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Thread: Keep Dreaming

  1. #1
    HiImTom's Avatar
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    Keep Dreaming

    I shot this one early in the morning while sitting on the riverside. What a peaceful and surreal moment with a calmness that conveyed tranquility and hope; then I fell in

    Keep Dreaming


    When I took this shot I wanted to share where I was with whoever saw this photo. I wanted them to float down the river through the droplets of fog towards the warmth of the rising sun. Above anything I wanted to share the mood of the moment.

    As most of you know, I know very little about photography, composition, lighting, subject etc. So any feedback is very helpful for me to be a better photographer tomorrow than I am today. Thank you in advance for all your help.

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    Re: Keep Dreaming

    As most of you know, I know very little about photography, composition, lighting, subject etc.
    What I know Tom is that this picture is exquisite! Very very very well done.

    A suggestion I can offer you is to try to selectively desaturate the magentas of the flare. Another idea is to use sepia tonemaping but you really don't need to, sepia is already there, the gold tones are fantastic.

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    Re: Keep Dreaming

    Nice. I like it, thank you for sharing this moment.
    regards
    Clive

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    Re: Keep Dreaming

    Thank you Mitos for your kind words. It was a surreal moment for sure. The best part when I was walkingn out of the woods there two these two burly mountain men laughing at me for falling in the river. Almost like this NJ boy was anointed by the mountains, lol.

    Is that what it is called! I always wondered what the light rays were called. I have had that in a few other photos, some it works in to add value to the over feel and some it does not. Do they sell lens filters to prevent that from happening? I will play around with the image and see how it looks taking it out.

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    Re: Keep Dreaming

    Thanks clive

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    MilT0s's Avatar
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    Re: Keep Dreaming

    Tom try searching "lens flare" in CiC, almost every information about photography you will need is in the tutorials of the site.

    Ahh, here it is:
    https://www.cambridgeincolour.com/tu...lens-flare.htm

  7. #7
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    Re: Keep Dreaming

    Thank you. I get confused easy by so much new stuff to learn. At times it become debilitating.

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    Moderator Donald's Avatar
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    Re: Keep Dreaming

    Quote Originally Posted by HiImTom View Post
    When I took this shot I wanted to share where I was with whoever saw this photo. I wanted them to float down the river through the droplets of fog towards the warmth of the rising sun. Above anything I wanted to share the mood of the moment.
    Tom - Sure there is a lot to learn and it sometimes feels totally overwhelming when you begin to realise how much you don't know (I still get that feeling regularly), but I'd like to suggest that in that statement that I've quoted you've shown that you are way along the learning curve.

    Why do I say that?

    Because for me, whilst all technical stuff is important and you need to know quite a bit of it in order to get the best out of your camera equipment and in post processing, if you don't 'feel' the emotion in making a picture, know why you are taking it and what you want to say people who look at it or what you want to help them to see, then you are not going to make images that hold people. And what you've shown here is that you had a total sense of what you were doing and why. That, I will always argue, is worth as much, if not more, than the technical knowledge.

    Some people are brilliant technicians but struggle to 'see' an image and convey any emotion in it. Some people are the opposite (and I'd align myself more closely with that end of the spectrum) and then the very fortunate few have it all.

    You might think you know little about composition. This image would suggest otherwise. Let me tell you the story of the Wee Kirkcudbright Centipede.

    This little guy wowed audiences up and down the country with his dancing skills. His 100 legs would weave the most beautiful and intricate dance patterns. Ladies swooned and men raged with jealousy. He was even invited to take part in reality TV shows! Until ................ one day someone asked him how he did it. And he began to think about it and started to analyse what he did and how he did it.

    Well, the next time he took to the stage his legs got all tangled up. He broke 37 of them. And the people laughed.

    And the moral of this tale - Don't over-think it. Stay spontaneous.

    And then of course, .................. there are those who learn not to fall into rivers!!
    Last edited by Donald; 15th December 2012 at 11:10 AM.

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    Re: Keep Dreaming

    This is lovely Tom you have certainly achieved your goal of sharing the mood of the moment.

    I like what you have done with the lens flare, but I do agree with Miltos about getting the magenta out. As it is now, it looks like lens flare, but if the magenta was taken out it would look more like what (I imagine) you actually saw and would look more a part of the scene as opposed to a camera aberration.

    Of course, you are "the decider" and you are the one who was there and knows how it really looked. I get a lot of lens flare in my shots and I sort of like it if it ends up in the right place (which most of mine don't). In this shot it is in the perfect spot and needs to be there.

    I'm kind of like Donald's centipede, I really can't explain things very well, but I do know I love the shot, and lens flare or not it works and I wouldn't try to eliminate it in this shot or future, sometimes it will work sometimes not. To me lens flare is the cameras version of what I see when I look into the light. That being said, I think (and you will have to look this up or perhaps others will comment) there is some danger to the cameras sensor it you aim it right at the sun, so I don't want to steer you in the wrong direction.

    Long story short, great shot

    Wendy

  10. #10
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    Re: Keep Dreaming

    Hi Donald,

    First, thank you for your kind words.

    Secondly, it is refreshing to hear feedback from other people than your close family and friends in your life. I always wondered if they were "just being nice" when they complimented my photos. I am a self doubter, no doubt I have been over confident in my life, even possibly arrogant, that is why I doubt my art and other things I do in my life. It is the safe play. Why do I even bring this up, because every artist I know personally does this. I am sure one or two people around here do it. I am done doing that. Thank you for helping me realize I make beautiful art. Is it "The Best", no. What is though? Can I get better, no doubt.

    As far as the centipede, I hope his legs heal and feel better I have had this thought, if I learn the technical side it might begin to interfere with the emotion that I feel and then convey in my art. I feel like I should gain more technical knowledge, to get a larger diversity to my work, but not allow it to be the focal point that it interferes with the emotion of the moment. Although I may conjour a chuckle from those that see me fall in the river, I am grateful because it reminds me I am still alive. No plans on changing in that regard, I'm Tom afterall.

  11. #11
    Moderator Dave Humphries's Avatar
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    Re: Keep Dreaming

    Quote Originally Posted by HiImTom View Post
    Thank you. I get confused easy by so much new stuff to learn. At times it become debilitating.
    I haven't yet read what others have said below this post (#7) Tom, but please don't be put off, just do what you're doing - because you seem to be "a natural", even without knowing exactly what you're doing.

    I really like this picture and sure, the magenta flare patch caught my eye first, but there's so much else you could have screwed up during capture that you didn't and the flare can be desaturated in PP later (it would be impossible to avoid anyway with what you have, so don't sweat on that)

    Well done,
    Last edited by Dave Humphries; 15th December 2012 at 07:06 PM.

  12. #12
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    Re: Keep Dreaming

    Tom, I am glad you posted this here. When I saw it in your blog I liked it very much as I said. I had a hunch I may not be alone. Don't worry to much about losing the artistic/emotional side due to learning a bit more of the tech side. The artist side of you will do what he wants, he will just have a little more technical knowledge to allow him to succeed in times where it is needed.

  13. #13
    HiImTom's Avatar
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    Re: Keep Dreaming

    Thanks ScoutR I will play around with it this week to see if I can get it accomplished. Thanks for the heads up on the sensor damage, I will give it a bit more research. I am not too worried about this unit. A few weeks after buying it I fell down the mountain at night and it fell out of my pocket. Needless to say, it spent a night out in the pouring rain and never has been the same since. Artistically, the limitations of a simple point and shoot are no longer meeting my needs. Plus the lens is scratched, further convincing me that I NEED a new one.

    Thank you Dave for your kind words. I am not sure about all that (being a natural), but I sure do enjoy taking pictures of things that speak to me. I love losing myself in the moment, being one with whatever is going on.

    Jeeperman, thank you for helping me build my confidence. I am glad I posted it too I will keep learning all I can and more importantly, feel what I am feeling.

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