With some previous ICM’s, it’s been a mystery, or even deception of attempting to portray something that it wasn’t - ie. a sideways eucalyptus tree being presented as a beach/water/wave kinda scene. Well, this is quite literally a straight shot of exactly what the scene was - a simple landscape. If you’ve seen Tony Siciliano’s “Mettup in Point Reyes” landscape, you’ll get an idea of the terrain. This ICM is NOT at the same location of Tony’s image, but you get the idea of the landscape.
So we have a field of yellow/green iceplant with a patch of yellow flowers. Then the ocean dunescape turns a little more red/orange/maroon where the iceplant is changing seasonal colors. Then up top, a layer of rolling fog and sky. Just a very colorful landscape presentation with a little mixed horizontal/sweeping motion.
Specific Feedback Requested
All comments and suggestions welcome!
Not so striking as far as ICM’s go. But very curious to read your comments and reactions.
Technical Details
Nikon D800E, 28-300mm @28mm, f/11 1/4s iso 100 and polarizer. Single, handheld.
Lon, I see and feel serenity in this abstract scene. The yellow curves are echoed in the distant dunes and ocean lines. Lovely slight diagonal. Nice ICM of a landscape. I usually see the technique used in flowers. Inspiring.
I can almost see the scene behind this, but only because I saw it for real. I love it! I never would have thought a scene like this would yield such a cool “sculpture”. I didn’t have time to even try ICMs. Another “next trip”!
Love all the colors in your image Lon! Thanks so much for posting it here. The motion definitely helps unify the colors and layers. The plants in the foreground add a dynamic quality too. A pleasing image to look at for sure.
Question on the technique. Did you use a slight up down motion while panning left or right?
I like this for its simplicity. And I think it’s exactly that simplicity that allows the yellow flowers to make the significant statement they do in the image.
From what I’ve encountered, it seems fairly common in the ICM world for folks to work at hiding any evidence of the movement the camera incurred while the shutter is open. Everything seems to have to be ‘smooth’. And I think there are situations where that’s a shame. And this is a perfect example of that as, at least for me, it’s the motion of the camera across those yellow flowers that ‘makes’ this image. If they were little more than a blurry blob, I doubt the image would be nearly as effective.
It’s interesting you say this piece is “not so striking as far as ICM’s go,” as I find it to be quite visually appealing and easy on the eyes - more so than the stereotypical ICMs found throughout the community. The layers of color in this remind me of desert dunescapes, though much more verdant. The spots of yellow, especially, draw my eye and, from there, the exploration is a treat.
Truly one of the better ICMs I have seen in recent times. Well don, Lon.
NICE!!! I can visualize the landscape underneath the ICM that this has become and I love it. It’s the layering that really catches the eye for me. The greens followed by the yellows, then the browns and purples followed by the grey blue and finally the sky. All of it in repeating rolling patterns. So much different than the typical ICM we’ve been seeing here lately. This was a rally good trip for you guys.
This is a great example of an ICM in my opinion. The transition from green and warm to the cool backgrounds provide a feeling of depth. The highlights in the foreground, while they may have been flowers or brighter grass, are giving the feeling of contours of hills and giving the scene more shape. I find it to be a calming and serene depiction of the landscape.
I think this is a beautiful ICM - flowing with lovely movement and great colors, and I love the layers of green, yellow, red, blue and white/light blue. It’s a great abstract,! I wouldn’t change anything.
