Sandstone Polychrome
by Tony Kuyper
This is a place I've photographed before. The lines, colors, and textures all appeal to me, but to paraphrase Guy Tal, this is something you probably would not have seen were you standing next to me when I took this picture. This is a stylized rendition of what is actually here. The composition is true, but compressed and focus-blended. The colors are true, but enhanced and balanced. The texture is true, but contrast has been increased to reveal it.
There is a lot of time and effort put into the image, both in taking it and developing it. There is a lot of reality in this photograph . . . and a lot of personal interpretation of that reality. This image is a Nature photograph, but it's also about how we strive to give a voice to what we see and to find our voice in doing so.
Based on what I sometimes read, I feel I should apologize if I lead people astray through a Nature photograph. But on another level, I hope all Nature images will help us celebrate what we've been given to work with. The line is not always clear that separates perception and interpretation. The best I can offer is that we are our photographs, and they are us. I think it's entirely possible to be true to our personal natures, while at the same time being true to the natural world.
As always, your thoughts and recommendations would be appreciated.
5D2, 28-300@300 f/16 1/13sec
Comments
45 commentsHonestly, I don't have a problem with your post-processing. Especially when you are open in saying that it didn't look exactly like that in person. I really appreciate the time that went into presenting this, and think it fits the scene well. I know this can be an interesting topic, with lots of different views, but I personally don't mind a bit of artistic influence in images. I'm almost sure, if I were standing there, it would 'seem' the colors were this way. I've never been there, but can tell it is incredible to behold!
Anyways, thanks for sharing this image!
Truer words couldn't have been written. I've been thinking about that a lot and I think it's a good lesson for all of us to look within - see our photographs and see ourselves in our work. Thanks Tony!
Of course this is masterful. I would even go beyond Nathan's comment of "post-processing." At some point and at some level it ceases being processing and becomes creation and art. Processing to me is those things, contrast, color, saturation, focus/sharpness, dof, etc. etc. - but when one starts using those as a painter uses a brush or when a pianist uses pedals and keys, then you have art.
Lon
ps. Now I don't even want to post my image...
Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI
Everything in photography is an interpretation whether it's by the camera, software or printer manufacture or our personal vision. Accepting the abstractness of a B&W is easier than color for most folks because most of us have a perception of natural color that is hard to get past. Your work always takes me to places I've never imagined and I love the "Magical Mystery Tour" I experience in your Art.
Well Done!
Neil
It kind of surprises me that B&W works are more accepted as "true to nature" shots than a color image that has been "enhanced".
I do believe there is a place in the "art world" for both approaches of remaining true in a pure sense, and for a more liberal insertion of ourselves into an image. I believe they are just different genres of the same medium.
This has Tony Kuyper written all over it, which to me says it reveals the work and "voice" you hoped to express. It is absolutely beautiful, mesmerizing, and is pure art, my friend.
Regarding this image and your creation of it, it's absolutely beautiful, and you are a master. I agree with the person who said they wouldn't even use the term "processing" for this. This is creation, and it's amazing.
Of the two versions, I like the colored for the striking vividness and the transfomation of colors from top to bottom.
I enjoy looking at your images, I just went through your web site portfolio again for the third time in 3 months. You have an eye for details and design in nature that is to be envied. Plus you aren't afraid of sunlight, though you use it sparingly (maybe 15% of your portfolio). In some people's portfolios it is non-existent as any kind of sunlight is too challenging. I guess, like product photographers, they feel the only good light is a huge soft light. Some of your wider angled shots are very exciting, for example "Mesa Overlook" and "Water Pocket Pool". These both handle the sun well and show you have the aptitude to go beyond the more abstract approach.
I don't have a problem with showing images that are obviously beyond what could be seen if I was standing there. I do have a problem with not expressing that fact to the viewer in some way outside of a cryptic comment or a mystic line in an "Artists Statement", which you seem to have avoided. Too many times I see a statement to the affect, "This print expresses how I experienced the scene", when it is obvious the image is so far from what was there when taken that it can only have been conceived in post processing.
Style includes not only one's vision but also their technique. Your technique becomes obvious in its importance to you as one moves through your portfolio. You have chosen to share that technique with the rest of the world and that is to be admired. Too many people in today's world hide what makes their work stand out. Whether it is technique or location. To me, there are a few of your images that are tweaked a bit over the top, most fall into the same category of subject matter, as does the image you have posted here.
It is difficult to utilize today's digital tools without hitting that spot, early on in post processing, where things just leave the realm of the realistic. In my own work I often get frustrated by that and have lately been having a conversation with myself about how to deal with it. I strongly feel that the public assumes that Landscape Photography shots are records of what nature served up. The public has an expectation of "honesty of image", when viewing an image. I am not saying they expect us to present raw copies. I spent 18 years in the commercial photo industry making sure the public received the "pretty" picture from custom printing that they couldn't get from a machine. That experience showed me it was obvious they have a expectation of "pretty but realistic" from the final product.
My conversation with myself has led me to the conclusion that in the pursuit of" honesty" vs. the" pursuit of the most spectacular image", I would have to divide my work into two categories: Realistic and Imaginistic (for lack of a better term). Once an image goes beyond the realistic, instead of stopping and re-approaching the image, I will now be continuing on and seeing where the work takes me. Re-approaching the image, so far, has led me only to abandoning the image and more frustration. When presenting the image I will use the terms "realistic" or "imaginistic" in my description of how I handled the image.
I realize there are those who will disagree, but this is my solution.
Not only will I add my "great job" to this shot....
but, I would like to go further and express my appreciation for you (and many others on NPN)
for helping me improve my photography.
I have a ways to go until I "get it all" but I believe after reading your PDF's and using your actions, my stuff IS better than it was just a few months ago.
And that is why I came here, and why I keep coming back every day.
Given the almost total divergence from reality in terms of color, does this belong in photo art? I am just raising the topic to create some controversy. Things get dull around here.
Well composed diagonally. It has flow-like quality to it
from the upper right to the lower left. I also like the
variou layers. A good interpretation.
Your work never ceases to captivate me. I always think to myself that this is the kind of stuff that actually gets hung on the wall.
I have always appreciated your photography. You use the tools and techniques to great advantage, and have done so consistently for as long as we've been at NPN. It is this consistency that I believe many strive for, myself included.
This truly is the heart of the matter.
--P
Chris
Gary.
As you already know, I love this image. It showcases the amazing geology of the location in a way that is unique and original. Seeing the wonders of the southwest through your eyes is a gift that I am fortunate to receive.