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Photo posted by Gary Yeoh in the Flora gallery on 04/16/13 at 10:45 am EST
Registered on 09/01/09, 588 Posts, 8184 Comments
Post last edited by Gary Yeoh on 04/19/13 at 11:50 am EST
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Comment posted by SandyRichardsBrown on 04/16/13 at 11:53 am EST
Registered on 11/24/03, 3937 Posts, 12909 Comments
Hmmmmm... not so sure about this one. The dark tree trunk dominates this, when I find the lacey, dainty leaves of much more interest. I'm afraid I'm not a fan of the shadows, either.
I'd like to see a frame with just the left half of this image - mostly leaves and a bit of trunk, lightened up if possible.
Sandy
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Sandy Richards-Brown, NPN #0367
Brookings, Oregon (summer/fall) and Sedona, Arizona (winter/spring)
PNW and RMNP Regional Member
NATURE'S MAJESTY IMAGING
http://naturesmajestyimaging.zenfolio.com/
"All things bright and beautiful, All creatures great and small, All things wise and wonderful: The Lord God made them all.
Each little flower that opens, Each little bird that sings, He made their glowing colors, He made their tiny wings."
- Cecil F. Alexander, Hymns for Little Children, 1848, Ireland |
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Comment posted by John Clulow on 04/16/13 at 6:57 pm EST
Registered on 11/01/12, 155 Posts, 1079 Comments
I like this image which is why I decided to take a closer look from the thumbnail. While I have read and appreciate your narrative, I would tend to agree with Sandy Richards' comments. Maybe for a purist with your knowledge of classical ink on paper Japanese images this really rocks. But the rest of us are seeing it from other templates. I think the addition of the "ink bleed" as you describe it, in PS kind of adds insult to injury. Someone who is knowledgeable might "get it", but I don't.
But the image does have something that caught my eye, and probably Sandy Richards' eye, although I certainly cannot speak for anyone else. And so I did try a horizontal flip in photoshop. I then asked my wife to take a look at it. She has done raku and a lot of Japanese style stuff quite successfully for many years, including ikebana vessels etc.
She likes your image, however she much prefers it flipped horizontally, and she, like me, doesn't particulary appreciate the "shadow" you've added to it.
I also thought about a full silhouette, and she says, and I agree, that would be wrong and make it a totally different image.
So that's my 4 cents worth.
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| I only went out for a walk, and finally decided to stay out till sundown; Going out, I found, was really going in. - John Muir |
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Comment posted by Gary Yeoh on 04/16/13 at 7:48 pm EST
Registered on 09/01/09, 588 Posts, 8184 Comments
Sandy & John
I really appreciate both of you for taking the time to comment on this image and for your honest assessment. I know I do get carried away with an idea and overlook some obvious 'flaws' and that is why feedback on this site is so valuable. In fact a 'negative' feedback is more valuable than a flattering 'this is a beautiful ' comment.
I kind of expected that this image will not resonate with many but there is something here that appeal to me (but I can't quite put my finger on it at the moment but there is something here that made me take this picture lying on the footpath!) so it is not the end of the road yet. It's back to the drawing board for another iteration. I will need to experiment with the bleeding process with blending (just bought the ebook on 'Hidden treasures of blending' yesterday).
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Comment posted by Philip Hodgkins on 04/16/13 at 7:56 pm EST
Registered on 07/24/06, 2741 Posts, 12349 Comments
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I agree with Sandy's and John's comments, and I am glad you intend to pursue this on to another iteration. I will be most interested to see what you come up with.
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Phil Hodgkins
Savannah, Georgia
NPN # 1998
Flora Gallery Co-moderator |
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“The task is...not so much to see what no one has yet seen; but to think what nobody has yet thought, about that which everybody sees.”
― Erwin Schrödinger
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Comment posted by scott lanz on 04/16/13 at 9:46 pm EST
Registered on 11/14/03, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments
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The image itself is well seen and composed, Gary, and I can see the classic Japanese artistry you were after in the underlying image. Like the previous comments, I am unsure about the shadow. I'd play with the processing some more, Gary, as there is plenty of potential here for an artistic fine print.
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scott lanz
Youngstown, Ohio
www.lanzscape.com |
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Comment posted by Ian Wolfenden on 04/17/13 at 5:05 pm EST
Registered on 05/18/07, 1108 Posts, 7647 Comments
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I like this enormously, Gary. Personally I have no problem with the bleeding effect - it somehow adds to the mood, which to me is, dare I say, slightly sinister ( another thing I love about this - so unusual for a Spring cherry ! ). There is a dark beauty here in the compelling graphic quality of the image.
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Comment posted by Eirini Pajak on 04/17/13 at 5:21 pm EST
Registered on 12/13/11, 216 Posts, 1671 Comments
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I am also not a fan of the shadow & I feel the main trunk is just too dominant. I really like the smaller branch & feel that one had a lot more to offer on it's own.
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Eirini Pajak
Florence, AZ
http://eirinipajak.com |
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Comment posted by Dennis Plank on 04/17/13 at 8:03 pm EST
Registered on 01/28/08, 1767 Posts, 23192 Comments
Beautiful composition, Gary. I'm not that familiar with classical Japanese art, but wouldn't the ink bleed in all directions?
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Comment posted by Catherine Reilly on 04/18/13 at 5:04 pm EST
Registered on 08/16/06, 603 Posts, 9192 Comments
Comment last edited by Catherine Reilly on 04/18/13 at 5:07 pm EST
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I'll say at the outset that I am ignorant of the ink-on-rice paper look. But this sure does have a classic asian style about it. I love, love, love the concept, Gary. I think I like the boldness of the trunk juxtaposed with the delicacy of the blossoms and like how the branches are arranged. I think I'd be happier if I could see a few more details in the trunk, even just slightly. The "bleed" is not attractive to me as it looks here. I'll be so interested to see your continuing work on this project. I'm curious about how it might look if the branches on the right dangled in front of the tree trunk... and/or if the trunk exited the frame more to the left instead of right at the corner... Or maybe it should just remain almost as is with all the tension in it. A very thought-provokig image!
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Catherine Reilly
Seattle, WA
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Ad lucem quam inhabitas--
To the light wherein Thou doest dwell
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Comment posted by Gary Yeoh on 04/19/13 at 11:47 am EST
Registered on 09/01/09, 588 Posts, 8184 Comments
Comment last edited by Gary Yeoh on 04/19/13 at 11:48 am EST
This is the 2nd iteration of this image and still very much work in progress. It is getting closer to what I am looking for but I am not through with the processing yet. What attracted me to this composition is the minimal zen like look. The image is pretty much B&W and in fact the B&W does not look too different from this version. The trunk is very much integral to the composition and I think I over did the black and saturation in the original. I have dial back the black and brightened up the trunk and reduced the overall saturation.
Thanks for all the comments so far and I look forward to further suggestions.
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Comment posted by Mark Seaver on 04/20/13 at 6:00 pm EST
Registered on 01/23/11, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments
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Gary, I spent some time looking at both of these images and writing a comment and it not here! No way to tell if that's operator error (me) or a weird web problem. Anyway, the original post definitely has much of the feeling of the art that you're talking about and I think the "blur" adds to that artistic vision. For me, the large dark trunk is too massive for the branch and blooms. I was wondering what dodging the trunk would do, when I noticed the repost. I think that helps noticeably, especially on that interesting twisted branch. Not so much with the main trunk. May a bit more dodging on the main branch would provide better balance between the light airy flowers and their supports. I also think that the three small branches with only fresh leaves coming in near the urc pull attention from the very interesting twists of the small branch and the lovely flowers. I definitely applaud your experiment!
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Mark Seaver
Burtonsville, MD & Emigrant, MT
seaverphotos.com
Weekly Challenge Moderator
Macro/Close Up Moderator |
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A terrific composition 
the graphic qualities are stunning. a very fine work of art except for the shadows..... if i'm odd man out , so be it ! wish more members would try something daring like this 
