Gene Eckhardt  


Untitled by Gene Eckhardt

July 2021 - Untitled

July 2021 - Gene Eckhardt

Original

About the Image(s)

Port Mazera del Valor, Sicily. The storm at sea caught my eye. I have always liked the various iterations I have processed. However, I realize that my personal “story/memory” has been a great anchor on my photographic journey, and I am working to develop a more objective image evaluation. My Club recently sponsored programs on Minimalism and High Key, which led me back to this image. My post processing (On1) simulates a High Key style and is fairly simple: Convert to B&W “ High Key, using Local Adjustments - Brush: Darken selective Clouds and Lighten foreground water.
This is my first post and I look forward to your comments. I believe that all my images can be improved. Thank you.


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




Jack Florence Jr   Jack Florence Jr
Gene, your image ended up just a bit small, we'll have to work on that for next month...but it's very nice. The contrast between the stormy cloud and the boat masts is what draws me in, very nice crop. Part of me is thinking maybe more of a pano, do we really need all that foreground water? Very nice black and white rendering.   Posted: 07/08/2021 20:32:45
Gene Eckhardt   Gene Eckhardt
Thank you. See Reply to Belinda.   Posted: 07/21/2021 20:53:38



 
Welcome to the group, Gene! Very impressive image. The ominous sky over the boats catches immediate attention. My suggestion is to crop closer bringing the harbor close. It turns your image into more of a panorama making the forboding sky the focus which, for me, is the strength in your scene. Nicely seen!   Posted: 07/11/2021 14:29:29
Gene Eckhardt   Gene Eckhardt
Thank you. It is unanimous! Crop out the foreground harbor for panorama format. All good suggestions, which I did before with three different versions, all panorama format. I like them all for different reasons. For this image, I increased the FG harbor and boats on the left to get a more traditional landscape format, introduce a sense of depth / space, and attempted High-Key style. The image is a too dark for true High-Key and a bit too much positive space.   Posted: 07/21/2021 20:55:09
 
Thumbs up on it! I like it. You were in the right place at the right time to get the strange, stormy sky.   Posted: 07/24/2021 09:59:53



Ruth Holt   Ruth Holt
Howdy, Gene! Welcome to the group. Storm clouds are an interesting subject. In this image, you might try cropping from the bottom, which will focus more on the beautiful storm clouds.   Posted: 07/14/2021 08:27:58
Gene Eckhardt   Gene Eckhardt
Thank you. See Reply to Belinda.   Posted: 07/21/2021 20:56:30



Kieu-Hanh Vu   Kieu-Hanh Vu
Welcome to the group, Gene! Your image with the panoramic stormy clouds has a strong impact. The storm seem to be a big threat to the sailing boats at the port. Since the clouds are the main subject of your image, I'd prefer to crop tighter to show more of the clouds. I also like your original image that includes the big boat on the left side.   Posted: 07/18/2021 08:37:33
Gene Eckhardt   Gene Eckhardt
Thank you. See Reply to Belinda.   Posted: 07/21/2021 20:57:07



Pat Centeno   Pat Centeno
Glad you joined us, Gene! This is such a scene of contrasts that you shot at a good moment so we can witness the brunt of the storm from the light and dark clouds to what appears to be the already-pouring rain in the distance. The boat masts serve to enhance the drama. I liked the comments above about cropping away even more of the lower water foreground to make a panoramic shape that complements the horizontally-spreading cloud pattern. Wow, there is definitely greater impact seeing this in monotones than in color. I like to see you come up with a title; this deserves it. Something along the lines of "Tempest in Sicily"   Posted: 07/21/2021 19:36:39
Gene Eckhardt   Gene Eckhardt
Thank you. Good suggestion to name. Perhaps, in a nod to the Bard, The Tempest? See Reply to Belinda.   Posted: 07/21/2021 21:00:11