Theme: Bosque's Bounty

[Kerry Perkins]

Nature is certainly in abundance at Bosque del Apache NWR. The opportunities for photographic interpretation are bountiful. This is a goose blastoff as seen by Topaz Impression, one of the watercolor presets adjusted a bit. I'm leaving tomorrow morning for the reserve, can't wait to be there! :S3:

[Paul Lagasi]

The shear number of birds at Bosque can be over whelming. I remember seeing so many Sandhills, Snow Geese and Ross's Goose that I lost count. Enjoy your time the Kerry, its special. I would have loved to come down but due to a change in my prescription, I can't travel, until February (no insurance coverage). I'll try to get back in late winter.

Very nice composition, there's enough detail so the viewer can still see individual geese, nice work.

I had created something similar, calling it "there's one in every crowd" but never posted it. A small version is below. Have a good time.

[Nancy Bell]

Kerry, I love this!! Nature in the abstract! The effect of Impression really adds even more motion to the blast-off of these tightly packed geese. I wonder how often the geese actually run into each other! The bright yellow-orange of the bkgd trees add a great dramatic color to the black and white of the geese. I hope you print this! Have a terrific time in Bosque. My turn comes during the Thanksgiving week.

Paul, why not post this image separately so we can see it larger?

[Jackie Schuknecht]

I think the small size doesn't do it justice. Nice as an abstract and graphic. Just enough detail in the birds. Have a great time!

[Cheryl Slechta]

Hi, Kerry, I hope you and Dan are having a blast! (And lots of blastoffs!!!). Great image - I love the golds in the background. Hoping you've got lots of geese and sandhills there.:S3:

[Anita Bower]

Kerry: Your image does leave me with the feeling of lots and lots of birds. I've been told on this forum that in abstracts, what matters is the feeling it creates in me.

[Kerry Perkins]

Thanks all!

Anita, your comment strikes a chord in me because I believe that the goal of all artistic expression is to elicit an emotional response. It is certainly my primary thought when I am creating an image, whether it be a landscape scene, a person, a bird, or whatever. I believe that if we elicit an emotional response, whether it be a feeling of serenity or a jarring reality, we have achieved the lofty goal of communication and sharing of emotion. While technical prowess is at the core of this communication skill, I feel that at some point it becomes secondary (but necessary) to the emotional response. It is this combination of technical and artistic skills that makes for a successful image in my view. Thanks for sharing that thought.

[Anita Bower]

Thanks all!

Anita, your comment strikes a chord in me because I believe that the goal of all artistic expression is to elicit an emotional response. It is certainly my primary thought when I am creating an image, whether it be a landscape scene, a person, a bird, or whatever. I believe that if we elicit an emotional response, whether it be a feeling of serenity or a jarring reality, we have achieved the lofty goal of communication and sharing of emotion. While technical prowess is at the core of this communication skill, I feel that at some point it becomes secondary (but necessary) to the emotional response. It is this combination of technical and artistic skills that makes for a successful image in my view. Thanks for sharing that thought.
Kerry: Thank you for your comment. I completely agree. I would like a discussion amongst the photographers on this forum on the topic of how to achieve an emotional impact with one's images. I don't know how to create an emotionally impactful image--at least not consciously.

[Kerry Perkins]

Anita, that is a great idea. However, I think your subconscious is doing a fine job. Whenever someone says "really nice" or "I love it", that is an expression of their emotional response.