A pine tree in a local cemetery. I'm not sure where that gorgeous purple came from... must have been some shrubbery in the background. All I did was a touch of levels to make it pop some more, resize and USM. I didn't touch any of the settings when I converted it from raw. This isn't the most exciting picture, but I just think it's outrageously beautiful and I want to see if it is genetically possible for me to score high... also my sexy lens is demanding a high score.
Statistics
Place: 226 out of 290 Avg (all users): 4.8913 Avg (commenters): 6.0000 Avg (participants): 4.7143 Avg (non-participants): 5.0400 Views since voting: 790 Views during voting: 243 Votes: 184 Comments: 19 Favorites: 1 (view)
This is one of my favorites of yours I feel like I'm under water when I look at it.
I enjoy the spots they are like resting places for my eyes during the journey.
I really thought they were river reeds. Here in the Pacific Northwest, especially in the high desert areas, they are plentiful. So my mind went with something known and I made the wrong assumption. Interestingly enough, the "whistling reeds" have purple flowers. So that would be why I thought you "erased" the pattern of the stalks...didn't know they were pine needles.
BTW - I did give it a pretty high score within this challenge.
I was one of the people who gave this a 6, so I'll give a go at explaining my rationale, but keep in mind that I'm a relative newbie, so take it for what it's worth...
On the plus side, the pattern is evident, I really love the texture, that bokeh is oh so creamy, and it has a wonderful surreal overall feel. The shallow DOF works for me with the lower left needle that is mostly in the focal plane. The DOF after that gives me a feeling of choppiness as it goes through the middle of the other needles so that my eyes lock on those points in stead of flowing up and down the rest of the nicely textured lines.
It's amazing to me how close this score is to your reflection entry score which was among my top picks for that challenge. But, I had to study that one for a long while to let it sink in. So, I have to echo Melethia on subtleness. Your shots are great for those of us that like studying a photo that throws a curve, but may escape the attention of the 1.38 second voter.
First off, I'd have never known it was a pine tree, despite the hint in your title. To me, it was simply a rather nice quiet melody with no reason to know what it actually was. Second, that wee bit of purple is awesome. Third, pattern? Yes, but way too subtle for the .7 second voter (2 seconds is just too generous I think). I like the pattern of the shadows in particular. An excellent use of the sexy lens.
Very interesting - I would not have guessed this was a pine tree. Well I gave it a 6. I thought it was pretty, and I liked the balance between blur and sharpness. I also thought the line of shadow was pretty cool. I think I did not give it a higher score because I wanted something else to reach out and grab me - like I was looking for a focal point.
I feel the same way. But I thought it was pretty enough to score high. Why do I care? I don't even know!
That purple is gorgeous! As far as score goes, I think it was the dof that hurt you. The patterns are obvious, and there are quite a few that stand out, the shadow and light, the lines, the markings. Overall, it was done beautifully.
Very interesting - I would not have guessed this was a pine tree. Well I gave it a 6. I thought it was pretty, and I liked the balance between blur and sharpness. I also thought the line of shadow was pretty cool. I think I did not give it a higher score because I wanted something else to reach out and grab me - like I was looking for a focal point.
I love this whistling reeds. They are fun to play with and haunting to hear in the wind. That being said, I think you have stretched the pattern idea a really long way to get this in. There is a slight color pattern on the stalks but you have effectively removed it with your dof choice. It is a nice well-thought shot and would probably do really well in a different challenge.
Very impressionistic. I like the extreme shallow dof and the little burst of color in the background is a nice contrast. I find myself wanting to push apart whatever that is and see what the purple is.
It's a nice shot. Hope the voters don't chew you up too badly. :)
Add photograph to your favorites
Add photographer to your favorites
Photographer found comment helpful.
