#2

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-- Ilkka Nissild (ilkka.nissila@hut.fi), August 18, 1998

Answers

I like these sort of shots, but A.) I use B&W film (TMax 100 or Tech Pan 25) and B.) I think the lighting in this shot (backlit trees) didn't help.

-- Sean Yamamoto (seany@altavista.net), August 18, 1998.


Sean, I believe that the color is a plus in this particular case. (But I agree that generally it's easier to achieve "artsy" and atmospheric look with B&W.)

Ikka, the picture certainly has a feeling - is it late summer in Finland? Where?

-- Jana Mullerova (jam@terma.com), August 18, 1998.


Beautiful lighting and exposure. Getting a bit closer to the five trees in the center of the image could reduce the foreground a little, but, more importantly, emphasize the V-shaped distribution of the of the five trees, providing a bit more energy in the image.

-- Joe Boyd (boydjw@traveller.com), August 18, 1998.

I wasn't sure what I thought about it. Now after some time I'm beginning to really appreciate it. There's a tricolour horizontal effect to it. Red bottom, yellow-green middle, light blue top with the trees adding vertical structure and depth as they become thinner further back. Try cropping off the left side where the trees become solid. Also crop off the right side until the first bit of sky appears. This square-ish format looks much nicer.

-- Paul Lenson (lenson@pci.on.ca), August 18, 1998.

It's a bunch of trees. Pretty much I could take the same picture out my office window right now. Somebody's going to have to explain the interest to me.

-- Mark Ciccarello (mark@ciccarello.com), August 18, 1998.


I think its a really well done shot...personally, if the colors jumped just a touch more I'd be really happy. But still, I'd be happy to have taken this one!!

Good job!

-- Jason Fobart (jfobart@usa.net), August 18, 1998.


Um, Mark, it's not about trees, it's about shapes and colors, a staggered pattern of vertical lines establishing a three-dimensional space in a two-dimensional medium with a graduated colored background. As an editorial depiction of a temperate zone deciduous forest it's okay. As an abstract it's pretty cool.

-- Richard Shiell (rshiell@lightspeed.net), August 18, 1998.

I think I am with Mark on this one. Nothing really peeks my interest here.

-- Matt Swope (vswope@voyager.net), August 19, 1998.

Pics like this one where shapes and shadows are the importent elements does usually look much better in greyscale.

I tried gimp'ing it to B&W and it came out as a much nicer pic, one that could make it up on my wall (if I had been the one behind the camera).

Try converting it, up the brightness and lower the contrast, and see what I mean.

-- Kristian Elof Sxrensen (elof@image.dk), August 19, 1998.


Um, Richard, if you say so.

-- Mark Ciccarello (mark@ciccarello.com), August 19, 1998.


This shot reminds me of the old fable about the kings clothes. Many are "oooing" and "aaahing" about the artistic value of the photo, but I have to say, I don't see it. Like was said before, "it's just a bunch of trees". Not very interesting. What is interesting is the fact that so many people say they like it. Maybe I will stop throwing slides like this away.

-- Glenn Swan (swan@ampex.com), August 19, 1998.

I disagree with Mr. Yamamoto. The backlighting helps to create the bold black vertical lines from the nearest trees which are the principal element of the image. I like it. The framing looks good too.

-- Robert Mogle (Moglbitr@uswest.net), August 19, 1998.

Glenn is absolutely correct. We photographers can be rather more lenient at the editing table than some authors and judges would lead us to believe. My favorite example of this is my photo on the book cover of the Sunset Western Garden Problem Solver, which has a prominent dead black aphid on one flower petal (which nearly caused me to throw it out when I first saw it, and which the editors loved...) An image doesn't need to be among our personal favorites to be successful with other folks.

-- Richard Shiell (rshiell@lightspeed.net), August 19, 1998.

The picture was taken in October, last year, in south-western Finland. The atmosphere was really strong, unfortunately I had only frame #37 of my last roll left in the camera, so there are no variations ... just this one shot.

Thanks for the positive feedback.

Ilkka

-- Ilkka Nissild (ilkka.nissila@hut.fi), August 20, 1998.


Better than your #1, but like Mark I can't see what might be interesting about these trees? It's not abstract enough to work as an "abstract" (contrary to what Richard said).

-- (andreas@physio.unr.edu), October 03, 1998.


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