Sweden by train

Hi Guys,

Never thought OOB was for me - abstracts seldom work for me - so this is my 1st post here. But I watched the Blurs lecture that Artie and Denise did on B&H YouTube and that gave me some inspiration.

I found myself traveling by train across the Swedish landscape, last week, and started shooting at low speeds from the moving train. Took many images, and got more and more excited about the whole thing. I thought I should post one (maybe more) of the images here and ask for some guidance as to where I should go with this - maybe to the trash bin!

What I like about this image is the way it abstracts the landscape - the white snow and the grey sky intersected by the line of trees. The blurring seems to give it dynamism and I like the "yin/yang" effect of the hills.

I have only processed the original in Lightroom - adding some contrast and saturation using the sliders and the tone curve. Also some negative Clarity to soften it slightly.

Image capture with Canon 5D MkII, EF24-70 at 45mm. 1/8 sec at f/9.0, ISO 100

Critique and guidance very much appreciated

Gerald

Gerald, welcome to OOTB!! I think this is a great blur; you've got enough detail so it is readily identifiable, the sense of motion, the black and white emphasizes the starkness. I think as an alternate view you could crop a little off of the bottom but it is wonderful the way it is. Blurs are addictive so I hope we see more of your creations here:S3:

Gerald, welcome to the land of boundless creativity, where you are only limited by your imagination! You have a really strong first work here and I'm looking forward to more. I think you will find that it adds a dimension to your thinking about images and you will find yourself looking for opportunities that you hadn't considered before. I completely agree with your self-assessment of the image. One of the interesting aspects of blurs is how they can be used to convey a sense of motion, which you have done nicely here. I love the natural monochrome look to the scene. Don't be a stranger here!

Welcome Gerald to OOTB. I also was a skeptic. A week with Artie and Denise at Bosque del Apache in Nov. 2012 changed my mind. The form has greatly expanded what I shoot and how I use my camera. For God's sake I was shooting vegetables this week. Your first image is simple and elegant. It reminds me of scenes from the old movie Dr. Zhivago.

Many thanks for the feedback and encouragement. It really does start you thinking in different directions.

I'll definitely be spending more time here, but meanwhile I have to rush off now...

Thanks,

Gerald

Hey Gerald, This is really abstract...I initially breezed over it quickly. I came back to it and the more I look the more I like it. Very nice. if it were mine I may take a sliver off the top. It reminded to look back at some of my own pans. Have fun with moving that camera while the shutter is open you will be surprised at the cool things that happen.

I like this alot. The image seems to blend from sharp to blurred and I really like th curves created. Nice mood too