NikonGear'23

Images => Critique => Topic started by: David Paterson on June 15, 2015, 21:46:56

Title: The water-horses
Post by: David Paterson on June 15, 2015, 21:46:56
Showing a Japanese guest around, I took him to see "the kelpies" - massive public sculptures commemorating the working horses of Scotland. I have posted images of these twice before (at Fotozones), so I was looking for a way to give them a different treatment.
Title: Re: The water-horses
Post by: Erik Lund on June 15, 2015, 21:56:49
I think it is must to try and redo the same scene different when visited again :) I think the shot and PP works quite convincing here, almost a Loch Ness look to it :)
Title: Re: The water-horses
Post by: antonoat on June 15, 2015, 22:20:32
Dave,
I really like this, I wonder how many people had the same idea, not many I reckon.
It's a great subject, which could be photographed in so many different ways, I like what you've created.

I hope your Japanese friend was impressed!

tony
Title: Re: The water-horses
Post by: David Paterson on June 15, 2015, 22:29:07
Thanks, Erik and Tony.

I still have pictures to take at the kelpies because although I've now visited them four times, I've never seen them in sunshine - when they will look very different.
Title: Re: The water-horses
Post by: Bjørn J on June 15, 2015, 22:29:31
I like this a lot, Dave. I opened it large on the dark background, and I kept looking and looking at it.
Title: Re: The water-horses
Post by: afx on June 15, 2015, 22:54:41
This is even better than your first shots!
Great idea of trying something different.

cheers
afx
Title: Re: The water-horses
Post by: Thomas Stellwag on June 16, 2015, 12:48:58
it is very well composed
the colour of water, shadows and and the size of the (mini)waves correlate extremly well
now we have to redefine:  photography is painting with water
Title: Re: The water-horses
Post by: Mike G on June 16, 2015, 14:11:53
Good oh Dave, very quirky view but nonetheless very clever!
Title: Re: The water-horses
Post by: gryphon1911 on June 16, 2015, 14:14:23
I like them.  My only quibble, and it is very small and really....ultra nit picky, is the "extra" stuff at the bottom right of each of the horses necks.  I'd probably clone that out.

Beyond that I really like the different look the rippled water gives the subjects.
Title: Re: The water-horses
Post by: armando_m on June 16, 2015, 15:58:43
I  like this  interpretation , an interesting variation

many of us have seen the images of the real thing, I'm not sure the reflection  image works by it self
Title: Re: The water-horses
Post by: The_Traveler on June 16, 2015, 16:11:56
I like this a lot, Dave. I opened it large on the dark background, and I kept looking and looking at it.

Exactly.
It suffers on a light background (and that bottle (sic?)) in the lower right is a bit out of sorts.

However, a great concept

L
Title: Re: The water-horses
Post by: David Paterson on June 16, 2015, 18:26:32
Thank you all for commenting, and it's so nice to hear from so many old friends and acquaintances.

Andrew and Lew - I was also a bit unhappy with some of the stuff along the bottom of shot and have done some further editing, incl. a colour-change. This not yet final and I may go back to the raw file and start again, with a clearer idea of where I want to get to with the pp.
Title: Re: The water-horses
Post by: Akira on June 16, 2015, 19:02:38
Dave, both the idea and your execution are fantastic!  However, interestingly, the image of the real pair of sculptures posted in FZ looked more surreal than this image of reflection.  The effects of these two kinds of abstraction (the sculptures and their reflection) might be canceling each other?
Title: Re: The water-horses
Post by: David Paterson on June 16, 2015, 21:28:43
Akira - that's an interesting idea. Perhaps two stainless steel horses 33m high are quite abstract enough, without adding further abstraction by photographing the reflection. You could be right.
Title: Re: The water-horses
Post by: Anthony on June 17, 2015, 00:52:13
Interesting, I think Akira is on to something.
Title: Re: The water-horses
Post by: Akira on June 17, 2015, 04:51:42
This is not a direct criticism to Dave's image but my general impression: too much effect may be closer to no effect sometimes...
Title: Re: The water-horses
Post by: Gary on June 18, 2015, 06:08:03
I absolutely love the image. Kudos.
Title: Re: The water-horses
Post by: David Paterson on June 18, 2015, 07:21:54
Thanks, Gary, Anthony and Akira for taking the trouble to comment; more than few times, I've learned something about my own photography from comments made by colleagues in NG or Fotozone.
Title: Re: The water-horses
Post by: Jan Anne on June 18, 2015, 12:34:58
Awesome image Dave, thanks for sharing.

I would probably go for a B&W treatment btw, to disconnect the viewer from the blue water to make it more abstract and have him/her guessing how the shot was made. On the other hand, if portraying Water Horses is your goal than the blue of the water adds to that message :)