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Photo posted by Lon Overacker in the Landscape gallery on 12/10/17 at 3:04 pm EST
Registered on 11/24/06, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments
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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 Kathy Barnhart on 12/10/17 at 3:35 pm EST
Registered on 11/11/11, 404 Posts, 1639 Comments
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Another lovely, subtle take away from the Valley. I appreciate so much how you look for the less iconic shots in the Valley and remind us of the beauty everywhere. The grasses in the foreground add a lot, and I love the subtle colors. My eyes do wander around looking for a center of interest and don't rest in any particular spot. I'm ambivalent about that...maybe that's what keeps my attention in an image, or maybe I need more help from the photographer to hone in on something. Not sure and will be interested in what others say.
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Comment posted by Preston Birdwell on 12/10/17 at 4:14 pm EST
Registered on 11/01/03, 471 Posts, 5188 Comments
As you know, I love images like this. There is simplicity, but also a complexity that I find pleasing. I like the color palette here--warm and cool, and just the right amount of neutral tones. The gentle contrast really works.
In light of Cathy's remark about this not having a true, central, focal point, I think that would be less of an issue if the leaning tree on the left was cropped out. Doing so improves the balance and allows my eye to focus on the lovely grass, the stand of alder, and the vegetation behind them.
In terms of color, I think the grasses are too red. I think they should be more of a 'hay' color. You might also consider burning down the El Cap wall on the top right--the grey there catches my eye.
When the light is soft on the valley floor, that is the time to see the unseen, as you have done here. Nicely done, 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 Nick Bristol on 12/10/17 at 4:43 pm EST
Registered on 02/01/04, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments
Lon, This is really nice! It is easy to look at and just enjoy. My eyes drift around the images just enjoying things I like to see and for me that is the purpose for the image. The colors look great and look very natural to me. I just don't see any need for change here. I guess we usually can find something to suggest for improvement in our opinion (kind of the point of NPN I guess) but once in awhile it is just nice to enjoy what you have here and that is what I'm doing with this one. 
Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI.
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Comment posted by Igor Doncov on 12/10/17 at 6:13 pm EST
Registered on 11/22/14, 189 Posts, 2733 Comments
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I like this one very much. The grass is handled perfectly, which apparently is not an easy thing to do. It adds to the image without drawing attention to it. In sports parlance 'it's a team player'. The trees give it a nice rhythm and the leaning ones draw your interest. But it's just the latticework of lines over a background of restrained yet not flat colors that makes this for me. I would not crop from the left to remove that tree because it fulfills an important role im the comp. Nice work.
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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 12/11/17 at 12:24 pm EST
Registered on 11/19/03, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments
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Real nice look at the unseen (and if seen, unnoticed) Yosemite. I might burn the back wall URC, but pretty minor stuff. Otherwise, looks real good to me. Nice take!
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"You were born an original. Don't die a copy."
- John Mason
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Comment posted by Lon Overacker on 12/11/17 at 4:38 pm EST
Registered on 11/24/06, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments
Comment last edited by Lon Overacker on 12/11/17 at 4:40 pm EST
Thanks for the comments and suggestions folks.
Preston, I agree and have tweaked the red tint in the grasses - in fact I pulled red out globally as well and like the color balance better. I've also burned down the granite in the UR. I tried the crop, but it just didn't feel right and so agree with Igor's comments about that.
I can see and understand the notion of not having a focal point and the eye wandering around. I think this could be an interesting topic. I think sometimes an anchor, or a place for the eye to "rest" might not be a single object, but perhaps a group of them? Rather than one tree, maybe it's the Alders collectively. Maybe it's that "anchors" and "a place to rest" are two different things? They could be the same, but maybe not always the same? Anyway, just mumbling out loud.
Thanks!
oh, I did make some changes and I think the image is improved, but the changes are subtle and I don't think will show well enough here that I decided not to repost. But the feedback was most certainly valuable and used!
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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 Dave Dillemuth on 12/11/17 at 8:57 pm EST
Registered on 12/10/15, 104 Posts, 1112 Comments
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Nicely seen, Lon. The soft light works wonderfully to bring out all the subtle colors and array of textures. Composition works well with the repeating trees anchored nicely in the golden grass. Only nit, which was already mentioned, is the URC. I might play around with burning down the brightness and/or doing a bit of cropping to minimize.
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Dave Dillemuth
Santa Barbara, California
davedillemuthphotography.smugmug.com
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Comment posted by Ed Lowe on 12/11/17 at 10:25 pm EST
Registered on 02/07/04, 414 Posts, 7115 Comments
Unseen by everyone but you and now we on NPN get to enjoy your vision, Lon. I am really liking the vertical lines of the tree trunks in the horizontal format here and the large version lets me wander and enjoy the multitude of textures and details. My only suggestion would be the already mentioned URC. Beautifully done.
Ed
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Comment posted by Anil Rao on 12/12/17 at 10:53 am EST
Registered on 11/15/03, 234 Posts, 4923 Comments
Lon, this had turned really well. What I like most is the complexity of the scene, which goes a long way in ensuring that the image has lasting effect. The muted colors depict the season perfectly.
Looking forward to more of your unique vision.
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Anil Rao
Santa Clara, California
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Comment posted by Ed McGuirk on 12/13/17 at 05:29 am EST
Registered on 11/29/17, 19 Posts, 260 Comments
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Lon, you are the master of stick season, for sure. I really like how you left a hint of the granite cliffs in the upper right, and the grass below, they really help to break up the pattern, and give your eye a reason to wander around a bit. I don't think they are anchors in the sense you discussed, but rather they are elements that make your eye move around the scene, and add some variety beyond just the trees.
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Comment posted by Mark Seaver on 12/13/17 at 09:36 am EST
Registered on 01/23/11, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments
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Lon, the warmth of the grass at the bottom sets the stage very well for the mix of subtle colors and bare trees in the upper parts. It's a fine late fall image. The colors in the grasses and in the leaves left on the trees look spot on to me. Our Montana yard is full of grasses like this and I love watching the colors change from golden glow to hay colored depending on the light's direction and intensity. I don't see the lack of a focal point as a problem. I see this as setting the somewhat nostalgic mood of a fine late autumn day.
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Mark Seaver
Burtonsville, MD & Emigrant, MT
seaverphotos.com
Weekly Challenge Moderator
Macro/Close Up Moderator |
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