Striking image, Harley. I like the way the tonalities and forms of the sky and of the snow work together so wonderfully. And the tree really pops out with its own higher contrast.
Vaughn
Striking image, Harley. I like the way the tonalities and forms of the sky and of the snow work together so wonderfully. And the tree really pops out with its own higher contrast.
Vaughn
--Originally Posted by Harley Goldman
Harley Goldman: Mojave Desert With Snowfall
Harley,
I like your picture. It stands out for its precision and fullness in drawing this well chosen desert scene. Was there any special processing? The shading in the clouds and the tree is so very dimensional, The fine details of the grasses are sharp. This level of craft is often seen in the best HDR work with digital photography. Your work with film is impressive. Was this a scanned negative processed in Photoshop or is this just darkroom processed?
This is a well designed framing of a white tree in a composition where the perimeter gets darker by gradient or by a pattern in grasses and dark soil. That alone, enhances our interest on this already distinguished bare tree.
But there's an extra design element that adds a boost to the dynamic of the image. It's in the unusual but simple framing. Almost always, a dark border imprisons an image and conflicts with its lightness and ability to dominate a wall. That's why large white mattes work so well. Here, however, your use of an intervening fine white line, while surprising to me, seems to recapitulate the radial transition from white to dark but in a more definitive manner.
Despite my praise of your instinct in this unique framing, I really believe that a white matte will do the picture justice and allow it to breathe.
Kudos,
Asher
Asher and Vaughn, thanks for the comments.
Asher, for this particular image I used Velvia 50 and converted it in PS. Other than using conversion sliders, use of curves for dodging and burning, etc, nothing unusual was done in the processing. I don't have access to a darkroom, so all my film is scanned and printing digitally. I very much appreciate the feedback!!
BANG--now THAT's what I"m talkin' 'bout.
Harley--mister---that pic really does it for me--magnifique...it just works...no way to go into any dissection of it--you know it when you see it.
+1 Well done!
Works nicely for me, Mr. Harley! I love that tree!
Just curious, but I wonder how the character of this would change if the values of the snow were brought up just a tad?
--P
Preston-Columbia CA
"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; that comes a little cheaper."
Preston, I looked at brightening the snow when I was processing the image. I found the brighter value tended to draw attention away from the tree, which I intended to stand out in the scene. Much appreciate the input, though!
Thanks, Harley. It is a lovely photograph!
--P
Preston-Columbia CA
"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; that comes a little cheaper."
Harley Goldman: Mojave Desert With Snowfall
Harley,
I figured that this is what you did but didn't want to offend a possible genuine wet-darkroom master! This level of craftsmanship would be unusual for real photographic print work and the transitions do seem sharper. I'd love to see your picture printed by the best wet chemistry practitioners to see how it could shine in its own way. For sure it would be very different. (In fact, if you want, I'll make it a challenge in here to do just that.)
Asher
Asher, it would take a real wet printing master to print a Velvia 50 tranny in the darkroom to look like this picture.
Harley Goldman: Mojave Desert With Snowfall
Harley,
I figured that this is what you did but didn't want to offend a possible genuine wet-darkroom master! This level of craftsmanship would be unusual for real photographic print work and the transitions do seem sharper. I'd love to see your picture printed by the best wet chemistry practitioners to see how it could shine in its own way. For sure it would be very different. (In fact, if you want, I'll make it a challenge in here to do just that.)
Asher
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