LPS#3 side comment

Nikolai

It's really interesting psychologically that almost everybody's (including yours truly) first take/idea was towards Irregular rather than Picturesque, and even at that almost everybody started with a "broken pattern" (again, same here).
It would be great to see how the themes develop.

Swartzy

Exactly Nik
I've refrained from shooting along those ideas as it's entirely too obvious and making myself stretch if you will in thinking. I envision many picturesque photos but have to wait a bit for that attempt. It will be interesting to see these themes develop for certain.

ericgtr

I can see where this originated with the current pictures and it appears that the odd "thing" out is going to be predominant concept. Since all of this is subject to interpretation by the individual tastes of the judges I think it's all fair, and fun.

richtersl

Nikolai wrote:

It's really interesting psychologically that almost everybody's (including yours truly) first take/idea was towards Irregular rather than Picturesque, and even at that almost everybody started with a "broken pattern" (again, same here).
It would be great to see how the themes develop.

I also find that interesting. I would have sworn that the initial attempts would have leaned toward the picturesque. It will indeed, be fun to watch how this develops.

ChrisJ

I actually thought of picturesque, but realized there are probably a lot of other people closer to great vistas than I am. I didn't think I could compete. So I set my mind on irregular.

I think picturesque can take a bit of planning (perfect location, right time, etc), where irregular feels more spontaneous to me. So the irregulars show up first.

behr655

ChrisJ wrote:

I actually thought of picturesque, but realized there are probably a lot of other people closer to great vistas than I am. I didn't think I could compete. So I set my mind on irregular.

I think picturesque can take a bit of planning (perfect location, right time, etc), where irregular feels more spontaneous to me. So the irregulars show up first.

I don't think picturesque has to mean a beautiful vista. It just needs to be pleasing to the eye. Yes?

Bear

Khaos

Nikolai wrote:

It's really interesting psychologically that almost everybody's (including yours truly) first take/idea was towards Irregular rather than Picturesque, and even at that almost everybody started with a "broken pattern" (again, same here).
It would be great to see how the themes develop.

This time of year in NE Ohio, picturesque is a little hard to do. We went from 80 degrees and sunny yesterday to 34 degrees and snowy today. You gotta love it? Only around here can you get all 4 seasons in one day. Most of my stuff lately has been dark and moody. Everything is still dead around here.

Nikolai

behr655 wrote:

I don't think picturesque has to mean a beautiful vista. It just needs to be pleasing to the eye. Yes?

Bear

Well, I was a bit stumbled by the seeming orthogonality of the LPS3 themes at first, so I did a little wikiing and googling. I end up with a almost perfect rationale (for myself, that is): French garden vs English garden. First means perfect geometrical layout, manicured lawns, bushes shaped as some animals, etc. English garden is anything but geometrical. Paths going in some winding mode, bushes growing wild, etc.
My search also came with a picturesque described as "picture worthy". Remember, even in XIX century there was no such thing as 10mp digicam in every household. Making a picture (paint, canvas, fur brushes, etc.) required a long time and a lot of efforts. So one obviously would like to use those efforts on something that was, indeed, picture worthy...:-)

Nikolai

Keith,

Khaos wrote:

This time of year in NE Ohio, picturesque is a little hard to do. We went from 80 degrees and sunny yesterday to 34 degrees and snowy today. You gotta love it? Only around here can you get all 4 seasons in one day. Most of my stuff lately has been dark and moody. Everything is still dead around here.

I'd call this weather pattern highly irregular. Did you take a shot at it?

No castles or gothic churches here either, mate. Ocean, yes, but how many sunsets one can bear...
Oh well, still 10 more days...

Tessa HD

I totally agree with you,

ChrisJ wrote:

I actually thought of picturesque, but realized there are probably a lot of other people closer to great vistas than I am. I didn't think I could compete. So I set my mind on irregular.

I think picturesque can take a bit of planning (perfect location, right time, etc), where irregular feels more spontaneous to me. So the irregulars show up first.

and the same expectations as you. I feel somewhat limited where I lived for landscapes on the level of picturesque (especially this time of year). However, on that note, as an oil painter I'm of the opinion that if things are "picturesque", they are worthy of a painting, which is more than just landscapes. Even portraits can be picturesque. Which makes this challenge all the more challenging for me, trying to decide what angle to go after. Unfortunately, I feel I have never taken a single photo worthy of a painting, I usually use several when doing a painting.

Yup, will be interesting to see the variety of entries.

Ristyz

I actually did quite a bit if research on 'picturesque' which turned out to be a popular movement in the 18th century in both art and architecture (landscaping included)

I didn't stop at reading the wikipedia version but also read up on William Gilpin and Claude Lorraine (Gellee) There seems to be more to Pictureasue than just apretty picture!

I encourage others to check out the Wikipedia version and this site as well. I did discover that googling 'picturesque' only made it harder to sift through the more generic uses of the word. I had to switch to picturesque movement, which brought up lots of architectural links and picturesque style, which gave me more art related links. Here's on of 'em for ease of finding.

http://www.handprint.com/HP/WCL/artist03.html

I had fun discovering the word's roots, that's for sure!

ChrisJ

Behr655 wrote:

I don't think picturesque has to mean a beautiful vista. It just needs to be pleasing to the eye. Yes?

True, but it's the first thing that comes to my mind when I think of the word. In my head, I kept confusing picturesque and photogenic, which definitely has a different meaning.

Tessa HD wrote:

Unfortunately, I feel I have never taken a single photo worthy of a painting, I usually use several when doing a painting.

I know what you mean... but if I could take a quick trip to Bryce Canyon right now, I think I could find some excellent picturesque opportunities. I could stare at Sunrise/Sunset there for hours, too bad the light only lasts minutes.

tsk1979

Actually Picturesque is not difficult as an idea. Shoot a lovely landscape, it will fit the topic.
The trick is that your landscape should be better than the others.

Flyinggina

tsk1979 wrote:

Actually Picturesque is not difficult as an idea. Shoot a lovely landscape, it will fit the topic.
The trick is that your landscape should be better than the others.

Exactly! Of course that is true also of irregular. With picturesque, though, you have to find your picturesque scene, see the existing subject matter in a creative way (instead of creating the subject matter from a creative idea), photograph it in the best light using all of your technical expertise to create the mood you want. And even if you do all of the above, the result has to be a drop dead gorgeous photograph that isn't trite. Daunting.

Virginia

LiquidAir

Flyinggina wrote:

With picturesque, though, you have to find your picturesque scene, see the existing subject matter in a creative way (instead of creating the subject matter from a creative idea), photograph it in the best light using all of your technical expertise to create the mood you want. And even if you do all of the above, the result has to be a drop dead gorgeous photograph that isn't trite. Daunting.

Virginia

Yep. That's it in a nutshell.

From its inception the picturesque movement has faced the crticism of being trite. That, I think, is a testament both to how easy it is to attempt the picturesque and to how difficult it is to do well.

Nikolai

LiquidAir wrote:

Yep. That's it in a nutshell.

From its inception the picturesque movement has faced the crticism of being trite. That, I think, is a testament both to how easy it is to attempt the picturesque and to how difficult it is to do well.

I learned a new word!

---

trite(trt)
adj. trit·er, trit·est
1. Lacking power to evoke interest through overuse or repetition; hackneyed.
2. Archaic Frayed or worn out by use.

---

On the subject: yes, I agree, it's damn easy to srew it up and damn hard to make it original and new...
Everybody here has seen too many vistas

photogmomma

I'm glad to hear I wasn't the only one googling the words and finding out that Picturesque was a movement... It was interesting learning that - and something I should probably have know.

As someone who lives in a breathtaking, amazing place and takes a LOT of photos of it, it's actually hard to get what I consider to be a "picturesque" photo. You know, one that stands above all other photos taken by the amazing photographers here.

But on the other side, I have another problem... I have several ideas for "irregular" because of events over the next few days, but they will invariably be picturesque in the background - which will make them even MORE irregular. But that isn't my aim - to be picturesque. I do not want to go for a dual theme at all, but the ideas I have may cause it to happen as a byproduct. It's getting it to work well that'll be the challenge....

DavidTO

Nikolai wrote:

Well, I was a bit stumbled by the seeming orthogonality of the LPS3 themes at first, so I did a little wikiing and googling.

Nik,

Please don't explain what this means.

Nikolai

David,

DavidTO wrote:

Nik,

Please don't explain what this means.

Since you've asked...

Orthogonal = independent, unrelated.
Changing one does not affect another.
Like color and weight, or speed and scent.

DavidTO

Nikolai wrote:

Since you've asked...

Orthogonal = independent, unrelated.
Changing one does not affect another.
Like color and weight, or speed and scent.

Nik, seriously, I'm begging you to eschew obfuscations.

Robert

I think I am making ‘being wrong’ into an art form at this stage.
My first thought was “sure everybody is going to go for picturesque” so I’ll try to come up with something irregular. My first interpretation of irregular was also ‘the odd one out’. Had a look around me (we live in the country) - no good. Went to the City, walked around for 3 hours - no good. Even messed up a couple of nice picture opportunities, because I was concentrating so hard on the theme.
But I finally did get an idea in my head. Just have to find my target.

I don’t think picturesque is my style. I only ever shot one picture that I would call that. No Photoshop or anything. Just cropped.
http://www.iolfree.ie/~robert./dgrin/DSCF0003a_cso.jpg
Although shooting land and seascapes is my favourite, I like rough and bold. I can’t get away from the idea of picturesque being sweet and dreamy.

BistiArt

Meanings

DavidTO wrote:

Nik, seriously, I'm begging you to eschew obfuscations.

But,...
Doesn't the mere act of eschewing
{Pardon my allergies}

Obfuscate?

pyroPrints.com

Robert wrote:

I think I am making ‘being wrong’ into an art form at this stage.
My first thought was “sure everybody is going to go for picturesque” so I’ll try to come up with something irregular. My first interpretation of irregular was also ‘the odd one out’. Had a look around me (we live in the country) - no good. Went to the City, walked around for 3 hours - no good. Even messed up a couple of nice picture opportunities, because I was concentrating so hard on the theme.
But I finally did get an idea in my head. Just have to find my target.

I don’t think picturesque is my style. I only ever shot one picture that I would call that. No Photoshop or anything. Just cropped.
http://www.iolfree.ie/~robert./dgrin/DSCF0003a_cso.jpg
Although shooting land and seascapes is my favourite, I like rough and bold. I can’t get away from the idea of picturesque being sweet and dreamy.

That's pretty picturesque if you ask me. Minus that pole in the middle of course.

Nikolai

pyroPrints.com wrote:

That's pretty picturesque if you ask me. Minus that pole in the middle of course.

I agree. Minus pole, less blowout in the skies, add some fog..
Reshoot in the morning?

Robert

I actually like that pole, but I do agree about the sky, of course.
A retake wouldn’t be too attractive with the black plastic rapped bails these days.