At last, I scanned some BW negs. I still get pretty good results from my old epson flatbed and SIlverfast Ai. I am, however, going to have one drum scanned to see the difference.
The Merced River, Yosemite Valley. Ebony SV45U, Fuji Acros film.
Posted by Robert Dayton on January 2, 2009 at 2:38 PM
Fine art, Jeffrey.
Posted by Andre Torng on January 2, 2009 at 7:04 PM
Excellent composition with dominant center subject. It works great.
Jeffrey, this is sweet. I love the tones; especially in the water, sand, and snow. I am not sure the snow hummock in the foregrund works for me, however. It seems a little out of key, and somewhat heavy, given the delicacy of the other elements of the photo. The conditions look wonderful, and I really like the tracery of the branckes in the bush. Nice work!
The crop is more classic, not that the photo is 'classic' like an icon, but it's more 'standard'. Me being the kind of person who appreciates touches of creativity poking in here and there, I'm for the first one :) The crop is more 'blah'.
That snow bump may be out of sync in a sense, a little unbalanced, and not in tune with 'the rules', but it's what makes the picture interesting for me, makes it unique. It's like, here's a little snow bank for you to sit on while you check out those awesome snowy trees and icy river out there, sit relax and ponder... and those tones are quite lovely. Gotta say, I think this B&W looks richer and the tones more beautiful and deeper than some of the digitally shot conversions you posted so far from the trip.
Posted by Dan Baumbach on January 3, 2009 at 10:33 AM
I vote for version 2. Was this shot at Valley View? As we were leaving the park on Dec 27th, we stopped there and saw a sportmobile parked there. I also saw someone shooting with what looked like an Ebony in the distance.
- Dan .
Posted by Greg Cope on January 3, 2009 at 12:02 PM
Very nice. I can't really make up my mind on which version. I must say that the snow mound was one of the first things I noticed in the first image (not in a distracting way at all), and it got me wondering and thinking a bit more about the image, as opposed to number 2 where its just a beautiful shot. I guess my point being that from my perspective number 1 seems to have a bit more feeling in it.
Thanks again, for your opinions. I have always strongly believed that cropping is your most powerful compositional tool. When used properly, the differences are startling, whether you prefer the result or not (as this post shows).
Yes, Dan, that was me and my vehicle. However, this image was made along the river near one of the bridges close to Cooks Meadow.
Posted by Lon Overacker on January 4, 2009 at 2:20 AM
Jeffrey,
I like the cropped version. The b&w conversion is excellent - reminds me of the old days when judges were looking for "black blacks" and "white whites." The tonal range is excellent. I really like the bottom half with the variation of tones in the ice, water and reflection. The upper part is nice as well, although the main tree/bush merges with the background, not allowing it to stand out as much. Otherwise, a fine capture from your visit.
Lon
Posted by Steve Sieren on January 5, 2009 at 10:26 AM
I like the mounds in the first but it seems that the crop makes it flow better.
Discussion
11 repliesThe Merced River, Yosemite Valley. Ebony SV45U, Fuji Acros film.
-P
That snow bump may be out of sync in a sense, a little unbalanced, and not in tune with 'the rules', but it's what makes the picture interesting for me, makes it unique. It's like, here's a little snow bank for you to sit on while you check out those awesome snowy trees and icy river out there, sit relax and ponder... and those tones are quite lovely. Gotta say, I think this B&W looks richer and the tones more beautiful and deeper than some of the digitally shot conversions you posted so far from the trip.
- Dan .
Yes, Dan, that was me and my vehicle. However, this image was made along the river near one of the bridges close to Cooks Meadow.
I like the cropped version. The b&w conversion is excellent - reminds me of the old days when judges were looking for "black blacks" and "white whites." The tonal range is excellent. I really like the bottom half with the variation of tones in the ice, water and reflection. The upper part is nice as well, although the main tree/bush merges with the background, not allowing it to stand out as much. Otherwise, a fine capture from your visit.
Lon