Fulufjället; tell me is it... - DPChallenge Forums

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED

04/07/2005 05:11:39 PM · #1

Small river down the NjupeskÃ¤r waterfall in FulufjÃ¤llet NP, Sweden.

I don't know what to think of it. On one hand I like it, on the other hand I think it is to busy and it does not have a clear point of interest. The latter because you have this big rock in the foreground yet the dead fallen tree leads you into the background. The long exposure effect on the water and a small bit of the foliage is interesting, but on the whole I don't think it is interesting at all, but when I look an hour later I go trough the same process of good vs bad interesting or not again.

So, I'd like your opinion on it. Is there anything interesting about it or do I just want to like it because it took some effort to go there and shoot something?
Won't be able to respond right away, could take a day.

In a way I have the same with this shot:

On one hand I think it looks nice, on the other hand I think it lacks something. What do you think?

Thanks!

aronya1

Nikon D70

04/07/2005 05:26:34 PM · #2

My 2cts.

The first one doesn't work for me. Might be better in color. The rock seems to be the subject, but it's not all that interesting. In color, the background might really add to the shot.

I like the second one, but would like to see it with just a little less grain/noise.

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED

04/07/2005 05:27:10 PM · #3

Agreed on the first shot Sander. It is busy and lacks a focal point. Would be interesting to see the color version and see what the colors could do for it.

I like the shot with the girl in the window - has a lot of mood to it. Maybe if there was one thing I would change, it would be the urn. The window frame is splitting it in two, pulling my attention left & right.
Perhaps removing it or altering it in some way?

Just passing thoughts..

Message edited by author 2005-04-07 17:49:16.

aronya1

Nikon D70

04/07/2005 05:31:30 PM · #4

Originally posted by BradP:

Maybe if there was one thing I would change, it would be the urn. The window frame is splitting it in two, pulling my attention left & right.

You had to go & point that out, didn't you? Now, it's all I can see...

Nikon AF-S DX Zoom-Nikkor 18-70mm f/3.5-4.5G IF-ED

04/07/2005 05:50:05 PM · #5

Originally posted by aronya1:

You had to go & point that out, didn't you? Now, it's all I can see...

Close your eyes.

ROFL

aronya1

Nikon D70

04/07/2005 05:55:08 PM · #6

Originally posted by BradP:

Close your eyes.

Doesn't help! It's still there. Where's my cain?

04/08/2005 02:07:41 PM · #7

Originally posted by aronya1:

My 2cts.

The first one doesn't work for me. Might be better in color. The rock seems to be the subject, but it's not all that interesting. In color, the background might really add to the shot.

Here it is in color:

Link to a 640 wide version is here.

In my opinion the green doesn't add a lot. Scene looks pretty dull. I hoped the B&W would improve that because I felt that the color was not important at all.

Originally posted by aronya1:

I like the second one, but would like to see it with just a little less grain/noise.

LOL, I added the grain on purpose. :)
Gives it a bit of texture.

Thanks for your 2cts Tim. :)

Message edited by author 2005-04-08 14:07:57.

04/08/2005 02:22:28 PM · #8

Originally posted by BradP:

I like the shot with the girl in the window - has a lot of mood to it. Maybe if there was one thing I would change, it would be the urn. The window frame is splitting it in two, pulling my attention left & right.
Perhaps removing it or altering it in some way?

Hmm, don't you think that it takes something away from the way you, err, how do I say this in English... ...place the scene. I mean you can determine the time (historically) and ambiance by the objects in it?
I certainly agree that it splits the window frame in two in a way that it hurts the composition a bit.

Thanks for your view on this Brad.

Canon EF 24-105mm f/4.0L IS

04/08/2005 02:48:07 PM · #9

Here is a before & after.

Add some Gothic Glow, a little shifting the yellow hue to the right to make it more green, adding a bit more saturation to the green & yellow & bringing their lightness down, adding a bit more cyan to the water and a little work on the face of the rock (not real happy with it, but Ok for now).
Way to see them side by side, is to open each from the thumbnail above (will open in it's own window, then using your taskbar, switch back & forth.

Personally, the color does more for the shot than the B&W did, but then again I didn't have a chance to "play" in the B&W realm "yet".

Art Roflmao

Canon EOS-6D Mark II

04/08/2005 03:05:11 PM · #10

Originally posted by BradP:

Here is a before & after.

Add some Gothic Glow, a little shifting the yellow hue to the right to make it more green, adding a bit more saturation to the green & yellow & bringing their lightness down, adding a bit more cyan to the water and a little work on the face of the rock (not real happy with it, but Ok for now).

Nice, Brad! My .02: the color one is MUCH better than the BW and Brad's tweeks make it even better.

Gringo

Nikon D2X

Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 28-70mm f/2.8D IF-ED

04/08/2005 03:13:26 PM · #11

Azrifel, I like both shots just as you have originally displayed them. I agree the waterfall is busy and doesn't have a concise focal point, but that is what I like about it most. It could use a little something...I'm not sure yet.

I read here and many other places that less is more and that you should have a main subject of focus in your photography. Most all my work is very busy and I like it that way. It doesn't make it better or worse, it is just a style I like. To me it's like a feast for the eyes, where the entire picture is to be viewed and enjoyed. This doesn't mean I like the other stuff less.

I thing the busy photos don't do as well in a contest environment like DPC simply because they do not have that focal point that screams out the challenge topic.

I like the adjustment BradP did here to the waterfall, and we all know he has an eye for composition, but i think he's taken it way too far to the processed side on this image for my taste. Maybe about only 1/2 way between the two would be a great compromise.

The girl in the window is simply amazing! I wouldn't change it at all.

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

04/08/2005 03:24:43 PM · #12

Originally posted by Gringo:

I like the adjustment BradP did here to the waterfall, and we all know he has an eye for composition, but i think he's taken it way too far to the processed side on this image for my taste. Maybe about only 1/2 way between the two would be a great compromise.

Was kinda' taking it to an extreme huh? Eh - it was for illustration purposes only honest...LOL

I did dabble with a B&W version too:

Message edited by author 2005-04-08 15:24:53.

Kylie

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35

04/08/2005 03:26:33 PM · #13

Originally posted by Gringo:

Wow, I just read this post and I have been trying to explain this very same thought to myself and others lately. I, too, enjoy many "busy" images and find sometimes that others appear too sanitized for me. I also agree almost exactly with your opinions on the images and the processing.

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

04/08/2005 03:35:39 PM · #14

Me too here; it bothers the HELL out of me that the ruling consensus (by way of scores received) "forces" us out of "busy" photographs into images that have vbeen reduced to a few distinct elements. I LOVE busy pictures, pictures full of massive amounts of dispersed data that let us wander about and absorb without having their "message" force-fed to us compositionally. I love the discovery they promote. I'm entering one like that in "Abandoned Buildings" and I'm absolutely certain it is doomed.

Robt.

Bear_Music

Samsung Galaxy S24 Ultra

Sony 24-70mm F4 Vario-Tessar T* FE OSS

04/08/2005 03:46:34 PM · #15

Just for the hell of it, here's a variant on the window shot cropped dramatically, and with a little Neat Image to remove some of the grain. While I like the original very much, it has a compositional problem for me in that the lower right of the image is taking WAY too much attention because of its distorted shape and the strength of that corner of the window, compositionally. I'm not sure this crop is "better", but it places the emphasis entirely on the woman at any rate. The smoothing is just to see how it looks that way, personally I quite liek the added grain on this shot.

Robt.

Kylie

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35

04/08/2005 04:11:45 PM · #16

Originally posted by bear_music:

We need a "Busy" challenge for us folks!! Seriously, I thought it was just me. There is a god-awful version of busy, but many times, there is so much richness and life in it.

Nikon AF-S Zoom-Nikkor 28-70mm f/2.8D IF-ED

04/08/2005 04:22:00 PM · #17

Originally posted by Kylie:

I thought it was just me.

It is, but that is a whole other issue.

Hehehehe
*winks*

Kylie

Panasonic Lumix DMC-FZ35

04/08/2005 04:23:26 PM · #18

Originally posted by BradP:

Originally posted by Kylie:
I thought it was just me.

It is, but that is a whole other issue.

Hehehehe
*winks*

But THEY don't have to know that! LOL

Gringo

Nikon D2X

04/08/2005 04:23:52 PM · #19

Originally posted by BradP:

Originally posted by Gringo:

I like the adjustment BradP did here to the waterfall, and we all know he has an eye for composition, but i think he's taken it way too far to the processed side on this image for my taste. Maybe about only 1/2 way between the two would be a great compromise.

Was kinda' taking it to an extreme huh? Eh - it was for illustration purposes only honest...LOL

I did dabble with a B&W version too:

Hehehe, I knew that Brad. I hope I didn't offend you. I view your take on the picture more as "Look what you can do" rather than look what you should do to it. (I did the same thing on a B/W conversion in another thread a min ago) Just to show a technique in an exaggerated quick way. It is educational, but I find myself pulling back on the overprocessed work as of late. I think either my taste is changing a little, or maybe I'm just seeing too much of the same trend in processing and I find my interest is in the more subtle and more pure photography....with an occasional funky twist.

I love your B/W conversion on this one by-the-way!
My comment in the above paragraph was refering to your work on the color version of this shot.

Message edited by author 2005-04-08 16:28:48.

phreakon

Olympus C-740UZ

Canon EF-S 18-55mm f/3.5-5.6

04/08/2005 04:28:53 PM · #20

Originally posted by Kylie:

Originally posted by bear_music:
Me too here; it bothers the HELL out of me that the ruling consensus (by way of scores received) "forces" us out of "busy" photographs into images that have vbeen reduced to a few distinct elements. I LOVE busy pictures, pictures full of massive amounts of dispersed data that let us wander about and absorb without having their "message" force-fed to us compositionally. I love the discovery they promote. I'm entering one like that in "Abandoned Buildings" and I'm absolutely certain it is doomed.

Robt.

We need a "Busy" challenge for us folks!! Seriously, I thought it was just me. There is a god-awful version of busy, but many times, there is so much richness and life in it.

I love the idea. I have been trying hard to have good clean images without ANY distractions or indication of something busy which might leave me open to low votes, even though that tree branch or big rock or whatever isn't so bad. Busy is an awesome challenge idea, or another complexity challenge. Then we can have more shots like this photo by kirbic:

//www.dpchallenge.com/image.php?IMAGE_ID=107747

04/08/2005 06:53:50 PM · #21

Originally posted by BradP:

It sure removes the feeling of 'blah' lighting. Color contrast looks a lot better. The rock looks a bit unnatural now. The processing ideas, including your b&w version are very interesting.