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Follow the Salt (act III + some answers)

Guy Tal

Editor at Large
da000209_alt2.jpg


A heartfelt Thank You to all who responded so far. In response to your questions:

Asher: Intent and meaning almost escape me. This was made on one of those "must get away for a bit and spend time on my own" outings. I was digesting some bad news from back home and pretty much let my subconscious mind have free reign. When a friend first saw this she was convinced without a doubt that I had captured an upside-down question mark, with all the obvious symbolic implications.

Gary: Yes, this is the Great Salt Lake, and I did make an effort to emphasize the bleached character of the salt in this version - thanks for the insight.

Geraldine: Those are not rocks in the shallow water - they are the salt-encrusted tips of metal rods that look like they were arranged by an artist (or a mental patient). I never found out what their original purpose was, but here's a closer look Alien Landing Strip

I did try a more traditional 4x5 ratio for this version, but rather than lighten the dark areas, I intensified the contrast. I like the resulting tonal relationship but am still ambivalent about the crop.

Guy
 

Gary Ayala

New member
Thanks for taking the time and implementing our suggestions (at least some of them) ... for me suggestions are just a look-see ... maybe it works and maybe it doesn't ... sometimes one gets lucky and sometimes its garbage.

Personally, I'm a bit of a contrast freak ... so I would still kick up the contast a touch on the foreground salt lumps (it may just be my monitor as well ...). I see the question mark, rather hard not to once stated ... and it doesn't look upside down to me (but again, maybe it's my monitor).

Sorry about the question mark of your life ... but not about the question mark of the photo ... very nice shot (now about those clouds ... lol).

Gary
 
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Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Guy,

"Asher: Intent and meaning almost escape me". I believe it has not escaped, rather you were not aware of them in your creativity.

I did like so much the extra power I saw with the wdge of dark cloud at the top. If I was buying a version of several you offered, then I would choose a version with the stronger look.

Still, you are the gate keeper to the implementation of your own vison and concepts, as hidden as they appear to be. So I have no right to say one is "better", since ultimately your impression is the only one that counts for art. For commerce, that's an open question.

I love what you have done in all it's version including this one.

Asher
 

Jason C Doss

New member
I haven't been following (still awfully new here) but I really like how the curves and lines in the clouds mirror the shoreline in this composition! Very well done!
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Jason, please clook at versions I and II (there was another version perhaps swopped out on the way) and get a sense of how this is developed since there, IMHO, you will see why I think the earlier sky conveys more power.

Asher
 

Ray West

New member
Guy,

on act 111, I would crop more of the sky away, although it is nice, the horixzon still being too central, imho. Have about a quarter of the sky. Then either stretch the image, or crop sides to get it into the more 'thin' portait style of the second version. Alternatively, based on your second picture, crop away the foreground, to just below the second smaller dark area (about half way to the hills, iirc) and then repeat the re-format. Only just a couple of ideas to see if it gets more impact. We are only playing, aren't we...?

Best wishes,

Ray
 

Gary Ayala

New member
Apart from the technical stuff ... I keep coming back to look at the photo ... I feel as if I'm looking at a dead landscape ... the earth when the slimes and molds of unicellular organisms were first tossed from the oceans onto land. Bleak, sterile, clean, fresh and new all at the same time. A photo taken before man.

Thanks,
Gary
 
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