Another from the thorn-scape series. This is an agave next to a street in my neighborhood. I went with monochrome and a more high-key appearance, but it’s somewhat difficult to find the right balance of these lighter grays.
Specific Feedback Requested
The debris the accumulates in the center of these plants is unavoidable, but I think the black and white makes it less distracting. Curious if it bothers anyone?
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
This is 3 or 4 images focus-blended in Photoshop.
This has an opposite feel of the others you’ve done. Almost as if it’s a negative or an infrared photo. It definitely makes me look twice for that. There is a slight lightening of the grays toward the center (younger leaves I suppose) and you might try enhancing that a little.
Cool agave, Tony. I took it a very different direction, which may not meld well with your vision? I am throwing it out there just for the heck of it. This was quick and dirty but I like it.
Tony: I definitely like the high key approach. The center stuff is of no consequence at all IMO. I also like Harley’s rework. Just goes to show how the same subject can produce such disparate results. Top notch shot. >=))>
The rework is really interesting, @Harley_Goldman. I was concerned about the debris in the middle blending in and found the high-key treatment seemed to do that. However, it’s an interesting direction to only work on the edge from there. Will definitely play with this approach and see where it goes. Thank you.
Added the @Harley_Goldman concept to the image and very much like this alternative also. The prickly parts stand out a lot better. I seriously would NOT have considered something this radical without the feedback here. I appreciate being prodded to try something different. I’m out of printing paper at the moment, so this may yet change once I see the print, but I like where it’s going.
This looks great, Tony. Not only do the prickly parts stand out a lot better but the radiating look really jumps way out in the image. It is a very captivating effect.
Much prefer your rework as it gives so much more depth to the image. A middle ground between the high key and the rework would probably be my preferred stop point, but it is, of course, the vision of the maker. Wish I had a few succulents to photograph.
Beautiful image! I liked the first one a lot, and then seeing the re-works,. They get better and better. I love the sharpness and standing out of the prickly spines makes the image pop up. There are so many ways of presenting an image, and in this case all of them are pleasing.
