Encounters

Nacho

This is from a series and gallery I call Encounters. I purposefully silhouetted the figures in some of these. In some cases added noise also. All taken with a small 4mp Nikon Coolpix E4200 a while back. Decided to play with them recently. All edits done in Photoshop CS3.

My thinking through these revolves around "Encountering Edges." The Ocean provides just that line of demarcation, the edge of meeting and encountering something "Other." We are both resistant yet attracted so such encounters, to such edges. Edges are liminal spaces, and going beyond them often places us in the margins. These pics below don't show the margins, but an encounter with the liminal.

Thoughts and C&C appreciated.


EXIF: Nikon E4200 Coolpix, ISO 80, f/8.2, 1/250, 23.4mm


EXIF: Nikon E4200 Coolpix, ISO 400, f/8.2, 1/470, 23.4mm


EXIF: Nikon E4200 Coolpix, ISO 80, f/4.9, 1/400, 23.4mm


EXIF: Nikon E4200 Coolpix, ISO 400, f/8.2, 1/1250, 23.4mm

gassho,

N

k2butter

These are really nice, I love the "cool" feeling to them...

urbanaries

I, too like the cool feeling in them! I also love silhouettes and these are no exception.

But, they do look somewhat dark and lacking in contrast. If you tried to print them, I suspect they would print even darker.

Nacho

Thanks folks. Yes, I made these pretty dark, at least for display on the web. I wanted that kind of feel. In particular the one where both, the child and the adult, are bending over. I'm not sure I will print these, but I can change the levels a bit to lighten them a bit. The silhouettes were also on purpose. I was playing with the feeling of allowing the viewer to face a space where they could step into. Or, at the very least, create a sense of that space not being tied to just one person.

Thanks for the thoughts, I truly appreciate them,

gassho,

N

leaforte

I like the forth photo. The boy seems to be stepping back to admire his work, or to see if any more needs to be done. Good chance he built some small sand sculpture and is about to 'godzilla' it.

pathfinder

urbanaries wrote:

I, too like the cool feeling in them! I also love silhouettes and these are no exception.

But, they do look somewhat dark and lacking in contrast. If you tried to print them, I suspect they would print even darker.

I agree, Lynn.

These images aren't a "little" dark, they are really dark.

In the first image, there are no white points brighter than about 180,180, 180 which is really a dingy middle gray. The two sillhouettes are absolute black at 0,0,0.

In the third image, the specular reflections in the surf read ~ 150,150,150 - nowhere near a true white. The silhouettes again are absolute black.

Even in the second image, it is hard to find a pixel higher than 200,200,200 in the reflections in the surf again.

Only in the last image do we really see pixels of true white in the little boys waistband where it is lit up by sunlight.

I think if there was a better arrangement of the available contrast, these would be more arresting images. Right now, #1 and #3 are just too gray for my eye, to be captivating

Nacho

Thanks all. I've edited the two pics that were the darkest and most troublesome in terms of tonal range:





It was a quick and dirty job, so I will go back and try to do the processing much better. But I wanted to follow the feedback here. Thanks again!

gassho,

N

pathfinder

I hope that you found my comments helpful, and not hurtful. Helpful was my intent.

I think these images are better, too.

I now find white values in the first image in the surf of 230,235, 240 - These are much more representative of white or a specular reflection.

The second image still seems a little flat, but that may be an accurate measure of the early morning light.

I always try to take a gander at the pixel values in my images, white, blacks, and supposed grays, to make sure they look like I think they are supposed to look. If they do no numerically look like black, or white, or gray, then the colors will not be black or white or gray. Uncalibrated monitors can contribute to the difficulty of our not seeing what the pixel numbers should be showing.

Nacho

Path, no worries at all. I did not take them as anything but useful feedback. Truly the joy is in the learning and in the process, so I am glad to hear the advice and keep plugging away.

Now, I need to keep working on making customizing my smug site!

Thanks again,

N