Sunset

Richard

Thanks for looking. C&C always welcome.

adbsgicom

I love the lines in the first one. The second one really captures a sense of everything stopping for the sunset. It is very clear in the foreground, but I get the sense that the person in the back was going/doing something else, and has come to a stop for the moment. That sense is diminshed in the first photo because of that little bit of activity in the far end of the line of people.

torags

nice capture...

He's right #1 is ruined by the bent over gal, but #2 is real nice

and you had it lined up right, people, trees & lightpoles

JimW

Richard,
I like #1, reminds me of Sunday on La Grande Jatte. The sky in the distance makes it look painterly.
It works for me.
Jim

bdcolen

torags wrote:

nice capture...

He's right #1 is ruined by the bent over gal, but #2 is real nice

and you had it lined up right, people, trees & lightpoles

Ruined? Ruined? RUINED?! Are you freaking insane?!?!?!
THAT is one gorgeous image. So what if the people aren't lined up like bleeping lawn ornaments? This is a stunning capture of a real moment, of real people, in absolutely stupendous light...And I find this one much, much more interesting and arresting than the second image, which has a unreal look to it -even though I know it's real.

:ivar :ivar :ivar

adbsgicom

FWIW, I didn't say "ruined", I said diminished. I don't think they need to be lined up like lawn ornaments; in fact, that you have the young lady with the perfect (yoga?) posture in the forground and the various other forms behind her helps make the shot. The second person being a bit ahead also helps the shot. Had they been in a perfect line, one would have wondered if it were staged.

I'm willing to believe that the person at the end of lineup was in the process of sitting down and getting ready to enjoy the moment as well, but this particular moment has her turned away from the sun, which diminishes the sense of peace/awe/presence that the others are all experiencing in their own way.

The picture is wildly gorgeous, and there is much, much to love about it.

bdcolen

adbsgicom wrote:

FWIW, I didn't say "ruined", I said diminished. I don't think they need to be lined up like lawn ornaments; in fact, that you have the young lady with the perfect (yoga?) posture in the forground and the various other forms behind her helps make the shot. The second person being a bit ahead also helps the shot. Had they been in a perfect line, one would have wondered if it were staged.

I'm willing to believe that the person at the end of lineup was in the process of sitting down and getting ready to enjoy the moment as well, but this particular moment has her turned away from the sun, which diminishes the sense of peace/awe/presence that the others are all experiencing in their own way.

The picture is wildly gorgeous, and there is much, much to love about it.

There is indeed. This is just an interesting example of people looking at the same thing and seeing different things: we both believe that she is sitting down and will soon be enjoying the sunset, but while I find that satisfying, you find her being turned away disruptive. And I suppose it is somehow. Interesting.

Richard

Lawn ornaments .

Thanks everyone for the interesting comments. FWIW, here's my take. I was trying to capture the magical light, first and foremost. Next priority was to get the yoga woman in sharp focus and get the composition right. When I was shooting, I didn't even see the person in motion. Looking at the result, I think it would have been better had that person not been there, but I don't think it ruins the whole shot. I looked at the original again to see whether it was feasible to clone that person out, but at higher magnification I saw many other faults and decided it wasn't even worth trying. Perfection is elusive.

As for the second shot, I agree that it looks a little unreal and that's precisely why I like it. Unlike BD, I think reality is overrated.

damonff

#1 reminds me of that famous painting by Seurat that takes place on the banks of the river and also the Cartier-Bresson image of a similar moment.

http://spartanopinion.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/TSO-Georges_Seurat_-_Un_dimanche_après-midi_à_lÎle_de_la_Grande_Jatte.jpg

http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_hBqdPD_7M_Y/SrBDrQBNXCI/AAAAAAAAHpo/D4YxiEa5K_A/s800/cartier-bresson_banks_of_marne+(Custom).jpg

Richard

damonff wrote:

#1 reminds me of that famous painting by Seurat that takes place on the banks of the river and also the Cartier-Bresson image of a similar moment.

It's interesting that both you and JimW thought of that Seurat painting. When I was a kid, I took art classes at the Art Institute of Chicago, which has the original in its permanent collection. I must have spent hours pixel peeping it, trying to understand what made it work. But I spent many more hours staring at Hopper's Nighthawks. Guess I've always had a thing about light and shadow.

torags

I said ruined. It was a wrong choice of words. My bad, sorry about that.

It's an excellent image in spite of that.