The Soldier: I captured this image on a recent trip to Bavaria, at a site on a hilltop depicting the horrors of war depicted by a series of semi-abstract stone figures. My aim was to...

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

I captured this image on a recent trip to Bavaria, at a site on a hilltop depicting the horrors of war depicted by a series of semi-abstract stone figures.

My aim was to bring out a decidedly dramatic look, making use of dark shadows caused by a late afternoon sun.

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JD750 Loc: SoCal

I think you achieved your goal. What is the caption for your image?

MichaelEBM Loc: Los Angeles CA

You're clear about your intent, and the figure is quite striking, but the drama you're looking for, I think, is not quite there with the bright blue cloud-filled sky. Maybe it needs a more brooding background.

Stephan G

rook2c4 wrote:

I captured this image on a recent trip to Bavaria, at a site on a hilltop depicting the horrors of war depicted by a series of semi-abstract stone figures.

My aim was to bring out a decidedly dramatic look, making use of dark shadows caused by a late afternoon sun.

An old veteran looking west while contemplating the battles around of not that long ago.

The fields bring out the Twilight Zone feeling when standing at a battleground where many perished years past.

Were the statues lined up in any way? (I have not seen these.)

artBob Loc: Near Chicago

The light is dramatic.

jaymatt Loc: Alexandria, Indiana

Nice work!

Any reason you excluded the bottom?

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

JD750 wrote:

I think you achieved your goal. What is the caption for your image?

The same as the post's title.

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

MichaelEBM wrote:

You're clear about your intent, and the figure is quite striking, but the drama you're looking for, I think, is not quite there with the bright blue cloud-filled sky. Maybe it needs a more brooding background.

You're right, and I am planning to make a second version with more intensive editing and significant changes to the background. However, I do like the colors in this version.

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

Stephan G wrote:

An old veteran looking west while contemplating the battles around of not that long ago.

The fields bring out the Twilight Zone feeling when standing at a battleground where many perished years past.

Were the statues lined up in any way? (I have not seen these.)

Here's a website with more images to give you a rough idea about how the statues (78 in all) are arranged:
http://www.eichstaett.de/poi/figurenfeld_im_hessental-1758/

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

artBob wrote:

The light is dramatic.

Thank you. I think the key is to allow the shadows go completely black in areas to create a bold, more contrast-rich look. Using a flash in this situation would not have been beneficial.

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

jaymatt wrote:

Nice work!

Any reason you excluded the bottom?

The bottom half of the figure wasn't important. My goal was not so much to document the full figure, but to create a mood. Excluding the base of the statue gives the image more impact I think.

artBob Loc: Near Chicago

rook2c4 wrote:

You're right, and I am planning to make a second version with more intensive editing and significant changes to the background. However, I do like the colors in this version.

Good plan!

ebrunner Loc: New Jersey Shore

rook2c4 wrote:

I captured this image on a recent trip to Bavaria, at a site on a hilltop depicting the horrors of war depicted by a series of semi-abstract stone figures.

My aim was to bring out a decidedly dramatic look, making use of dark shadows caused by a late afternoon sun.

This photo has a lot of impact. I think that an improvement would be to remove the shadow on the right side. It does not add much to your photo and is a bit of a distraction. I like the tree in the background. That enhances the effect of the sculpture being right up front an personal.

Usually harsh lighting is problematic. You stated your objective with this photo and I think you are right that the dark shadows work for this objective. I like this photo very much.
Erich

rook2c4 Loc: Philadelphia, PA USA

ebrunner wrote:

This photo has a lot of impact. I think that an improvement would be to remove the shadow on the right side. It does not add much to your photo and is a bit of a distraction. I like the tree in the background. That enhances the effect of the sculpture being right up front an personal.

Usually harsh lighting is problematic. You stated your objective with this photo and I think you are right that the dark shadows work for this objective. I like this photo very much.
Erich

Thank you, Erich. Yes, the tree in the background gives the image added depth. I agree with you about the shadow on the right side. Shouldn't be too difficult to remove; copy/paste some grass over it should do the trick.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

>>My aim was to bring out a decidedly dramatic look, making use of dark shadows caused by a late afternoon sun.

I believe you achieved your aim.

But I wonder if you aim was more than dark shadow? Perhaps you wanted to capture the feeling you were having while there? THAT is the hard part. I think people here understood that. You got a great shot in good light that is a great start. And you have gotten good suggestions here too.

I visited the Little Bighorn battlefield in 2017. I had a lot of strong feelings. Hard to convey. But that is art. We try to capture a feeling. Sometimes we succeed.