DigaPixBlog

When the photo-artist presents their work they need to be certain it is ready for viewing by others.  It needs to be in its final form unless they make it understood that this is a rough draft of their final composition.  Sometimes this is difficult because transmitting data from one computer to another can cause unexpected results.

The image presented here is interesting in the mood of desolation it presents.  The white rocks in the foreground are reflected in the gray overcast sky leaving the viewer with a haunting emotion of loss.  The old hulk contributes to this visual story.

There does appear to be some technical difficulty with this image.  It appears to have been blown up from to two small an original or the sharpening filter applied to aggressively.  The edges around the ship have pixilated and left with jagged saw tooth edges in some areas.  This blow up effect may also be contributing to an overall sense of lack of sharpness.

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One of the first things I look for in black and white prints is the tonal range of the image; are their details in the shadows and highlights, are there black blacks and white whites?  The last thing you want are muddy tones; the viewer is looking for crispness.

This shot appears to have these qualities.  There is good detail in the shadows while keeping the whites from blowing out.  The genius of Ansel Adams was his ability to expose his negatives in such a way that when he printed the images he was able to expand the gray scale as far as possible.  This he called the zone system.

Another interesting observation about this shot is its lack of strong subject, rather the subject is diversified into the feeling of the scene without a clear focal point.  It works in this composition as a black and white where I don’t think it would be as interesting if it were in color.

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When converting an image thorough the use of filters the photo-artist normally needs to start with a strong image if they intend to finish with a photograph that will attract the viewer’s attention.  Applying filters to weak compositions will more often than not result in a weak composition with a filter applied to it.

This photograph has the feeling of an old snapshot lifted out of your grandmother’s scrapbook.  It had meaning to grandma but without an inscription on the back we don’t know why she kept it all these years.  It may have been taken on a beloved vacation many years ago or could have been the view off her front porch when she was a child, but the story was lost.

I would like to suggest starting with a stronger composition.  This landscape needs a robust center of interest, a subject to bring the viewer to the image.

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One of the goals of photography is to make the viewer see a familiar subject in a new way.  We have all seen images of some subjects many, many times and after a while no matter how well they are done they start to look alike, they are so familiar they become ordinary.  The trick is to find a new perspective on the well-known.

This photo-artist has converted, with the aid of computer filters, this image of Mono Lake into a sepia toned line drawing.  It has the feel of a rotogravure plate from the turn of the nineteenth century.  With this technique a lot of the detail on the surface of the stone has been accentuated.  I like the genital fadeout along the edges.

There are only a couple small things that draws my eye away from the center of the image.  Alone the bottom and left edge there are small dark shadows that are tangent to the border that could be removed with a little cloning.  Also I would like to see the tall spire with less fade at the top.

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Panoramic photographs can add a whole new dimension to photography.  The viewer is automatically attracted to them because of their unusual format and novelty.  One of the problems with this format is that too often the photographer will forget that the same rules of graphics and layout that apply to a good 8 x 10 image also are necessary for the panorama shot.

This photo-artist has not neglected the fundamentals of landscape photography.   By keeping the small section of land in the foreground he has established the traditional landscape trinity of foreground, middle ground and distance.  The non organic buildings standout against the white vegetation caused by the ultraviolet effect.  This UV effect gives the image a fairytale feeling.

I find it interest how the sky has remained an 18% gray while the reflection of the sky on the water’s surface has shifted to almost pure black.

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I am continually asking people to crop down their images to the point that I feel that people may think I only like macros.  The point is that the photographer should decide what turns them on and then take everything else out.  Keep to your insight and throughout all the junk.  If it works the photo-artist has made the viewer feel the same inspiration for the image.

This photograph of the eastern Sierra Nevada has captured the grandeur of the landscape without making us wade through any unnecessary information.  It tells us about the dry climate in the foreground, the flat scrub of the hills in the middle ground and the snow capped mountains in the distance.  The subject of this composition is not the tufa in the foreground but the entire eastern side of this mountain range.

Graphically you will not that the snow capped mountain in the distance is attached to and separated from the tall tufa on the right by the dark foothill.  The clods obscuring part of the distant landscape adds additional depth, also note that the shape of the tufas act as a frame for or a window to the mountain.

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Framing is a graphic technique used by artists to add depth to an illustration.  Some of the more common elements are doorways, windows, over hanging foliage, or any foreground object that helps to contain the subject of the study.

The photograph presented here is an interesting example of framing.  Normally the foreground frame is located across the top and/or sides of the image.  This example has the viewer looking through a log that extends from the sides to the bottom of the layout.  I like the three dimensional foreground juxtaposed against the two dimensional feeling background.  The setting sun has caused an interesting rim light flair across the tops of the trees and leading edge of the log.  This gives authenticity to the moment in time captured by this photo-artist.

There is a very nice cloistered feeling to this landscape.  A feeling that we are about to settle in for the night.  At the same time the sepia toning of this image adds a level of timelessness, this could have been photographed anytime in the last hundred and fifty years.

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Some images cry out to be printed in color and others required black and white to achieve their full glory.  I know of no rule that will tell you which will be more successfully as a final print but with the current ease with which we can convert color images to B&W you may wish to translate some of your favorites and see with category works best in each case.

The black and white scene presented is an excellent example of a dramatic image that is enhanced by the simplicity of the gray scale without the distraction the color pallet.  The use of a wide angle lens combined with B&W presentation gives this image majesty and power.  I particularly like the low horizon allowing the wind giants to stand above the plain while at the same time they are dwarfed by the overpowering sky.

The shape of the cloud, like a fist about to strike, is powerful but might have been better balanced if it had been a little more off center.  The low lighting is wonderful adding texture to the sage brush in the foreground.

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When photographing into a single point light we are likely to get unexpected images ranging from crepuscular rays (God’s rays), to refractive flairs or possibly the dreaded lens flair. (Note that digital cameras can manifest lens flair differently than film.)  At the same time if the camera is set to auto exposure it will stop down which results in exposing for the light source and putting the intended subject in an under exposed condition.

In this image there were enough particulates (moisture, haze, dust, smog, etc.) to create a defused refractive flair without lens flair.  The exposure has been reduced for the bright light source thus throwing the scene into silhouette. 

You will note that the sun, which in this case is the primary subject, is located one third of the way from the edge of the right hand frame.  This is a very traditional graphical location.  There is another interesting optical illusion taking place in this composition.  When you first look at the lower portion of the image you think the horizon is not straight.  However on closer examination you will find that the snow line is slightly slanted but the secondary horizon the fence is almost perfectly straight.

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A photographer submitted this image and asked what would be the best way to crop.  I can answer that with two questions.  What can you eliminate and where do you want the center of attention placed.

In the original image the near shore with the tree and the land carries the most graphic weight.  Our attention is first concentrated on the land then we proceed to the lake and then to the far shore.  I feel the tree is dominate and pulls the balance to the left.

Crop number 1 has eliminated the near shore completely and we are drawn to the flying birds first then the shore with the man.  Crop number 2 has a portion of the near shore with the egret pointing our attention to the flying birds and then the man. In crop 3 the egret is detached from the land and has equal weight to the remainder of the image, still important but more in balance with the man.  And finally the fourth crop has the man as the dominate subject.

Each image tells a different story. Each is a valid image.  It is the photo-artist who must decide which one, if any, they want to present to the viewer.

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  Crop #1     Crop #2 

Crop #3    Crop #4 

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Selective focus is the conscious decision by the photographer to draw our attention to certain elements within an image.  In this way they are able to say this is important and that is not.  This technique requires a good understanding of the operation of the camera equipment and the principles of f-stops and focus.

This photograph of the single point perspective railroad tracks utilizes selective focus to keep our attention on the vanishing tracks and away from the foliage at the top of the scene.  The strong focus creates a strong graphic of the track and ties disappearing in the distance.  With the curve at the end of the leading lines we are given a destination for our attention.

The dappled shadows over most of the scene work nicely to enable  control of the exposure.  Tilting the image (starting to become a gimmick) gives the feeling we are going uphill.

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Recently while judging at a photo club I was asked what I meant by the term graphics?  I don’t think I gave a coherent answer at the time.  It is amazing how we take some terms for granted and just assume we know what they refer to.  Graphics are those lines and shapes within an image.  If the image were of a different subject the same pattern of lines and shapes could be present.

The image posted here is a good example of strong graphics.  If a different person were to mark up this photograph into its graphic elements they would probably dissect it into similar patterns of lines and shapes.

I like the conversion of this digital image to black and white.  I think it may have also been converted to infrared.  Normally a blank sky is undesirable but in this case I think it balances well with the dark infinitesimal detail of the tree.  There appears to be good detail in the deep shadows of the tree trunk and excellent exposure of the foreground grass.

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Some images have one small element that the scene turns about, one element that if it were not here it would be telling a different story.  I call this turning point the epiphany element. 

This photograph is a pleasant scene in the fog shrouded park with very good composition, and excellent exposure.  But would it be the same scene without the one falling leaf off to the right?  Would we have the feeling that an exact moment in time was captured without the leaf hanging between heaven and earth?  Without this epiphany element the image could have been taken ten minutes earlier or ten minutes later.  But this one small falling leaf tells us that a unique moment was recorded and these exact elements will never come together again.  The photo-artist has created one unique snowflake.

I’m sorry to go on about such a small thing, but also note that the photo-artist placed the leaf so far off center that it has not become the subject.  If it had been centered we would have said “How nice, a picture of a falling leaf”, but it is not about the leaf but the captured moment.

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      Photographer’s Original 

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Computer filters or lens filters are tools to enhance our images.  Either one can be overdone.  The trick is to find those tools that allow you to tell the story without distracting the viewer.  Photographers often get tricked into the trap of having success with a one tool, in this case a filter, and try to use it on everything.  They need to be used in the right circumstance, with the right image, to create the specific results the photo-artist is after not as a crouch to make a bad image into a good image.

This photographer we successful with this image by using color conversion and filters.  The original scene depicted was full of detail and yet the photo-artist added additional facets with a screening filter that gave the small features a grainy appearance.  The trunk of the tree has an interesting arching curve.  With our imagination we can see a doorway into another place.  The lighting contributes to this illusion with the shadows in the foreground and the highlights in the distance.  This beckons us to go further into the scene.

The only recommendation I would make is to remove the small white plant encroaching into the scene at the bottom of the frame.

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In the American west there four types of desert; Chihuahua, Great Basin, Sonora and Mojave.  Each has its own distinct flora.  The Mojave is noted for the Joshua trees which are actually a form of Yucca.  This high desert covers portions of four states; California, Arizona, Nevada and Utah.

This photograph is a good representation of the region.  It appears to be an image that was converted to black and white inferred.  I think this conversion was a good choice.  It adds a grittiness to the scene.  Note the hills in the distance, there must be a cloud over the left side of the image that causes them to go from dark to light.  In the sky there is a jet trail that appears like a shooting star.  Some may object to this detail but in this case I feel it works and adds a little to the story.

There are some observations I would like to point out.  For some reason the dark section of sky has pixilated in the transition from light to dark.  This may have been caused by over processing of the image in the computer.  Also in the sky we have the jet trail almost perpendicular and just below it there are some faint trails that you may want to remove and keep the spy as clean as possible.  Along those same lines; there is some sort of a blemish in the sky between the trunks of the subject.

One final observation, the tip of the top of the plant are almost tangent to the edge of the frame.  You may want to take a look at cropping in a little to prevent this issue. 

I feel the concept of this image is very good and if a quality print were made it would be a stronger image.

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Man in nature is an interesting combination in photography.  Our relationship to the rest of creation has more often than not been to the benefit of man and the detriment of the other inhabitants of the earth.  Where is the balance between our needs and nature?

This photographer has selected one of those inventions of man that may strike that balance, the wind farms of Southern California.  These majestic structures rise above the desert in passes where consistent wind provides energy to generate electricity.  I find it interesting that this photograph captures the wind turbine generators in the traditional landscape layers of foreground, middle ground and distance, while the hills are all in the distance plain.  The shutter speed selected by the photographer captured just the right amount of movement in the blades to indicate rotation.  The low hanging clouds tell us that weather is involved in the story of the wind mills.

I would like to make a couple of suggestions concerning the sky.  I like the clouds but by allowing us to see the clear sky above them we have defined their size.  If the sky were cropped down just below the top of the clouds our imagination will tell us they are much larger and more threatening.  Also the clouds are a little muddy in tone and could be lightened up a little in the highlight areas and darkened in the shadows to give more contrast.  I think this would add additional drama to the image.

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The question has come up, “When should I convert a color photograph to black and white”.   My answer is, “Whenever you like”.  There was a time not so long ago when most photo judges (experts) said that color photography had to be black and white to be art.  They were what I call Ancel Adams purists.  When you convert your photograph from color to B&W often you will get an entirely different feeling for the subject.  So it is worth doing every so often just to see if you find the new de-saturated image interesting.

Quality black and white images more often than not have detail throughout the gray scale for the deepest blacks to the whitest high lights.  The same concepts of graphics, exposure and depth of field all apply.  You have to start with a good image to get a good image.  And don’t go overboard with the tinting.  It can make your photo look soft, and if that is not what you want stick with crisp black and white.

This image taken in the Catalina Mountains was originally photographed in color and because the photo-artist thought the late afternoon light was to yellow he elected to convert it to B&W with sepia ton.  The end result looks like a 1950’s post card with plenty of room at the top to print “Howdy form Tucson Arizona”.   

As a framed image I would like to see less sky making this a mini panorama.  And don’t be afraid to take off a little of the tallest cactus. 

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         Color    

     Post Card      Cropped

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This is our first photo entry form a photographer in Sweden.

Silhouettes can be tricky; sometimes we want a small amount of detail but more frequently not.  They are often accomplished by metering on the sky and thus over exposing the image so that a subject in the foreground is way under exposed and left little or no detail.  For this to work the silhouette must be a strong and most often recognizable.

The image submitted here is both strong and easily recognizable.  In this case I don’t think we want any detail in the silhouette.  There is a beautiful tone graduation of the sky with just enough cloud formation to make it interesting.  And the clouds are near the horizon thus not interfering with the main subject.  The horizon is extremely low taking up only about one fifth of the vertical space; this low horizon emphasizes the importance of the tree.  The outstanding feature of this photograph and what I feel takes it out of the ordinary are the church spires on the horizon.

If I have anything to suggest to the photographer is that he eliminate the item in the lower left hand corner that has some light reflecting off it.

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Does this photograph belong on the cover of a Stevin King novel or what?  The plot could be; the line of destiny leading to the ‘Fog Tree’ where we confront our sins.  Cool concept, I bet we could sell a million copies.

This black and white landscape has a couple interesting elements other than the obvious white line leading into the image.  We are looking directly into the sun but it has been obscured by the opaque fog.  The sun’s placement just above the tree adds to the contrast effect of the silhouette.  The horizon appears to be tilted but this adds to the mystery of the scene.  Another unique element is the band of ground fog between the foreground and the subject.This is a very interesting mood. 

If the photographer wished there is still a little detail in the tree silhouette that could be opened up to give a little detail in the upper branches and leaves.   Overall the scene appears a little dark and my not print well.

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              Modified        The Novel  

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This is an excellent example of the rule of threes.  Graphically the combination of three like elements in an illustration works better than two.  I suppose it adds a little tension that two items generally do not.  

If we cut the photograph down to two trees it is still a nice photograph but lacks the power that the third tree supplies. The tree on the right adds interest and drama to the scene.  The whiteout conditions expose only a small amount of distant landscape on the left leaving the remainder of the horizon free to our imagination.  Also note that the horizon is one third of the distance from the bottom of the frame.

This is an excellent image; however the photographer may want to take a closer look at the detail in the white sky.  There appear to be a number of gray blemishes perhaps caused by something on the lens at the time of the photograph was taken.  These could be easily removed on the computer.

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     Two Trees       Marked Up   

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This horse looks like what I feel like whenever I have to be around snow.  Does he look happy, does he look warm, and do you think he would rather be somewhere else like a nice warm barn?  Have you ever seen a photograph of horses on a sunny beach running through the surf?  They always look happy.

This photograph captures the mood of winter.  The defoliated trees in the background and the posture of the subject tell the story that spring is a long way off.  This is a photograph where a little information goes a long way.

The photographer may want to consider cropping just a tad, perhaps by taking a little off the top to remove the fence in the distance and some off the left hand side to get the subject further away from the center of the image. 

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             Cropped 

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Black and White photography at its best displays a wide range of tones and detail throughout the gray scale.  This is well illustrated in the image presented here.  There is detail in the whites of the fog and black detail everywhere except in the subject, the defoliated tree.  I do not know where this photograph was taken but it looks a lot like the hills along the central California cost.

The separation of layer upon layer supplies a marvelous feeling of three diminutions throughout the scene.  I particularly like the way the distant hills are set against the light gray horizon that graduates into a mid tones.  This image captures my imagination.

Some fine details could be considered.  In a pristine scene like this we want to eliminate anything man made or even natural that looks out of place.  The hills are covered with live oaks and in the middle ground is what appears to be a palm tree.  You may want to clone this out.  The same thing it true for a small white dot on the distant hills.  I know this is being picky but that’s what I’m here for.   On the right hand edge of the frame is another defoliated tree that is vying for our attention.  You may decide to crop this out.  

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