Marilyn Ross
January 2022 - Driftwood
About the Image(s)
Taken in 2021 at Driftwood Beach in Georgia. It is located
on Jekyll Island beach. Huge amount of aged driftwood. Processed in PSCC
This round’s discussion is now closed!
17 comments posted
(Groups 83 & 87)
Happy New Year, Marilyn!
Well Visualized and captured! Really like the framing of this artistic piece of drift wood, and you were lucky to have weather that manifested this wonderfully contrasting sky. I too, enjoy searching and composing scenes like this; my favorite location since the late 80's was Long Boat Key, Florida. Unfortunately, over the past 20 years severe erosion has wash away many lovely landscapes. Thank you.
Lance A. Lewin
PSA Black & white Photography Mentor
PSA South Atlantic area Membership Director
Visualizingart.com Posted: 01/03/2022 09:47:54
Well Visualized and captured! Really like the framing of this artistic piece of drift wood, and you were lucky to have weather that manifested this wonderfully contrasting sky. I too, enjoy searching and composing scenes like this; my favorite location since the late 80's was Long Boat Key, Florida. Unfortunately, over the past 20 years severe erosion has wash away many lovely landscapes. Thank you.
Lance A. Lewin
PSA Black & white Photography Mentor
PSA South Atlantic area Membership Director
Visualizingart.com Posted: 01/03/2022 09:47:54
Thank you for your comment. this photo did not do well in competition but I really like it. Yes, I was lucky with the sky that day. Posted: 01/04/2022 11:25:27
(Groups 83 & 87)
Marilyn, as an Artist, and for some 40 years, I am from the school that does not Visualize, Compose and Capture subjects or events with competition in mind.
Instead, I engage in Fine Art Photography for the sake of Art. Most (or a lot) of Club, and even PSA imagery is alternatively structured towards competitions. It is a conversation that comes up quite a bit on these pages.
Please, go over to DD-83Mono and scroll down on the Bulletin Board tab for more on this subject: title is "Who is Commenting on our Work?" Read the comments, too. I am confident you will enjoy what is being discussed.
I look forward to your feedback. Thank you, Marilyn. Posted: 01/04/2022 16:21:55
Instead, I engage in Fine Art Photography for the sake of Art. Most (or a lot) of Club, and even PSA imagery is alternatively structured towards competitions. It is a conversation that comes up quite a bit on these pages.
Please, go over to DD-83Mono and scroll down on the Bulletin Board tab for more on this subject: title is "Who is Commenting on our Work?" Read the comments, too. I am confident you will enjoy what is being discussed.
I look forward to your feedback. Thank you, Marilyn. Posted: 01/04/2022 16:21:55
I understand that there is definitely a distinct difference between fine arts and competition. Learning is an ongoing process and since most of my work is judged in competition, I feel that I have learned so much from it the last few years. But I can still appreciate fine art photography and perhaps I can attain it in the future. Thank you for all your suggestions. It will be a big help. Posted: 01/05/2022 17:48:01
(Groups 83 & 87)
....and I hope you read the short article (and comments) on DD-83's Bulletin Board for more on this conversation. Look forward to seeing more of this type of work from you in the future. Take care. Posted: 01/06/2022 05:19:42
Thank you for your dialogue on Marilyn's image. I learned quite a few things from your bulletin board and posted a reply there. I also am looking deeper into gestalt design to try to improve my images/photography towards fine art. Never to late to learn. Thanks for contributing. Posted: 01/20/2022 14:30:36
(Groups 83 & 87)
Hi Bob! Saw your post on our Bulletin Board and responded to it. Very happy you are engaged with these types of conversations - they help paint a larger or wider picture on techniques and concepts that critique alone can often fall short.
Kind regards,
Lance Posted: 01/22/2022 13:08:21
Kind regards,
Lance Posted: 01/22/2022 13:08:21
I have judged many images for the clubs and local fairs. and I can vouch for the many different views of the same image by each judge. In my opinion you have a good image. The entire image is sharp, and maybe a more open lens might have added some depth by bringing the driftwood forward. You can use gaussian blur on the background in PS to do close to the same thing.
There are also streaks in the sky that appear to be rain on a sunny day that go away with a blur added. I know that the southern beaches do have a lot of short rainy periods in seemingly clear days.
The only other issue that I see might be that the crop is a little tight and allows the log and a branch to lead one out of the frame sides.
If you added a radial spot to the driftwood, you could try toning that down somewhat.
Just some suggestions that might increase your acceptances in PSA. Posted: 01/08/2022 11:44:50
There are also streaks in the sky that appear to be rain on a sunny day that go away with a blur added. I know that the southern beaches do have a lot of short rainy periods in seemingly clear days.
The only other issue that I see might be that the crop is a little tight and allows the log and a branch to lead one out of the frame sides.
If you added a radial spot to the driftwood, you could try toning that down somewhat.
Just some suggestions that might increase your acceptances in PSA. Posted: 01/08/2022 11:44:50
thank you for your input. I will try to implement your good suggestions. They were all helpful. Posted: 01/08/2022 12:11:47
Lovely photo. Nice reviews with great input. Did you play with a color version a little to find where the drama in lighting might be strongest? I also like the idea of setting the subject off center if possible. was there some open space on one side or other? Posted: 01/08/2022 14:28:15
original photo Posted: 01/08/2022 15:31:15
Thanks for the original, Marilyn. I was able to add a crop increasing the canvas at the left and top. Just for a fresh look, I took it into Topaz from PS and used a high key template, then saved it back into LR where I added a bit of sepia tonality. Just another concept to a wonderful image.
I switched to Windows 11 on my laptop, and it seems to run Adobe better, which allowed me to process your image without a crash. Posted: 01/15/2022 12:21:35
I switched to Windows 11 on my laptop, and it seems to run Adobe better, which allowed me to process your image without a crash. Posted: 01/15/2022 12:21:35
I do like your rendition. Thank you for your suggesions.
Posted: 01/16/2022 15:34:47
Posted: 01/16/2022 15:34:47
I really like this rendition of the driftwood, but, the merger of the two branches on the upper right with the clouds really bother me...I don't know if you could have gotten down lower, or maybe cloned out the tiny section of the cloud that touches those branches...great detail and sharpness really adds to this scene... Posted: 01/09/2022 23:32:27
I can easily remove the top two branches. like the idea. Thanks Posted: 01/16/2022 15:35:48
I love this area of Jekyll Island and especially like this done in B&W. The sky is fantastic and especially the rays from the clouds. I do think that it will look better if the very top of the driftwood is removed. I also would like more room on both sides. Driftwood gives off a sense of loneliness and it loses some of that emotion with the tight crop. Posted: 01/12/2022 10:16:05
I will remove the top of the driftwood as many have suggestion and add more room on both sides Thank you for your input. Posted: 01/16/2022 15:37:05