* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #783 / Revived #004 on 2023 04 25 *

LOL indeed. I suspected that it wasn't frost but on the small screen I'm currently using, I couldn't check this closely. It doesn't matter. The image is still striking for the same reasons.**

The problem with the original image is that it is successful. This opens a Pandora's Box of discussion about what a good image is. It perfectly demonstrates why discussion of an image, the purpose of this forum, is so valuable when looking at photos.
What do we mean by "success" here? I'd suggest that minniev has caught the camouflage of the alligators. That's "success" if the aim is to show this aspect of a natural environment image. Generally in an image we look for the photographer's skills in using differential focus, leading lines, variation in colour and tone to ensure we see a chosen subject. From a classic photography point of view, the image is not a success so we set about trying to adjust various aspects of the image to create success in photographic terms.
I note this is part of a series minniev is doing documenting wildlife. In that context I'd leave the image exactly as is, possibly with a title referencing camouflage.

It's a pleasant scene with nice colors and a lovely sky. There is some distraction top and bottom from intrusion of weeds or leaves hanging into the frame. The photo would be better without these distractions, whether shot to exclude them or whether "repaired" in post processing. They would not be hard to remove with PS or similar but cleanup in a parametric editor like LR would be tiresome. Any editor might offer some simple adjustments to contrast, light and color that might give you more zip in the photo without overdoing it. It would make a nice jigsaw puzzle!

This is a visually pleasing and interesting image that forces the viewer to think a bit about what's you've done and why you've done it. It does appear to be a journey through the seasons, regardless of how you did it. There's the green grass of spring and summer, the brilliant blue sky, the fall foliage gently receding into the frosty looking trees in the background. Here is what is different about this one and some of your other recent posts: accessibility. There is nothing blocking the viewer's access to the various parts of the image: no jarring color, no object, no foreground blur. The path is clear. We enter state left to walk past the tree and there is full access to the rest of the image. When there is too much blockage and not enough enticement to get past it, we give up as viewers and move on, perhaps never noticing the one thing the photographer wanted us to engage with. With this one, you've created an open path with interesting things to consider as we move about. Nice work.

How delightful to learn that this was primarily created with an IR filter! I've seen an occasional fanciful result, but never one quite so engaging. Mike's and Minnie's observations helped further define how I felt and what I said to you originally. What a great group this is!!

This is a simply constructed but pleasing image with a Gursky-ish feel to it. The colors, contrasts and details are concentrated in the ocean layer which calls attention to them as the most important of the 3 layers. The human figure is well located within the frame. I wish more of him were visible, but it looks like that would have been impossible given the slope of the beach. You could get more out of the sky but then you'd lose the emphasis on the water, so I think you are correct in keeping the sky a supporting player as you did. Nice shot.

What wonderful detail you have in the upper level of the fan-like structure! The color palette is subtle but effective and has a film-like feel to it. When I first looked at it, I thought perhaps it might benefit from a crop on the lower 1/3 but then I noticed the role that the supporting structure for the seed plays compositionally and I do think your choice is the better one, giving the seed adequate space and a good location at the natural entry point for the frame. I wonder how focus stacking would work for this? I'm not good at it but have seen enough of the work of more skilled photographers to imagine what it might look like. Regardless, a nice image.

I will leave the science of it to others more capable in that area, but will say I find these quite pleasing as abstracts just as they are. The colors are lovely, it is obvious that there is a reflection involving foliage and moving water, there is a sense of movement and yes, liquidity. MikePDX is a good one to advise you since he's been studying this kind of work and practicing it.

I'd encourage you to experiment with different shutter speeds and focus approaches to try and get what you are wanting, but when on shutter speeds too slow for handheld, bring out the tripod and then go even slower. On sunny days you may need an ND filter to help with this, but you'll begin to learn what different settings do under certain lighting and wind conditions, on certain kinds of water. (My settings for a big nearby lake and for my swamp that has no flow are very different). I usually keep my camera on auto focus+manual adjustment in such situations as this, because auto focus alone may or may not do what I want. If the water is very still auto focus may do better than if the water is moving, and it behaves differently if there's clear reflections. Experimentation is your friend. But you're off to a good start with a couple of pretty abstracts.

Welcome to the Wednesday Thread! Hope you'll come back often, share your images and your thoughts on the others.

There's a lot your image has in common with Jim K's, and a lot that's different too. The colors are rich and defined, there is lovely smooth flow and rhythm. You have also incorporated interesting shapes and angles and a kaleidoscope effect that pulls the eye to the middle feature instead of a gentle flow in and out of the frame.

I somehow get the idea of a colorful spider with this one so it has both a peaceful and ominous feel to it. I've never done such as these so I do admire them. Nicely made.

This old tree looks like it has been serving up apples for many a year. At first glance it looks like it has gone dormant in its final days, but when you look at the enlarged view you find tiny buds and flowers sprinkled around and you realize there is life there yet, and it will once again bloom and bear fruit, a reminder that creativity is not the sole province of the young. Nice shot to use imagination with!

I've watched this post and the different comments. It's an excellent image in my opinion, full of both story and technical grace. (Having recently graduated a year long dependence on a walking device, I relate personally to the uphill climb to get out of the shadow). The lines, angles, contrasts, and shapes all work well together to set the stage for the lone actor.

I was of mixed minds on the fire hydrant till you tamed it a bit, and now it serves its compositional function well without pulling the eye too much in its overwhelming whiteness.

Light Painting
My first post on DPrevived since all of you moved. The original DPreview site still seems to be working but Amazon is not clear about how long this will be.

There is so much to see in this picture. I like the orange (polaroid) color and the fact that there is a very big road with only one car. This car balances the picture. I'm always puzzled by the fact that the electricity cables are very visible above the ground. Maybe because everything is more densed in the Netherlands we always put the cables as much in the ground as we can so we don't see them.

direct upload:

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I am surprised Roel: opening the direct upload reveals a real mermaid. Great capture!

Thanks for looking and commenting. It's actually a "street" shot more than anything else. The opportunity was there for just a second, as there were others on the beach and the composition wasn't possible for very long. The boat was in just the right spot and his body language was great.

The detail in the sky was as much as I could pull out after a lot of post processing. It was actually very featureless at the scene and in the RAW file.

Rich

Thanks so much for your interest and comments! Generally speaking, in the U.S. the above-ground cables are found in the older (original) sections of cities and towns where there are lower incomes and no interest from development groups.

Thx minniev,

I will reply by relating the steps I took in pp to make that pic (after lucking a completely still few hours to get that and a lot of other shots). Initially I cropped off some earth of the dam wall at the bottom. Then it became clear I needed to balance the reflection with the real. So I took a bit more off the bottom, wanting to leave all of the biggest tree, and cropped a big piece of sky to get the trees above and below the same (hence the almost panoramic aspect ratio). I was aware of the grass and other plants at the bottom and bark and twigs at the top and I guess I could have spent time to clone them out but to me they add a little bit of foreground frame. I am not sure I could edit out the growth on the water without making it obvious... But I hear you.

My camera produces less than vibrant colors. Further, the Australian bush doesn't pop too much. Eucalypt leaves often have shades of grey with their green and not a lot of sheen. The in camera settings have come recommended from a few ppl who know these cameras (DPR and others). But that is ok as in the last week or so I have been learning to play with noise, sharpness, contrast and saturation I am reluctant to add too much contrast and saturation in that the pic starts to deviate from reality. When I look at my pic at the default size in the forum, it does look a tad washed out, but when I view it full screen or 100%, I see a touch more color than what my eye saw on the day, or how my mind remembers the scenery here.

I don't know if the slider numbers are consistent across pp editors. But in that pic I reduced noise by 20, added sharpness 30, and contrast and saturation 30. If I go much more with the contrast and saturation it starts to look like a glossy magazine cover. Maybe I need to confer with a photographer experienced with the scenery here. I would be happy to post further edits to get a consensus here but not sure Roel wanted that until we have thread view.

Thx, for your input

Lumix - TS3 -- Street photo, CCD vibe. Try to set the person in an isolation center.