Hi Sharon. Creative and beautiful.
karm
Strong and powerful feel to it. Cool processing as usual.
Thanks Karm and Bobo.
Doing so much B&W just now that I needed a blast of colour.
Hello Sharon: I don't believe I have commented on your shots before, but I have viewed them, and always found your work to be thought provoking and stylish. I particularly like the green and gold textures in this one.
Hi Suzan and thank you so much for your kind words. I really appreciate them.
There's something akin to Alchemy happens when those two colours come together.
This is very good! Would you mind telling us how you did it?
Thank you Jim and am only too happy to tell you.
I took my basic shot of the trees and enhanced it in http://www.picmonkey.com/ I used a water texture and spotlight from there at various levels of opacity and then imported the result into http://pixlr.com/express/ and used some of the default and vintage settings to hone the final look using the sliders to get the exact feel I wanted.
Reading that back it sounds complicated but it really is simple and a whole lot of fun. It's 'playing' for grown-ups!
And I think I'm out-on-the-edge with a bit of blur being allowed onto trees that are blowing in the wind.
I think I lack imagination!
Hi Sharon - this is a real beauty - I love it! Thanks also for explaining your processing...
Great image and great colors Sharon. I love your commentbut you surely oversimplify the skill and eye that is required to 'see' the right choice amongst all the various processing options.It's 'playing' for grown-ups!
I have one follow up question for you on the processing of this image - how closely did the end image come to what you had envisioned when taking the shot? Put another way, did you have this type of processing in mind at the time of the shot or did it evolve as you 'played' with the various options?
The end result is very impressionistic and your processing choices on this one are fabulous!
That raises some very interesting question Shane.
Firstly I really couldn't say if my 'skill and eye' are any better than anyone elses... simply because I don't know what someone else would create given the same shot and tools. I am sure many people could create something splendid that would make my attempt look uninspired by comparison. I just don't know. What I DO know is that with experimentation and use you develop your own eye and knowing what will work or not becomes easier...but only for the style you develop as your own.
Now...did the end image come close to what I envisaged when I took the shot?
Yes..and no.
It certainly went with the mood of the original shot...these trees had a really strong feeling of movement and initial processing didn't reveal that and the shot sat on my computer for a bit. When I saw some new editing options on Picmonkey I loaded the shot back up and within about 3 steps I knew that they were going to do the trick in combination with some editing software I normally use. From the moment you know it is going to work it really is just pure joy.
You can 'work' any shot up with PP but if you try to enforce a mood on it that wasn't there in the initial shot then it never looks right.
Susan, Terri and Donald....thank you for your comments and let me assure you that a vivid imagination really is a double edged sword and that I am in awe of those Photographers with patience and mathematical ability who can pull off the perfect exposure and sit around for hours in the early dawn to capture the perfect light....! I certainly could not.
Vive la difference!
Thank you for taking the time to respond Sharon - I agree that when it is right you just 'know'!
I am still working on developing a style and learning the various PP options which all seems a bit overwhelming at times so I often wonder how others approach things along their creative path...
Along my winding (and often bumpy) road to creativity I posted Path last month and would appreciate your reaction if you have the time or inclination.
BTW, I know that you have been busy with your Dad's illness and hope things have settled down a bit on that front...
This looks very much like a tree engulfed in a bushfire and the associated ember shower.
Thank you Shane. My advice would be not to try to find your style, just enjoy the journey and it will find you.
I will gladly have a look at your pic.
Sadly my Dad's health continues to deteriorate and he had another stroke 2 days ago. I really appreciate your good wishes.
Greg...that is exactly what was in my mind....although we don't have many bushfires here in Scotland.
Awesome , awesome, awesome as usual Sharon..thank you for sharing this image and thank you for explaining
the post processing. Keep up the great work!!
Thank you so much Claudio!
Thanks Sharon! I am humbled by your kind words...
Well wishes to your and your family.