Entry possibilities

Art Scott

All 3 of these were run thru Lightroom and then just a very small tad of lab (tiny tad of curves and shadows)......Now I cannot decide if I should go curve or angle.......What do you think....

Sunset at LAKE PERRY




CABLE SUSPENSION BRIDGE



CABLE SUSPENSION BRIDGE #2

Did have to ask some people to clear the bridge so I could get the
empty shot.....man the looks I got....wish I hadn't left the camera on the t-pod..
thsoe expressions would have been killer funny................

Thank You for perusing my entry possibles and also for all comments.

PaulThomasMcKee

Tough choice!

'Cable suspension bridge' plays in both curvy and angular quite well. But it is also quite busy and has some features that I feel are distracting.

I prefer Sunset at LAKE PERRY. Very pleasing shot and nicely processed. Simple curve of the lake is front and center.

My $0.02

paul

Nikolai

Art,
I agree with Paul.
Bridge is too busy (and its second version is overcooked).
I like the first one, but is also carries same overprocessed feeling.
HTH

Art Scott

Thanks to both of you.....I walked upon the bridge and all i saw was angles...everywhere even in the bride and groom kissing...the white of the dress framed by the tux pants almopst mimiced the bridges tower.....but I did fear it was going to have way to many angles.....Thanks again.

The processing was the same on the bridges...lightroom was auto and in lab it was basically just white and black point in the curves and like a +5 in the shadows to make the black cable as I had seen it (black not a dingy gray ).......bridges will go back to the lab when I get time as I really like them but I may have to also reshoot for a different perspective.....that park is one of my favorites as it is also where our Keeper of the Plains sits........

Swartzy

Art
Although the bridge is a cool one, the sky takes away from it. Also, I think the bridge could work if you got really low and filled the frame with it...possibly zooming in. Getting a more up close and personal perspective will display the angles better too. The first one of the lake is a much better choice at this juncture.

richtersl

I really like the first one but agree that it's a bit overprocessed. I'd like to see a version of it where you've restored some of the foreground shadows to give it more of a silhouette appearance. You'll still have great color in the sky and on the water, but the silhouette may emphasize the curvature of the shoreline even more.

Art Scott

richtersl wrote:

I really like the first one but agree that it's a bit overprocessed. I'd like to see a version of it where you've restored some of the foreground shadows to give it more of a silhouette appearance. You'll still have great color in the sky and on the water, but the silhouette may emphasize the curvature of the shoreline even more.

Richters, is this something like you are suggesting??


In lightroom all I did was add a touch of contrast (about 15 pts) and remove about the same in brightness........I am just begining to use LR and think I do like it more than CS+ACR........

or this with a lot more contrast added and brightness removed:

swartzy wrote:

Although the bridge is a cool one, the sky takes away from it. Also, I think the bridge could work if you got really low and filled the frame with it...possibly zooming in. Getting a more up close and personal perspective will display the angles better too. The first one of the lake is a much better choice at this juncture.

Being able to get down real low (almost ground level) is a problem with the traffic, being only opened a few weeks ago they are very heavily travelled 24 hours a day and they are only pedestrian bridges.....but I will give that a try some night or very early morning when the traffic is lighter.

Thank you both for looking and commenting.

richtersl

Art Scott wrote:

Richters, is this something like you are suggesting??

Yes! This first one was along the lines of what I was thinking. The trees look "silhouetty", yet you can still make out some detail. Now you can see some nice light on the rocks and driftwood where the sun hits the shoreline.

Also, try a version with the saturation toned down a little but so that the glow in the water and the sky looks golden rather than orange.

It's a beautiful shot!!!!

Nikolai

If a reshoot is possible, and the weather cooperates, I'd take a long exposure (30sec..3min) shot at this to smooth the water and the skies. You really need a shape only.
If your camera can't take really long ones, simply take several (10? 15? 20?) shots with the longest exposure you can and then blend them in post. Make sure you use a good tripod, remote trigger and manual exposure/focus.
HTH

Art Scott

Nikolai wrote:

If a reshoot is possible, and the weather cooperates, I'd take a long exposure (30sec..3min) shot at this to smooth the water and the skies. You really need a shape only.
If your camera can't take really long ones, simply take several (10? 15? 20?) shots with the longest exposure you can and then blend them in post. Make sure you use a good tripod, remote trigger and manual exposure/focus.
HTH

I reshoot prior to deadline is out....that is a 3 hour drive...as for smoothing the water....not a chance I was standing on the dam of the lake and the wind was approx 30 mph and getting stronger as the sun went down....it is tornado season and a strom was really brewing to my right but there was no color just big black clouds...but all that came of it was more flooding....but I will try that next time if the sunset is nice.....

Nikolai

Art Scott wrote:

I reshoot prior to deadline is out....that is a 3 hour drive...as for smoothing the water....not a chance I was standing on the dam of the lake and the wind was approx 30 mph and getting stronger as the sun went down....it is tornado season and a strom was really brewing to my right but there was no color just big black clouds...but all that came of it was more flooding....but I will try that next time if the sunset is nice.....

3 hour drive? Man, you are going out for the shot...

Well, in that case a long series of tripod-supported full manual regular exposures can do the trick. PS CS3 has a great auto-align feature, and even if you still don't have a copy, manual align is not that hard....(comparing to a 3 hr drive, at least:-)

Art Scott

richtersl wrote:

Yes! This first one was along the lines of what I was thinking. The trees look "silhouetty", yet you can still make out some detail. Now you can see some nice light on the rocks and driftwood where the sun hits the shoreline.

Also, try a version with the saturation toned down a little but so that the glow in the water and the sky looks golden rather than orange.

It's a beautiful shot!!!!

Linda, we go de-saturated on every level hope this is what you were talking 'bout.......


Thank YOU ALL for taking the time to give suggestions.

Art Scott

Nikolai wrote:

3 hour drive? Man, you are going out for the shot...

Well, in that case a long series of tripod-supported full manual regular exposures can do the trick. PS CS3 has a great auto-align feature, and even if you still don't have a copy, manual align is not that hard....(comparing to a 3 hr drive, at least:-)

In and around Wichita the land is completely bland...I do mean flat ugly...... the 2 lakes nearby are very muddy and have soul...I have shot them for over 20yrs and they just suck......I have a friend that lives in Lawrence and yes that is 2-3 hours if the highways are not completely tore up with construction (including our turnpike) and then Perry is about 30 minutes out side of Lawrence........

I am still working with PSCS........no cs3 in my budget right now.......dang just got LR and trying to learn it....the road where I was standing to take this pic was barely wide ehuff for 2 cars let alone a tripod weilding photog taking up half lane.....the park ranger told us we might have trouble with people trying to care us by honking or driving REAL CLOSE to us.....and there were those that did just those things.......oh well .....what goes around comes around...and next time I will be out in full force with t-pod....makes a good weapon at times also:D

Art Scott

SORRY THAT i JUST WASTED EVERYONES TIMEcrycry.....THIS SHOT WAS TAKEN JUST ABOUT 3 HOURS AND 15 - 20 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE BEGINING OF THE CHALLENGEcrycry.....I AM TRULY SORRY FOR THIS.....But it has given me ideas on what to do next time I get to shoot such a sunset......

I have one more weekend to shoot and process something (back to the bridge and get less angles and someting more dramatic, I hope.

Thanks again for all the help to improve my shotbow

Note to self: read all of the EXIF not just the download folder title ......

Nikolai

Art Scott wrote:

SORRY THAT i JUST WAISTED EVERYONES TIMEcrycry.....THIS SHOT WAS TAKEN JUST ABOUT 3 HOURS AND 15 - 20 MINUTES PRIOR TO THE BEGINING OF THE CHALLENGEcrycry.....I AM TRULY SORRY FOR THIS.....But I have one more weekend to shoot and process something.

Thanks again for all the help to improve my shotbow

Note to self: read all of the EXIF not just the download folder title ......

Shit happens.. It's good that you realized it now, that you still have a full week ahead...

Art Scott

Nikolai wrote:

Shit happens.. It's good that you realized it now, that you still have a full week ahead...

Yes it does and I hate it happening to me.....but at least I did not get it entered.....that would have been more embarassing......

If I knew where my DUNCE hat was I could do a self portrait for my avatar also.......hmmmmnow where did mother leave her witches hat.....

Again Nik thanks for all the help, it truly is appreciated.

richtersl

It's looking good, Art! But I'm wondering what you're going to come up with this coming week.

From what you describe, maybe you don't have much in your area with regard to landscape, but what about architecture? Some of these older towns in your area have got to have some angular features you can photgraph for this. Then again, what about some curvy plant features??

Tessa HD

Ahhhhh! How frustrating! That's too bad, however, I like the shot, don't dump it. I might desaturate those sky colors just a tad, but keeper nonetheless!

Tessa

JillG

Hey, What a bummer:D I just wanted to chime in that it is a great shot. Too bad about the timing.

Jill