Project Images
Gallery Overview
Individual Images
Image 1
Image 2
Image 3
Image 4
Project Description
A common photographic practice of mine is to explore the subject photographically. That is, I look at the subject from many angles around it, above and below it, through it, within a wider context (wide angle) and from a distance with a telephoto. It’s visual exploration and experimentation and yields a diversity of images that explores a subject: it’s a project.
Self Critique
With this small project, I was drawn to the pre-dawn blue light reflecting in the small stream deep within a thicket of young willows that contrast with the orange and tan branches and dormant leaves. By positioning my camera within close range and adjusting the focus in small increments between frames, a kaleidoscopic effect sliced through the chaos to simplify the compositions, each different from the next.
I rather love the effects. I don’t need to see all parts in focus; the eye and mind complete the scene while my eye moves through the frame.
Creative Direction
With this little project, I want to show that chaos is something to embrace rather than avoid. Exploring the subject through a wide range of compositions and techniques offers a great benefit to both the results and development of vision.
Specific Feedback
Any and all feedback is welcome. Specifically, I’d love to know if this practice of exploring the subject as I describe it is something you employ and what successes and challenges you’ve experienced with it as well as any suggestions for furthering the practice.
Intent of the project
Additional Details: The intent of this project is to include it as a Quattro (set of four images) in my monthly pdf of image essays sent to subscribers. I like the four-image sets of themed images as they challenge me to show either a tightly unified set of images or brief but comprehensive exploration of a subject. I like to present them as a 2x2 grid.
Here, here! It would be great to see more “fine art” landscape photographers embrace the chaos (there are folks out there that do embrace the chaos, but I don’t think they’re aiming for a fine-art audience). It seems like the most popular photos in the small-scene genre are totally perfect - no stray bits, OOF areas, etc. Many feel soul-less to me (perhaps that’s lobbing a bomb). So, I love your approach. I find the “shooting through” technique to be really interesting. It’s something I do periodically.
With this set, the blue is to die for. A really nice shade and saturation. I think there are a couple little bits that are distracting, tonality-wise. In the first image, the twigs in the LLC and the leaves on the right catch my eye and draw me away from the center of the frame.
Same in the second photo, with the lightest bits, and maybe that lighter/different colored OOF shape in the LL quadrant.
Just checked out your webpage - very nice! I like your pdf books. You’ve clearly put a lot of work into your webpage and presentations!
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Wow, @Bonnie_Lampley, I’m so grateful for the time you spent with this critique and on my website. It means a lot to me because I admire your photography so very much. Thank you!
That blue is almost straight raw. I love it too! It’s a pre-dawn reflection of the blue sky at Colorado altitude that I’ve become so fond of in many of my best images.
I’ve also become fond of the shoot-through technique for the reasons you state and have included several in my latest monthly pdf, now published on my website. I’d love for you to check it out, here, if you have the time: Field Notes #4. And you are right, I put a lot of effort into my website and pdfs - the most time of anything I do.
I’ve grown to embrace the chaos as long as there is a strong design organization to the composition. It can’t just be chaos. And I don’t disagree with you about the “perfect” small-scene images so popular today. They may do well in competitions, but I refuse to believe in perfection.
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