DISQUS

EXPERIENCE: A Great Place for Photography Education: Landscape Photography: Lake Superior Redux

  • Kevin Hawkins · 6 months ago
    Great effect, Alec. Did you use any filter in the Black & White conversion in Photoshop? I'm going to try to emulate some of your effects with my own images. Not that I can match the Master... ;-)
  • Alec · 6 months ago
    KHawk,

    Used the "red filter" in photoshop. I'm sure you know this, but for the benefit of anyone else reading this I'll say why. The idea in BW is that colors can create contrast. In film, BW photographers will use an actual color filter. In digital we do it after the fact. In using a red filter, warm tones tend towards lighter grey tones and cool colors tend towards darken grey tones. This builds immediate contrast between sky and foreground.

    Cheers,
    Alec
  • Kimberely Gorman · 6 months ago
    AJ,

    I am really enjoying this image. So much depth created with tone (light to dark to light to dark) and texture. I am liking the repeated shapes in the rocks and clouds....the feeling of motion and strength. Very dynamic. More importantly though, did you have fun? :) Hope the shoot at the house went well.

    KG
  • Jeff · 6 months ago
    Both images are very nice. I might pick the clouds in the newer image and the composition of the older one, mainly for the diagonal lines. I'm not sure whether there is a pool of water with submerged rocks in front of the primary rock chunk, but I like what's going on there too. Texture is great in both, lots of detail.

    Is there a dog in the newer one?

    What's your favorite, and why, if you would volunteer such information?
  • Alec · 6 months ago
    Hi Jeff,

    As always, your comments are very thoughtful. YES, my dog is in this one...she's a real ham for the camera. Which do I like and why?

    I like this second one better. I tend to favor stronger, more in your face compositions. So, I took this camera angle and lens perspective to achieve it. Leading lines are great of course, but its one of those "rules" I'm happy to break IF other things are working in my favor. In this image I had a huge element working in my favor...THE CLOUD. I waited for a series of clouds to pass before I had one that worked. Kim noted in her comment a sense of repetition of shapes, starting with he pool of rocks, extending to the rock mound and right to the cloud. This adds a sense of connection between three potentially competitive subjects. A different sky, as in the first image, can be dramatic but not necessarily create harmony in the image. With this photograph I feel I can experience THREE different subjects, but in a unifying manner. Furthermore, in the first image I had to do some things I don't like doing. Choosing the leading line actually forces a camera position that places the mound below the horizon and exposes some shoreline in the distance, on the right edge of the frame. ALL unpleasing circumstances. I scaled the mound in PS to get it above the horizon. In Today's image I had the "right" camera position from the get go, but had to sacrifice leading line to get it. AHHH, the realities of photography.

    The rocks in foreground ARE IN A POOL of water. All the potential glare was removed with the polarizer.

    THANKS JEFF!
  • Val · 6 months ago
    I love how eerie this photo is. Looks frightening!