• Please use real names.

    Greetings to all who have registered to OPF and those guests taking a look around. Please use real names. Registrations with fictitious names will not be processed. REAL NAMES ONLY will be processed

    Firstname Lastname

    Register

    We are a courteous and supportive community. No need to hide behind an alia. If you have a genuine need for privacy/secrecy then let me know!
  • Welcome to the new site. Here's a thread about the update where you can post your feedback, ask questions or spot those nasty bugs!

Little River in Winter and Summer

It has become a habit while photographing landscapes for me to shift my 24, 45, or 90mm tilt-shift lenses to take multiple images of a scene and then merge them later. The result is an image with greater resolution than a single frame from my Canon 5DIII which, more importantly, enables a choice of aspect ratio that fits the subject. Of course, one can easily crop a single frame and accomplish the same thing, but doing so requires tossing some pixels.

One of the hazards of using this method is when any kind of movement in the scene occurs between shifted exposures. Today's software does a remarkable job merging files, but there are limits to what it can do. The first of these two images has a cloud located behind a tree in the sky. The same cloud reflected in the water is off to the right a bit. The cloud was sailing by fast that winter morning and, well, you can see the result.

Anyway, both photos were taken at a local county forest preserve. Judging from the numerous bobbers stranded in tree branches, it's a very well-used fishing hole.

original.jpg

Kishwaukee River in Winter

original.jpg

Kishwaukee River in Summer​
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
It has become a habit while photographing landscapes for me to shift my 24, 45, or 90mm tilt-shift lenses to take multiple images of a scene and then merge them later. The result is an image with greater resolution than a single frame from my Canon 5DIII which, more importantly, enables a choice of aspect ratio that fits the subject. Of course, one can easily crop a single frame and accomplish the same thing, but doing so requires tossing some pixels.

One of the hazards of using this method is when any kind of movement in the scene occurs between shifted exposures. Today's software does a remarkable job merging files, but there are limits to what it can do. The first of these two images has a cloud located behind a tree in the sky. The same cloud reflected in the water is off to the right a bit. The cloud was sailing by fast that winter morning and, well, you can see the result.

Anyway, both photos were taken at a local county forest preserve. Judging from the numerous bobbers stranded in tree branches, it's a very well-used fishing hole.

original.jpg

Kishwaukee River in Winter

original.jpg

Kishwaukee River in Summer​


Tom,

How can we not love unspoiled river scenes like this? But what is a treat is the "extra" that the considerate artist looks for to move a scene from "prettiness" to thought stimulating. In the case of beach, sand and surf panoramas, a sweeping seabird, a dog running in the surf, a couple hand in hand or a little boy trying to keep up with his dog, all "make" the scene especially engaging, albeit heavily sentimental. Here, without the latter, you include the branches tentacles probing the sky in the winter and the water in the summer.

Wonderful!

Asher
 

Asher Kelman

OPF Owner/Editor-in-Chief
Thank you for the kind words, Asher!


Tom,

It's simple. I have a self interest to not only enjoy the work of others but to glean ideas that makes my own work more effective. I am most interested in the little manouvers that change that "good" to "memorable" and thence to "extraordinary", worth revisiting, again and again.

How to add this factor to a picture of a stunningly comely woman? Looks alone, even rare beauty, surprising, only rarely casts a spell. It's the kind of "twig dipping its toe in the water", as you have included, that opens up imaginary universes. Such is the "finish" that can fully power a great picture to become a treasure.

So for me, your work is always instructive. Thanks!

Asher
 

Charlotte Thompson

Well-known member
Lovely photos. Where or what state is this in? an antique a place with its charm. The photos remind me of the author Toni Morrison she writes historical fiction during the slave era. I can see these photos very connected to her work. Beautiful!

Charlotte-
 
Thank you Charlotte!

These were taken in DeKalb County in the north central part of Illinois. The county is known for its row crops, particularly corn and soy beans. Less well known are the numerous county preserves and the dedication of naturalists to restore old worn out places to their natural state.
 
How the same scene in different months looks so different. I have a bit of a love affair with the leafless version that is so tranquil and quiet with the remarkable backdrop. Beautiful!
 
Top