Theme: Bison alone in the snow

[Nancy Bell]

Welcome to the start of the new theme for February! The theme is "opposites" and "The bison alone in the snow" is both small animal in a large landscape, as well as dark as the opposite of light. "Opposites" lends itself to many interpretations and let's see what you all can come up with!


Another image from my recent trip to winter Yellowstone. I used layers of Topaz Simplify, fractalius, Smart Photo Editor, and PS adjustments.

[Diane Miller]

Very artistic bleakness. Love what you did with colors. I'm going to go grab a sweater....

[Dennis Bishop]

The stark white makes the rest of the image stand out, and that works well because the elements form three triangles. (I'd read -- and have come to believe -- that triangles add energy.) It's fortuitous that the buffalo is at a vertex of one of them. I like what you did with the framing, too.

[Hazel Grant]

When I first saw this and the theme I thought, what? Then realized the opposites to the natural view. Vivid colors against white snow. Small buffalo when we expect large, etc. Interesting comment about the triangles. Didn't know that.

[Michael Gerald-Yamasaki]

Nancy,

Greetings. The composition and framing are particularly appealing. I like the subtle detail of the bison. If it were mine, I think I would move the right-most middle grass clump down a bit to break up the straight line (even if it messes up the triangle ;-).
For some reason it catches my eye as a distraction. In any event your recent photos of Yellowstone have me pawing through my photos when I was there in the winter in 2008 (and in preparation for our upcoming trip this summer). Thanks for posting.

Cheers,

-Michael-

[Nancy Bell]

Thanks all! Dennis could you draw the triangles on this? I cannot seem to visualize them.

[Dennis Bishop]

. . . Dennis could you draw the triangles on this? I cannot seem to visualize them.

Here they are. The one in the lower left didn't have much impact, but I thought the others did. The buffalo's eyes seemed to be looking right at the upper vertex of the lower triangle.

[Diane Miller]

Hmmm -- on second look I'd be inclined to add canvas at the bottom and somehow clone in a bottom half for the grass clump that's cut off by the bottom edge. (Maybe material from another frame?)

[Anita Bower]

Love the simplicity in content and color. The triangles make perfect sense to me. When I first viewed the image, I looked at the bison, then at the clump the bison is looking at, then down to the other clumps, then back to the bison.
Wonderful colors--blue on white.
I would strengthen the clump on the far right and eliminate the one on the left edge. Here is an idea of what I have in mind.
Wonderful minimal image! Would like to see it at a high resolution.
Glad you are continuing with the blue bison theme.

[Nancy Bell]

Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions! I'm sitting in the Houston airport waiting for my flight to Trinidad & Tobago! Leaving snowy images behind and heading to the tropics! Not sure if/when I can check in again.

[Anita Bower]

Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions! I'm sitting in the Houston airport waiting for my flight to Trinidad & Tobago! Leaving snowy images behind and heading to the tropics! Not sure if/when I can check in again.

Have a wonderful trip!

[Michael Gerald-Yamasaki]

Thank you everyone for your comments and suggestions! I'm sitting in the Houston airport waiting for my flight to Trinidad & Tobago! Leaving snowy images behind and heading to the tropics! Not sure if/when I can check in again.

Oh wow. Again you're headed for one of my bucket list locations. I hear the roseate spoonbills flying in at sunset are spectacular. Waiting for the photos... ;-) Have a great trip.

Cheers,

-Michael-