I Love Winter

[ScoutR]

C&C welcome

#1 Bluejay Lure


#2 Sleeping Flowerbed


#3 Showdown


#4 Garden Ornament


#5 Teasle


#6 Teasle II


Wendy

[Donald]

#3 Showdown

Brilliant. Vibrant, Colourful, Humourous, Well captured, Good handling of tones and contrast

The rest?

Not so keen on #4 Garden Ornament. Think it's just the subject matter. Doesn't work for me.

#2 Sleeping Flowerbed - The 'sperkle' is beautiful. But I don't think there's enough in there to hold attention

And the others? They're Wendy images. In the style and to the high standard in terms of composition, simplicity, but effectiveness, that we've come to expect.

[Wirefox]

Wendy

I love the simplicity of your images at the moment. This carries through to your landscapes too. It is a winning formaula for any image. Simple strong lines and colours and well composed.

I have to agree with Donald on No 3. I am pondering whether the left 1/6 of the image should be cropped to remove the untidy bit from the left hand side of the rocker. A very strong image though

I also like Teasle II again the simplicity of its presentation is the key ingredient here.

No 4. As Donald has said (I really must stop agreeing with him...he might get sloppy) it is the subject matter that lets this down. The composition and the concept are spot on apart from the flower tub needs cropping out. I tried this with Polly Head a few weeks ago. It is not easy to get this right. I think you have done a great job.

No 2 is too dark for me but I guess that is unavoidable when trying to capture the sparkle.

No 1 is wonderfully minimalist and it works for me.

As Donald says (I hang on every word you know and even have his portrait hanging in the lavvy. Next to Margaret Thatcher and Simon Cowell). You have now reached a point where your work can be adjectivised. We all recognise a Wendesque image. Great place to be.

[Donald]

As Donald says (I hang on every word you know and even have his portrait hanging in the lavvy. Next to Margaret Thatcher and Simon Cowell).

I refuse to hang on the same wall as that woman! The location I don't have a problem with, but I do have some standards of decency in terms of the company I keep. She can be put above the fireplace.

[rob marshall]

I refuse to hang on the same wall as that woman!

Yes you would, if she tied you up there...

[ScoutR]

Thanks Donald and Steve, all points have been taken under consideration and I might have another try. They were all taken within a five min walk from home, so it should not be a problem. I even know the lady that owns the swan, and I'm sure she'll let me move it - I like the swan

I tried cropping a bit off the left of the playground showdown shot and agree that it is an improvement, but I'd like to try some different angles and apertures on that one too. The sleeping garden shot was taken at night with flash, and I just had to save it because of the sparkle. I'll have to think of something to pose for a subject the next time. I went out after a cottontail, but for some reason he/she took off when it heard the door open - LOL can you imagine trying to shoot a cottontail at night with a 200mm lens and on camera flash.

Everything looks so great (too me) against the snow, it's almost as good as fog.

Thanks again for the positive comments and suggestions
Wendy

[WilliamS]

I dont see snow Great winter series Wendy, Thanks for sharing as I sweat to death from the Heat and Humidity , Very cooling

[wilgk]

They are lovely Wendy - I think you could make even our hot environment look good though!
#6 is my favourite - but i also really like the swan, I like her position, I would call it Swan lake...she is then perfect where she is with the bit of grass and looking out wanting to go 'on the lake'...

[Camellia]

Hi Wendy

No 6 is my favourite - simple and attractive colours. I do think the swan would work with the flower pot removed - that is a really fun image and the bits of grass are a nice touch. Good to see you enjoying the snow.


R

[Camellia]

I refuse to hang on the same wall as that woman! The location I don't have a problem with, but I do have some standards of decency in terms of the company I keep. She can be put above the fireplace.

Is that so she can catch fire?

[ScoutR]

Thanks Bill, Kay and Raylee. Always glad to help you kids down under cool off. I hope you have not been affected by the terrible flooding, and hope the worst is over now.

Wendy

[wilgk]

Hi Wendy - Thankyou for your concern it is a terrible time for some. Raylee and I are far enough to the south - Bill is a lot closer, but the state of Queensland is so big, I think he is far enough to the south of that state to be ok.

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Wendy,

Some more thoughts on another excellent seires, they are just my 'thinking out loud' thoughts though, not criticisms - I wouldn't suggest I know any better than you, in fact I learn (from you) making these comments.

#1 Bluejay Lure

In this one, I find the little hairs a distraction and I am torn between suggesting removing them, or whether that would spoil it.

#2 Sleeping Flowerbed

I basically agree with what Donald and Steve say about #2, but I think it probably needs to be that dim to show the sparkle enough. You have the two stalks almost on the thirds for composition, but I wonder whether the feeling of 'not enough in it' comes back to the theory that an even number of subject 'things' is not as effective as an odd number, so perhaps a third stalk or dark item on surface of snow would help. I am intrigued by the light - was it on camera flash (but no shadows ) or the light from a window or an open door? I like the way the low angle of it plays over the contours of what lies beneath though.

#3 Showdown

I think on #3, I might have tried a few alternatives angles with very minor adjustments of camera position, I am thinking specifically of right and up a bit so the overlap between items is just removed, or reduced to a hair's breadth of 'touchingness'. Or maybe go down and left a bit so there's more tyre (tire) of the distant item visible throught the handles of the nearest one.

#4 Garden Ornament

Same framing, just without the planter/pot thing.

#5 Teasle


#6 Teasle II

I can't decide which version of colouring I prefer, both together confuses me (it ain't hard)
#5, the loop of stalk or leaf at the bottom edge, on left, distracts me, I'd be tempted to clone it into another shape or remove it.
#6
I was going to say that both #5 and #6 might benefit from a little more tiny radius sharpening (0.2 or 0.3px, not sure of an amount, but probably less than 100% and this applied after the downsize to 700px - then I checked their sizes and I see they are just over 700, (like the border went on afterwards). This means that when I view in the Lytebox, I can see that the sharpening is fine, no halos (but maybe 10% less amount?) As viewed in thread, they just look soft due to the forum reducing them to 700px including border. Previously you have always stuck to 700, so I have gotten out of habit of viewing in Lytebox, personally, I'd like to see most of your pictures much bigger (whatever orientation; no more than say 1000 high and 1600 wide) - although then people might nick them for desktop backgrounds.

Everything looks so great (too me) against the snow, it's almost as good as fog.

Yes, the snow is a great way to hide a multitude of untidiness and it lets you see the trees in the woods, literally. I am ashamed to say I didn't get out with camera in this year's 3 snow falls (so far), I always found a reason not to

Cheers,

[ScoutR]

Hi Wendy,
In this one, I find the little hairs a distraction and I am torn between suggesting removing them, or whether that would spoil it.

Thanks Dave, I was wondering about them too. In the original (before I started mucking around with it) the pattern on the top of the peanut looked like a face and the little hairs were part of it. The face thing was very subtle though - I tried to bring it out more in PP but couldn't so went in the other direction and tried to bring out the colour a bit more which is what I ended up posting and you are right the little hairs take away from the otherwise cleanness of the image.

I basically agree with what Donald and Steve say about #2, but I think it probably needs to be that dim to show the sparkle enough. You have the two stalks almost on the thirds for composition, but I wonder whether the feeling of 'not enough in it' comes back to the theory that an even number of subject 'things' is not as effective as an odd number, so perhaps a third stalk or dark item on surface of snow would help. I am intrigued by the light - was it on camera flash (but no shadows ) or the light from a window or an open door? I like the way the low angle of it plays over the contours of what lies beneath though

Aha, another composition rule to add to the books. I'll try a third item to balance the effect, and will certainly keep that in mind for future shots of the same nature.

The lighting was on camera flash -2 compensation and there was a house 100 watt incandescent house light on above and behind me - it provided enough light that I could see what I was doing and it also produced strong shadows to the right of the poles.
I'm not sure how your EXIF viewer will see this. I just checked it with my KUSO EXIF viewer and it is showing the wrong EXIF. It says no flash and it also says +1/3 EC. The Truth is that the flash did fire (-2) and EC was +1 1/3. Those settings probably do not make sense, but in my typical style I tend to just adjust things until something happens that I like. The loss of the shadows was a happy accident. There were strong shadows to the right of each pole from the outside light. I cannot explain this and it does not make sense to me but the shadows were still there with -1 on the flash, but with -2 they went away. Does that make sense???? I don't know if I can reproduce the same thing, but I will try so that I can figure out how this works.

I think on #3, I might have tried a few alternatives angles with very minor adjustments of camera position, I am thinking specifically of right and up a bit so the overlap between items is just removed, or reduced to a hair's breadth of 'touchingness'. Or maybe go down and left a bit so there's more tyre (tire) of the distant item visible thought the handles of the nearest one.

Yup, I'm with you on this. I will take a walk around that way next time we have some fresh snow. The crop Steve suggested helps a bit but it needs a bit of a different angle and I might even try on a sunny day and see if I can get some ominous looking shadows in there. I must say though that I tend to prefer going out on dull days when I don't have to worry about shadows, and glare, and blown highlights and some of those other nasty things, and I rather like the soft even lighting better. This is quite a change for me from last year when I would not go out unless the lighting was very dramatic and sensational.

Same framing, just without the planter/pot thing.

Working on that one too. I just need to ask the owner if I can move it and then wait for some fresh snow to fall around it.

I can't decide which version of colouring I prefer, both together confuses me (it ain't hard)

Neither is the natural colour which could be why you are confused. The more I look at #5 the less I like it. I've been trying this effect with tone mapping in Lightroom where I choose one colour that kind of matches the subject and one that contrasts with it, then I saturate and balance in favour of the subject colour. This gives me more depth of colour in the subject and of course changes the colour of the snow too. However, when the colour of the subject is different enough from the snow, I can then go into Elements and use the Replace Colour tool, and select the snow and then play around with hue, saturation and lightness until I get the snow back to white, but keep the tone mapped colour from LR. I'm sure there are easier and better and more tried and tested ways, but I like to experiment, and I've had some good results doing this - Not this one though

#5, the loop of stalk or leaf at the bottom edge, on left, distracts me, I'd be tempted to clone it into another shape or remove it.

Good eye, I think I would get rid of the little one popping up bottom right too.

I was going to say that both #5 and #6 might benefit from a little more tiny radius sharpening (0.2 or 0.3px, not sure of an amount, but probably less than 100% and this applied after the downsize to 700px - then I checked their sizes and I see they are just over 700, (like the border went on afterwards). This means that when I view in the Lytebox, I can see that the sharpening is fine, no halos (but maybe 10% less amount?) As viewed in thread, they just look soft due to the forum reducing them to 700px including border. Previously you have always stuck to 700, so I have gotten out of habit of viewing in Lytebox, personally, I'd like to see most of your pictures much bigger (whatever orientation; no more than say 1000 high and 1600 wide) - although then people might nick them for desktop backgrounds.

Thanks Dave, I will have to pay more attention to pixels when I add the border. I usually resize to 680 on the long side and then play around to see what I like for a border. For the fine inner border I work in pixels, but for the wide border I've been working in cm and obviously going overboard. I can work in Pixels for both and try to keep it below 700. I'd love to post larger sizes, I'm not too worried about getting ripped off, but they just take up too much room (online) so until I get some kind of web storage account, I will stick with this

Yes, the snow is a great way to hide a multitude of untidiness and it lets you see the trees in the woods, literally. I am ashamed to say I didn't get out with camera in this year's 3 snow falls (so far), I always found a reason not to

LOL, I always find an excuse not to go out too, but when I get out I walk for hours and always go farther and stay out longer than I planned. You really should make time. It's good for the soul you know, and besides we don't see enough of your work here

Thanks for all the tips and feedback. I always appreciate your eye for detail and everything you have said here is very very helpful

Wendy

[SaraLou]

Hi Wendy,

I love #3 - its bright and fun Wish the snow would come back here, I feel inspired!

Sara

[Emspics]

Love #4 - the minimalist crop and the touches of grass add just the right touch of a voice to the quiet of fresh snow. I'm new - is there a way to mark favs? Not so sure about #2 - kinda dark and the sparkles look like over sharpening artifacts. I do like the undulations of the snow with soft shadows. #3 is sure fun.

[ScoutR]

Thank you Sara. I hope you get more snow. By the way are you in Surrey BC Canada or somewhere else

Wendy

[ScoutR]

Love #4 - the minimalist crop and the touches of grass add just the right touch of a voice to the quiet of fresh snow. I'm new - is there a way to mark favs? Not so sure about #2 - kinda dark and the sparkles look like over sharpening artifacts. I do like the undulations of the snow with soft shadows. #3 is sure fun.

Hi Emory, welcome to the forum and thank you for taking the time to comment. We don't mark favs here, just comment. There are some mini and monthly and themed competitions running all the time that you are welcome to vote on and/or participate in.
Thanks again for the feedback, I'm glad you like the swan - I kind of liked that one too, but wasn't that happy about having to include the plant pot. I'll get back to it I'm sure. It's 3 doors down from me. and the playground is only a few blocks away.
Look forward to your participation and to seeing some of your California Images

Wendy

[Klickit]

Wendy, others have pointed out the "buts" so I'll just say that #6 Teasle II just does it for me in a big way. The pure simplicity makes it an image I'd return to again & again. You are really nailing some beauties.

[ScoutR]

Thank you Kit, I appreciate your feedback, and I'm very happy that you like the teasle because I love shooting plants and weeds like this. I'm always wondering why though, because I figure anyone else would find them boring. I guess that's because most of my family and friends look at them and don't have very much to say, in fact when I was showing an older member of the family how the computer and photo editing program worked and showing some of my shots, his only comment was when he asked me if I was able to delete them too. I've always wanted to get a series of these together and print them. When and if I do, I think he will get a set for Christmas.

Thanks again, are you taking many shots lately. Maybe I am missing something (very possible) but I don't see you posting much anymore.

Wendy