I know these images don’t appeal to everyone, but there’s just something about these meadows and the challenge of coming away with something pleasing to view.
In processing I attempted to elevate the brighter tops of some of the grasses and tried to separate the tones. I’m hoping that’s enough to help with keeping the viewer interested. Then again, there’s nothing really to keep the eye in the frame.
What technical feedback would you like if any?
Processing, color, etc. etc. The usual suspects.
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
Any and all as always. Does this appeal to anyone?
Any pertinent technical details:
5 image focus stack for depth of field and detail bottom to top. Nikon 280-300mm @62mm f/9 iso 100. Very slight crop from original
Thanks for any comments, critiques!
Repost:
Thanks so much for the comments and the suggestions. Great call on the cyan Harley. Ya know, working on an image for any length of time, we very often lose site of color casts, etc. I reduced the cyan’s in a selective color layer for the lights as well as the neutrals; also dropped the saturation of the cyan/blue globally. Also added a TK Lights Triple Play to further separate the lights. Anyway, I like the warmer tone as it seems more natural and accurate. Thanks so much for the feedback! Here’s a rework.
Lon, I think a lot of the satisfaction one derives from these type of images is the thrill of the hunt, coming away with something out of essentially nothing. As discussed in some other threads, this might be stronger as part of a group of meadow grass images, such as in a triptych. I do find the frosted grasses interesting, but I agree with Harley on reducing cyan, if the frosty grasses were whiter they would still look “cool”, and adding red to some of the other colors would increase color separation.
I posted a sunrise image in Landscape Gallery today from a salt marsh. While waiting for the sun to come up, I played around with similar marsh grass images. It isn’t easy to come up with something compelling, but it was a fun time challenging myself to try, so I know why you keep at this.
I LOVE this, Lon. I mean I really love it. Superb capture. I have no suggestions for improvement, except to print it large, frame it, and hang proudly.
Lon, I really appreciate your minimalistic approach and enjoy the image a lot. The brown grasses in the middle part make for interesting focal points and keep my eye within the frame aptly. Maybe I would darken the uppermost part a bit, but this is only a minor matter for me. A very elegant presentation of this intimate scene to me.
The warm repost looks really good. My initial reaction was to remove the darker part on top but I was wrong. It adds a lot of interest to the comp.
There is little to suggest. There’s one single brown frond center left that gets your attention. Is that attention a good thing or a bad thing? I can’t decide. (So I’ll bring it to your attention. lol)
Lon, I looked at this early on before your repost, and I knew it had potential. My first reaction was that it was hard for me to get a sense of order. But then the warmth of the repost allowed my eye to settle into the sweet spots, right along the middle ground. And so I think that pedaling back on the cyan worked well, as those little red bits are very engaging. Just curious, how many frames for the stack?
I have to say that I thoroughly enjoy your meadow images, Lon. You say there is nothing to keep the eye in the frame, but I think the grasses which have the warm toned pods do a very nice job of that as do all the textures and details in the larger version. This is a good lesson in slowing down and immersing yourself in your surroundings. BTW, the repost is the ticket for me.
I like the repost very much. It reminds me of some furry animal and has such a free and natural feeling. The dried flowers that are darker add interest. I’m impressed that one could make such a scene so appealing, but you have done it and seem to specialize in it!
The value of the feedback is awesome. If for anything else, sometimes we get stuck processing and can’t see the forest for the trees - or the cast of colors… Thanks again!
Lon
To my eye the re-post is perfection. You may remember that this is my kind of image as I continue to search out “tapestries of grass”. Fabulous work
Thank you @Stephen_Weaver. Somehow I can’t help but recall that your Prairie land and grass images we an inspiration for me! Thanks for the kind words.
I missed this one when you first posted it but I have to say, I really like this image. Kathy’s comparison to a furry animal is spot on! Good call with separating out the tones a little bit. I am pretty surprised that a focus stack worked here, was it a very still day? I was expecting some movement in the grass but you’re at ISO100. Anyway, it turned out great!
Thanks @Brent_Clark. Yup, zero wind. Dead calm in the meadow early morning. Sometimes too, with literally thousands of pieces of grass… you can get away with a couple of them moving between frames…
! You are the grass master. No nits or suggestions, Lon.