Green New Deal

StumblebumStumblebum Registered Users Posts: 8,480 Major grins
in Landscapes

Rain + Sun = Green! It is still raining here and still hills are green, so more to grab I hope!

1) Midas Touch

2) Cherry on the top

3) Gang Green

4) Salad Days

5) Mr. & Mrs.

6) Upon the Green Pond

7) Greenland

8) 1000 Suns

9) Sun Kissed

10) Mustard & Ketchup

11) Three Amigos

12) Spring Buck

13) Black Birds

14) Spring Sun

15) Here Boy

16) In God We Trust

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Comments

  • JonaBeth RussellJonaBeth Russell Registered Users Posts: 1,065 Major grins

    Taz, you've gone and done it again!!!! These images are AMAZING, and I cannot even begin to choose a favorite. I'll need time to ponder, but for now, kudos to you and your incredible ability.

  • black mambablack mamba Registered Users Posts: 8,323 Major grins

    You give a great photographer some great material to work with and this is what you get. Superlative stuff here, my friend, on a grand scale. That sky in #4 ia about the most angry, tumultuous one I've ever seen. The sunflower shots reflect an imagination worthy of praise. Terrific set, Taz.

    I always wanted to lie naked on a bearskin rug in front of a fireplace. Cracker Barrel didn't take kindly to it.
  • ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 24,156 moderator

    Really wonderful stuff here. Bravissimo!

    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
  • kdogkdog Administrators Posts: 11,681 moderator

    Terrific work, Taz. You must be constantly exploring to find these comps. The areas look familiar, but darned if I know the exact spots.

    You seemed to have stepped up your processing game too if I'm not mistaken. :wink:

    Moderator of Landscapes forum
    Link to my Smugmug site
  • StumblebumStumblebum Registered Users Posts: 8,480 Major grins
    edited March 30, 2019

    @JonaBeth Russell said:
    Taz, you've gone and done it again!!!! These images are AMAZING, and I cannot even begin to choose a favorite. I'll need time to ponder, but for now, kudos to you and your incredible ability.

    JBR, can't say how much I appreciate kind comment! Cheers!

    @black mamba said:
    You give a great photographer some great material to work with and this is what you get. Superlative stuff here, my friend, on a grand scale. That sky in #4 ia about the most angry, tumultuous one I've ever seen. The sunflower shots reflect an imagination worthy of praise. Terrific set, Taz.

    Tom, thanks kindly! Need and appreciate your support!

    @ziggy53 said:
    Really wonderful stuff here. Bravissimo!

    Many many many thanks Ziggy!

    @kdog said:
    Terrific work, Taz. You must be constantly exploring to find these comps. The areas look familiar, but darned if I know the exact spots.

    You seemed to have stepped up your processing game too if I'm not mistaken. :wink:

    Thanks Kdog! Well One thing I am little bit happy about is that in almost 70-80% of my shots, no one else has them because they go to iconic spots and get same shots. I can't travel much, so I stay with 1-2 hours of my home. In most of these case never went more than 30-40 minutes from home. Unfortunately, most of CA is privately owned so I have to step on private property and have mortal fear that one of these I will a shot gun being cocked behind me......

    As for processing, maybe learned only 2 new technical things, one that I have completely forgotten and need to refresh and other have some idea but don't think I used it here, maybe in one shot.

    However, more important thing is to have a vision, effort to realize it, processing to get there. Everything here requires lot of time and effort.......need to roam on back roads aimlessly hoping to find something......deal with private property, climb hills, cross streams....., crawl under barbed wire, come up with a plan.Then try few times hoping weather will line up, and then executing and processing it right.....

  • CornflakeCornflake Registered Users Posts: 3,346 Major grins

    Fabulous. So many are terrific I'm reluctant to single any out, but "Here Boy" is unusual in a very good way. I'm a fan.

    I love number 12 but you might want to think about the crop. I think cropping out the right one-fifth and some of the sky could make it even better.

    Don
    Gallery: http://cornflakeaz.smugmug.com/
  • kurzvorzwoelfkurzvorzwoelf Registered Users Posts: 339 Major grins

    @Stumblebum said:

    However, more important thing is to have a vision, effort to realize it, processing to get there. Everything here requires lot of time and effort.......need to roam on back roads aimlessly hoping to find something......deal with private property, climb hills, cross streams....., crawl under barbed wire, come up with a plan.Then try few times hoping weather will line up, and then executing and processing it right.....

    This sheer amount of passion and effort you put into your work is a visible thread in all of your pictures, Taz. Your posts regulary leave me speechless, and this one is no exception.

    Wise words from the Dog of Wisdom: If your ball is too big for your mouth, it's not yours.

    I'm here to learn and progress. Honest feedback and criticism on my images is warmly appreciated!

    My SmugMug site - kurzvorzwoelf.com

  • StumblebumStumblebum Registered Users Posts: 8,480 Major grins

    @Cornflake said:
    Fabulous. So many are terrific I'm reluctant to single any out, but "Here Boy" is unusual in a very good way. I'm a fan.

    I love number 12 but you might want to think about the crop. I think cropping out the right one-fifth and some of the sky could make it even better.

    Thanks truly Don! I tried the crop and it is better. I was never too happy with the hill on the right. It had nothing, and deep in shadows, and there is some noise purple in there....problem is that this light occurred well after sunset and my choices were very dark photo or try and bring some details. That usually blows out the sky. Very hard to process this one. Cheers!

  • StumblebumStumblebum Registered Users Posts: 8,480 Major grins

    @kurzvorzwoelf said:

    @Stumblebum said:

    However, more important thing is to have a vision, effort to realize it, processing to get there. Everything here requires lot of time and effort.......need to roam on back roads aimlessly hoping to find something......deal with private property, climb hills, cross streams....., crawl under barbed wire, come up with a plan.Then try few times hoping weather will line up, and then executing and processing it right.....

    This sheer amount of passion and effort you put into your work is a visible thread in all of your pictures, Taz. Your posts regulary leave me speechless, and this one is no exception.

    Many thanks Kurzvorzwoelf!! Appreciate kind words as it justifies the investment of time and effort in some ways! Cheers!

  • sarasphotossarasphotos Registered Users Posts: 3,863 Major grins

    Once again Taz, your shots are just tops! I admire the fact that you go to such lengths to scout your locations - fabulous. At the risk of making myself extremely unpopular I'll express a slightly critical voice - my least favorites of the bunch are 8, 9 and 16 becuase I find the quality and color of the light to be bordering on the artificial. Please excuse me if it really WAS these colors - you were there, I wasn't. :no_mouth: On 8 & 9 there's something about the sunflowers - they are so lightened that for me the picture loses depth - I mean, the light is coming from behind, so it would be natural that the faces of those sunflowers be somewhat darker... oh well, everyone has their own approach!
    On the other hand, that's what I LOVE about #15 is the beautiful, natural quality of the light and the depth created by the darker foreground of the image (and of course that long pier). I can imagine standing there in this very scene.

    Sara's Photos | Recent Additions

  • StumblebumStumblebum Registered Users Posts: 8,480 Major grins

    @sarasphotos said:
    Once again Taz, your shots are just tops! I admire the fact that you go to such lengths to scout your locations - fabulous. At the risk of making myself extremely unpopular I'll express a slightly critical voice - my least favorites of the bunch are 8, 9 and 16 becuase I find the quality and color of the light to be bordering on the artificial. Please excuse me if it really WAS these colors - you were there, I wasn't. :no_mouth: On 8 & 9 there's something about the sunflowers - they are so lightened that for me the picture loses depth - I mean, the light is coming from behind, so it would be natural that the faces of those sunflowers be somewhat darker... oh well, everyone has their own approach!
    On the other hand, that's what I LOVE about #15 is the beautiful, natural quality of the light and the depth created by the darker foreground of the image (and of course that long pier). I can imagine standing there in this very scene.

    Hi Sarah, thanks for kind words and critique! I expect nothing less from you!

    For #16 the warmth/sat is tad kicked up but this is moments after sun came out, so light is still golden and there is some attempt to make it surreal because of what that little guy did. However, you are 100% correct. It is bit much. I posted it for critique from some hardcore people and they didn't say anything so I assumed I am okay....or I would have pulled it back. See the cell phone shot.....obviously cell phone color profile is garbage.....but just to show what I was seeing....

    Obviously I DETEST light poles and wires and such.... ;o)
    I put my finger on sun here so it is exposed okay and fg dark but thats how cell work....if I touch grass, the sky would be blown to bits.....point is that it was pretty golden sunrise....

    With Sun flowers, in first shot they are backlit.....but light can still pass through them and backlit are the best light for flowers in my experience.......I have seen people shoot sun flowers that look deadish or dying and too dark......so this is FIRST TIME EVER I shot sun flowers.....and even before heading out, I said I would make them bright and lively......
    For second shot, I just expose them longer.....not exactly the low light that was there.....but if I wanted the BURN in sky and lively flowers, thats what I did.....
    The sky was magical that day, so my original plan of shooting sun much higher was shelved after that.....
    I deleted my cell phone shots for those as that was last year.....

    Here is one shot of flowers, over exposed on purpose.......which wipes out the sky completely.....because it is that much lighter than fg....

    You probably would have preferred flowers be darker like this one where I grabbed the sky at moment of sunset...
    ...........if I was a purist I would have but I had this goal of flowers being lively.......maybe next time.....;o)

    However, I totally value this because it is easy to lose touch with reality.....please continue with your honest input! Cheers Sarah!

  • sarasphotossarasphotos Registered Users Posts: 3,863 Major grins

    Hi Taz,
    I LOVE seeing these completely raw (so to speak) images - it's great to be able to compare them with your marvelous finished products. It makes me admire your photography AND your pp work even more.

    I completely agree with you about backlit flowers - it's something I always strive for, too - that light coming through the translucent leaves can be pretty magical. And really - your first time shooting sunflowers? I AM impressed. I've had a few occasions to shoot sunflowers and haven't always found them that easy. They can easily turn into a clump with no focal point. One of the things I like the most about #8 is how the eye is led into the distance with that row.

    How far away were you for the deer shot - that pose is just amazing! Living on the edge of a nature reserve like we do, we see a small deer family quite often and although they come quite near, they shy away at the smallest noise or sudden movement. It really is a magical pose and I think it's truly a matter of artistic interpretation whether or not the colors should be realistic.

    Now please leave some green in California for me - I'm coming to visit in a couple of weeks and would love it if that costal range wasn't it's usual brown/gold self. Trying to present my home state in its best light to my german husband. :-)

    Sara's Photos | Recent Additions

  • StumblebumStumblebum Registered Users Posts: 8,480 Major grins

    Hi Sarah, thanks truly for kind support! For Deer I had gone to shoot the sunrise at Point Reyes Shipwreck. Got up at 3:55 am after only sleeping for 2 hours, drove for 2 hours, and then found that Ground fog took over. So after all this effort I was bit crushed but kept it together and said I will start climbing (driving) higher to get above low fog. Just driving aimlessly on Pt. Reyes high roads, hoping I would find something interesting in good light, when just about when I was losing hope, I found this deer all by itself, standing on pristine grass with sun behind it. Even more importantly, it didn't panic and run except for a second but then calmed down and hung out. I was about 20 feet in my car. I always shoot with CELL first to get an idea if the COMP would work. I thought it was good and just used my 24-70 to grab sky and sun separately as it was too bright and golden grass (at that moment it was golden) separate. I have NEVER seen a deer look up at the sky like that and he did, and I couldn't believe it, fortunately had my shutter high enough to get him sharp enough, and the POSE kept making me thing of God, so in the POST went that way. I would have pulled it back some, even though I have not pushed it too much, but my hard core friends maintained completed silence, so I assumed, lil over the top color is okay.......

    Each landscape photo has some story like this....at least mine do............I am DYING to share video but can't find a way to load it.......but honestly, every photo has some story.....

    Cheers Sarah!! God bless!

  • StumblebumStumblebum Registered Users Posts: 8,480 Major grins

    Video for Number 14

    I had found this location driving on back road and when clouds were predicted I went there and found that clouds were gnarly with lightning and thunder. However, I spotted the GAP AT HORIZON and decided that is where I need to stay and wait for Sun to drop in the hole. It appears like a warm shot and it is after sun broke through, however, even then, this was going on............camera doesn't always see and record everything.....

    I hope the video is accessible and plays.....

    https://stumblebum.smugmug.com/OTHER/Rework/i-gsdg9Mn/A

  • sarasphotossarasphotos Registered Users Posts: 3,863 Major grins

    OMG - hail, even! You do indeed make sacrifices for your art.

    Thanks for sharing your deer story - that makes the picture even more special.

    Sara's Photos | Recent Additions

  • kurzvorzwoelfkurzvorzwoelf Registered Users Posts: 339 Major grins

    Awesome Taz, just awesome. Thank you so much for all your "behind the scenes" information. For me, being quite a noob photographer who still is trying to find his game, all this background sharing is invaluable. Even tho I will probably never go down the Landscape Photography road, your story and the passion behind is food for thought. And also a subtle reminder that it might be "simple" to get a "good" shot. But it's everything else but simple to get a truly superb shot, except maybe when the universe is in a one in a million constellation (aka, luck).

    You, Sir, are my personal hero today!

    Wise words from the Dog of Wisdom: If your ball is too big for your mouth, it's not yours.

    I'm here to learn and progress. Honest feedback and criticism on my images is warmly appreciated!

    My SmugMug site - kurzvorzwoelf.com

  • StumblebumStumblebum Registered Users Posts: 8,480 Major grins

    @kurzvorzwoelf said:
    Awesome Taz, just awesome. Thank you so much for all your "behind the scenes" information. For me, being quite a noob photographer who still is trying to find his game, all this background sharing is invaluable. Even tho I will probably never go down the Landscape Photography road, your story and the passion behind is food for thought. And also a subtle reminder that it might be "simple" to get a "good" shot. But it's everything else but simple to get a truly superb shot, except maybe when the universe is in a one in a million constellation (aka, luck).

    You, Sir, are my personal hero today!

    Too kind! Thanks mate! Its fun, not work! Cheers!

  • ziggy53ziggy53 Super Moderators Posts: 24,156 moderator
    edited March 31, 2019

    I stand by my previous comment, and add that your image processing for these images is delightful and evocative. (Very much IMHO so Sara doesn't clock me in an alley somewhere. )

    ziggy53
    Moderator of the Cameras and Accessories forums
  • StumblebumStumblebum Registered Users Posts: 8,480 Major grins

    @ziggy53 said:
    I stand by my previous comment, and add that your image processing for these images is delightful and evocative. (Very much IMHO so Sara doesn't clock me in an alley somewhere. )

    Many thanks Ziggy!

  • JuanoJuano Registered Users Posts: 4,890 Major grins

    Taz, I echo the comments already made. Inspiring, beautiful work, thanks for sharing!

    Cristóbal


    www.mind-driftphoto.com
  • StumblebumStumblebum Registered Users Posts: 8,480 Major grins

    @Juano said:
    Taz, I echo the comments already made. Inspiring, beautiful work, thanks for sharing!

    Thanks Cristobal! I appreciate it much! Cheers!

  • roaddog52roaddog52 Registered Users Posts: 1,323 Major grins

    Great stuff Taz. Exactly what I have come to expect from your post. Thanks for the stories also.

    Phil

    I don't know where I'm going, but I'm going anyway.

    Luck happens when preparation meets opportunity!
  • JonaBeth RussellJonaBeth Russell Registered Users Posts: 1,065 Major grins

    Taz, as I'm reading all these comments, and I'm learning how much you depend upon tracking the sun, I thought to share a tool I use. (I have to track the sun for real estate sunset shoots often). It's an app on the phone called: Sun Seeker. Hold the phone flat, let the app work like a compass, and it'll show you precisely where the sun will set from any given perspective/location. Could save you a little leg-work on your scouting missions.

  • StumblebumStumblebum Registered Users Posts: 8,480 Major grins

    @roaddog52 said:
    Great stuff Taz. Exactly what I have come to expect from your post. Thanks for the stories also.

    Phil

    Thanks truly Phil!

  • StumblebumStumblebum Registered Users Posts: 8,480 Major grins
    edited April 4, 2019

    @JonaBeth Russell said:
    Taz, as I'm reading all these comments, and I'm learning how much you depend upon tracking the sun, I thought to share a tool I use. (I have to track the sun for real estate sunset shoots often). It's an app on the phone called: Sun Seeker. Hold the phone flat, let the app work like a compass, and it'll show you precisely where the sun will set from any given perspective/location. Could save you a little leg-work on your scouting missions.

    Thanks JBR! I downloaded the app. At first instance bit intimidating. I hope to be able to figure out. Yeah, know where sun will pop up and go down is like most ESSENTIAL! Cheers!

    Ooooooh "map" may solve all my needs if I can find the locations......that is super cool! Thanks JBR!

  • EiaEia Registered Users Posts: 3,627 Major grins

    These are more than amazing - made me say 'wow' out loud! :) # 2 & 6 does it for me. the green is sooooo...well...green. I too like the dog and boat; unusual. The compositions are excellent. Very, very nice!!!! A big metal print is a must.

    ~AnnaMaria~ My little life in God's big universe
  • StumblebumStumblebum Registered Users Posts: 8,480 Major grins

    @Eia said:
    These are more than amazing - made me say 'wow' out loud! :) # 2 & 6 does it for me. the green is sooooo...well...green. I too like the dog and boat; unusual. The compositions are excellent. Very, very nice!!!! A big metal print is a must.

    Thanks kindly Anna Maria! Cheers!

  • GOLDENORFEGOLDENORFE Super Moderators Posts: 4,747 moderator

    great series #5 and #6 my favourites :)

    Phil

    moderator - Holy Macro
    Goldenorfe’s Flickr Gallery
    Goldenorfe photography on Smugmug
    Phils Photographic Adventures Blog
  • StumblebumStumblebum Registered Users Posts: 8,480 Major grins

    @GOLDENORFE said:
    great series #5 and #6 my favourites :)

    Thanks Phil!

  • MaitryMaitry Registered Users Posts: 8 Big grins
    edited May 1, 2019

    Breathtaking set, Taz! Pictures are so beautiful but their titles are also amazing! You always come up with something new and stunning! <3

    Add Text and Copyright Photos

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