Saturday, February 10, 2007
Glen Shiel (detail)
Comments:
A lot to like. The image has a sense of place, can almost feel the water and the mossy ground and trees. My eye is effectively led back into the background and around the scene, and I like the three tiered color/tone shift that helps with this.
I find the chopped off trees at the top a bit abrupt, but it makes me curious to see the entire image.
I ought to make clear that this is a detail of the scene, not a crop from an image.
A wider view of (more or less) the same place is on my photoblog (LINK)
Despite my recent Glen Shiel picture, I rather seek to avoid making the light the subject.
I think this works well for me because of the band of light in the forest and the dark band of water. Maybe it is not the 'subject' but that contrast of light is a strong part of the image.
I don't mind the 'truncated' trees (intentional pun) I think they are the second strong part of the image again contrasting with the horizontal path of the water.
Excellent use of the three layers from top to bottom and an exposure (or processing) that gives the trunks detail yet contrasts them against the forest floor. The water is the highlight though, continually drawing one away to the left - it is a real force of nature. The shutter speed is within my taste limits too! Not excessively creamy so that it allows realistic reflections of light from trees and sky. This is a powerful picture, more so than the link, which is more contemplative (and also only wider if you mean vertically!)
Three distinct regions: the power of the water, the sturdiness of the middle-view trees and the eagerness of the saplings in the back ready to take their place in the overall landscape. The water is taking me right to left and the middle tress out the top but those guys in the rear just manage to push me back in the frame.
I want just a little bit more of that third region to balance out the other two. Until Guy pointed it out, I hadn't even noticed that there was a third region because the water and the middle distance overwhelm the background.
The loamy forest floor is wonderful. It just demands my attention. I want to touch it, smell it, feel it underfoot. For me the water helps set the outdoor, fresh, perhaps wild context of the place but I would happily trade half the water for more of the wooded area if it could be done without adding sky.
JohnJo - the hillside that you can just see starting behind the last row of trees becomes mountain very quickly and goes directly up (and I do mean directly) to over 3000ft. The only way to get sky would be to put the camera on the ground pointing upwards :-)
Everyone - thanks for the comments. I've been interested to see the difference between the 'more tree' group, and the 'it is about the water' group. There is definitely another picture here, but it might involve carrying a step ladder down into the water.
Colin, keep that camera around your neck. See if you can get a shot of the upturned ladder as you float off downstream!
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I find the chopped off trees at the top a bit abrupt, but it makes me curious to see the entire image.
A wider view of (more or less) the same place is on my photoblog (LINK)
I think this works well for me because of the band of light in the forest and the dark band of water. Maybe it is not the 'subject' but that contrast of light is a strong part of the image.
I don't mind the 'truncated' trees (intentional pun) I think they are the second strong part of the image again contrasting with the horizontal path of the water.
Everyone - thanks for the comments. I've been interested to see the difference between the 'more tree' group, and the 'it is about the water' group. There is definitely another picture here, but it might involve carrying a step ladder down into the water.