Born in Svalbard

[Anette Mossbacher]

Polar Bear strolling, yep they all have been strolling or sleeping.

This B&W was actually born in Longyearbyen in a Hotel, while waiting for the shuttle bus to the airport. I have met many people on the boat and left the boat with many new friends. :bg3:
While sitting in the Hotel reception my neighbor/friend has pulled out his nice Laptop and started a image of a bear with backlighting. The B&W came up and I watched. Than he asked me what would you do with this one. Guess that was a mistake :e3
I took over the Laptop and started my thing in PS and Silver Efex and that came out, well on his image. There it started, as I had been to fast and needed to show the how to. Now he has a Preset in his Silver Efex called Anette :tinysmile_shy_t:
( I am proud of it )

Anyway, he posted his image already in social media and me behind with my images as usual. I cannot adjust to a stable ground :w3

What I have done, LR all normal adjustments like I would do for color, WB, Exposure and a few things. Pulled it in Silver Efex and started my thing. In PS added a tad more black and pulled out a bit more the white. That's it.
This is FF, feel free to crop. I do have a crop for it already in mind, but maybe you have better ones, that's why I post it in FF :bg3:

1DX
ISO 800
f/6.3 1/1250 -0.67
70-200mm & 2x ext. 230mm

[Rachel Hollander]

Hi Anette - Good thinking on this one and glad to see you experimenting as well. I would crop from the top into more of a pano. A minor point but I wish the head didn't intersect with the edge of the ice/ridge.

TFS,
Rachel

[Steve Kaluski]

Hi Anette, I think you 'girls' are certainly pushing the envelope in terms of interpretation and how you convey your images, well done. :5

Regarding the image, for me it's not working and that is purely down to the very dominant black. Now I'm not sure of the rational behind this route and in such a bold/strong manner, but having seen the colour version, I feel that if you go for 'backlit' the light needs to be there and a lot is done 'in camera' rather than in PP, but this is just my take. If you look at NIK then going for the option 'Silhouette' may give you another option, but still keeping close to this version, but offers more detail within the bear? But remember, these are standard templates for none thinkers, put a spin on it with your own tweaks :S3:. Personally I would explore more, but with hindsight I would have gone with the colour version. So to conclude, as presented I can't really comment too much overall, as the image content/execution is very defined, but I hope/trust others will chime in with their thoughts too.

Look forward to more.

TFS
Steve

[Gabriela Plesea]

Dear Anette,

I love your experiments and follow your photography with great interest. I am a great fan of your high key images, by the way.
Took the liberty to play with your Polar Bear, since I was wondering what this image would look like in a print and wondered if the white FG wouldn't be a problem:S3: so I cropped it out. A tiny change, what do you think?

Warmest regards,

[BenBotha]

The "Sepia" conversion and pano format is quite dramatic. The little bit of extra detail in the fore ground ads to the impact.
Ben

[Anette Mossbacher]

Hi Steve and Gabriela,

thanks so much for your input in this. I will check a bit what I can do according the black / 2 toned image. For sure it is on the eyedropper a "0" and will use lots of ink on a printer. I will print it out and will have a closer look. Wish Peter Delaney would have a look on this!

Gabriela, the FG would be gone in my crop as well. The bottom would be cut off at the edge of the last rock in the water. A bit more on the bottom as you gave it. BUt it looks nice your version. I am not such a big fan of Sepia, might come when I start my doing with it in the future :bg3:
I had a look at full screen size 30" hmmm ..... :tinysmile_shy_t: I like it, but that is just me. Steve, I PM to you about this already and you might understand what I mean. You know that I do not use the NIK presets only the Normal preset and from there I go much further. But will check with the Silh. what I can do with that one and go further from there.

But nevertheless I am open for all and will give it another try with less so much black and more grey between. Maybe I can get a better one out which you might like more!
Will see, otherwise Steve is right to go with the color version :bg3:

Thanks so much for your input will work on it.

Have a great evening

Ciao
Anette

[Clyde Hopper]

I wish there were a Star in the top right ..............Or some type of light source . I like the idea .

[Anette Mossbacher]

Thanks a lot Clyde, I could draw a star, but but :bg3:

Have a great week

Ciao
Anette

[Brendon Cremer]

Annette, this is stunning, i really like it, im not sure what the original looked like but then again that really doesn't bother me, the finished product is very appealing to the eye and works very well for me, great image and well processed. Crop wise i think its ok as is but if i had to crop i would probably take a little off the top as i really like the water at the bottom, it adds nicely to the image.

[Anette Mossbacher]

Yeah, finally someone who likes it. Thanks so much Brendon. I highly appreciate it that you took the time to comment.

Printed it out with water in FG included and without. I agree with the water in front, it does give it something more.
Since yesterday I play with this image forward backwards and come always to the same. Turned down the highlights a bit, bring out more detail in the hair of the legs and a touch more of the rock. Will do a RP when I am happy with it.

Thanks so much Brendon

Wish you a great day

Ciao
Anette

[Gabriela Plesea]

Dear Anette-I am so enjoying your Polar Bears, I cannot wait for more! I knew you would not mind me playing around with your image, I love experimenting, just like yourself:bg3: I like it as is, and the great thing is-this is one photograph you can do so much with. Would love to see the colour version too.

Warmest regards,

[Anette Mossbacher]

Thank you very much everybody for your time to write your comments & suggestions.
Thanks so much Steve K. :bg3: I always highly appreciate your takes, your PM's, even when in the BG in the field :w3

After working on this again yesterday and today, this will be more or less the final for me. Maybe some tweaks here or there. Check the BG behind the bear and more in front of the bear! C&C is always welcome.
Straightened the image as well.
I do know that this one is not quite the normal, but as Steve says
Hi Anette, I think you 'girls' are certainly pushing the envelope in terms of interpretation and how you convey your images, well done. :5

We do need to explore more here and there. Since this one came out of a simple start, a simple question, 2 heads, 2 heads with ideas and playing in PS with the same bear, but at different spots on shore & image for me.
I for sure do love it.

Gabriela, feel free anytime to play with my images, I certainly also can give you a RAW to try, if you like of any image. You just need to let me know.
I am always happy to work with any ideas, that's how this image was born. I am very glad that you like my images, exploring the "dark & bright" side is always good :w3
The color version I can post after this one, if I am allowed to, or next week some day.

Have a great evening

Ciao
Anette

PS There sits much more behind this image and thinking, which I do not want to write, that would be a book :eek3:

[Gabriela Plesea]

I enjoyed reading your reply Anette:S3: and somehow I felt there was more to this image than the image itself:w3

Was just thinking...my last thoughts for the night, before I go to sleep...A RAW image can be manipulated, exploited, modified-we have the technology and knowledge to do so. At times we choose to make only small changes, other times - for aesthetic or other reasons - we clone, cut, blur, warp, modify light. To me it is all acceptable as long as it is done in an original way. I love the spectacle of nature, would like to portray nature as is but often it is more important to me to portray what I see, rather than what there is : "Photography should evoke more than it describes"-thank you Steve K for endorsing that:S3:, it inspires me every day. Anette, your artistic vision of what you see ticks all the boxes for me. Here the Bear is just a form in the landscape. There is proportion. The lack of light appeals to me, and I find this image striking in an unusual way. I shall definitely take the time to look at your other posts, I think I have a lot to learn from you.

Warmest regards,

[Morkel Erasmus]

This is very graphical, Anette, and I like it! :5
I prefer Gabriela's crop as it creates more "visual simplicity" which is key in images like this.
Looking forward to more of your Svalbard stuff! :cheers:

[Rachel Hollander]

Anette - I much prefer your final version to the op. Getting rid of the intersecting ridge really made a difference too. Well done :cheers:

Rachel

[Anette Mossbacher]

Hi Rachel,

thanks so much. I had it mind, as you mentioned it while redoing it. Thought to back it up a bit. My daughter has seen this image and loves it too. For her the backing up for the ridge is like a arrow pointing out, here he is, one of the very few left in nature! Her words :S3:
Now I have it, she wants to go as well. She had an assignment on polar bears in art, she does art and will go next year to the UK to study arts & animated arts!
By now I pulled a few people in front of my screen, full size up 30" and they all love or like it.
I am happy with it, a few minor tweaks I have seen and that will be it and will be added to my homepage slideshow :bg3:
Thanks so much Rachel for your time and input all the time, I highly appreciate it.

Morkel, thanks so much. While cropping this and that way when I had it done. I always crop in the very end for output, I had to include the water to have somehow a bit leading into the image and to let it to drop into the darkness.
Did you get my PM 3 weeks ago according the waterholes and lions in Etosha ? I had probs sending it via BPN, so I sent it straight to your e-mail address!!

Have a great midweek day, enjoy it

Ciao

Anette

[TimothyGriesel]

I love the image and the how you have processed the image.

Only thing I would of done differently is crop it into more of a pano, with the bear on the top left intersecting third, I think hat would work quite nicely.

http://i43.tinypic.com/2wci806.jpg

[peter delaney]

Hi Anette
Great thinking outside the box. I love when someone gets creative.... I would go with Gabriela s pano crop.

keep up the creativity , please don't worry about norms or rules etc. Go with what feel rights for you. It's your image , your interpretation.

Nice to have some more passionate black and white enthusiasts around !!


oops forgot ! great image !!

[Anette Mossbacher]

Hi Peter,

thanks so much for your time to have a look and for sure for your comment. For sure I will keep up my steps outside the box. I love it.
Not sure to leave the water out, for me it feels than a bit floating somewhere, but will give it a try :)
Thanks so much again

Have a great evening

Ciao
Anette

[Butch Lama]

One the the BEST of Polar Bear in recent time I've seen... Visual art and critique's delight.

[Anette Mossbacher]

Hello Butch,

thanks so much for your comment. Glad that you enjoyed the visual art and the critiques's in this thread. Me too :bg3:

Have a great Sunday

Ciao
Anette

[Anette Mossbacher]

HI Timothy,

sorry for late reply, just saw your crop. Did not get an e-mail!!
I will leave the image by now as it is.
I do not want to crop further as you suggest. I gave it a try, as well Gabriela's crop.
IMHO, the image itself has space for the eye to wander around and the bear enough space to "breath" :bg3:

Thanks so much for your time to crop it and comment. I highly appreciate it. :wave:

Have a great Sunday

Ciao Anette