Wednesday, March 14, 2007

Red Birch


Continuing my venture into sharp-vs-blur effects...
I am very pleased with this one, what do you think?

Funny thing is in real life the colors of this looked so dull I almost didn't approach it. But in the photo (click on it), they are bright. And I did not boost them in the computer. Only thing I can see as explantion is that the subject was pretty dark relative to the surroundings, so the colors looked more dull to my eyes.



Featured Comments:

ttl said...
I am sorry to say but I don't find these sharp-vs-blur foliage images very interesting. They look quite pleasent, all right, but not interesting enough, I think.

Chuck Scott said...
Look Again - Gross Mode vs Subtle Mode
TTL's post reminds me of of how many people seemingly overlook the glory of nature...

Sure, when roses are in full bloom (gross mode) voila - we are impressed with color, fragrance and buy them by the dozen for loved ones ...

But, what about when that rose bush is planting roots (subtle mode) - go ahead, trying taking pictures of those tiny membranes that are reaching out into dark earth - they extend, get nutrients, and grow till they become obvious ...

I once heard that the role of the artist is to unveil that which is but was not obvious before said unveiling ...

And TTL's comment hits a social button with me - not a creative agree or disagree thing - but a sentiment thing about current affairs and artists who remind us of the subtle happenings ...

TTL ends the post with "i think" ... okay respected, appreciated and thanks for sharing, but here's my point - forget how you think, "how did you feel" ... when seeing the red birch from a different angle (sharpen/blured/f-stop2.0), do you have a sensation of the divinity at work as a Red Birch ..??.. i mean, go try and be a tree (or a bush) and stand erect for x-period of time given gravitational pull - heck i, can't even hold my arm parallel to the ground for more than a minute or two before it starts to shake ... okay, maybe my arm is not a good example but my point is that nature is subtle and those artists that capture the nuances are to be applauded ... event better, celebrated with coin so they can invest in gear and art and repeat loop of imagery for the rest of us laggards who don't always quite get it but want to :>) cs

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am sorry to say but I don't find these sharp-vs-blur foliage images very interesting. They look quite pleasent, all right, but not interesting enough, I think.

Anonymous said...

Look Again - Gross Mode vs Subtle Mode

TTL's post reminds me of of how many people seemingly overlook the glory of nature ...

Sure, when roses are in full bloom (gross mode) voila - we are impressed with color, fragrance and buy them by the dozen for loved ones ...

But, what about when that rose bush is planting roots (subtle mode) - go ahead, trying taking pictures of those tiny membranes that are reaching out into dark earth - they extend, get nutrients, and grow till they become obvious ...

I once heard that the role of the artist is to unveil that which is but was not obvious before said unveiling ...

And TTL's comment hits a social button with me - not a creative agree or disagree thing - but a sentiment thing about current affairs and artists who remind us of the subtle happenings ...

TTL ends the post with "i think" ... okay respected, appreciated and thanks for sharing, but here's my point - forget how you think, "how did you feel" ... when seeing the red birch from a different angle (sharpen/blured/f-stop2.0), do you have a sensation of the divinity at work as a Red Birch ..??.. i mean, go try and be a tree (or a bush) and stand erect for x-period of time given gravitational pull - heck i, can't even hold my arm parallel to the ground for more than a minute or two before it starts to shake ... okay, maybe my arm is not a good example but my point is that nature is subtle and those artists that capture the nuances are to be applauded ... event better, celebrated with coin so they can invest in gear and art and repeat loop of imagery for the rest of us laggards who don't always quite get it but want to :>) cs

laurie said...

Chuck, thank you, well said. This is also how I feel, but couldn't express. I respond to art or nature through feeling and intuition, not reasoning. In a work of art (I am no art critic - just a lover of beauty) I look for soul. How does one describe or justify such a feeling?

I really like Eolake's photos of birches. Something in me responds with joy at the subtle beauty and surprising color and forms. A similar feeling is evoked for me gazing at the photos of Domai's beautiful women.

Laurie

laurie said...

Slightly off topic, but this morning driving to work I slowed down to see a doe in the woods beside the road. I looked in her face for a brief moment driving by, and her eyes were ..... it gives me goosebumps, there was such innocence and almost modesty in the deer's expression. She was half hiding in the trees, but willing to be seen. Not everyone would have seen her, and I would have missed her too if I had been pre-occupied. So I thank the photographer of these birches, and the rarely asked about and unseen photographers of the Domai models -- who bring to us this same subtlety.

Anonymous said...

Hey, pleasant suits me just fine. :-)

Chuck Scott said...
"i mean, go try and be a tree [...] and stand erect for x-period of time
[...] okay, maybe my arm is not a good example"


Have you tried Viagra? ;o)
[How's this for subtle mode?]

Signalroom said...
"A similar feeling is evoked for me gazing at the photos of Domai's beautiful women."


Well, I for one don't feel these women look like they're made of wood! None of them is standing stiff.

P.S.: Are you sure you saw a doe by the road? Maybe it was a hind trying to hide.
They do have an incredible gaze, don't they?
Cats too, but in a very different style. I love animals and nature...

laurie said...

Pun-meister, it was a doe.

and have you ever come upon a wood-nymph?

Anonymous said...

have you ever come upon a wood-nymph?

yes i have. i put three ounces of lead into it. thankful it's friends got the message and never came around again.
they were destroying my log home :(

Anonymous said...

I just remembered an anecdote that happened to my friend Hillbilly Bill.

He once went a-bear hunting. He spotted a small brown bear, shot it dead, and was about to take his trophy back home when he felt a tap on his shoulder.
It was a big black bear, who spoke to him : "Now, that wasn't a very nice thang ta do, pard'ner. Now I'm gonna git punishing you. Either you let me rape you prisun-style, or I maim ya into a gory mess."

Well, Bill prefered to stay alive, so he dropped his pants. Stayed sore for 10 days after that. Then he bought a bigger rifle, returned to the woods, found the black bear and shot it. Suddenly, a tap on his shoulder!
There stood a huge kodiak grizzly bear, who said: "Now, mister, I hafta say, I'm really sorry you did that. Because Im gonna need to either turn you into very fine sish-kebab, or rape you prison-style."

Poor Bill had to stay in bed for over a month after that animalistic encounter. No sooner was he back on his feet, that he bought the biggest rifle he could find, tracked down the kodiak and killed it.

A tap on his shoulder.

It was an enormous polar bear, who shook its head sadly and said: "Admit it Bill, you don't come here for the pleasure of HUNTING, do you?"

I know, sometimes my stories get TOO subtle...


As for the wood-nymph, Laurie, I'm sorry, but I promised her and her friends never to tell a soul. So I'll have to answer that question by an official "No". ;-)