I agree with Mel.
The first is a lovely composition. The placement of the lone cactus really makes it work well, as do the plants reaching for the skies (name?) and the flowers. I keep going back and looking at it...a very attractive image!
I like the bizarre form and 'in your face' presentation of the cactus in the third, as well as the nice light on it. Wish the light was kinder in the skies near the horizon, but that's hardly the focal point here.
I may be a bit more critical of work that I do near home just because I'm so familiar with the area and have lots more time and patience to craft an image than I do when on the road.
Posted by Don George on August 6, 2008 at 11:09 PM
#1 and 3 work for me. Number one has a purple cast on the ground cover is this common in the desert?
I really like the intimate scene, comp and light in #1. The warm color of that one Ocotillo does wonders to pull this all together. The processing feels a little off to me - maybe too much saturation in the greens, and a little cool overall? Warming it up helps, imo, and further emphasizes the ocotillo.
#2 doesn't work so well for me. The bush (creosote?) is nice, but maybe works better as an accent instead of the main subject. It overpowers the mountain, which makes a stronger subject - especially given the fantastic light in that part of the image.
#3 rocks! The dramatic perspective and light are both great; the processing looks perfect, and the dof works very well.
I don't know that I'm more critical of images taken near home, but I do find that it's harder to be objective about them. Being familiar with an area, I think it's easier to be influenced by the "potential" that a scene/image has, rather than judging the end product only by what was captured. So, I guess I'm saying that I don't hold those images to a higher standard, but may have more trouble determining whether or not they meet my particular standard for a good image.
Posted by Laurent Baig on August 7, 2008 at 1:07 PM
Thanks for the comments, guys. Your comments reflect what I feel. BTW #2 is Palo Verde tree in full bloom - quite impressive for a "green stick" tree. I'm surprised by #1, I'll rework it and post it on ESS, maybe. I exposed that film very early in the morning and I always fight the blue when I make early morning images in the shade...so sometimes I leave it as it reflects how the light was.
Posted by Mel Ladewig on August 7, 2008 at 5:06 PM
I exposed that film very early in the morning and I always fight the blue
I was having alot of trouble with that too. I'm using an 81b square filter frequently now to calm down the blues and its helping alot. If I can at least calm the blues, I can work it to a better state in the scan or in PS. I obviously hadn't worried about it much in digital.
Posted by Jesse Speer on August 8, 2008 at 4:50 PM
#1 and #2 don't do much for me, but #3 is definitely a winner IMO. I love the "in your face" impact. Great comp.
Discussion
10 repliesI always feel I'm way more critical of images I take near home than I am of images while on holiday or out playing. Do you guys do this?
The first is a lovely composition. The placement of the lone cactus really makes it work well, as do the plants reaching for the skies (name?) and the flowers. I keep going back and looking at it...a very attractive image!
I like the bizarre form and 'in your face' presentation of the cactus in the third, as well as the nice light on it. Wish the light was kinder in the skies near the horizon, but that's hardly the focal point here.
I may be a bit more critical of work that I do near home just because I'm so familiar with the area and have lots more time and patience to craft an image than I do when on the road.
#2 doesn't work so well for me. The bush (creosote?) is nice, but maybe works better as an accent instead of the main subject. It overpowers the mountain, which makes a stronger subject - especially given the fantastic light in that part of the image.
#3 rocks! The dramatic perspective and light are both great; the processing looks perfect, and the dof works very well.
I don't know that I'm more critical of images taken near home, but I do find that it's harder to be objective about them. Being familiar with an area, I think it's easier to be influenced by the "potential" that a scene/image has, rather than judging the end product only by what was captured. So, I guess I'm saying that I don't hold those images to a higher standard, but may have more trouble determining whether or not they meet my particular standard for a good image.
I was having alot of trouble with that too. I'm using an 81b square filter frequently now to calm down the blues and its helping alot. If I can at least calm the blues, I can work it to a better state in the scan or in PS. I obviously hadn't worried about it much in digital.