Assignment: Still water

[Athena]

I consider it not a competition, but rather a challenge to get out and make a photo. But we can say assignment if you like.

[Rense]

Originally Posted by Athena

I consider it not a competition, but rather a challenge to get out and make a photo. But we can say assignment if you like.

ah, I see. All those subtle differences in languages is playing me havoc here.
Here is my try:

[mcbit]

Originally Posted by Mr P

May I have a go, too?

Mr P

Feel free Mr P

[dryadsdad]

Originally Posted by Rense

would darken th top side a bit to get more harmony.

This is interesting to me. The 'light' areas on top and the sides were put there by me in PP. It is supposed to emulate fog. I did this because the scene was uninteresting as shot. So I decided to add some 'mystery'. If I left the fog out, the 'harmony' is there automatically.

So much for my try at artistic effect.

[dryadsdad]

Originally Posted by Rense

ah, I see. All those subtle differences in languages is playing me havoc here.
Thanks for putting up the orginal, will try it later.

When I started this, I too thought "challenge" was synonymous (means the same but different word) as "competition". This is why I would not post if I felt my "entry" wasn't up to the standards of the challenge so far. Someone put me right that even sub par entries are welcome. From then on, I felt comfortable entering even when others had made clearly superior entries before me.

In standard English, "challenge" is defined as a competition primarily. It may be a competition against yourself (I have made a challenge to myself to run a marathon in under 3 hours) or against someone else "I challenge you to a fight". It can be "I challenge you to go out and take a picture of still water" but the element of competition remains even in a slight form in the last example.

I see nothing wrong with calling these threads challenges as long as it's clear to newcomers that the challenge is for them to do their best with themselves as the standard rather than they are challenged to outdo all other entrants.

[Rense]

... and thats why I preferred the term assignment, a bit schoolish/childish maybe but the main thing is you got an opportunity to learn something .

[Rense]

Originally Posted by dryadsdad

This is interesting to me. The 'light' areas on top and the sides were put there by me in PP. It is supposed to emulate fog. I did this because the scene was uninteresting as shot. So I decided to add some 'mystery'. If I left the fog out, the 'harmony' is there automatically.

So much for my try at artistic effect.

+ show the harmony please.

[Rense]

A bit oof, but I liked the pattern. Taken with jupiter 21-M 200mm f/4.0:

[Mr P]

Originally Posted by mcbit

Trying to draw attention to the pond

Here's the original, see what you can do with it

Here's my two-penn'orth to put the attention on the pool (and the bathers) but I'm not sure it's much of a success



Mr P

[dryadsdad]

Originally Posted by Rense

+ show the harmony please.

Here is a reprocess of the original RAW image. I cannot simply undo the fog step because I lost History when I saved the first image. So this is an approximation of what the foggy picture would have been like had I not added the fog step. I also modified the blue channel to make the scene a bit more atmospheric.

[DonT]

Originally Posted by Rense

very nice, could use a bit more overall contrast imho:

So I'm curious now. I have used the Spyder2 to celebrate my monitor for a couple of years now. Seems to be very close to the printrd results I get, but posting JPGs online will vary a little, both in contrast and color. Is there a standard or suggested method of JPG conversion that more consistent than others for the web?

BTW: The contrast was a little strong. Some of the gradients/tonal range was lost, but some levels adjustments might be needed.

[Rense]

Originally Posted by dryadsdad

Here is a reprocess of the original RAW image. I cannot simply undo the fog step because I lost History when I saved the first image. So this is an approximation of what the foggy picture would have been like had I not added the fog step. I also modified the blue channel to make the scene a bit more atmospheric.

like this much more. You've got a natural,balanced image with high impact here.

[dryadsdad]

Originally Posted by Rense

like this much more. You've got a natural,balanced image with high impact here.

I wasn't happy with it due to the tangle of branches rather than a few strong ones. That's why I put in the fog - to block some of the brambles in the distance. I can see your point, but to me, it's still not an image I am happy with.

I took it on my first day out. My range is very limited so my subjects are as well.

[loeee]

This was a relatively straightforward photo of the reflections in a ditch. Somehow, the B&W version is more disorienting and even, for me, a bit disturbing. The reflections are in focus, but rippled because of the breeze; the ground is OoF.

[peterst6906]

Not really a photograph of still water at all, but I'm posting it anyway:



Regards,

Peter

[peterst6906]

Originally Posted by loeee

This was a relatively straightforward photo of the reflections in a ditch. Somehow, the B&W version is more disorienting and even, for me, a bit disturbing. The reflections are in focus, but rippled because of the breeze; the ground is OoF.

I love that loeee.

[dryadsdad]

Originally Posted by loeee

This was a relatively straightforward photo of the reflections in a ditch. Somehow, the B&W version is more disorienting and even, for me, a bit disturbing. The reflections are in focus, but rippled because of the breeze; the ground is OoF.

I think the disorientation is due to us switching our POV on the conversion from vertically oriented to horizontally oriented. The eye can't make up its mind if it's a perspective shot where the vanishing point is in the distance or over the top. That's my guess.

[Rense]

Here is my last one captioned slow water:

[MiPr]

Caustics

[MiPr]

Atlant