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May 16, 2018 08:37:54   #
I shoot with a Sony most of the time and recognise your bokeh, although mine is the fixed lens RX. I really like your shot (and immediately had thoughts of ‘bad hair day’ and similar inappropriate quips!). The colours here are very attractive. Must say though, Canon still rules the roost for bokeh in my opinion.
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May 16, 2018 08:10:14   #
Nice shot of a lovely structure Neil - please tell me that’s not a satellite dish stuck on the front! RG’s sorted the colour problem, so it should be looking pretty good. I can see why you keep returning to it.
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May 15, 2018 08:38:32   #
Well you've picked the most important subject you could find for us photographers Linda - Light IS photography, or rather, vice versa. Without it we simply don't have our hobby.
Your example of an industrial scene backlit by the sun gives a dramatic effect often employed by 'industrial' photographers. It shows the importance of direction in achieving the result - and there's already a lot been contributed to this thread explaining that.
So, I won't get bogged-down with the technical aspects, or the artistic ones as such, but would like you to consider the difference between having a choice of light direction and not.
A lot of my photography happens on a day out - usually and fortunately with my wife who also enjoys photography, so she understands the needs that arise and how time can be consumed - but even then its seldom possible to wait for the direction of light to happily be where I'd like it. I have to live with what I'm given or not bother with the shot, and I expect a lot of us find the same. So the art is making the most of what you have. Modern processing allows us to change contrast, intensity, and DIRECTION! Cheating some say - but others simply want to achieve an image, not record the environment of that moment for posterity. Horses for courses as they say.

Of course if a shoot can be planned then the time should be taken to consult a readily available app such as PhotoPils or Photographers Ephemeris, that will give us all the info we need in relation to what is providing the light - sun, moon, stars, milky way - and its direction and height. I reckon everyone following this thread will be more than aware of the good things to be had at either end of the day but it's essential to know how the source of light is going to affect the subject or landscape you're intent on capturing. When I took the train photo below, I'd rushed off early morning without consulting anything other than the steam gala's timetable. When I arrived I found, standing in my favourite spot, the sun was directly in my face and, as the train would be between me and the sun, all I was going to get was a lot of shadow. So, giving up my intended view, I crossed the line and did what I could to make a decent shot of it. It was always going to be quite harsh, but that suited the subject - much as your shot Linda. I should have been aware though.
Later on the same day I was further round our bit of coast and enjoying a view I can never get enough of. In the second shot the light is in an ideal direction to feature the white cliff and the sloping foreground. Cloud is playing its part by keeping other areas in light shadow and the whole thing works nicely - although luckily, as it was just a chance visit and I couldn't have hung around. I could have adjusted things in pp though!!

I'm not a studio photographer but that is the place to gain complete control over direction of the light source - and can of course employ multiple sources so that, with care, the exact desired result is fully controlled. Peter Basch took some beautifully lit studio portrait, glamour and nude photographs that show the mastery of this control, and there are plenty of more modern photographers doing likewise. The only problem is, we cannot bring our everyday photography into the studio - so we have to learn how to live with what we're given and bring it under control as far as possible. Even if that does include using a computer. The artist, with his paint brush, can do as he likes, so why not the photographer? My third image is completely manipulated as far as light direction is concerned and I really don't give a toss whether others agree with using the process, it got me what I wanted from a shot taken at an event and time I couldn't change. Back to horses for courses.


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May 15, 2018 03:03:43   #
neilds37 wrote:
Outstanding! It has a "painterly" feeling that would look at home in an ornate frame hanging in the building it portrays.


Thanks Neil. That’s a good thought but judging by the outside, I don’t think they are investing in art at the moment!
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May 14, 2018 16:44:50   #
ebrunner wrote:
The whole think has a kind of soft an mysterious air about it. I like that, and I think that mood is enhanced by the sky. By including the figure, you are enhancing the "story" in the shot. We have to wonder if that is his home? Has he been gone long? Will there be disappointment? None of these questions would come to mind if there were no figure. It would still be an attractive photo; but the story would be gone. At least that is how I see it.
Erich


Thanks for chiming-in Erich, I think likewise. Its a view I love - from the waters edge, looking across at the 'castle' (which is actually a hotel owned by a partnership chain store and used exclusively by their employee partners), but here the effect of the telephoto lens attracted me and the fellow was a great bonus.
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May 14, 2018 10:02:18   #
StevenG wrote:
I am not an expert by any stretch of the imagination. That being said, I really like this photo. It immediately caught and held my attention. I love the look you created with your processing. I often look for something in a landscape to emphasize dimension or perspective and to add interest. This could be a tree, rock, person or something else. In this photo I think the figure works perfectly. In fact, I think it directs one’s imagination to create a story to go along with the photo; I think it makes the photo. Great job!
Steve
I am not an expert by any stretch of the imaginati... (show quote)


Expert or not Steven, your reaction is the desired effect. I’m pleased you ‘get it’ and agree if it’s in the right position, and conducive to its surroundings, it doesn’t matter what the ‘add on’ is. Many thanks for commenting.
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May 13, 2018 17:50:30   #
artBob wrote:
"Just right," I think. The figure and castle balance each other, but in a dynamic, fluid way, which goes with the clouds and soft foreground focus. That focus links with soft focus and muted colors of sky and castle, linking them all. Fine piece!


Thanks Bob. You succinctly put into words my feelings as I worked on it.
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May 13, 2018 17:47:56   #
Linda From Maine wrote:
This held my interest for quite awhile, Dave. There's a fanciful feel to it that I can't quite put into words. Maybe that the castle seems somewhat like a mirage? One thing I wonder about changing: the sharpest and most colorful area I see is the large yellow-green bush about 10 o'clock position to the hunter. How would be if desaturated slightly?

I agree that humans can add scale and interest to a landscape. For me it would just depend on how large, where positioned, what they are doing. For example, often photos of the Grand Canyon include people appearing to have risked their lives to climb onto a tiny ledge. IMO, that ruins the mood, lol.

MinnieV did a series a few years back on "Little People" or "Tiny People" in landscapes and elsewhere. Hers were really little! On the below page are several of her topics with those words in the title (scroll down the page; about halfway is where they start):
http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/user-topic-list?page=12&usernum=32900

For figures that small, I think a series with inclusion of the descriptive title is probably necessary; otherwise, many folks will just urge cloning them out

Well worth further discussion and photos, Dave!
This held my interest for quite awhile, Dave. Ther... (show quote)


I remember Min’s struggle with people getting in the way, and eventual acceptance of them as a worthwhile addition. Of course as photographers we all suffer from people at times, it’s just part of the burden! Nowadays, if they’re in the right place, I welcome them but ‘in the way’ is still just that!
With regard to the yellow gorse bush, I have already desaturated it quite a lot. They are at their brightest right now and dominate the landscape on our local hills, Heath’s, verges and beaches. Part of the husbandry of the land round here includes burning them back at times. Anyway, yes, could knock it back a bit more.
Thanks for your thoughts and comments Linda, all helpful stuff.
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May 13, 2018 17:33:09   #
jaymatt wrote:
Interesting photo, and I like it. It sort of looks like something out of the late eighteenth century to me. That said, I didn’t notice the hunter until I read the commentary because the mansion overwhelms him. Also, is that cloud overlay in front of the building, or am I seeing things that aren’t there?

All in all, though, I really like what you’ve done here. Good work.


Many thanks John, glad you like it. It’s not the cloud you’re seeing, it’s something to do with one of the applied textures.
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May 13, 2018 17:31:14   #
JGW30033 wrote:
Great comp and final product. I like a person or something for scale also.
Is it my monitor, or is the castle leaning ever-so-slightly to the left?

Gilbert


Thanks for your comments. I had the same feeling on tilt, so tipped it the other way, then back again. I think it’s an optical illusion thing.
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May 13, 2018 17:29:11   #
timm27 wrote:
Works for me. Well done!
PP and human inclusion make this shot.


Thank you, and thanks for taking time to comment.
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May 13, 2018 04:50:15   #
Empty-handed by the look of it.
This is a shot I took a couple of days ago whilst walking the dogs on a local beach. It's a telephoto shot - the 'castle' is on an island in Poole harbour, so he's not going to get home without a boat!
I like figures in landscapes - they add a dimension and give scale (for me). In this case, he's become the subject I suppose, and that can be a danger if you're after emphasising the landscape itself.
I didn't plant him, he's an angler wandering along the dunes. I have however added the sky and a couple of textures. I'm interested to have your thoughts on the picture and, in particular, the inclusion of figures in landscapes.
Any critique received gratefully.


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May 12, 2018 09:22:10   #
EnglishBrenda wrote:
Thanks, I would love to see her with the babies so I will keep looking in that same area.


Here's a link to my post from 2016 Brenda:www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-398538-1.html
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May 12, 2018 08:12:05   #
An interesting shot nicely taken - my wife found one of these spiders covered in its offspring. I did photograph it but it wasn’t the best (think I posted it though!). Be worth keeping track of her as, with her youngsters in transit, they are an amazing sight.
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May 12, 2018 08:07:28   #
I’d remove the white streak at horse eartip level and reduce the watermark by at least 50%. Can’t comment on commercial aspects as I have no experience.
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