Emergence

Gallery: LandscapePosted June 17, 2011303 views13 comments

I haven't posted in a while--just too much going on these days. Anyway, this image is from my trip to Yosemite in May with Lon and Harley.

We were wondering around Cook's Meadow and I found this nice little detail in the vernal pool that is crossed by a boardwalk. The grasses and the green plant seemed to emerging from the darkness; hence the title.

I did not have a polarizer to kill the relfection of the sky, so using selective color in PS I was able to select the areas of the reflection I wanted to correct and then applied a curves layer. My goal was to keep the reflection as dark as I could while ensuring the plants under the water were visible.

Tachihara 4x5
210mm Schneider Symmar-S
Velvia 100
TK's Masks

Your thoughts are always appreciated.

--P

Comments

13 comments

Comment posted by Kent Mearig on June 17, 2011 at 11:54 AM

This appeals to me on a graphic level; each plant type plays a role, but the details of a photograph actually get in the way here. Some alternative process or even painting might have made even better use of the well constructed scene (even the polarizing filter might have been enough), but I definitely like you're idea here.

Registered on September 4, 2006, 237 Posts, 4748 Comments

Comment posted by Harley Goldman on June 17, 2011 at 12:03 PM

I like this a lot, Preston. Nice graphic details, with lots to explore, yet I don't find it chaotic. I might like it slightly warmer, but that is really minor. Nice work.

Registered on November 19, 2003, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Overacker on June 17, 2011 at 1:07 PM

Preston,

I love the fine details here and the "emergence" of the spring greens through the flooded meadow. Mixed with the grasses laying down, I'm really enjoying the details of this intimate composition.

Processing, I might consider dropping the darks a little bit more to minimize the reflected glare. I think there would still be enough submerged detail in the open area at the bottom. But that's a minor thought and of course a personal choice on how you want to have this.

Lon

Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments

Comment posted by R.Bill Moser on June 17, 2011 at 2:26 PM

I love the idea of this one. Well composed. I only would think about darkening the darks a little bit more.

Registered on January 29, 2010, 285 Posts, 4281 Comments

Comment posted by Anthony Vincent on June 17, 2011 at 3:28 PM

I do like the simplicity of the scene Preston. Too bad about the polarizers as it probably would have made the scene pop more.
Still very nice though and I do like the delicate look into the smaller scenes of nature.

Good eye.

Registered on February 5, 2009, 199 Posts, 2775 Comments

Comment posted by Wayne Willison on June 17, 2011 at 4:32 PM

I was first drawn to this image because of the very detailed grasses, which together provide a strong sense of texture. The lush green petals serve to soften the detailed scene, but I had to really study the image in order to discern that it was water in the fg, and not just a blurred area.

Registered on April 10, 2009, 292 Posts, 3967 Comments

Comment posted by Anders Engström on June 17, 2011 at 7:04 PM

I love this intimate image, the various patterns of the grass makes it really interesting.
//Anders

Registered on September 21, 2010, 21 Posts, 83 Comments

Comment posted by Eva McDermott on June 17, 2011 at 9:35 PM

A beautiful and intimate scene Preston. I like the contrast of shapes. Maybe a slight burning down of the glare in the upper right and center left edge may help compensate for the lack of a polarizer. Beautiful image and comp.

Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on June 17, 2011 at 10:11 PM

Lovely. Well done all around. I particularly like the abstract quality of the grasses in the water in the upper right.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments

Comment posted by Chris Chamberlain on June 18, 2011 at 3:33 PM

Very nice intimate scene. I point my camera at this stuff a lot, but it doesn't come out the way I expect many times. This one works very well, imo. I might like it if the entire surface of the water were black and opaque, like the spot in the upper left. But I enjoy all the details a lot as well.

Chris

Registered on March 13, 2007, 500 Posts, 8365 Comments

Comment posted by Craig Myers on June 18, 2011 at 11:45 PM

I like the way the grasses form an abstract frame for the plant emerging from the pool.

Registered on September 1, 2008, 85 Posts, 757 Comments

Comment posted by Preston Birdwell on June 19, 2011 at 10:07 AM

Thanks for your comments, everyone!

I took the suggestions made here and went back to tweak the image a bit. I used TK's Burn/Dodge layer action and a soft brush to darken the reflections a bit more. I then warmed the image up a bit using a selective color layer to boost the reds and yellows and also increased the saturation a bit. I then made a 12x16 print that came out nicely.

Your direct and honest comments really help a lot!

--P

Registered on November 1, 2003, 471 Posts, 5188 Comments

Comment posted by Reno DiTullio on June 19, 2011 at 12:15 PM

That's what I'm talking about Preston ...a beautiful, intimate, detailed image, well done

Registered on November 14, 2003, 130 Posts, 1644 Comments