Bob Wills  

Black and blue hills by Bob Wills

October 2024 - Black and blue hills

October 2024 - Bob Wills

Original

About the Image(s)

I took this image while in Custer State Park. I have gone back to it many times trying to decide what I could do with it. I've always been drawn to the atmospheric depth in the original. South Dakota is my favorite state to visit, but I would never want to live there. The climate is too harsh for me.
I played (had fun) with the levels I see there in the hills and tried to direct your eye to all of the magic I see and feel when I stare out at the Black Hills. I used blue extensively to share my peaceful and tranquil thoughts as I gaze there. The tools I used in PSCC were the remove tool, eyedropper/color changer, and the dodge and burn. I used different filters to get the look I have been chasing.
I look forward to your critical, technical and emotional inputs. Feel free to download and re-work the images to help explain any comments. Thanks

This round’s discussion is now closed!
8 comments posted

Joan Field   Joan Field
Bob,
I don't recognize your name. Are you a new member? If so, welcome to the group. I like what you did to your original, which was not distinguished.. You did enough work on this so that it is unrecognizable from your original. I like the blues you created. the sky is wonderful now and you can appreciate the hills falling off in the distance. I
m glad you kept working on it until you found something you really liked. Good job.   Posted: 10/03/2024 23:53:25
Bob Wills   Bob Wills
Hi Joan, thank you for the welcome and kind words. I rejoined PSA and DD last month. I have been active since 2012 and attended many PSA Annual Conferences, starting in San Francisco until sidelined by health issues. My goals going forward are to bring more feeling and create fine art with my photography. I like to print our (Dorinda-DD30) images.

  Posted: 10/04/2024 00:53:49
Gunter Haibach   Gunter Haibach
Bob, this is a great creative image. Love the colours and you did a good job in making this picture. As an alternate version -see my ideas. I very much like a panoramic layout (3 by 2) - so I cropped some of the top of the sky out. I also thought that making the light sky a bit darker would make it a bit more peaceful. Used the Hue/Saturation adjustment. What do you think?   Posted: 10/04/2024 21:06:01
Comment Image
Bob Wills   Bob Wills
Thanks, Gunter. Your image IS more peaceful, and that gives me some hope for this image. One of the things that always drives me back to South Dakota is the conflicting emotions I have there. The beauty of the open prairies but also the violence that led to Custer and the battle at Little Big Horn overriding that part of the US. Despite the "noble red man" myth and the "manifest destiny' bunk, our American history was always violent and abusive to some peoples. I want that part shown in my image too.   Posted: 10/05/2024 12:35:45
Ian Ledgard   Ian Ledgard
Bob, you have transformed a snapshot into an eye catching altered reality image. using the blues has transformed the valley are into what now seem like mist. It is a half and half image where the sky is dominant and Gunter has offered an alternative version. I have taken it a little further by increasing saturation using only the yellow channel so creating a stronger cotract with the blues.   Posted: 10/08/2024 15:15:49
Comment Image
Bob Wills   Bob Wills
Thank you, Ian. There was mist in the valleys. I struggled some with the crop, but as my intention is to give equal weight to both beauty and conflict, I ended up with the dreaded 50/50 land and sky. I like your yellow saturation and wonder if that would take away the usefulness of the upper sky and lead me back to Gunther's crop. One of my "returns to it often" images that may never reach a conclusion. At least it is progressing beyond the snapshot stage.   Posted: 10/08/2024 17:34:55
Robin Mellor   Robin Mellor
This is an interesting picture. I think I would like the warmer parts to be even warmer to give more contrast. The thing that makes it is the peeping planet.   Posted: 10/09/2024 10:40:35
Bob Wills   Bob Wills
Thanks, Robin. Welcome. I'm looking forward to your images. Glad you saw the moon, but it can be construed as a planet. Two votes for warmer clouds in the transition. I'm now wondering if I should go with a complementary orange or red. I'll try them too.   Posted: 10/09/2024 13:37:04