Peggy Nugent
December 2019 - Recessive Genes, Perhaps?
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About the Image(s)
This is very much a work in progress, but I'd appreciate some feedback before I invest more time in it.
The idea was inspired by the way the landing bird looked as if perhaps instead it was starting back in surprise.
I know the masking/selection of the elements is rough; I feel as if I'm still figuring out where this is going. I think the story would work better if the eggs and dinosaur were smaller, but I don't want to lose the detail of the dinosaur.
I tried a background with some bushes but it felt too busy. I'm not sure if the abstract background works. Maybe a sandy landscape would be better?
All feedback gratefully accepted.
This round’s discussion is now closed!
6 comments posted
Peggy, I think you are off to an excellent start with this one. I understand your struggle to find the right background. This one is not distracting but doesn't add a lot to the scene. I agree the size of the egg/baby may benefit from some adjustments. I also wonder what your final message will be. Although the idea of a dinosaur feeding its young may be enough, it feels a bit predictable to me and doesn't challenge the viewer. The bird in your image reminds me of a phoenix. If it were my image I would add some flames and play up that theme some as the swooping bird is the most compelling and exotic element you have so far. Posted: 12/13/2019 17:04:15
I really like the bird and the leading lines targeting the nest. The clean background is right for the story. Maybe it is my old eyes but at first I thought it was a turtle in the nest.
I would like to see the nest supported on something. Perhaps a rock or a tree branch. Right now it is floating in air.
It is a very powerful image. Posted: 12/14/2019 17:20:55
I would like to see the nest supported on something. Perhaps a rock or a tree branch. Right now it is floating in air.
It is a very powerful image. Posted: 12/14/2019 17:20:55
Thank you, Aavo.
I agree that the nest ought to be grounded on something. And it's funny, now that you mention it, the dinosaur does look a bit like a turtle. Posted: 12/25/2019 17:18:44
I agree that the nest ought to be grounded on something. And it's funny, now that you mention it, the dinosaur does look a bit like a turtle. Posted: 12/25/2019 17:18:44
I quite like the phoenix idea! I will definitely explore that.
My idea was that the dinosaur was sort of the unexpected baby, the ugly duckling. I thought about having the head of a miniature version of the parent bird sticking out of the other egg, maybe having another little bird walking around, maybe making the eggs look a little different. But it seemed like a lot of work for not enough result, so I think I agree with you that the story here is too pat.
I do quite like the bird. I expect it will make an appearance some time in the future in a different incarnation. Posted: 12/25/2019 17:16:37
My idea was that the dinosaur was sort of the unexpected baby, the ugly duckling. I thought about having the head of a miniature version of the parent bird sticking out of the other egg, maybe having another little bird walking around, maybe making the eggs look a little different. But it seemed like a lot of work for not enough result, so I think I agree with you that the story here is too pat.
I do quite like the bird. I expect it will make an appearance some time in the future in a different incarnation. Posted: 12/25/2019 17:16:37
Invest more time in this! Your capture of the crane is too good to abandon. I have a folder of cloudy skies that I use in composites on occasion. Whenever I'm out and about, I look for skies that I can use in the future. There's no rush. Wait for the right sky. It may or may not work. Some of my composites are years in the making. Super Storm Sandy hit New Jersey in 2012, and I may have taken the picture of the abandoned bank a couple of years after it hit. I photographed the man on the left in Cuba in 2013, and I photographed the man on the right this past summer. When I play chess, I sometimes get a plan of attack in my head and focus so much on my own plan that I stop paying attention to my opponent's plan of attack. Not good! I do the same in my composites. Sometimes there's an element that I like and it's that element that is wrong for the image, but I won't let go. When I finally do, the image comes together. Good luck with the crane. It's worth exploring even if you have to give up the egg idea. Posted: 12/13/2019 21:22:27
Thanks, Alan. I know exactly what you mean. I have a bunch of images that I know have a story just waiting to be told, once I figure out what it is. Posted: 12/25/2019 17:20:42