Jo-Ann Rolle  


Memories of My village by Jo-Ann Rolle

November 2024 - Memories of My village

About the Image(s)


I’ve recently retired and I am preparing my home for sale. I find now that the memories I’ve had in this little village on the Jersey shore loom large in my mind.

This image was shot on my balcony on a beautiful fall day. The image captures the calmness of the nearby Atlantic ocean and the stillness of the town.

I intentionally did not include the distant, yet visible, busy new york city skyline. This has been my retreat from the busyness of the city for almost 20 years. Onwards to the next chapter.

Shot with IPhone 13 Pro Max and native editing.


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




Brenda Fishbaugh   Brenda Fishbaugh
Congrats, JoAnn! I wanted to make your village a bit more romantic, as the zillion wires were distracting. I removed the partial pole on the left side. I removed some of the sky since it was plain.

I did just a quick wire removal, it's not perfect. And I used a NIK Soft Landscape filter to soften everything and make it a little more picturesque.

How nice to see the Atlantic every day! I hope your new place is fabulous!   Posted: 11/03/2024 01:10:56



Brenda Fishbaugh   Brenda Fishbaugh
Congrats, JoAnn! I wanted to make your village a bit more romantic, as the zillion wires were distracting. I removed the partial pole on the left side. I removed some of the sky since it was plain.

I did just a quick wire removal, it's not perfect. And I used a NIK Soft Landscape filter to soften everything and make it a little more picturesque.

How nice to see the Atlantic every day! I hope your new place is fabulous!   Posted: 11/03/2024 01:11:03
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Jo-Ann Rolle   Jo-Ann Rolle
Brenda thanks for your kind words and I agree the wires are distracting. Thanks for updating the image without them.   Posted: 11/11/2024 17:17:11



Robert Schleif   Robert Schleif
It seems like your objective was to show the quiet calmness of the village. Perhaps showing the New York skyline would have emphasized the difference between the village and NYC. Showing part of an empty street might also emphasize the difference. Since the bridge or elevated highway may not be an integral part of the story, perhaps there is a nearly equivalent photo that lacks the bridge? Is the water ever this blue?   Posted: 11/04/2024 00:36:36
Jo-Ann Rolle   Jo-Ann Rolle
Robert, Here is an attempt to include the NYC skyline... but I think it is too distant to add to the story in the image. What do you think?   Posted: 11/11/2024 17:14:10
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Sunil Mehta   Sunil Mehta
I don't have any suggestions for your post, but in my opinion, this perspective really captures the story of your village. I'd recommend using a tripod and a quality camera to take some photos-it could look great in both color and black and white. I've attached a quick edit for reference.   Posted: 11/12/2024 02:28:58
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Jo-Ann Rolle   Jo-Ann Rolle
Love your version Sunil! Thank you!   Posted: 11/12/2024 02:30:33
Brenda Fishbaugh   Brenda Fishbaugh
Yes! That's a great solution, Sunil!   Posted: 11/12/2024 21:07:39



Ed Ogle   Ed Ogle
Congratulations on your retirement. I've been retired for a long time and being a 'Gentleman of Leisure' suits me...

I think you image works best as a square crop - the sort of thing that goes on Instagram. So I cropped that way. I enhanced the color of some of the vegetation and I added a tiny bit of barrel distortion.   Posted: 11/07/2024 15:53:15
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Brenda Fishbaugh   Brenda Fishbaugh
Love your idea, Ed! How does one add barrel distortion?   Posted: 11/07/2024 18:18:56



Jo-Ann Rolle   Jo-Ann Rolle
Ed thanks for the enhancement of the image and the square crop.. I am not sure of what a barrel distortion is.   Posted: 11/11/2024 17:19:35



Jim Hagan   Jim Hagan
The wires, expressway, houses and ocean don't seem, to me, be a consistent story. I especially like Sunhil's image as, to me, it suggests a nice quiet village. However, in my revision I cropped some off the left side to further emphasize that feeling.   Posted: 11/12/2024 12:23:31
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Brenda Fishbaugh   Brenda Fishbaugh
Nice version, Jim! Love it!   Posted: 11/12/2024 21:08:25



Pei-Fan Mu   Pei-Fan Mu
Congradutation of your retirement. I love the one which include the NYC skyline, I also like the black and white solution which reflects more emotional tension and memories of the time flow.   Posted: 11/18/2024 02:44:38