For some reason, I find well done abstract landscape images, which provide few clues to their relative scale, quite fascinating. By that standard, your image is certainly compelling. The curious bit is, I still have an issue wrapping my head around the details, even after you told me the subject. The completely dark margins around each crater, and apparent visual overlap, is confusing me.
If I had to guess, my initial thought was mushrooms. Curious if you have another viewpoint to offer.
Taperwing wrote:
For some reason, I find well done abstract landscape images, which provide few clues to their relative scale, quite fascinating. By that standard, your image is certainly compelling. The curious bit is, I still have an issue wrapping my head around the details, even after you told me the subject. The completely dark margins around each crater, and apparent visual overlap, is confusing me.
If I had to guess, my initial thought was mushrooms. Curious if you have another viewpoint to offer.
Tonality is right up my alley too.
Bingo! You got it! Dave!
as I was editing the image and converting it to B&W, my eyes came to focus on volcanic dormant craters. "Don't know why....." as Daphne Moon@FRASIER sez.
The lava flow was overlapping and uneven. Lava flows can be very dark. The lighter shades were meant to be snow. One has to apply some imagination here also.
THANKS!
Dan
Hah, even a blind squirrel can catch a nut occasionally.
Back in my darkroom days, it was a rare image that didn’t receive dodging, burning, or some contrast adjustment, but I never leaned on images to the degree required to realize your abstraction. Now that my darkroom is a computer, and adjustments are easily reversed, I find myself pushing my images much harder, not being bothered if the final image is quite distant from the original capture. This change became a requirement with files from my 830nm IR modified Fuji, as the original files tend to be flat and lifeless. The final output, whether for screen or print, is what matters.
From my perspective, your abstraction is far more interesting than the closer to reality, color file. Your image reminded me of Weston’s Pepper #30, which recently came up in discussion on another forum. Upon first sight, it takes a moment to grasp what is being presented and then wonder how such a mundane object, which was apparently later eaten by the photographer, can be so visually captivating. I can only hope to produce something half as interesting.
sbeme wrote:
interesting image and amazingly perceptive comment by Taperwing.
I like the puzzling aspect, trying to identify the "actual" source/subject
Scott
Thanks Scott! I was watching a documentary on dormant volcanoes and there was a few that came close to my "'shrums" but all had a "skirt" around the rim.
Dan
Taperwing wrote:
Hah, even a blind squirrel can catch a nut occasionally.
Back in my darkroom days, it was a rare image that didn’t receive dodging, burning, or some contrast adjustment, but I never leaned on images to the degree required to realize your abstraction. Now that my darkroom is a computer, and adjustments are easily reversed, I find myself pushing my images much harder, not being bothered if the final image is quite distant from the original capture. This change became a requirement with files from my 830nm IR modified Fuji, as the original files tend to be flat and lifeless. The final output, whether for screen or print, is what matters.
From my perspective, your abstraction is far more interesting than the closer to reality, color file. Your image reminded me of Weston’s Pepper #30, which recently came up in discussion on another forum. Upon first sight, it takes a moment to grasp what is being presented and then wonder how such a mundane object, which was apparently later eaten by the photographer, can be so visually captivating. I can only hope to produce something half as interesting. ...Show more →
Ah Edward Weston! 1 of my favorites. "Leaned" might be a too hard of a term for my processing. I just was "diddling" around to see what came up.
Being a "caregiver" I sometimes have lots of time on my hands staying at home.
Yes, the color version was not to my liking but last summer's record heat and humidity brought lots of fungi out.
Thanks again Dave.
Dan
