What I hate about LF is that you can not see that awesome quality in web presentation. I'd love to see these in print!!! Nevertheless, some nice shots man!
Mark Metternich wrote:
What I hate about LF is that you can not see that awesome quality in web presentation. I'd love to see these in print!!! Nevertheless, some nice shots man!
That's one of the frustrating things about LF -- it's impossible to translate the experience of looking at slide film with a loupe on a light table into a print -- and all bets are off for the web. That being said, here's a closeup of the tip of the leaf to show how you can see the transparent grains of sand. This is just a flatbed scan so a drum scan will show even more. The flatbed doesn't even have the strength to resolve grain, let alone the extent of the image resolution.
Stunning images, Ben, and I especially like the first two, very rich in color, tones and lean toward impressionism. Reminds me a lot of Eliot Porter's work.
The web does not do these images justice at all. They are good but your work seems more about the subtleties of color, textures and depth emphasized by the use of 8x10 film which IMHO is unmatched by any smaller format. The prints must be awesome. The colors are really nice, punchy but they look real, a tough feat specially with the reds. Digital can never get those right and the cool shadows at the same time.
The only digital setup that comes close in color is the Phase 60 and 80mp backs and C1pro but only close the 8x10 is much nicer. Has a much more organic look.
I use a tech camera with a phase back and love it, nothing like using a camera with movements for landscape. Using an SLR seems clumsy in comparison although most people think the opposite is true.
After seeing them again here on FM, I still think they are presented in the order of how I like them. The contrasting warm and cool tones of the first one are really pleasing to look at. However, being able to see #2 outside of the YouTube video, I'm really liking how the ripples of sand are picking up the side lighting from the reflected light.
Curious to get your thoughts on placing the leaf. I for one think it's perfectly "legal" for a leaf to be placed; I don't see any difference in that and removing something like a distracting stick in a composition. With that being said, I placed a leaf in an image a few years ago, and now every time I look at it all I see is me placing that leaf there. Do you have the same thoughts when you view your own image? What's really weird is that when I look at your image, even though I know the leaf was placed, I don't think about it.
Someday I'm going to join you on one of these trips and be the guy that sits in the truck and eats the road trip food while you wait for the leaves to settle down.
Ben...
this is most interesting. I have not experienced this type of photography.
The leaf and the sand ripples is quite impactful, someone else also said
soothing!
And I so enjoy color, and your third is wonderful!!
Ben, all three are wonderful, to choose is most difficult so I won't
#1 is Stunning, I'd like to see that on a wall, the entire wall.
#2 the textures in the sand are amazing, is it a cliche...nah, it's just nature at it's wildest and most subtle, and again, print it huge to show off LF.
#3 makes me want more but in a good way, I'm envious, wanting to see that entire scene, all that color, it's kind of a tease that brings a very wide smile.
And, thanks for keeping Velvia 50 alive, there are 18 rolls in my frig, seems I'll be keeping my EOS3's for a bit longer.
I'm looking forward to your 2015 book!
Cheers,
Jerry
Blair Bunting wrote:
Someday I'm going to join you on one of these trips and be the guy that sits in the truck and eats the road trip food while you wait for the leaves to settle down.
Hard to comment as these small jpegs are lacking the obvious LF detail. That said, in my minds eye #1 is my pick. I like the complete leave pattern across the frame, dark background and contrast of the bare limbs.
Ben, if I didn't know better, I would say you are hiding some phallic symbols in the images. I mean, not that that's a bad thing, but a marginal progression of the where's Waldo in this sea of red leaves? But I digress
