Kirsti Näntö-Salonen
May 2023 - v
About the Image(s)
This round’s discussion is now closed!
10 comments posted
Kirsti,
I don't understand emotion this image is supposed stir. I can't figure out what the ghostly images are, and as a result, I don't get the story you are attempting to tell.
Dom Posted: 05/11/2023 12:55:48
I don't understand emotion this image is supposed stir. I can't figure out what the ghostly images are, and as a result, I don't get the story you are attempting to tell.
Dom Posted: 05/11/2023 12:55:48
Hi Dom, thank you for the comment! I often fail to convey in my images the vision that is so clear in my mind, which of course makes the rare times this happens even more precious. - There may, however, perhaps be something that speaks to the Finnish soul as the image actually won this month's local club competition. I wonder if you can think about something that I could do with the image to tell the story better? Posted: 05/13/2023 01:09:05
Hi Dom, again! I just realized that the title and the story about the image had dropped off at some point. Here they are - they may help to understand the idea, although of course the image should speak for itself.
"Here is "Where We Used to Walk". This is another image from the trip to the archipelago in February. There was this one main road, with the few houses scattered along it, and the little church looming over the village from a hilltop. A single street light illuminated the passage, and some villagers, or tourists like us, walked by. A long-exposure shot turned them into ghosts of the islanders of bygone days, meeting each other at their usual place. Fuji X-T4 on tripod, 28.9 mm, manual exposure. f/5, 1.5 s, ISO 200. I flipped the image horizontally, cropped off the unnecessary, and erased some of the outlines of the ghosts for a clearer effect." Posted: 05/13/2023 01:22:31
"Here is "Where We Used to Walk". This is another image from the trip to the archipelago in February. There was this one main road, with the few houses scattered along it, and the little church looming over the village from a hilltop. A single street light illuminated the passage, and some villagers, or tourists like us, walked by. A long-exposure shot turned them into ghosts of the islanders of bygone days, meeting each other at their usual place. Fuji X-T4 on tripod, 28.9 mm, manual exposure. f/5, 1.5 s, ISO 200. I flipped the image horizontally, cropped off the unnecessary, and erased some of the outlines of the ghosts for a clearer effect." Posted: 05/13/2023 01:22:31
Hi Kristi,
I have to agree with Dom.
I do like the ephemeral feel of the image, the idea of the dead still being with us even when we cannot see them. I would be interested in how you put the image together.
Thank you for sharing it with us. Posted: 05/12/2023 20:56:43
I have to agree with Dom.
I do like the ephemeral feel of the image, the idea of the dead still being with us even when we cannot see them. I would be interested in how you put the image together.
Thank you for sharing it with us. Posted: 05/12/2023 20:56:43
Thank you, Ed, I am so glad that you caught the atmosphere I was after! - I just realized that the title and the story behind the image had dropped off at some point, and posted them in a comment to Dom. - So this was just a long-exposure shot, turned into BW and flipped horizontally, with some of the outlines of the moving persons removed to make the ghosts a bit clearer. - I'll attach the original here, so it is easy to see the edits. Posted: 05/13/2023 01:33:48
I like how you took a normal scene from the original photo and converted it both photographically and from a story standpoint. And I'm glad to hear the back story also.
I especially like the angle of the lighting coming from the upper left into the scene. That is very effective Sometimes without a title or backstory one can make up their own. I had fun with my imagination when I views the image originally.
Congratulations on winning the monthly competition! Posted: 05/13/2023 09:03:01
I especially like the angle of the lighting coming from the upper left into the scene. That is very effective Sometimes without a title or backstory one can make up their own. I had fun with my imagination when I views the image originally.
Congratulations on winning the monthly competition! Posted: 05/13/2023 09:03:01
Thank you, Robert! It doesn't happen too often! Posted: 05/13/2023 09:12:05
Hi Kirsti - Congratulations on winning the monthly competition. You certainly captured what you were after with the two ethereal subjects! I do have a couple of thoughts about tweaks to the image. I would darken or remove the white roof behind the second ghost. Also, you might consider darkening the road they're walking on. In the original, the source of the light is clearly the street light. In the final image, you can tell it's dark outside but the bright street doesn't seem to fit. I tried those two suggestions and here's what I got. Posted: 05/14/2023 19:32:17
Thank you very much, Jeff! I think that these are both great ideas - the ghosts come out much clearer now, and the scene is a lot calmer. - I'll try if I could find a way to keep the church on the hill though. I think that it may add to the story (which may be just that for me it anchors the scene to time and place and the memory of the experience.) Posted: 05/14/2023 20:31:31
I think the composition of the original tells your story better because it gives the location some life and identifies that the buildings are part of a place. Posted: 05/31/2023 12:06:21