aplumpton

Thank you, lady and gentlemen. Micheal, it was fortunate how the sea salt precipitated into the cracks in the concrete. I wish that there might have been other salt patterns, but I had to leave this area without discovering others. Once you see this sort of thing you keep loking for more and perhaps this is one of the fun things with photographing naturally occuring abstracts - the element of chance and the occasional image of ghostly contrasted lines and forms. Since shooting this I have found another sea wall close to home and will be visiting it occasionally at low tide.    

Thanks, Phylo,

The quote by Kahn is great, and you mention what is gained by the occasional photograph of a different place, to make one want to lift feet and explore. I enjoy accompanying you in that way on your city visits, in your images of different sights they unfold.

Thanks Rashed, Pierre and Bob - but I can wait, as summer is easy living.

Everyone walks on the boardwalk - it is a microcosm of city life. Thanks for viewing

and critiquing my image.

Sometimes the idea (simple pleasures in this case) is better communicated by more

than one image. I know barely half of the persons figuring in this one, but all seem to

be enjoying themselves. Thanks for viewing.

From a series of self portraits using the shadow to comminicate. Thanks for your

critique.

From a series of self portraits using the shadow to communicate. Thanks for any

critiques.

Palpable. The photo has movement and presence. Great idea.

Interesting play between the two steam diagonals and the vertical riser. Really nice exposure, steam tones, contrast and overall effect. The image in my opinion should be pure B&W but has a mauve tint to the right of the vertical stream. Maybe that's intentional? 

I find photos like this fascinating. It is really well done (focus, isolation of key subject, mystery of the background maintained by the slight blur, sepia effect). What is great is the fact that it could be many things, and can alternately provide a feeling of fantasy, of humour, or even disaster, and so works on several planes at once. Bravo, Simon.   

I liked the stormy appearance of this macro of a piece of driftwood in the Bay of

Fundy, but it may not have enough "subject" to make it a good abstract. Your opinion?

Thanks.

Salt "drawings" on a tidal zone pier in the St. Lawrence river. Part of a series of

"abstracts" called "Mineralia" that is in progress. Welcome critiques. Thanks.

Early morning light after rain (the canoe needs a lot of bailing). Not sure if it evokes

peace and nostalgia, but that was its aim. Thanks for your critiques.

Interesting portrait. The blown out highlights are effective, as is the just visible detail in the back, adding an ethereal effect and contrast, with nicely restrained color variations. Is it a straight shot, with minimal post production, or was the effect created later? In either case, a very good image. Thanks.

A digital shot of a subject I have previously made on B&W IR film. Steps to a former

seaside gun emplacement no longer in operation. Thanks for your comments/critiques.

Projected light on a wall from an old church's stained glass window. Except for light

levels, it's an unretouched image. Brief exposure, but the light patterns changed

considerably during the half hour or so my camera was waiting on its tripod. Your

comments are welcome.

Unretouched image, except for lighting levels adjustment. Our winter snowstorms may

originate outside but their winds can do magical things to an old shed, even when its

doors are closed.

Thanks Pierre, but my hat goes to you for pictures of "real" old folks, as in your Macedonian portrait portfolio.

The tree form reflects the fractal or fragmentary effect of the lit parts of the canyon. It makes for a very interesting B&W image - even the cloud cover is fragmented.  Having said that, can you play with this image, such as increasing shadow information (I use a simple PS Elements software that allows this under the "Enhance" tool bar)?  Not saying that you should do this, as it would diminish the fragmentary effect for one thing, but it might be intersting to see the result again if there is sufficient information left in the dark shagows to do it. Let me know if you try that, I would like to see it (I have one image that I think needs shadow detail lightening, and that is partly why I suggest this). But the actual image is very interesting as it is. 

The uncomfort factor may be due to the sharp edges (somewhat violent forms) and the perhaps abnormally deep shadows, or to the fact we do not see these forms in snow and ice very often, even in winter. Maybe symbolic of living in a hot-cold climate in the North East. Nature is often rounder than this, or otherwise more indefinitely random.

A plurality of images, and with perhaps less contrast betwen the two forms, may be best, as you say. Will work on this next winter, but am presently putting together shots of different minerals seen in rocks in the Bay of Fundy, Bar Harbour (Acadia Park) and in some rocks in Ogunquit, Maine. Not sure it will have much impact, but I will present it as "Mineralia" as soon as I can work on its Photoshop tweaked images and final prints. Thanks for your advice, John, it is most welcome. I enjoy the universality of your approach, in your own portfolio.  

John,

I guess the arrowheads evoke fish in the river suggested by the map of Champlain and by the winter riverside above it, but I just tried to put together independent images to make a whole. The project is continuing and I found an old twin lens reflex with multiple exposure capability that might allow introduction of blurred (historic like) figures in a more virgin landcape, such as Champlain may have seen and trod back then. But I need to transcend better the simple images and graphism to get something more convincing. I do like this one enough, though, to hang it in the house (in any case it didn't move out of the seasonal gallery), but mainly for the commemorative relationship than any other reason. 

Karl and Svetlana,

Thanks for looking at this and your comments.  I briefly viewed your fine compositions and research, Karl, and Svetlana's "Dream of summer" image, and will look more at both of your intriguing images.

Lovely photo - the woman with the sun umbrella in the background, the expression of the subject, the permanence of the dream as contributed by the rock or stucco texture. A great gallery image.