Hi folks,
It’s been more than a couple of months since I last posted, and I have paddled many miles in the interim. I spent a month in the remote boreal paddling with my wife and then spent another week with an old “voyageur” friend in the less secluded but no less beautiful Algonquin Park. In addition to nourishing my soul, I came back from these journeys with more than 7,500 images. So, it has taken me a great deal of time to organize, catalogue, and cull from that load, those few that I feel are worth my time and energy to bring into the world. Learning to be a ruthless editor of my own work is proving to be a difficult but worthwhile practice.
Let me say that I am definitely from the “it’s not about the gear” school of photography. That being said, if our gear is chosen with intention and not just for the having of the latest and the greatest, it can have an enormous influence on the vision we have for our images. Before leaving on our backcountry trip, I purchased a new lens – (70-300mm/100-450mm full frame equivalent). My intention was to listen to what it had to say and do my best to let it teach me to see the world in a different way. Although I have only scratched the surface, my experience taking photographs on this trip has felt revelatory. I began not only to see the world in a different way but to start looking for things I’d never thought to look for before.
This photograph, I think, says something about where this journey is taking me. The long lens allows for a level of almost voyeuristic intimacy. This may be because of the way it flattens the depth of field but also may be because it encourages me to start looking deeper into the landscape in composing a picture.
In any case, I have a couple of questions that I would like to get feedback around both in terms of the contrast and the colour in this image. This was a morning of high cloud, mist, and diffuse light, a combination I really love. Thankfully it came through in the RAW image and I didn’t want to mess with that. Similarly, the colour was tonally muted leaning towards the blue and purple end of the spectrum. What I didn’t want to do in post was make this image “pop”. I wanted to avoid excessive contrast or pushing the colour. Even though the picture is complex, even chaotic in all that is going on, it has a stillness and intimacy I felt that morning that I wanted to express as a core experience for the reader. I desaturated the blue/purple in the rock quite a bit, leaving enough however, so as not to be jarring. I also added a bit of clarity to the rock and dark green grass while pushing the dehaze and clarity sliders to the left everywhere else. I think the blue, green, and yellow tones work well together but this colour palette is a bit new to me. I would appreciate feedback around those two areas in particular – contrast and colour – but would also appreciate any comments or critique concerning composition and balance.
Kerry, I love, love this image!! The colors are fantastic and blend in so well together. It’s a very interesting image and the grasses are delightful. The reflections just add so much more beauty. Great shot. This is a tiny, weeny suggestion, but there is one grass located in the MT that grabs my eye. It’s going side ways to the left. Maybe clone it out. Wonderful shot!!
Great to have you back, Kerry. I was wondering where you’ve been. Thanks for explaining your recent travel. The first thing I noticed about this image is the low contrast and terrific colors. This is a very soothing image, still water, wispy reeds and soft colors with some haze. My favorite lens is my 100-400 for landscape photography. I love how you describe your new long lens as being able to give you an almost voyeuristic intimacy. Exactly!!! I think you will discover an all new world out there that went un-noticed before your purchase. You will see things that you never bothered to look for in the past.
Getting back to the image, I think the colors are very complimentary towards each other. I think it works great. As I said earlier, I also think that the low contrast works really well with this image. The composition is terrific. The rock is placed in the frame where the reeds are starting to thin providing a necessary gap fill while also balancing the weight of the reeds on the right side of the image and the reflection in the water. At first, the bright vertical reflections on the left side of the image was an eye grabber, but the more I explore this the less I’m stuck on those brighter spots. You didn’t provide any techs so I don’t know how far away this shot was but you have beautiful falloff in the background adding to that hazy look. I very much am enjoying this image, Kerry!
Welcome back. I was almost sure that you were canoeing during your absence and expected you back at the end of summer. That seems to be a pattern. It looks like you put a lot of effort into getting this image to the point that it is. By your description it sounds as though your after a low contrast and low saturation image in the style of the impressionist painters (they seldom used black). This does have a dreamy look to it. I think you’ve achieved what you were after. The green and blues are calming colors and you’ve kept the yellows down so as t o not disturb that serenity. All major shapes are horizontal so that works in that direction. I like the snags that rise behind the rock but not their reflections as much. Perhaps it’s the X. I don’t feel strongly about it. I also thought that the yellow in the grass on the right was too strong. I thought making the blue-green instead of yellow green would be a good idea (because I really like the faded grass on the left) but when I tried my idea it wasn’t really much of an improvement. So, I really have no significant suggestions to make. Usually when someone has put as much time and thought into an image it’s unlikely we’ll have anything to add that you haven’t thought to already.
Welcome to the telephoto world, Kerry!! I love small scenes like this, and think this is a very well crafted example. I can’t add much to what has been said above, but I do wonder about toning down the bright reflections on the left side.
Welcome back Kerry! Great to see an image post from you!
This one is outstanding. Such a delicate mood here accompanied by such a quiet and peaceful atmosphere.
Can’t add too much to what’s already been said. The only suggestion/nit from me would be to tone down the highlights of the tall reflections on the left; just a tad bright for the mood and atmosphere. Otherwise, I just love the grasses fading in the fog up top - in stark contrast to the rock and gthe “X” of the snag. All of which are composed beautifully together.
And from you description of your travels, I think we can expect to see some amazing images in the weeks and months to come! Looking forward to them!
Hi Kerry.
I like the feeling you get here with all those layers of different scenes to explore; it’s full with information but balanced at the same time.
I love those pastel colors.
@Donna_Callais - thanks so much . I thought about that bit of grass and then left it in but as you can see in the rework above, in the end I agree with you and cloned the errant grass out. @David_Haynes - always appreciate your thoughtful feedback. You can see the rework above where I’ve toned down the highlights on the left. I don’t think anything is lost (and a possible distraction averted). By the way, this image was shot at 206.5 mm (310mm equiv), f/10, 1/60 sec. @Igor_Doncov - Yeah. So many of my pictures are made in the dawn and pre-dawn time, which, where I tend to photograph, often also means fog or mist. My inclination of late is to enhance rather than push against that “dreamy” light and so, yes, I’m glad to hear that impressionistic feel comes through. As always, Igor, your considered thoughts are very much appreciated. @Ola_Jovall , @Mario_Cornacchione , @linda_mellor , @DeanRoyer - thanks for taking the time to take a look and offer your support. Much appreciated. @Diane_Miller - As you can see, on the rework above, I did tone down the bright reflections on the left somewhat. As I said to David H - I don’t think anything is lost and any slight distraction is averted (I hope). The “telephoto world” - who knew! @Lon_Overacker - Your feedback is much appreciated. As you can see in the rework above (I did take yours (and others’) suggestion and toned down the highlights of the tall reflections. As to expecting “amazing images”, well that certainly remains to be seen but I had the time of my life making them. @joaoquintela - As always, thanks for your impressions.
It was beautiful in any version. Many doors to excellence here. We can agonize ourselves to death considering all the thousands of possible tweaks we can give to a given interpretation of a collection of data on a card. When you love it, it’s done. I must be ophthamologically-challenged because I cannot see any reason to prefer one version here over the other. It seems an academic matter. (Now that I give it a second perusal, I do see the more pastel-like quality but still cannot say the original is not aesthetically pleasing.)
True that!! From one Kerry to another, your support is much appreciated.
Just so you know, the rework was very, very slight and had to do with bringing down the highlights on the vertical reflections on the left side of the frame. As you say, pretty nitpicky, but if I ever get around to printing this, these little touches just polish it up a bit.
