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
What are your first reactions? I have distinct impressions; maybe they’re obvious.
I wouldn’t normally post two images and I hope this doesn’t violate the rules, but so similar for fun comparison.
Curious as to where your imagination leads… and also of course, looking for any comments on processing.
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
Bridal Veil falls, mid-day. Sun was just reaching the falls and the wind creating endless patterns. Zoomed in to eliminate reference to sky and ground.
First image, I see a ghoulish face, The seccond some creature, man or beast coughing or exhaling.
I processed and used dodging and burning to help emphasize the shapes and tell the story. How did I do?
Are the blackness and lack of detail on the rock wall an issue? Not much there in the RAW, but I could try and bring it out. Or does the contrast and lack of detail help tell the story?
Definitely a ghost face in that first one, and the second looks like someone’s breath on a cold morning.
I just finished processing one of these myself, and really wrestled with which way to take it. I ended up going with more open shadows, but these deep and dark blacks were the competition. I think it works really well here, and becomes slightly abstract. I also like the lack of a “bottom and top,” which adds to that slight abstract feel.
I took way too many shots, which made it really challenging to pick one to work on; I like too many of them. What was also amazing to me was how much the wind was swirling, and some flow far right and others far left.
No. 1: A zombie had just been alerted to the presence of someone (me, and others who dare view this image) and is ready to attack. As noted the dark shadows (think of Tim Burton), add to the dark mood. Excellent.
No. 2: As John notes, it does look like breath on a cold morning, but I think it is a bit eerie, too.
Number 1 looks like president Washington with a hangover and a drawn face. Regardless, this is sensational, Lon. I’m going delirious looking through all my waterfall images. Will post one of them eventually but this has me hoping for something as good. I love the processing and taking the darks to pitch black or nearly pitch black making this wonderfully abstract and very moody.
Boy, we had some great conditions with all that wind blowing every which way, didn’t we? That’s why we took so many images. I very much love the side light that’s hitting the top half of the falls and no, it doesn’t bother me at all having the falls cut off on the top and bottom. It makes no difference to me what so ever.
For the second image I see a cartoon character blowing a puff of smoke . The processing is, again, terrific. The highlights and the deep shadows really work for me.
Thanks for sharing these.
The first image is eerie with it appearing like a face. I like the abstract quality to the water. It almost reads like smoke and has a light airy quality to it, which is interesting with it actually being weighty water cascading down. I like the tonal range with true black masking the background in these images.
I see a face in the first one and what looks like breath on a cold morning in the second. The way you processed the photos accentuates those features. The light hitting the falls add a nice dimension to the overall composition so that the graphics don’t have to do all the heavy lifting.
