minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Backstory: This happened yesterday. Saw the clouds when letting the cat in half-hour before sunset, grabbed the camera bag, took off to the lake, got hung up in roadwork, persuaded construction guy to stop traffic and let me across to the water. Realized I had on house slippers while tumbling down the riprap, no tripod, no filters, wrong lens. One other photographer there, a pro who's published several books, and he was no better prepared than me, both of us trying to prop cameras on rocks. It looked like the sunset water scene from the movie Life of Pi.

Now what? No real center of interest - dead water lilies are hardly scenic. Can color be the center of interest? If I get the horizon from the middle, what do I remove? The sky or its reflection? I've done portrait crops on several -they're nice, but I want to do justice to the broad scene too. I don't know that this is the best shot. I took about 70, till the light was gone, because the sky and water was constantly changing. Wish I could a dozen & ask you to help me pick.

One thing for sure, I won't be converting this one to monochrome. Any advice, and sample editing, is appreciated.

Nightski

Minnie, you can post comparison shots of the same image. I think it's okay even if they are different shots of the same image.

What is going on with that sky? I've never seen anything like it. It's amazing.

I don't know what to say. This is such an unusual and amazing image. I think color and texture are definitely your subject. It's one big leading line of color and texture into the horizon. M

More later. I need to study this some more.

Heirloom Tomato Loc: Oregon

Minniev, this is stunning. I don't think it needs a change of any kind. Just read today that a 50/50 sky/land or water composition is calming. Calming is what this is all about so I believe you should stick with the 50/50 composition. Color, focus, exposure, composition, all is well here.

Gauss Loc: Earth

:shock: In a scene like this, the whole thing is the center of interest.

Actually, I think they add a lot of interest. The sky is filled with detail that the water smooths out. The lilies add back some detail and interest to the water. I tried a few crops, and I think the best one crops out everything but the water. None of the other crops seemed as interesting. But that is a whole different image than the original; I just wanted to point out the maybe dead lilies aren't such a bad thing.;-)

Again, I don't think you need a center of interest. Is the color in this photograph important? Yes. But there's much more to this photo than color.

It's OK that the horizon is at or near the middle. All those "rules" - avoid middle horizon, thirds, golden rectangle, center of interest, story - are only guides to help you see different perspectives, to get you to think a little more when shooting. In a picture like this, the story can just be what each viewer feels when they see it. That's really the only story any picture tells. For me, I see the sky and water as two huge plains of color that go to infinity. I love the feeling of being trapped between them, being pulled in and absorbed by them. It reminds me of how I feel when I see a beautiful sunset. Growing up on the gulf coast of Florida, I saw sunsets like this that spanned the sky from horizon to horizon. You had to keep turning around to see the whole thing. The colors were different every minute. There's no possible way to photograph that; if you haven't been there, you'll never know what it's like. This is an example of why cropping to get the horizon out of the middle isn't always good. Your photo is doing as good a job as possible of conveying this kind of sunset. As is, we're surrounded as best we can be in a 2-D photo.

Very nice!

P.S.
Not that you should, but it could probably make a great monochrome.

Nightski

I've never experienced this, but your image makes me want to see it.

Like Gauss said, you can break all the rules, because you've got a big bunch of gorgeous here.

Chuck_893 Loc: Lincoln, Nebraska, USA

Gauss already said it all. I would only add that absolutely color alone can be the center of interest, although in this case it's more than that, "…two huge plains of color that go to infinity…being trapped between them, being pulled in and absorbed by them." Frantically tumbling down the riprap in bedroom slippers makes a heckuva story! It might work as a monochrome, but the thing is SO much about color—if you remove it you still have spectacular texture and contrast, but that's all. In film days almost always all I had loaded was B&W so I'd try to make it work, but if I'd seen this and only had B&W in my bag I'd have had to drown myself in the lake. :lol:

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Thanks for the analysis and for validating my impression that I was taking a photo of something other than a traditional landscape and approving my throwing the rule of thirds temporarily out the window. You expressed what I felt perfectly, being suspended between two surreal scenics composed of color and texture. It was a pretty mystical experience.

I got as close as I could to the dead lilies because I thought they'd give something to contrast all that loose color with. As I figured, they are mostly silhouette but that's OK with me. They may be a nicer contrast dead than alive but pretty they aren't. I do wish I'd been able to get around the blocked off bridge because there were 3 adult alligators basking in the color over on that side according to the road crew. I can only imagine what they looked like as a foreground element!

I am attaching one photo I just shot for water. I like it too, but the big picture is the one I like best for now.I will try a B & W rendition just to see what comes of it.

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Thanks for the comments. Your initial impression of one big leading line (or two if you count the reflection) is exactly how it seemed. The thing covered the whole sky but got compressed as it veered off to the west. I did a little cloud research and I'm still not sure (altocumulus/cirrocumulus?) - maybe there's a cloud specialist among us who'll answer...

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Thanks for the validation. I just couldn't bring myself to hack off either sky or water. Each seemed like a necessary part. And I'd have gone down that riprap barefooted with an iphone if necessary - it was one of those things you know won't happen again. Reshoot is not an option.

Nightski

I like the shadows and colors in the crop too. Both photos are ones I would put in my favorites folder.

Country's Mama Loc: Michigan

Wow! and Wow again. When this opened I just stopped and stared at it for awhile.
The "speckles" for lack of a better word, in the clouds mimic the dots of water lilies in the water. As has been said this image draws you in. The centered horizon complements the symmetry of the image. The color and symmetry is definitely the subject, is symmetry can be a subject.

Nightski

Right? It's freaking awesome! :D

jrb1213 Loc: McDonough GEorgia

My advise is keep it make it a big metallic print and sell them by the thousands. I am totally flabbergasted.

Nightski

What is a metal print?

minniev Loc: MIssissippi

Good idea, I hadn't thought of that! Metal print might make a good Christmas present for my husband, who wasn't with me, but saw the sky from his commute and was glad I made my perilous trek down the riprap.