* Wednesday C&C "No Theme" Thread #812 / Revived #032 on 2023 11 08 *

I don‘t think I can add anything of value in terms of feedback but let me re-emphasize what others said: It‘s a wonderful shot, very beautiful and well done! Bravo!

The atmosphere is incredible - excellent work! I love the B&W processing as well. Skillfully done.

IMO it should be level where the reeds meet the water. Or, if you're going for a particular effect, perhaps go bolder? I don't have generative fill so my straightening lost some of your edges.

It's a slightly dizzying, richly textured and complex scene with its bands of sunlight, muted tree reflections and pops of gorgeous green plants . LOVE IT!!

Someone mentioned the left side. I double-checked; it's not over-exposed, but there is no detail there. Regarding the overall clarity, I do like it softer in the distance, and a bit more distinct closer to me. Not that I'm ever hindered by considering "unreality" but this feels more like how the conditions happen here and what I experienced Sunday morning. Many thanks!

The harsh light of the first is difficult for me, not only the white water, but a strange look to the hillside on the right side, far away, and band of dirty (?) haze in front.

The second is wonderful!! I love the details, the deep blue waters with ripped surface, the distant bridge for scale and even the close shadows. The close shadows seem to give a very nice grounding/base to the composition, especially with the geometry being symmetrical. Selective darkening of very white areas underneath the bridge and furthest away, would be worthwhile, I think.

You mentioned having seen many photos and wanting something similar. Was your goal strictly exposure and clarity?

With the boat centered, it feels a little static. All the interest is in the bottom two-thirds, so I trimmed a little off the top. Boat is still centered east and west, but I was reluctant to take away any shoreline.

The green of the foreground water draws us to the boat's lights and reflections, and the long bridge adds interest. Very lovely mood.

Stunningly beautiful composition, processing and scene. Fun to learn it's a photographer's paradise. I bet none of the results equal your artistry, Paula!

Good Morning Montepulciano.

Digital Photogram

In a real photogram I would have placed the leaves directly against a sheet of color film and exposed. No camera involved. I've done that with 4x5 and 8x10 film.

For this image I put the leaves on a light table, a real one - not an led panel, with a 30" x 30" glass top and banks of daylight fluorescent tubes beneath and shot with a digital camera.

At first I overlapped the leaves as they appear here, but that didn't work well at all. They looked OK visually - I got the translucency/transparency I wanted for the single layer part, but where the leaves overlapped, they just became extremely dense and opaque. So I shot them individually and combined/overlapped them in Photoshop, each on its own layer, with the layer blending type set to "multiply." That gave me exactly what I had pre-visualized.

The final print is 24" x 24".

This was all done with an APS-C sensor camera. Friends who know my large format work press their noses up against the glass to see the "fine detail," and say things like, "Just can't beat large format for high resolution!" I just smile and nod.

Rich

I like this first shot, well done! I particularly enjoy it because of the brigth reflection on the water and its symmetry! I think it could benefit from a clearer distinction between the colors though and some more contrast in the sky. I'd decrease the darkening of the upper corners somewhat because the bright reflections and line of the canal draw enough attention as it is. And I'd get rid of the chromatic abberations.

Here's an attempt:

Thank you Chris.

Thank you for taking an interest. I thought of cropping, but decided against it. I like the way it is with the boat in the center between light and dark.

I was wondering how you might have achieved this shot with a long exposure. But then I saw the high ISO and 1/200 ss in the exif data. FF certainly expands the possibilities. A shot to be viewed 1:1 to appreciate the night time scenery...

Good timing to capture the fog lifting to expose the village buildings and trees. We are left to imagine what might be hidden under the thick white blanket over the valley. With the sun doing it's best to burn off the fog it is quite a magical view, although it could be a touch eerie under a darker sky. I like it and wonder what the view would be after the fog has gone.

Taking in the sun with socks on - why not? 😎

Great shot. Like those shutters opening to see the vista in a distance and of course the clay tiled roof sets the tone. Marvelous.

Must be different climate conditions.