Are colors believable? There are subtle tones in the sand dollars that I wanted to bring out. I used TK Saturation and Vibrance masks to this. I am not a fan of ultra-saturated photos so I am very sensitive to trying not to go overboard.
Does the fact that this is arranged in a “Studio” lessen it in the eyes of viewers?
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
Does the arrangement look to arranged?
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
This is an arranged photo. I have been influenced by George and Vera Popp, who used to be NPN members way back when. They had an amazing collection of seashore photos of collected items set up in arrangements. Even though strictly speaking, the image is not “natural”, the arrangements highlight the variety and similarity of the arranged items.
I started on this arrangement series back in 2011 serendipitously one July afternoon with my kids on a beach in northern California when I made this image and then followed by this one and one other of a collection of all type of shells that my family had been collecting every time we visited the beach. Last spring we had to move out of our home for termite treatment and my wife’s uncle offered his beach condominium for the time we were displaced. I brought along the camera but decided not to use it all over those three days, but rather spend quality time with the family. On day one we as a family started to just walk down the beach. Jumping around in the surf, walking hand in hand and feeling the sunshine on our skin and the ocean breeze on our faces. It was extremely enjoyable. Then we happened upon a depression on the beach that was literally filled with the most amazing variety of sand dollars. Some as small as a tiny cuff button to some as much as 3 to 4 inches in size. Most were broken, but many were still intact. Some so recently dead that the pigments in them had not yet been bleached by the sun. In that general area of that depression, we found so many that all six of us could barely hold all of them amongst us. We collected as many as we could and I told my family this was our next arranged photo, and I would title it One Million Dollars because that day’s experience was more valuable to me than one million dollars.
Full Disclosure:
I did not make this photo that day. It was months later. Prior to making the photo, I went back to the beach and gathered some detritus plant items and preserved them in some seawater and a couple of buckets of beach sand and drove back home. I arranged the sand dollars on the sand in my “makeshift outside beach studio” and arranged and made the photo at my leisure. Once arranged, I sprayed the arrangement down with some water to saturate the colors and made the exposures.
Shen-Hao 4x5, Nikon 150mm f/5.6, set at f45 for 8 sec with both an 81A and 81B filter on Fuji Provia 100F
P.S. these are not all the sand dollars we collected, just the most interesting ones from the bunch.
Your feedback is most appreciated.
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I remember very fondly your previous “arranged” images. This current work is a great addition and compliment to that series. And perhaps more importantly the exercise that brings your family together - is inspiring.
Just given the quantity and real estate involved you (and your team) did a fabulous job of arranging. I especially think the non-sand dollar elements are what ties everything together.
Ok, so you mentioned saturation. I would say the crab shell immediately grabs my attention as a little to colorful - but really more as a relative thing compared to the rest of the image. The greens maybe a little… but in general I don’t find the saturation anywhere close to out of bounds.
Only technical suggestion I have would be to burn down a few select dollars and perhaps even a bit of dodging of the darker one in the LRC. And as an after thought… maybe an additional slight crop off the top; it almost feels like it’s the end of your collection… knowing there’s nothing more above the top edge. If that makes sense.
Kudos on the arrangement and for taking the time to create this beautiful arrangement.
Hi Youssef - love the title and your collection. The little bits of sea grass through all of them is a nice subtle connection. Best of all is the memory this image will bring of a beautiful time spent with family.
When describe where you found them I wanted to see images of them where they lay. The arrangement works for me as part of the collection:raised_hands:. Agree with previous comments on color.
Cheers
I’ve never created arrangements and therefore have little to add on how to improve one. I have, however, become a big shell collector after I moved to Baja and I really fancy the ribbed ones like the one in the upper right corner. I like that small red algae near the bottom and I’m just wondering how things would look if all the algae were brightened up so that you could see through them.
This is such an unusual image that before opening it I expected this to be lily pads.
@Ynez_Slaymaker the depression was full of them and you actually had to wade into the water a bit to reach them. But we also found them all over the beach in the surf. You had to search for them. So a photo of them on the beach we found them on, would have been a futile attempt.
This is a beautifully conceived still life, Youssef. The fact that it was set up in the studio does not bother me in the least. I also think you did a wonderful job of bringing out the subtle tones of the sand dollars without going overboard. This is just my personal preference, but I could see the reds and greens dialed back just a touch. I loved the story behind the image as family time is priceless. Everytime you view this image you can think back to that beautiful day.
Nice creation, Youssef. To my eye, the crab and the seaweed look a little too saturated, but that is very much a personal preference. Nothing out of bounds about it. This one works well.
I like this arrangement a lot Youssef. You have assembled a wonderful assortment of sand dollars and shells. The pieces of colorful seaweed are a nice addition.
