http://home1.pacific.net.sg/~photoart/m1.jpg
Photo by Teo Bee Yen

The picture really blows my mind off! It was taken by a member of my photo club who went to JiuZaiGou in China. Other than drawing the dark border, there's no computer nor darkroom retouch!

He has 2 more photos of JiuZaiGou which I may post here later.

You may also want to visit the club sites at http://home1.pacific.net.sg/~photoart

-- Wee Keng Hor (weekh@singnet.com.sg), July 22, 1998

Answers

Very, very nice. This is truly ART (in my humble opinion, anyway ;>).

Very inspiring. Thanks for sharing this.

Keith

-- Keith Clark (ClarkPhotography@spiritone.com), July 22, 1998.

This really looks cool but somehow doesn't seem like a photograph. I'm assuming all the white is snow, but can't understand why there is no snow in the center portion or in fact what we're seeing in the center portion of the "picture". I'd be interested in knowing more about that and also some camera, lens, exposure information and time of day.

-- Rod Sorensen (sorenser@mfldclin.edu), July 22, 1998.

Umm, Rod, haven't you ever seen a pond or field with a slushy section? The snow doesn't all melt at the same time. The bare section is probably slushy ice -- this is quite common where a pond or marshy area has little islands of dirt or trees, which hold heat more effectively than water does.

BEAUTIFUL PHOTO! The restricted palette really brings out the feel of winter, yet the warm tone of the earth balances the ice/snow. Please tell Teo Bee Yen I would love to have this print in my home.

-- Patricia Lee (patricia.s.lee@lmco.com), July 22, 1998.

Fantastic! The shape of the non-snow shows depth very well. It's easy to end up with flat pics when the entire ground is white. The dancing birds are wonderfully placed. The "wings-up" stance of the right one breathes life into the image. Otherwise it could have been a still-life photo. Great eye to have seen this image!

-- Gonzalo (gcastro@sybase.com), July 22, 1998.

This is the single best photo I have seen so far on this forum. Absolutely fantastic - the colors, the shapes, the birds at the edge, the transition between the snow and the land...Can't wait to see the others he has taken!

-- (andreas@physio.unr.edu), July 22, 1998.

The others (m2.jpg and m3.jpg) are nice too, but it's clear that THIS one is the winner of the gold medal! It will be interesting to see whether the "purists" will object to the black line. In my opinion this line is absolutely essential to give the image a footing (otherwise it would just float in space). It's great how some of the image elements extend beyond the line. If you are planning to print this for exhibition, I'd suggest to also print the black line. This would require some custom darkroom work, but is quite feasible (similar technique like the folks who print "double borders" around their pictures use).

-- (andreas@physio.unr.edu), July 22, 1998.

WOW!

Reminds me of a greeting card painting. Great.

-- Dick Ginkowski (dickg@execpc.com), July 22, 1998.

No words! (Sound of appaluse, instead.)

Frank

-- Frank Kolwicz (bb389@lafn.org), July 22, 1998.

If this was taken on a slide I say the exposure was perfect! The snow is white and anythings else meant to be warm is warm. I heard often that the hue you get in photos taken in China is usually dull but this one really change my perception. My highest hat off for Teo Bee Yen.

-- Ivor Lee (ivorlee@vanderhorst.com), July 22, 1998.

The first time I saw this photo (in large print), my immediate reaction was that this must be some sort of darkroom work. But NO - there's no retouching at all. The snow has melted in the middle portion giving it the brownish color. And the warm golden / organy color is actually the reflection of the setting sun from the melted ice.
I think Mr Yeo took this photo with his Leica camera with motor drive. Another photographer who was with him didn't manage to get any shots. They tried to return to the same place the following day but the magical moment didn't repeat itself.

-- Wee Keng Hor (weekh@singnet.com.sg), July 23, 1998.

i completely concur that this image is the closest thing to fine art that i have seen on this forum. actually, if i had not been told otherwise, i would have considered this to be a beautifully composed and executed watercolor painting. that is high praise, indeed.

-- wayne harrison (wayno@netmcr.com), July 23, 1998.

It is really very nice picture. Why must it be the neighbour just of my photo (Two Suns)? - nobody will notice it - bueeeee. I am going to put my camera to the bottom of my case and leave to die into the bush ...

Congratulations!
I think that the art standard of this beauty is too high even for this high standard forum ...

-- Stanislav Kaczor (stanislav.kaczor@kabelplus.cz), July 23, 1998.

"Clap,clap,clap ...."

-- Paul Lenson (lenson@pci.on.ca), July 23, 1998.

Nice job, like others my first impression was of a well executed painting, I still have to keep reminding myself that it is a photograph. I like to warm sun and cold snow color contrast and the dead wood and frozen snow/living birds contrast; this photo achieves contrasts on many different levels which adds interest for me.

-- Carl Coryell-Martin (ccoryell@hmc.edu), July 23, 1998.

This is a wonderful photograph, very painterly as others have mentioned. And I agree that the black line is a crucial element of it, and the placement of it seems perfect.

I can't think of a single thing that could be changed to improve this photo, other than to see my name on it other than his :) It is as close to perfection as any nature image I've seen.

-- Don Baccus (dhogaza@pacifier.com), July 23, 1998.

Boy. I'm really gonna feel like a jerk for saying something that's not high praise for this photo...I mean I really like this photo. It has a profound emotional impact. It's simple and pure...

But.

Hmm. I just want to ask a question. Maybe it's my monitor at work (3 year old, 15" piece of junk) but is there any "Hand of Man" in this photo? As I look at the pattern of melted snow, it seems to me that they appear to be artificial...Not digital manipulation, mind you...but it looks like there are "lines" of defrosting that go through the snow...Like a fence, perhaps.

Does anyone else think that those sticks poking out of the ground are man-made?

I realize that I'm being extremely picky here--if there is "hand of man" in the photograph, that doesn't take anything away from the image, it just makes it out of PSA bounds.

-- James Tarquin (tarquin@erols.com), July 24, 1998.

"WOW" is right. This is a beautiful, stunning photograph.

Simply Bravo!!

-- George Chambers (gwill1000@brooksdata.net), July 25, 1998.

If "Dancing Cranes in Snow" is available for purchase I would like to buy a print. A fabulous image. Thanks, Ted.

-- Ted Laszlo (docted@freespace.net), July 25, 1998.

I thought it was one of these famous Chinese watercolors, but, well, you say it is a photograph. But then it is an exceptional one. (Clap, clap, clap) There is an (understandable) lack of criticism on this page, so let me add some: I could do without the black frame. And the picture looks a bit grainy (this improves the art effect though). (Still, clap, clap...)

-- Jana Mullerova (jam@terma.com), July 28, 1998.

When this photo appeared on my screen I would have sworn that at least some manupulation was involved. If so..shame on you. If not..BRAVO. your friend is to be congratulated. I'm parcial to oriental art and although I cannot be considered an art expert, this photo IMO is the best I've seen on any web site (I'm retired and I've spent many days and hours browsing through photos on the internet). Again, congratulatiions to your friend (by the way, what's his/her name). If a copy is for sale, please send E-mail. Thanks for the experience.

-- Armando Ramirez (abuelo@coqui.net), July 28, 1998.

Yep! If there are prints available for this photos please email. I'd love to have a copy on my bedroom wall!

-- Lawrence Hoang (nvhoang@uci.edu), July 28, 1998.

Absolutely BEAUTIFUL. This is the kind of image that I find inspiring, makes me want to grab the camera bag and head right out there!

-- Rose-Marie Burke (rmbehr@istar.ca), July 28, 1998.

The photographer does not want to sell his photo.
It is rare for me to see so many people wanting to pay for a photo posted on the web. It strongly indicates that this is really an excellent photo and the highest compliment one would give.
I've check with Mr Teo but he simply refuses to sell.

-- Wee Keng Hor (weekh@singnet.com.sg), July 29, 1998.

Questions to ponder:

1) How come the cranes don't have any shadows, while the sticks do?

2) How come the shadows for the sticks go in different directions? (the ones in the middle go to the right, the ones on the left go sort of verticle or slightly to the left?

3) How come the bottom of the picture is so smooth and even on the curve deliniating the melted portion from the solid snow?

-- Roger Urban (roger-urban@yahoo.com), August 04, 1998.

Those are good questions. I never really noticed the shadow problems before. I think this is a great picture but I no longer believe this shot was not manipulated. I don't think it is possible for shadows to change 90 degrees within such a short distance when lit by the sun. Some of the shot appears to be soft lighting but the shadows give the impression of a strong low light source. If that were the case then the tree and cranes should have hard shadows also. The bottom stick has a hard shadow yet the clump next to it has none. The other thing I noticed was a "halo" around the birds when enlarged in Photoshop. This is an effect that happens when something is cut and pasted into another image. Maybe the universe was doing wierd things at the time this shot was taken and it is all natural or maybe the photographer isn't selling because he doesn't have a photo to sell?

-- Cory Christensen (scc@idcnet.com), August 14, 1998.

I thought it was only my jealousy of perhaps the finest "photo" that I have ever seen that made me suspicious when it was first posted, but now I am satisfied that others are questioning the image. Perhaps we could ask the artist to send Bob a copy for his judgement. Even if it has been manipulated, I would be willing to purchase a copy. Ted.

-- Ted Laszlo (docted@freespace.net), August 14, 1998.

On the subject of the "shadows", some of them (the ones pointing towards the camera) may not be "shadows" at all, but reflections of the dark sticks in the ice.

I don't know if it's maniplulated or not. The resolution is too low to tell. If it isn't, it's a great photograph, if it is, it's still a very attractive piece of artwork.

-- Bob Atkins (bob_atkins@hotmail.com), August 14, 1998.

I think the more skeptics, the more successful the photograph is.
Check out those 'reflections' of the sticks in the middle. The one at the bottom goes in a different direction from the others. The rest of the 'shadows' seems to go in line with the others. Do u think a manipulation is done at this part of the photo?
I don't have the original print with me so I can't really give it a good look to tell if its a shadow or just reflection. But I think they are likely to be reflection.
I can testify that photographer doesn't know a thing about computers. So there's no digital manipulation. But I do believe that some burning and dodging is done to enhance the color during the printing process.
And while we copied his print, we tilted it to avoid reflection. As such, the retangular border was slightly distorted. I actually erased the original distorted border and redraw over it with Photoshop. This is the manipulation that I've done.

-- Wee Keng Hor (weekh@singnet.com.sg), August 14, 1998.

Ditch the border. The Cranes are nice, but it is the whole picture that is mind-bendingly great. Superb.

-- Thomas B. Roach (sigint@thegrid.net), December 15, 1999.

Something does not stack up;

You have a tall Birch tree that does not cast a shadow, and yet short fence posts that do, both areas that should receive the shadow are snow free therefore there should be no difference, also as remarked by other observers the shadows from the fence posts run in different directions.

But more importantly why is there no shadow from the dancing cranes on the snow, which would be a highly reflective surface compared to the clay ground. - there would be some shadowing even if not in direct sunlight judging by the harsh shadow from the fence posts.

High degree of artistic talent, but sorry I cannot believe that this is a single shot photograph.

Bah Humbug!!

-- Mike Smith (msmith8741@aol.com), December 20, 1999.