or at least more aware when my vertical predilections will upset their expectations.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Nice photo of Vanessa cardui (Painted Lady). The contrast with the pink Echinacea and white Liatris is quite pleasing.

Simple, pleasing, lovely, calm. Nice work.

Lovely shot. The composition really grabs me with the line of the arch pulling my eye deep into the scene. The crispness of the edges of the flare is so pleasing too.

 

I don't see how the photographer detracts at all – it offers something a bit different than the usual. Moreover, I suspect this is a highly marketable photo just because of the photograph. This would be such a great image to advertise any camera, photo accessory, backpack, tripod, etc. . .

 

The top right feels a touch empty and when I get there I kind of get lost in it, but, I can not think of any other way to handle this better and certainly don't suggest any sort of crop. Maybe a mild increase in the saturation of the blues or just a slight darkening of the luminance of the blues? It could contrast a bit more with the yellows of the rock and sun.

 

Marsel, it is quite possible that my point of focus was sub-optimal. There is indeed a very slight loss of acuity on that edge. Some of it is likely due to a slight lack of edge sharpness in my wide angle lens too.

 

I hadn't thought that it was a significant problem though (or really all that noticeable). But, I guess it is more obvious than I thought.

Bettie, you could work on the image in Adobe Camera Raw it has the same slider.

Or, you can use the technique described here: http://www.luminous-landscape.com/tutorials/contrast-enhancement.shtml

It achieves a very similar result. The clarity slider is designed not to allow any of the adjusted pixels to be pushed to totally white or totally black while, with this technique, that can happen.

This is definitely my favourite of the three. I like the hint of a background and that is nicer here than in the other two. I also like the form of the tree best here as well with the more easily anthropomorphised "reaching" structure. The green in the branches seem more harmonious here as well.

 

All in all, a lovely and compelling winter's scene. Nicely done.

There is such grandeur here.

 

It is hard to capture the awesomeness of mountains well. Once you use a wide enough lens to get any sort of engaging composition, the mountains usually seem so small and insignificant. I like how you have overcome that here by using the ice and reflections in the foreground as a launching pad to bring the viewer right into the side wall of the mountain. The foreground is more than sufficient to gain attention and to ground the image while being small enough in the frame to allow you to capture the overwhelming dominance of the mountain in the landscape. Truly an impressive image and one that really captures the effect of being among these giants of rock.

 

John has already commented on how specifically tied to that given point in the journey of day this is. I would only like to add my agreement to his statements. It is a lovely moment from that little window when the colour has gone from the clouds but just lingers on the edge of the horizon before the inky purples and blacks of night descend upon the land. It is a hard moment to capture and I like how dark you have allowed this to become – it better represents the time that many images I see (or that I make!).

 

My only nit-pick would be that there is a strange red blotch (maybe it is natural? even so . . .) on the side of the slope on the right hand side. I'm sure once you notice it, it will become a distraction. It took me a while (c. 10 minutes of viewing this) before it lept out at me. It should be easily mended with a feathered selection and colour balance adjustment.

Gosh, you do this sort of image so very well. Jeff, this is exquisite.

 

What makes this work so well for me is the total absence of any hint of a horizon other than in the mirrored vegetation. The gradient from top to bottom is such a deliciously smooth arc.

 

I feel adrift and at peace in this. Nice!

Beautiful composition. I love the almost symmetrical impression that the tree branches give in the middle there. That really captures my attention. I think your choice of toning is nice too – the slight warmth gives depth, while there is enough coolness to help keep this from feeling too brown.

 

I feel like this is a little softer in presentation than I might have gone for. The lower contrast combined with the heavy vignette accentuate this impression. I would be inclined, if this were my photo, to reduce the vignette a fair bit, increase the mid-range contrasts (Lightroom "Clairty") a bit, and maybe even add some web sharpening. But, that would make it my image and not yours.

 

I do like your softer impression – and, the longer I look at this, the more it grows on me. I also suspect it would have a much more powerful impact in a larger print (16"x24" or so) or even a good small print.

Nicely done! I love the colours here and the light-painting on the tree is perfect.

Fred, thank you so much for your thoughts. It is interesting how similarly you and I see this image. Many of the things you commented upon were present in my mind when I cropped and worked upon this image.

Thanks! Even on a weekday morning, during the first week of June, Oxbow bend was packed with photographers. Everyone was looking towards the Tetons and most were cursing because you could not see them at all for most of the time due to heavy clouds. So, I decided to turn around and photograph what was behind us.

 

I had had two versions of this in my portfolio for a while – one was bluer and brighter than this and one was warmer and darker with the twilight blues totally removed. I am in the process of building galleries to launch a website and had the chance to re-work this image and come up with a mid-ground compromise (brighter and returning some of the blue, but, also keeping a little of the warm pinks).

Thank you all for your comments. Sorry for not replying sooner.

 

Fred, I am glad you feel my approach here fits with the subject matter so well. I had hoped that my image would connect with what I felt was the character of the place and this unusual tree. I also like the way you describe the atmosphere here – thick. I do not recall there being any density to it in person, but, I hoped the IR and my processing would give a bit more mysteriousness to the mood than otherwise existed.

 

Pnina, thanks. I really like your anthropomorphic interpretation of the tree's form. I had not seen it that way myself, but, I enjoy thinking of it that way now.

 

Friends, within the next week or so I will have an exciting announcement to make.

Pyramid Lake Sunrise

 

I had hoped to get this exact shot roughly 10 minutes later so that instead of a microscopic amount of Alpenglow only on the very summit, there would have been a more sizable patch. But, as soon as the sun was any higher up in the sky, the clouds above reflected on the surface of the water too much and ruined the clarity of the pebbles below the water surface.

 

Thanks to all who commented on the previous version. This re-post address some issues with the brightness of the reflection.

Slight reworking with a mild contrast bump.