Rock and a hard place +rp

Gallery: LandscapePosted June 30, 2012390 views30 comments

or for lack of a better title...

Thanks for your thoughts and comments on my previous post. This one differs in the sense that it's pretty straight forward. No crops to consider, no special vision or seeing, just a straight image of granite and water.

I've posted the color version for the larger view, but I think I'm leaning to the b&w version. Not quite satisfied with the colors yet. What say you? All comments welcomed and appreciated.

BTW, this is very similar to Harley's version that he posted a few weeks back. There were four of us focusing on this granite wall below the Royal Arch in Yosemite back in May.

4x5, 300mm, V100F, f/22 @10s, PL

Thanks!

Lon

Comments

30 comments

Comment posted by Jeremy Cram on June 30, 2012 at 4:25 PM

I really like this. It has a great metallic feel to it, so I think the b&w was a perfect choice. The comp is very nice and if I had to make a suggestion, it was be to punch the blacks and whites just a smidge. Too much and you lose that metallic feeling that I like, but I do feel it might improve it.

Registered on June 4, 2006, 204 Posts, 818 Comments

Comment posted by Youssef Ismail on June 30, 2012 at 5:23 PM

I like the B&W version better. But after that, this photo is not resonating with me. It feels to cramped or that the wrong perspective was taken

Registered on November 1, 2003, 474 Posts, 5555 Comments

Comment posted by Nancy Lea Sandy on June 30, 2012 at 5:32 PM

I like the b&w better but, given a choice, I almost always prefer it over color. The water has a nice flow to it and holds my attention well. It's definitely the stronger element for me. (Strangely) the rocks seem a little too subordinate. I like the comp though.

Registered on January 24, 2011, 576 Posts, 6942 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Overacker on June 30, 2012 at 6:13 PM

Thanks Nick. Here's a re-worked version. A little higher contrast and tried to set the white pt a little brighter too. also, a narrower crop. Thanks for the suggestion.

Thanks Youssef. I kinda have an uneasy feeling about this one too. Probably more about the metalic sheen Nick referred to and less about composition and emotional appeal or impact.

Lon

Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments

Comment posted by Nick Bristol on June 30, 2012 at 6:24 PM

Lon, I like this alot, and especially the b/w. I think it is a wonderful image. The detail and textures are fantastic! A close call for me but I do like the crop and overall look of the repost best! The bit tighter crop seems to work well and I like the brighter looking water. Very nice!

Nick Bristol
Lone Rock, WI

Registered on February 1, 2004, 752 Posts, 14140 Comments

Comment posted by John Williams on June 30, 2012 at 6:28 PM

This one surprised me. I thought BW for sure, but when I opened the large version I really like how subtle the color is. I'd have to vote for that one. I love the comp and how you caught the water.

Registered on September 6, 2007, 221 Posts, 5985 Comments

Comment posted by Nathan Apodaca on June 30, 2012 at 6:39 PM

Very nice image, Lon! The re-post is great, and I love the B+W. Wonder what dodging/brightening the very background water might do for this? The crop is also good, removing a few distracting dark spots...

Registered on November 16, 2011, 67 Posts, 1127 Comments

Comment posted by Danny Laureys on June 30, 2012 at 8:32 PM

Really like the repost a lot, I was also surprised at the color in the larger version.

Registered on January 5, 2008, 590 Posts, 1261 Comments

Comment posted by Tony Kuyper on June 30, 2012 at 9:13 PM

Definitely the second one. The tighter comp works better. Puts the emphasis a little more on the water and livens of the scene. The right side was a bit monotonous in the original, or maybe just too eye-drawing. It feels like I'm actually seeing a bigger scene in the cropped version as I'm enjoying the other elements more.

Registered on November 1, 2003, 364 Posts, 22328 Comments

Comment posted by Eva McDermott on June 30, 2012 at 10:13 PM

The B&W repost works best for me Lon. The metallic, silvery sheen and tighter comp are very fine and down right stunning.

Registered on January 4, 2009, 1015 Posts, 13229 Comments

Comment posted by Rob Graham on June 30, 2012 at 10:51 PM

Very nice, Lon. The repost is much better, IMO. The narrower crop makes it feel longer. The B/W works well, but I do like the soft colors in the color image.

Registered on August 22, 2006, 842 Posts, 2824 Comments

Comment posted by Paul Breitkreuz on June 30, 2012 at 11:41 PM

WOW, the reworked image is stunning, Lon. Although I always lean towards the color version(s) in most cases, the higher contrast along with the crop of the B&W version really makes for a very nice image.

Registered on February 25, 2006, 525 Posts, 8448 Comments

Comment posted by Nicolaus Wegner on June 30, 2012 at 11:43 PM

Of all of them I like the repost the best. The metallic feel in the rocks works better I suppose.

Registered on February 21, 2010, 133 Posts, 1509 Comments

Comment posted by Joseph Campisi on July 1, 2012 at 3:22 AM

The crop works best for me Lon, and I love the metallic quality of this. The color version is nice as well, but I think the B&W version really showcases the shapes and textures here.

Registered on November 24, 2008, 304 Posts, 3211 Comments

Comment posted by Peter Richter on July 1, 2012 at 4:53 AM

Lon, your composition is straight, elegant and convincing to me.

I am prone to prefer the color version because of its almost monochromatic character. I would not want to miss the subtle color shades, they just make the difference for me in this image. Regarding the crop, the stronger asymmetry in the first version has a lot of tension for me, and the fluvial traces at the right balance the falls nicely in my opinion.

Peter

Registered on November 10, 2010, 218 Posts, 2723 Comments

Comment posted by Paul Gasior on July 1, 2012 at 2:18 PM

Beautiful
B/W works best. Good eye nice composition

Registered on March 7, 2010, 99 Posts, 502 Comments

Comment posted by Vance Gese on July 1, 2012 at 7:28 PM

While I thoroughly enjoy the textural quality and tonal beauty of the b/w, the color version for me nails it. The variation in tones in the color version are really wonderful as is the 'wetness' of the rock that you have achieved. And you still have that amazing texture in the rock as well. Beautifully done, Lon.

Registered on November 13, 2008, 298 Posts, 6629 Comments

Comment posted by Vlad Sadovsky on July 1, 2012 at 8:11 PM

Cropped version works better in my eye , Lon - the original felt unbalanced with too much rock texture. Subjectively i would like a bit of rock on the left as well to show complementary textures.

For me B&W vs color was close contest, but in the end subtlety of greens in color won out. Just a wonderful feel.

Registered on November 12, 2010, 48 Posts, 358 Comments

Comment posted by Lon Overacker on July 1, 2012 at 8:52 PM

Thank you everyone for your comments, observations and suggestions. Ya know, the diversity of comments and preferences really just confirms how we're all different, we all see and react different to images and scenes before us. I'm still on the fence with this one which is why I struggle in working on this one. If you don't have an idea of what you like about an image, it's that much more difficult to know what to work on. I think I'll just leave it alone for a while.

thanks again!

Lon

Registered on November 24, 2006, 521 Posts, 19147 Comments

Comment posted by Harry Lichtman on July 1, 2012 at 9:37 PM

I just want to touch this one! Very tactile feel to it. The added contrast to the repost does make it pop!

Registered on September 17, 2010, 304 Posts, 3507 Comments

Comment posted by David Edwards on July 3, 2012 at 2:57 AM

Another beauty Lon. I like the reworked repost with the crop and extra contrast.

Registered on December 6, 2008, 142 Posts, 2623 Comments

Comment posted by Alister Benn on July 3, 2012 at 7:29 AM

Sweet Lon.... I love the Zen-like feel to it... I have some thinking to do :-)

Registered on June 9, 2011, 23 Posts, 258 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on July 4, 2012 at 4:34 PM

Man, am I digging those tones! Excellent silver tones always get me. Mostly because I can't find a way to bring them out.

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by Doug Koepsel on July 4, 2012 at 4:44 PM

The repost of the B&W addressed the concerns, imo. I prefer the color version over the B&W and would opt for a slight RH crop for it also.

Registered on April 1, 2010, 196 Posts, 1592 Comments

Comment posted by Cliff Dodge on July 4, 2012 at 6:01 PM

The second one and the colored one.

Registered on March 25, 2006, 125 Posts, 507 Comments

Comment posted by Catherine Reilly on July 4, 2012 at 6:52 PM

I think the color version gives it more dimension and character, Lon. This is so expressive of how water will find its own way through the cracks and crevices of rock faces. It has a tranquil feels to it.

Registered on August 16, 2006, 603 Posts, 9192 Comments

Comment posted by Harley Goldman on July 4, 2012 at 8:43 PM

This turned out excellent Lon. Good job on the repost, too.

Registered on November 19, 2003, 586 Posts, 11271 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Chambers on July 5, 2012 at 11:36 AM

Thought the original was just fine, but I do like the repost even better. Love the texture and sheen on the wall, and excellent composition.

Registered on April 10, 2005, 753 Posts, 21216 Comments

Comment posted by Gary McGhee on July 5, 2012 at 2:51 PM

I prefer the comp in the first shot Lon but the contrast in the second. Either way they are both great. The detail in the larger upload is excellent.

Cheers, Gary.

Registered on April 15, 2010, 142 Posts, 2416 Comments

Comment posted by Oleg Kuchorenko on July 22, 2012 at 3:02 PM

Nice !! looks very stylish and is strictly! beautiful comp, in b/w colors looks perfect !

Registered on July 2, 2012, 9 Posts, 111 Comments