REWORK (started over):
ORIGINAL:
When I saw this scene, I immediately thought of a comet and its tail.
Any critique welcome. This is my first attempt at a duotone b&w. Compared to toning using a luminosity mask + solid color layer, I was able to get more contrast (which I wanted for this image).
Is this a composite: No
a7r3, 28mm, f/8, 1/90s, ISO 400, hand held.
I like the comet effect, Bonnie! I do wish there was some sort of detail (ripples or reflections or something) in the water though as it just looks flat & blown out.
Bonnie, the tail (or trail…) leading in from the bottom works very well at pulling my eyes to the pool and shell. From a natural history perspective, it would be nice to be able to tell what the black dot is, but as an abstract view, the long tail leading to the black dot and white surroundings is nicely dramatic. Have you looked at a version where you crop at the top of the pool?
This is wonderful, Bonnie! Such a terrific arrangement of textures and lights & darks. It does look like a comet. I did a little scroll crop to eliminate the water just where it is pinched off and I think it strengthens and simplifies the composition which is already pretty great to begin with.
Hi Bonnie! I love, love, love this image it’s so cool! You might have already thought of this or tried it but what about rotating it?.. Kind of like this…I tried to make it go a little more facing downward by moving the horizon wheel (not sure what it’s called) but it made the black stone or whatever it is leave the frame…
Excellent find, Bonnie! I do like @Kris_Smith’s idea of a slight crop from the top – it gives a more abstract composition. The duotone worked well!
Thank you, @Gary_Minish, @Mark_Seaver, @Kris_Smith, @Vanessa_Hill, and @Diane_Miller for your thoughts. I incorporated your ideas into a rework. It definitely looks better with the top cropped off a bit.
There wasn’t much detail in the water to start with, and I deliberately made it bright to contrast with the rock. I tried pulling out more detail (see the rework), but didn’t darken it too much.
I liked the length of the tail, moving up through the frame, rather than a horizontal frame. It might work better flipped horizontally, though, around the long axis, which is what I did for the rework.
I really like the rework! Great capture and great work!
