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Photo posted by gary phillips in the Landscape gallery on 02/07/17 at 11:42 pm EST
Registered on 10/24/13, 185 Posts, 4136 Comments
Post last edited by Donna Erhardt on 02/17/17 at 10:39 am EST
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Comment posted by Lon Overacker on 02/08/17 at 01:42 am EST
Registered on 11/24/06, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments
Gary,
Wow, you've encountered some fabulous ice pattern scenarios - this one is fantastic. The contrast and b&w presentation are excellent. This one clearly lets the imagination run free! I can't help but mention the little "portal" up top, center, I can't help but see a little tiny Chihuahua or some small dog peering up through that circle/portal in the ice; most especially in the large view. So much so I would consider cropping the image to eliminate the little white "arrowhead" in the LLC. and some off the left to eliminate the the brighter cirlcle ULC. I think this tightens up the composition and lets the view concentrate more on the very, very, interesting ice patterns. Neither of these are really nitpicks, but just to tighten this up for a clearer impact. Just my .02. Tons of potential here for crops and such. I love this as presented btw.
Lon
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To photograph is to hold one's breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality. It's at that precise moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy. -Henri Cartier-Bresson
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Comment posted by Genny K. on 02/08/17 at 03:29 am EST
Registered on 06/05/06, 132 Posts, 2001 Comments
This is a serious abstract. Wow. You just find so many little things in here. The more you look, the more it changes........ Wow, this is incredible. Yes, definitely needs to be seen large. This deserves to be printed large and hung in a museum. 
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Comment posted by Igor Doncov on 02/08/17 at 07:01 am EST
Registered on 11/22/14, 189 Posts, 2733 Comments
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This is one of the best true abstracts I have seen here in some time. I hope that I would have recognized the same outer space motif without the title. There is a clear head and shoulder form against a starry background. The body is cloaked, as in a burkha, but the actual being peers out through the small hole in the head as though trying to escape. The large circular bubbles add to the sense that we are witnessing an alien world. The arrowhead is a bit of an issue but cropping it out would not be my recommendation because I see the entire humanoid form as being the main subject here rather than just the upper vacuole and the shoulder lines would be removed with a crop. The vertical form on the right also suggests that we are witnessing another dimension. All these recognizable forms takes this abstract to another level above just a beautiful composition. I don't feel a lot of emotion, however, from this image so that maybe should be worth pursuing. There is a sense of wonder here and the mystery of the face looking out through the vacuole. A very interesting image for sure.
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"If you want to make more interesting pictures, become a more interesting person" - Jay Maisel. |
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Comment posted by Harley Goldman on 02/08/17 at 07:53 am EST
Registered on 11/19/03, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments
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Love it! Great patterns and tones and the comp works beautifully.
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"You were born an original. Don't die a copy."
- John Mason
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Comment posted by Nick Bristol on 02/08/17 at 12:30 pm EST
Registered on 02/01/04, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments
Wow, This is so cool to see and it certainly does have a feel of deep outer space to me. Fantastic shapes and forms that are so interesting. I think it works great as it is and would not crop anything here. I like the big center shape that makes me think of the head and shoulders of an alien from space. Very cool image!
Nick Bristol
Lone Rock,WI.
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Comment posted by Preston Birdwell on 02/08/17 at 1:05 pm EST
Registered on 11/01/03, 471 Posts, 5188 Comments
Gary, the tonality of this is top shelf. I love all the textures and shapes. I agree about the 'arrowhead' and the circular spot in the upper left corner, but cropping is not the answer. If you are not philosophically against it, you could use content-aware to remove them. It would be a little tricky with the 'arrowhead'. The large version really draws one in. Very fine work, sir!
--P
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Preston Birdwell
Columbia, California, USA
NPN 429 | California Nature Photographers (CANP) Moderator | 'NPN Discussion' Moderator
“If you want nice fresh oats, you have to pay a fair price. If you can be satisfied with oats that have already been through the horse, well, that comes a little cheaper" Author Unknown |
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Comment posted by Brian Schrayer on 02/08/17 at 11:13 pm EST
Registered on 05/28/04, 114 Posts, 2890 Comments
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Fascinating patterns and textures. I like this in B&W as it has great tonal contrast which brings out all of the fine details.
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Brian Schrayer
Nashville, TN
"The mountains sing your glory, hallelujah, the canyons echo sweet amazing grace. My spirit sails the mighty gales are bellowing your name, and I've got nothing to say." Andrew Peterson, "Nothing to Say" |
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Comment posted by Dave Dillemuth on 02/09/17 at 8:46 pm EST
Registered on 12/10/15, 104 Posts, 1112 Comments
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Wow, what a unique and intriguing abstract. The longer I look the more my imagination runs wild and I'm only drinking wine. I think your composition works beautifully. Processing looks excellent on my monitor. This would make a wonderful big print.
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Dave Dillemuth
Santa Barbara, California
davedillemuthphotography.smugmug.com
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Comment posted by Lon Overacker on 02/09/17 at 11:22 pm EST
Registered on 11/24/06, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments
Comment last edited by Lon Overacker on 02/09/17 at 11:23 pm EST
Gary,
It's pretty rare to get two comments from the same person... but I keep coming back to this. Specifically after reading Igor's comments. At first I didn't see it, all I really caught was the little bubble and the "puppy" that my imagination saw peering through. But now, I totally see the "humanoid" wrapped in a cloak... And there's a large metal sheath and the figure is blowing cosmic bubbles... AND I totally see the other form from another dimension...
Man, Igor is all over this. And it's clear as day if one steps back a foot or two, even from the original size.
Amazing.
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To photograph is to hold one's breath, when all faculties converge to capture fleeting reality. It's at that precise moment that mastering an image becomes a great physical and intellectual joy. -Henri Cartier-Bresson
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Comment posted by scott lanz on 02/11/17 at 09:26 am EST
Registered on 11/14/03, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments
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I meant to comment on this earlier, Gary, when I had more time to study it and comment (this is not an image for viewing just once), and then forgot to come back. Anyway, I agree with the prior comments regarding how outstanding this is. Really lots of unique and different shapes, lines, and shades. I don't quite see everything Igor and Lon see, but that's what makes this type of image so compelling. Each viewer can interpret it and appreciate it in his own way. I am sure this one had lots of processing variations, but this looks really good to me (though I bet a color version would be great as well). Really well framed and presented here in this web view, and it would look great on a wall.
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scott lanz
Youngstown, Ohio
www.lanzscape.com |
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Comment posted by Ryan Shain on 02/13/17 at 7:44 pm EST
Registered on 02/20/07, 226 Posts, 4571 Comments
Hi Gary,
This image is a fabulous study of forms, contrasts, textures, and lines. You saw and captured this with perfect composition, and the conversion to black and white is superb. When I take in this image, I am exploring all the possibilities of how my mind perceives this image.
this image is fine art, and a lot of fun, sweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeet work
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Ryan Shain
Joliet, IL
The universal Mind contains all knowledge. It is the ultimate potential of all things. To it, all things are possible.
Ernest Holmes |
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Comment posted by Eva McDermott on 02/14/17 at 10:34 am EST
Registered on 01/04/09, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments
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Wow! Fantastic abstract Gary. I love the forms ands tones.
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