click image
click image
No related posts.
Blog Post Updates via Email
Categories
- HDR (12)
- Image Critique (4)
- Landscapes (127)
- Miscellaneous (28)
- News (16)
- People (113)
- Tutorial (4)
- Uncategorized (3)
- Video Tutorials (12)
Blogroll
Tag Cloud
Add new tag Badlands black and white Creativity death valley Depth of field digital Fashion photography flash photography Great Lakes HDR High dynamic range imaging Image editing Image Manipulation IPhone Kansas lake superior landscape landscape photography Lensbaby Composer Mesquite Dunes Minnesota multiple exposure neutral density filter north shore painting with light panorama photography PhotomatixPro photoshop Polarizer Portrait Photography sand dunes Shutter speed Singh Ray slap zoom Split Rock Lighthouse State Park strobe Strobe light strobe lighting studio studio photography TED umbrella Venice Beach
7 Comments
Hi Alec,
When I originally saw the color shot I thoght I would pefer a black and white version but now that I see the black and white… the color wins hands down. In the black and white version the white clouds in the background are overwhelming the beams of light…which is the part of the background (and the whole image) that I like so much.The color version has more depth to my eye and in color the foreground is alot more interesting…in the the color version the rock starts to remind me of other archetypes (like elephant).
A stunning image…great moment and powerful depth…Craig
Alec,
What a great shot. I love the quiet feeling I get when I look at this shot. Great clouds, great shutter speed and overall a fantastic shot.
Of the two, I like the colour shot better, although I am surprised as I thought I would have preferred the BW version. I think the main reason the BW version is slightly less of a favorite is the contrast areas. If the darks and whites were played with a little more, I think I would have liked the BW version better. To me, the water around the log could be more moody, I hope that makes sense.
In the coloured shot, a couple of things come to mind. I wish this too was cropped like the BW version. It would give the log the space I feel it needs to fully bring out the feeling of quiet beauty. Also, is the horizon tilted ever so slightly? (The left side being slightly higher). Maybe it is just my eyes.
Anyway, I really like this shot and have enjoyed it like I have enjoyed so many of your shots on this blog.
Usha
I am going with the color photo also. I think the clouds are much more interesting in the color shot. I also really like how the different colors kind of “melt” into each other. Very cool photo!
Alec,
Like a lemming following all the others off the cliff to certain doom, I must agree with the other posts. I find the color shot way more interesting than the black and white. My untrained eye seems to prefer BW shots with greater contrast and dimensions(which I guess creates the contrast) . In this shot, the multiple colors create the interesting variance within a somewhat benign horizon. The color becomes the subject of the first image, whereas the BW image seems to suffer from a lack of subject or contrast.
Through viewing your work, it seems the BW images benefit from heavily involved images (think of your angry north shore shot), whereas the color images tend to benefit from simpler compositions. This could be the caffiene from my 2 iced mocha talking, but either way I really enjoy your shots and exploration. I also appreciate your courage to allow rank amatuers like myself to contribute. You are either very brave or very stupid…My guess is the first is true.
Hi Gang,
Thanks for all the feedback. while the color is a clear winner among you four, there is no telling what the next four might say. Rank amatuer, Dan Sperka, emailed me with a comment something along the lines of “looks like you pissed in the lake.” He was teasing, but a valid response none the less. There is no such thing as “rank amatuer” when it comes to how you respond to an image. Therefore, one opinion is as valid as the next, and I humbly submit we are all “rank amatuers.” I can’t explain how grateful I am for all the feedback. That someone takes time to provide this amazes me, especially among non-photographers. Thanks to all.
Strong colors are a subject all there own. Deb liked the transitions, something in the image I really love as well. Others, like Craig, also enjoy to archtype of the rock…I’ve had many people comment on that. TRUTH? I didn’t see anything but a rock as an anchor when I lined up this shot. I took several frames at different times to work the waves, but then chose something I too felt was a little provocative.
Sammy was actually helping to manage filters for me while I was in the water shooting this image with my waders on…Lake Superior is currently about 42 degrees. He got to witness first hand the fruit of working in tough conditions to create something fun. He probably had no idea what would turn out, so its great that he can enjoy something he was part of creating.
Cheers,
alec
Alec,
Is the color version shot with the Singh Ray Blue/Gold? Just WB processing?
My beauty reaction – I’m going against the grain and liking the black & white version! I just wish for a little more tone or contrast in the lower right quarter, but I think it’s a lot more dynamic.
However, I’ve looked at these two images over last couple of days trying to think what I wanted to comment. I’m very much engaged, but I’ve been trying to sort out my emotional response. I also had a archetypical reaction… but I thought of the tyrannosaurus dinosaur and then thought of the shadow/reflection on the lake looking like it’s coming towards the rock… and extinction… and stuff like that. When I have all those thoughts, I actually go back to your treatment in the color version… as it seems more apocalyptic.
Great job getting me to think… however, it’s been advised that I quit drinking.
Hi Gibby,
Thanks for the feedback. I did use the B/G polarizer. No other filters. I’ll be posting two more images, one in color and one in BW that had the b/g filter used. I like the choice of “apocalyptic.” The lake has many different moods and that could certainly be one of them. The lake has a history of destruction, the most notorious is the sinking of the Edmond Fitzgerald. You know the song, but no one has a definitive explanation for its sinking. The hull did split in two, but why is unclear. I was having a discussion with a historian of sorts this morning and learned that the ship sits in over 500 feet of water and no diver has ever entered the hull. Presumably, all the crew are still in the ship and if this is the case, they are probably well preserved given the pressure, temperature, and water quality of lake superior.