Too Much?

[BigRock]

Good balance or too much PS?

[cclesue]

presenting an image as an enhanced photograph and one that is a work of art. I might try to judge the artistic merit but not the method. Since the tools the artist uses is not the issue in his work but rather the finished product who can say whether it is too much or not. How you arrived isn't the issue. Who cares if Michaelangelo used a sledgehammer or a Craftsman ballpeen, his statues are still masterpieces. Having said that, this is pretty good stuff.

[DarkLeather]

That's a good observation. I looked at this when it went up, but couldn't figure out what to say. Now I know why! As an exercise in Photoshop, it's well executed, and I bow to a good craftsman. I'm not entirely a fan as an aesthetic work of art, since I seem to focus on the symmetry of the background more than anything else. But that is an entirely personal observation of taste, not a fair criticism of the technical merits. Good job on the whole, worth the doing.
--Sam

[n5wd]

Mark,

I think CClesue hit it on the head... as long as we're appreciating your image for the artistic merit, the technical aspects of too much/not enough/just right are irrelevant, or at least should be. Of course, this being a forum of photo geeks, reality says we're all going to have at least some interest and opinion in the "how" versus the "why".

Did you start out to do the image this way with a specific idea in mind, or is this one of those "found and fortunate" images we've all be able to construct?

I really like your image and would love to see a large (3'x5' or so) print to better appreciate the changes in focus/background. I'm somewhat distracted by the purple coloration of the light/structure immediately behind the model. I'm thinking that a more neutral tone (have you ever seen a selinium toned fibre print?) might be less distracting, while still giving the effect of a muted coloration.

Good job!

Wayne

Wayne's web page

[Soujrnr]

Very well said. Saying that a photographer or artist did a good job because of the tools they used is like telling a chef that the only reason they can cook so well is because he or she uses good pots, pans, and cutlery. Ya, right, and I have 300 feet of oceanfront property for sale in Minnesota if someone is interested. [img]/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif[/img]

Good day!

Mike

[RWJensen]

Not too much, in fact maybe not enough. I'm a fan of Jerry Uelsmann, which I'm guessing this is a homage to. IF you feel like playing around with it further I'd try the following and see if it looks better or not.

1: Get rid of the two horizontal shadows on the ground by her knees and calves. The reason is to make more of a frame and these two shadows chop up her proportions. Going in the oposite direction; I see where you could be using the scenery to accent her body sections by having lines running to her hips and knees, but I'd still get rid of the short thick shadow by her calves and lighten the shadows slightly to a closer match to the limbs of the trees.

2: Bring the material at her feet that drapes off to the left and fill it around to an equal amount to the right, mirror-like, to create more of a base to the model. By being the only asymetrical thing in the image it draws away from what should be the main interest. Keep the small branches that come up in front.

3: Add more branches to the empty spaces along the sides of the image. I wouldn't blur out the sides of the image but keep it sharp.

Again these are not criticisms, the picture is good as is, but suggestions that may or may not work to make the image better.

Good going!

Robert Jensen

[geowulf]

I agree with carlos and sam.

Its more of a piece of artwork than a "photograph". ;-)

That said, I like it!

Greg

[GWheeler]

Several things have been said about your image. All I'll say is I love it!

[dynamike]

It's definitely nice. I like it alot. Might have gone with blue instead of red/pink, but what you've got works.

Mike