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Matthew Kuchta
08-08-2008, 02:40 PM
Flooded prairie, Wisconsin
http://www.geology.wisc.edu/%7Emk/photos/flooded-grove.jpg
10D, 28-135 IS
Handheld

A visual sketch of sorts, taking in all the various aspects of a restored prairie.
cheers,
-matt

Roman Kurywczak
08-10-2008, 10:54 AM
Hi Matt,
I always warn people that they have to separate their attachment to a place or time from the image when presenting for critiquing. I as the veiwer will only be judging the image as presented and do not have the same emotional attachment as you may have. Our goal as landscape photographers is to try and draw total strangers into their image. To accomplish this you need a strong mood, through dramatic lighting or weather.......and stong composition to keep me eyes from wandering through an image. In this instance I do not see either of those as the lighting is flat and all the intersecting lines and busy composition do not allow my eyes to rest anywhere.
This one just doesn't work for me but we will see what others chime in.........and remember........my opinion is not the last word.........you have to satisfy yourself first and take an honest look at the image and decide if you agree or disagree with my assesment.
Hope to see many more from you.

Robert Amoruso
08-10-2008, 01:34 PM
Matthew,

I am going to have to agree with Roman on this one. I do understand the problem with trying to make images of confusing subjects. What I do here is go from detail. Moving it on this scene, there were probably a dozen small details that would have made an image.

Matthew Kuchta
08-11-2008, 10:21 AM
Hi Roman and Robert,
First, thank you both for spending so much time presenting feedback to this forum. Second, I find your reactions to this image interesting. For me, photography is as much about my reaction to a particular space and time and "taking in" every aspect of a particular "place."


Hi Matt,
I always warn people that they have to separate their attachment to a place or time from the image when presenting for critiquing. I as the veiwer will only be judging the image as presented and do not have the same emotional attachment as you may have. Our goal as landscape photographers is to try and draw total strangers into their image. To accomplish this you need a strong mood, through dramatic lighting or weather.......and stong composition to keep me eyes from wandering through an image

True, the viewer does not have the same context as the photographer, but saying that "our goal" is to draw strangers into an image seems to assume that all pictures should be inviting and warm. For me, I found this scene very inviting and worthy of exploration: the variety of textures and many intersecting lines draws me in. Indeed, there are many times I would prefer to look at the entire picture, rather than stay fixated on one element within the frame. This movement, and tension created by the busy image creates enough drama for me.

My feeling is that the "landscape" is more than soft, candy colored skies, or strong differences in light and shadow. I am a sucker for picture postcard images, but I feel kind of empty if that's all I have to look at. These little scenes, apparently busy and chaotic, have a particular aspect that I enjoy. I am unable (perhaps even unwilling) to separate my attachment to a place - it's why I take the picture in the first place.


What I do here is go from detail. Moving it on this scene, there were probably a dozen small details that would have made an image.

I would agree that moving in, showing a few details would simplify the image. But then, I would only be showing you part of the whole, part of the chaos. By isolating an element or two, there is no chaos, no activity. It slows things down and becomes easy to see. There are times when I like to quiet the noise and there are times, such as with this image, where the reaction to the chaos and showing the interplay of all the elements is the thing. Rather than invite the viewer to take in, or "chew on" a small part of the image, I sometimes like to challenge the viewer to take in everything - sort of stepping to the edge of the roof to take on the whole of the city below.

But again, that's me, and that's only part of my reason for taking pictures. You know what they say: "different horses for different courses." I appreciate your reactions and thoughts.

cheers,
-matt

Robert Amoruso
08-11-2008, 11:39 AM
Matthew,

Thank you for your thoughtful comments. They cause one to re-evaluate ones perceptions of what constitutes an evocate image and to better examine ones reaction to it.

As someone that is critiquing others work I strive to detach my personal likes and dislikes in landscape images and try to get into the photographer's head. Whether I am successful is another matter. You have given me some things to think about that I will bring forth from this point on. I will give this topic and image more thought. Again thanks for posting it and your follow-up.