Monday 26 January 2009

JANUARY - COLD


I did all sorts of things with this. I liked the composition but it started out a very wishy washy colour then looked more promising as soon as I turned to mono. I had to clone in the blown out highlights. I made quite a few conversions and layered them and cut out bits with layer masks to get the best for each part. Then when I flattened it I used Luci's Art which seems to define everything more and give it more texture. 9/10 from judge.

This one originally had the man in but I thought it made you just look to the left so I took him out. I got better marks with this - 8.5.






This was a magical morning in the woods with a wonderful hoar frost. You will see a landscape one of the same scene. This one I converted to b&w and did a print for CPS comp but the judge did not like the sun because your eyes draw up to it and he felt the main picture was of the man and dog through the trees. In fact from a distance a friend said that the sun was all you could see. I just put this in because I still like it anyway. It is already cropped and I didn't want to crop it any more. Marks 7 out of 10. They never seem to go lower than 7.

15 comments:

Mary Stebbins Taitt said...

This is a THEME, right?

There's not supposed to be a picture?

Katie J said...

I will put pics in here. Actually just clicked that Link List and it goes to this. I suppose though that we would all have to put our January pics within this and then comments for everyone would come under the same post. Also probably when a new pic was added you would not be emailed. I will have a go and see. Another drawback would be you wouldn't be able to email the posts.

Katie J said...

I'll have to do a new mini pic. I don't like mine. Spose the lilies although that is a bit of a cop out.

Katie J said...

It seems you don't get an email when you add pics but of course you will with a new comment.

Mary Stebbins Taitt said...

These are really magical. I love them! I have nothing this magical, I don't think! They are really quite nice.

Mary Stebbins Taitt said...

I painted this self portrait of me and while I think it's a relatively good painting, I don't like my expression--I was concentrating on my image in the mirror. I look goofy.

Mary Stebbins Taitt said...

The center one here is my favourite, but all three are quite nice!

I like the one with the man and the sun, I can see where copping or framing it slightly differently with the two high points, sun and man at the sweet spots might be a good thing, but I think it's pretty nice as it is.

Mary Stebbins Taitt said...

I do like emailing the posts.

Mary Stebbins Taitt said...

But--I don't HAVE to!

Katie J said...

Actually the LINK LIST I think only works the same as if it were called archive and it will go to all January Posts if you click on it - not just to one entry. So we may as well carry on emailing posts if we want to.
Did you notice the REACTION boxes underneath Labels? I thought up some relevant ones for the TECHNIQUE TASKS BLOG and tried to come up with something for this but they remain at the moment the preset choices. I don't think we want to go into marks for instance but could do although we definitely would not have an annual awards ceremony.

Katie J said...

You look like you are saying to yourself I can't believe that is me in the mirror!

Mary Stebbins Taitt said...

Yeah, that's about it! I have to set the email things--I have pix to send.

Mine are not as magical as yours, though!

kiwi said...

Do you have to say when you have have adjusted photos ? how far can you go before they become digital art - wow 9/10 - well done!!!

I really like the bottom one with the man and dog - it tells a story. Funny about the sun - I have read critiques for and against, I know my eye is drawn to it but its not a bad thing it adds to the feel of the photo (for me that is)- also I like the use of the almost portrait crop.

In all the images - I love the beautiful lighting - ooops did not mean to get wordy.

Katie J said...

I assume you were referring to camera club Competitions and if you have to say if you've adjusted photos. The answer is no you don't. In fact usually you cannot say a word. And often the judge will go on making assumptions about a picture and you wish you could explain as they often assume wrongly. But in any case it should make no difference to the marking. It should all depend on the finished article. The only thing you are not allowed to make changes in Natural History pictures except maybe a bit of cloning out in the background. But last Tuesday a judge was umming and arring because he didn't understand an image entitled "Homage to Rembrandt" (in fact it wasn't Rembrandt but I just cannot remember who the artist was but it had one of his pictures in and a shell - well maybe Mary would know what the connection with a shell is. Anyway it was a great picture and great lighting but he just didn't understand it. The photographer - a woman - actually piped up in the middle of it telling what the connection was with the shell (I'm afraid my memory doesn't even allow me to tell you what that was either - oh dear it gets worse). Well he was glad she explained it and nobody said she was wrong to pipe up but it's just that no-one has ever done it before.

Thank you anyway and I was real glad to get the lighting too. Mind you I did have to get up early and get out there so it wasn't all luck. I am lucky though that I only live 200 metres from the woods.

Now look whose getting wordy!!

Mary Stebbins Taitt said...

These really ARE MAGICAL!