Nadia Trevan
December 2024 - Phone a friend
Original
About the Image(s)
Phone a friend. A simple idea of a young woman starting on a journey on her own has become
stranded and so she’s found a telephone box, phoned a friend to come and pick her up by the tree.
This is before mobile phones. Background is one I’ve built before and I’ve added different elements
to create the scene.
15 comments posted
(Group 54)
I admire your work, as you know, and I admire this composite as well. The way you handle color is powerful. I am a "less is more" artist, and as such, I removed some parts of your image to make the story less obvious. My version also opens up the road and the land to make the young woman a smaller part of the environment. I hope you don't mind the liberty I took with your composite. I felt it was the best way to illustrate what I was thinking. Posted: 12/04/2024 00:55:20
Hi Alan, thank you for your feedback, it's appreciated that you time the time to come over and visit our group. I can appreciate that you see this scene differently to what I had planned and so I don't mind you changing it to demonstrate your point. It's the storyline that guides me to choose elements that I think would work together to create scenes that I have imagined. But it's not in-line with my original story and by removing key elements changes the scene entirely to something different to what I have in mind. However, you have given me an idea for a future composite. Posted: 12/12/2024 10:04:37
(Group 54)
I'm happy that I gave you an idea. That's what Digital Dialogue is all about. Posted: 12/12/2024 19:38:47
Nadia, I will join Alan in applauding you on another compelling and beautifully lit image. You have such a powerful way of creating mood and atmosphere. I also was a little distracted by the many elements in the image. Alan's handling is interesting. If you were to pursue a more minimalist approach I would favor making your subject larger than in his handling. Posted: 12/09/2024 03:37:10
Hi Brad, thanks for your kind comments. I have a different view to Alan's and do not think that this scene has many elements that needs removing - there are only three key elements that make up the story, the young woman, the gum tree and the telephone box. The two minor elements being the bird on the branch and the sky birds, which you would normally find in a rural setting are there to add some credibility of a rural scene. Posted: 12/12/2024 10:12:57
I hope you appreciate I very much like this image. I am in group 54 as well and Alan loves minimalism. I like to imagine different handlings of an image, although in this case I would keep it as it is as it continues to resonate as a very strong image every time I look at it. Posted: 12/12/2024 16:36:05
Posted: 12/11/2024 17:47:04
Nadia - I don't know what to say. This is amazing. For ME, all the elements here work well together. The space from the tree over to the booth feels like an arrow pointing to the right. But yyhr tree does not feel too heavy because of the lightness of the gray. The amount of interest you have created does not stop with the person - it extends to the added flock in the sky, and of course, the bird in the tree. The sky has the perfect moody quality, but the background lighting on the grasses is also perfect. Your painting and blending of the grasses, turning and shading of the booth - all is just perfect. For me, the only thing that feels uncomfortable is the brightness of the girls hair on top. The red in the shirt is a balance to the booth, but the hair color draws the eye up there, which is a distraction. How long did this take you !!!! Posted: 12/11/2024 17:58:52
Hi Melissa, thanks for your kind comments. I take your point about the young woman's hair colour and will tone it done. By the way, her hair colour was not put there by me in PS but she purposely coloured it for the photoshoot.
This did not take me all that long to put together as I have built the background scene sometime ago and have used it in two separate composites. I have a stock of cut out trees which are photographed from the area where I live and the telephone booth is from a trip to the UK. The bird on the branch is a garden bird. Most of the time was spent in blending the colours. Posted: 12/12/2024 10:22:51
This did not take me all that long to put together as I have built the background scene sometime ago and have used it in two separate composites. I have a stock of cut out trees which are photographed from the area where I live and the telephone booth is from a trip to the UK. The bird on the branch is a garden bird. Most of the time was spent in blending the colours. Posted: 12/12/2024 10:22:51
Nadia, I recognize many of the elements used in this composite not least of which is your hallmark flock of birds in the background. Your image has already received many and varied comments which serves to underline the fact that photography is an art form where we are painting with light. In other words, there is no right or wrong way; they are all right. I like how you have pre-visualised the storyline of the young girl thinking about making or receiving a local telephone call which conjures up all kinds of scenarios in the mind's eye of the viewer. I quite like Alan Kaplan's minimalist approach which puts greater onus on the viewer to join up the dots and complete the story. As a staunch advocate of the old adage 'Less is More' it will not come as any surprise that I try to keep my images simple and to remove/lessen any possible distractions. Notwithstanding that, I can certainly appreciate the thought and effort that goes into creating a quality composite such as this. Congratulations and well done. Posted: 12/13/2024 15:33:54
Hi Brian, as always thanks for your comments. I'm not sure what the distracting elements are in this image. All my composites are of subsection of Creative called altered reality. As mentioned, Alan's version is not mine, it's his. I'm not a "minimalist" and none of the composites that I have submitted in this group are of that genre and I'm hoping that people accept and critique my work as it stands not change it to their vision of what it could or should be. I accept people's work as it stands and endeavour to provide feedback on aspects that I can see for improvement not change it. Posted: 12/14/2024 23:27:58
A very impressive composite Nadia. I don't think there are too many elements in the image but I must say Alan's version creates a different scenario which I rather like. My rather literal mind objects to the iconic, British, telephone box being where it is as in U K you wouldn't find one in that situation by the side of such a rural road. They are in urban areas or at least clusters of houses such as in a village or hamlet. Yours reminds me of Dr Who's tardis that drops from the sky from outer space. Did you mean the image to have that sort of surreal feeling or was it intended to be realistic? I sound very critical but believe me I think this is an excellent composite as always from you. Posted: 12/13/2024 21:00:48
Hi Hazel, you're right Alan's version does create a different scenario but then it's Alan's vision; not mine. What I endeavour to achieve is Altered Reality which is about placing elements that you would not find in a normal, realistic setting. If I had an Australian version of a telephone booth I would have preferred to place that there. Thanks for your comments. Posted: 12/14/2024 23:13:46
Hi Nadia,
I was thinking about your post box yesterday and it's inclusion in your composite. I realised what a stupid comment I had made about it being where it was. I joined this group in order to improve my ability to produce creative and altered reality images and find that it still doesn't come naturally to me as it does to you. I find it difficult to previsualise such an image. I admire your composites. They always tell a story which this one does admirably. Posted: 12/15/2024 11:58:51
I was thinking about your post box yesterday and it's inclusion in your composite. I realised what a stupid comment I had made about it being where it was. I joined this group in order to improve my ability to produce creative and altered reality images and find that it still doesn't come naturally to me as it does to you. I find it difficult to previsualise such an image. I admire your composites. They always tell a story which this one does admirably. Posted: 12/15/2024 11:58:51
Hi Nadia,
This wins the most comments of the year award! Nicely composed as usual. My initial thought was that the three elements are not lit by the same light source. The tree is throwing a shadow coming from the light source in the rear left, the girl has a light source from the front left, the bird light source is from the right. The phone box seems to match the light source of the tree. Posted: 12/19/2024 00:19:08
This wins the most comments of the year award! Nicely composed as usual. My initial thought was that the three elements are not lit by the same light source. The tree is throwing a shadow coming from the light source in the rear left, the girl has a light source from the front left, the bird light source is from the right. The phone box seems to match the light source of the tree. Posted: 12/19/2024 00:19:08