Please share your immediate response to the image before reading the photographer’s intent (obscured text below) or other comments. The photographer seeks a genuinely unbiased first impression.
Questions to guide your feedback
I had certain compositions in mind but the tide had gone out and the sand had dried and lost the sparkle that wetness gave it. However, the large rocks dried unevenly and left intriguing shapes.
Other Information
Please leave your feedback before viewing the blurred information below, once you have replied, click to reveal the text and see if your assessment aligns with the photographer. Remember, this if for their benefit to learn what your unbiased reaction is.
Image Description
I was intrigued by the shape. During processing it seemed to me that the shape become more clear when I removed all color. I have gone back to this image over and over and have decided it’s worth posting.
Technical Details
GFX50R, f/11, iso 200, focus stacked.
Specific Feedback
I am interested mostly in conceptual and emotional feedback. Although all feedback is welcome.
My immediate reaction was Wow-- wonderful shapes, evocative of Sumi-e!! When I enlarged it I almost expected to find fine filaments of draped seaweed. Seeing that the shapes were variability in moisture (I assume) was a very pleasant surprise. The small lighter shape near the UR border distracts me a bit – too close to the edge. For me, the sand grain texture is a distraction from the primary interest, which is wonderfully mysterious. I wonder about cloning it over with the texture/tonality of the darker rock. Then it could somewhat mirror the UR area.
My reaction is probably best summarized by the fact that I had to look up what Sumi-e was; I somewhat feel there is a deeper meaning here that I’m missing. (I wasn’t helped by a first glance at thumbnail size, where my thought was “That looks like a portly person photocopied their backside.”)
Setting juvenile thoughts aside though, I appreciate the contrast of the dry and wet and the built in vignette it gives. The coarse sand helps ground the image for me; without it I think the photo would be too abstract. My favorite part is the texture of the folds in the rock; this is where my eye stops to linger and enjoy.
Did I ever mention that I am a huge Weston fan? I didn’t see anything worth liking when I first found this in one of the daybooks. But it stayed with me. It’s his son, I think.
Ok, my first reaction was that this is very evocative of a butt crack. That may actually be your intention. The upper right corner pulls my eye because its quite a bit darker than the rest of the image and the diagonal in the LRC pulls my eye out of the frame. I do like all of the lines in this image and the imagination can go quite wild here. But I stick with my original reaction of a butt crack. Interesting. I keep coming back to this one which is, in and of itself, what art is all about.
Ok, now on to read other comments and your thoughts on this.
So I read your comments on this and you don’t reveal yet what your thoughts are about this image. In keeping with my thoughts on this image I would say that there is a certain vulnerability represented by it. I like it because it has made me think more than most images posted of obvious things.
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And now, after reading others comments, and your own comment, I think I see your vision with this. Maybe. Let us know.
Ditto. It’s partly because I can’t unsee the butt crack (your follow up post was definitely not helpful in that regard @Igor_Doncov), but mostly because Igor is one of the better photographers I know for thinking outside the box and he typically posts with deep intent. It’s been fun to puzzle over this one.
This image is like when I first met someone with heterochromia. At first glance you think think that’s different, then you find you keep stealing glances, and eventually you end up wishing you could have heterochromia…
Have you noticed how some of the more senior members have avoided commenting? I guess the subject was too controversial. Lol. Perhaps it is just a bum. It’s a beautiful one none the less.
I don’t know the Weston shot, but my first impression was it reminded me of a back. It is so smooth, and the nature vingetting of the damp around the outside really adds to it. It’s a lovely image.
I agree. It looks like a back sitting turned away from you. It’s not completely right because parts are where they shouldn’t be anatomically. I think that’s part of what I find interesting. The rest is that the rock surface has the feel of a human body to my way of thinking. Much as a statue does. In fact this image has much in common with a statue now that I think of it. I’m really looing forward to printing it when I get back.
), but mostly because Igor is one of the better photographers I know for thinking outside the box and he typically posts with deep intent. It’s been fun to puzzle over this one.