Nature Photographers Network
This is the preserved archive of the original Nature Photographers Network. The community continues at naturephotographers.network.
Title Me
‹ PreviousLandscape GalleryNext ›

Title Me

by Lon Overacker

Gallery: LandscapePosted August 18, 2010348 views34 comments
Here's a somewhat abstract image of yet another cascade/waterfall on Deadman's Creek on the Sonora Pass. Not only am I looking for a title, but also I have a number of crops both color and b&w that I can't decide on which one(s) will make it to my website permanently. I've put these options up on Picasa and for those who have a moment I would appreciate any thoughts on choosing say a color and a b&w. This also has a version that is just a straight version of the original scan so you can see where the image came from.

Now with the title, this is a slight delaying tactic on my part because I'm hoping you will form an impression of the image and even perhaps suggest a title before I influence your impression with a couple of sentences at the end...

So, have you ever looked at a scene, captured it, worked on and then have someone come up to you and say something like, hey, that looks like a fill in the blank?? Well I had been working on this one and spent quite a bit of time working on it when my wife walks in and says, "What's that? It looks like the head of a bear!" And dang it, if I can't get the image of a grizzly's head out of my mind now. She's always finding things in my images that I don't see. It's uncanny.

So my question is, did you see this before I wrote that comment about the bear's head? Or were you influenced to think that because of the words??? Interesting eh?

Anyway... I would greatly appreciate any comments or impressions, especially even if the image works or doesn't work for you.

4x5, 450mm, V100, f/64 @ 4s
the larger version is a different crop, b&w

Thanks folks!

Lon

Comments

34 comments
Comment posted by dean hebert on August 18, 2010 at 8:33 PM
Gorgeous! The simplicity and lines work great for me. :toast:
Registered on August 4, 2010, 70 Posts, 1132 Comments
Comment posted by Rudy Ruberti on August 18, 2010 at 8:48 PM
I didn't notice the bear head and I looked at it for awhile before I finished reading your post. Once I noticed the bear head, it seemed to take away from the other great forms in the scene. I like this a lot, but wouldn't name it "The Bear's Head." And yes, my wife does that to me, too.
Registered on October 28, 2008, 179 Posts, 1875 Comments
Comment posted by Dan Baumbach on August 18, 2010 at 8:49 PM
I like the full frame color version best. The color is a little flat. I'd like to see some more saturation.

- Dan.
Registered on November 1, 2003, 473 Posts, 7980 Comments
Comment posted by Morris McClung on August 18, 2010 at 8:49 PM
Didn't see it until I got to the part in your post. And now, I can't see anything but the bear's head either. I like it if for no other reason than the light and texture contrast. Maybe "Bear's Bath."
Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments
Comment posted by Nick Bristol on August 18, 2010 at 8:56 PM
This is wonderful. I really like the small version much better than the large b/w one. This is quite beautiful to look at. Not to many pictures grab me the way this one did when I first looked at it. I see the bear and now have it in my head also. Didn't see it before however. Really nice depth, shadow and light!
I love this comp and imo it is a superb image. I don't have a title yet :rolleyes:

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI
Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments
Comment posted by Youssef Ismail on August 18, 2010 at 9:04 PM
Lon,

Of all the variations, I thin this one you posted here is the best. I did not see the bear head before you mentioned it and it still does not impress upon me. I like that abstract nature of the image but overall its just not spinning my Beanie.
Registered on November 1, 2003, 474 Posts, 5555 Comments
Comment posted by Ricardo La Piettra on August 18, 2010 at 9:50 PM
Love the shadow and highlights play here Lon, simple and powerful image.
Registered on July 22, 2009, 62 Posts, 730 Comments
Comment posted by Harley Goldman on August 18, 2010 at 10:38 PM
You should never had mentioned the bear head. I was not kidding when I told you that after hearing about the bear head, that is all I see. It is tough to get past that visual concept. You already know all my opinions. :biggrin:
Registered on November 19, 2003, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments
Comment posted by Kah Kit Yoong on August 19, 2010 at 12:48 AM
Didn't see the bear head initially but the shapes look like some piece of modern furniture or scupture. I could see this hanging in some cool minimalist interior. Beautiful to look at - I love it!
Registered on September 27, 2006, 636 Posts, 10682 Comments
Comment posted by John Williams on August 19, 2010 at 1:12 AM
I did notice the animal head resemblance, although I was thinking hog or dog. Therefore, I recommend "muzzle puzzle." :wink:

Regardless, it works very well and is a beautiful tight falls photo.
Registered on September 6, 2007, 221 Posts, 5985 Comments
Comment posted by Anil Rao on August 19, 2010 at 1:46 AM
A stunning take on this waterfall. I specially love the contrast between the strong texture in the rock and the silky smooth water.

Looks like you guys had a great time up in Sonora Pass. :toast:
Registered on November 15, 2003, 234 Posts, 4923 Comments
Comment posted by Andrew Finlayson on August 19, 2010 at 1:58 AM
Really lovely shot. I prefer the simplicity of the tighter crop and quite like the subtle hues the the color version has over the BW.

Magnificent shot.
Registered on July 29, 2010, 26 Posts, 404 Comments
Comment posted by Christer Johansson on August 19, 2010 at 3:56 AM
The square crop in color is my personal favourite Lon. A great capture it is and the abstract composition is great. Inspires me to go close up. Less i more is really true. Like the little rock thats is visible on the left side. Overall, great diagonal lines and perfect water.

:toast:
Registered on October 10, 2009, 50 Posts, 191 Comments
Comment posted by Rafael Rojas on August 19, 2010 at 4:54 AM
It seems the bear is salivating too much...Yogi looking for some meat pie?? :):)
Joking apart, great image. I am really enjoying these last abstract-minimalist essays you are doing with your heavy camera :) Really great...simple and however you can get lost into the images for hours. Congrats man ;-) :toast:
Registered on March 1, 2009, 56 Posts, 623 Comments
Comment posted by Patricia Brundage on August 19, 2010 at 6:10 AM
From the thumbnail I thought it was a bear drinking and was worried that he would sniff that black spot in front of his nose. The enlarged picture has great detail and contrast between the roughness of the rock and the smoothness of the water, but I can't get the bear back into the woods. The square comp includes more of the water and is my favorite.
Registered on March 23, 2006, 1111 Posts, 6531 Comments
Comment posted by Ron Pederson on August 19, 2010 at 7:01 AM
Very striking and powerful abstract. Nicely done. I didn't look at the others, but this one works for me. Yes, the "bear" is there, but doesn't seem overwhelming. As for a title, I'd say include the location, and the some reference to some aspect of the subject. How about: Clash In Deadman's Mist? I see epic battle on the right. Oh well, just a thought...

RP
Registered on August 12, 2010, 29 Posts, 108 Comments
Comment posted by Matt Anderson on August 19, 2010 at 8:37 AM
I see a bear! lol
I like the draping of water around the textured and worn rock.
I think it deserves a one word title like "Worn", "Balance", "Draped", or "Bear-Grease"
:biggrin:
Registered on September 6, 2007, 346 Posts, 2696 Comments
Comment posted by Gabi Lach on August 19, 2010 at 8:43 AM
Great capture of contrasts! Not only in colors, but also smooth water vs. rough rock... it looks great. Oh, and yes, there is a bear. Very clever shot, Lon.
Registered on May 1, 2007, 101 Posts, 3187 Comments
Comment posted by Bill Chambers on August 19, 2010 at 9:05 AM
Never saw the bear until you mentioned it, but darned if it isn't there! No suggestion for a title, but I do like the deep texture of the rock.
Registered on April 10, 2005, 753 Posts, 21216 Comments
Comment posted by Arnab Banerjee on August 19, 2010 at 9:43 AM
Though I like the simplicity of this, this is not my favorite LO image. The reason is somewhat to do with the deep black void in the middle and reflection in the rock obscuring the details, but compositionally this is not moving me much. What about "The Embrace" as a title - as the solid and liquid matters are embracing a black nothingness in the middle :wink:
Registered on January 3, 2007, 313 Posts, 2270 Comments
Comment posted by Doug Koepsel on August 19, 2010 at 10:59 AM
Lon, I did not see a grizzly's head until you mentioned it.
The water flow and especially the small one in the corner of the bear's mouth lead my eyes to the black abyss. I keep looking for more detail in the black; maybe that is what make this image intriguing to me.
Registered on April 1, 2010, 196 Posts, 1592 Comments
Comment posted by Bruce King on August 19, 2010 at 11:18 AM
Hey Lon, I like the small version as posted but the color sq crop is a close 2nd. I tend to title images based on their most appealing elements. If this were mine I might call it "Texture in Flow". But that's just me. Beautiful image, well done.

BTW my white rose macro "Ice Cave" got its title just like your "Bear". :smile:
Registered on January 14, 2010, 276 Posts, 2212 Comments
Comment posted by Phil Pogledich on August 19, 2010 at 11:48 AM
I like this and also the b&w crop (No. 6) . . . probably a slight preference for the color version (as posted above) because of the gold tones of the right-hand boulder. I'm terrible at titles but generally think that including any sort of "bear" element in the title would diminish the image a bit. The image is a study of a small part of this waterfall, and it includes enough of a background to give the viewer a greater sense of the whole. That's why it's cool. At least for me, the image is not defined at all by the vague resemblance of the main boulder to a bear's head . . . there's a lot more here to be appreciated.
Registered on August 24, 2009, 123 Posts, 3099 Comments
Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on August 19, 2010 at 1:29 PM
The wet rock looks more metal than stone to me. Haven't read below, but "Grizzly Head Falls" not only names the image but could also name the falls if it doesn't have a name yet. Absolutely fantastic image. I just love abstracts and this is one of the best.
Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments
Comment posted by Catherine Reilly on August 19, 2010 at 3:41 PM
Looks like Bear is brushing something from its nose with a paw. I didn't pick up the bear's head at all, Lon. So I was influenced to look for it and can see a resemblance.

As to the photo... I think the water is too silky. But you said you were going for an abstract and in that vein the image sure makes me look and ponder.
Registered on August 16, 2006, 603 Posts, 9192 Comments
Comment posted by Kyle L. Krause on August 19, 2010 at 8:27 PM
Hey Lon,
I think Joann needs to help more often with the titles. She has been doing that for years with your images, great find Joann :biggrin: Beauitful image, it has a soothing feel to it. I like the color version. Great job Lon :wink:
Registered on June 15, 2010, 29 Posts, 605 Comments
Comment posted by Mark Metternich on August 19, 2010 at 9:51 PM
NICE! :toast:
Registered on June 19, 2009, 276 Posts, 6240 Comments
Comment posted by Nicolaus Wegner on August 19, 2010 at 9:54 PM
Looks like a drooling bear to me Lon! Perhaps Dear Brool would be a wonderful title? Kidding, that's more my style.

Seriously, cool photo, this one works well for me. It's a very intimate scene with all sorts of possible shapes if you let your imagination roll with it. Great work!

By the way, the comp with more of the right showing is cool too, even more bearish.

By the way, saw my first grizzly and her 2 cubs today driving home from the Tetons. About 25 miles outside of Dubois. Go figure I see them off the road after spending so much time in the backcountry. I consider it luck. ;]
Registered on February 21, 2010, 133 Posts, 1509 Comments
Comment posted by Eva McDermott on August 19, 2010 at 11:00 PM
It does look like a head of a bear with another snuggling up to it...... (touche if you remember my coyote of Antelope Canyon). I did see the first but took me a while to see the second snout.
Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments
Comment posted by Lon Overacker on August 20, 2010 at 1:01 AM
Thanks for all the response folks. Looks like a mixed bag of opinions so I don't see any of these as really standing out. But I will most very likely keep the word bear out of the title. I'm thinking something along the lines of "Granite Veil" or something like that.

Anyway, I appreciate the honest responses. Thanks!

Lon
Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments
Comment posted by Mike Bohlander on August 20, 2010 at 1:45 AM
I like this intimate capture of the falls Lon. I see the bear's head now that you mention it, but when I saw you were looking for a title I thought "over the brink". Very compelling image!
Registered on August 22, 2008, 14 Posts, 125 Comments
Comment posted by Jorne de Bruin on August 20, 2010 at 7:24 AM
Amazing image! Love the simplicity here! :wavey:
Registered on June 26, 2008, 178 Posts, 2136 Comments
Comment posted by Ant on August 20, 2010 at 10:53 AM
splendid, simple and extremely evocative image. I like this version - looked at the others - because I think it conveys the full sense of the scene... I especially like the constrast between the tough, steady rock and the fluent motion of water, and the balance between the areas of steadiness and motion (that's why I like this version better). And the little rivulet on the right is a perfect addition...
Registered on April 13, 2009, 27 Posts, 474 Comments
Comment posted by Michael R Reynolds on August 22, 2010 at 1:02 AM
Lon,
I think I saw this image over on CANP, where I commented on the various versions. Anyway, this is a excellent image. Love the composition and I do see the "Bear." Best regards.
Registered on February 26, 2008, 54 Posts, 812 Comments