Fishing in Gold

© Pam M

Fishing in Gold

Uploaded: April 22, 2005

Description

The locals tell me these are the King Fishers

Comments

Pam M April 22, 2005

Best Crop? Should I drop off the car on the right ... and thus bring the focus more on the bird ... or is the car part of the flavor. (The water tower is NOT optional ... It stays)

Have fun squinting
Pam #239840

Protacio Serna April 23, 2005

I was thinking about the water tower...you sure it should stay?...hehehe...I'm kidding here.

The car stays also. The bird on the upper part seems to be a problem.

But the picture is OK the way it is. What I think is missing here is the chance to explore the vertical composition. I’m not talking only about this picture, but the other images I have seen about the bridge are also horizontal.

I know the landscape orientation got its name because is the traditional way to present a landscape, but in this image in particular, there’s dynamism in the bottom of the frame that somehow gets lost or diluted because of the other elements on the left side. Since the bridge is important for you as well as the water tower…lets give vertical orientation an opportunity. So give it a try…it won’t hurt…just cover the left part of the image with your left hand to see what I’m talking about.


Regards
PSerna.com


#1285359

Sharon L. Wack April 23, 2005

PAM Hi, Great colors, the pattern of the water is Fab! Protacio is right. Somtimes we get stuck in one mode, Little lession I was taught is make 3 different picture out of one it keeps your mind exploring. Have fun! Sharon #1285478

Pam M April 24, 2005

WHAT? My bridge could be more by being less? Hmm I'll have to think about that. I'll let you know what I come up with ;)

Thanks for your input Protacio and Sharon

have fun
pam #1286267

Pam M April 24, 2005

Hmmm this was fun work. When I started cropping down more, I had to deal with noise fuzzy edges and etc. #1287273

Protacio Serna April 24, 2005

good work...how do you feel about the last one?
#1287408

Pam M April 24, 2005

Well ... as soon as I started cropping in on this pic the quality fell completely out. I took it before I met this crowd and learned about high ISO and sunsets. So both crops required that I be more creative with PS.

By the time I got down to just the birds ... I ended up with about seven PS layers to build it and while I was building it ...

I began to remeber that while I love that bridge ... like people get attached to trains ... there's also a huge tranquility about the lake.

I always associate watercolor with tranquility ... long family history story there that i'll spare you on ... so that's why I started playing with the watercolor effects ... which I reigned in a lot because the tool wanted to take over the picture and be all about the tool ... but the watercolor layer isn't even the top layer.

no ... this time the pic was just suppose to be about two birds out fishing on the water in colors that I only see on my lake ... colors that only the sun and water can make.

Ok I'm homesick now ... I've been stuck in town since Thursday afternoon and won't get to go back until probably tomorrow evening.

So anyway ... thanks to Protacio and Sharon for challenging me to see a bit more.

have fun,
pam

PS the first one I did the way I did because i'm willing to bet that most people crossing that bridge feel the way I do when I cross it ... especially on such a calm evening ... "man oh man ... I wish I was out there with the birds"

PPS that's a december sun ... setting on the Opposite side of the sun ... just keep that in mind. #1287605

Sharon L. Wack April 25, 2005

Pam, Great work! The mind needs to be challenged from time to time.See you did a wonderful job! next time you"ll look at your photo and see 3 different photo's you'll never be bored have fun with it! Sharon #1291370

Humayun Rizwan April 26, 2005

Hi Pam, I think the original one is perfect (including the car).. and the horizontal composition. U r right.. the tranquility of the lake is important and that among other things make this a great shot #1294243

Pam M April 26, 2005

Thanks Sharon and Humayun.

Really until I got to the discussion of this picture, i'd no idea I was so fascinated with the bridge. I suppose some time in the next five to seven years or so it will be replaced by something more modern.

I thought I was only fascinated by the sunsets God rolls out out there ;)

I feel like my pictures are telling me a story ... a story much bigger than I seem able to hear ... so I just keep sitting with them.

I think ya'll are becoming a huge player in the story ... like hmm editors, and narrators.

Have fun
Pam #1294419

Michael E. Brodie April 27, 2005

Hi, Pam! I think a crop that makes the composition almost square is quite strong. Moving the right hand border inside the car on the far right makes the collection of birds a compositional element. It also adds motion since EVERY ONE is flying-not one is in the water. The line of birds extends from the lower right up to the "inner car," then to the water tower on to the bird (plane?) in the sky and back to the birds on the water on the left and bottom. Small activity in a larger landscape. A great sense of time and place! Mike #1297630

Pam M April 27, 2005

LOL Ok ... For Michael and Me ... I cropped off that car ... And for Protacio I smudged out the bird ... and well ... I'm not so sure I like it because the middle of the pic seems boring #1297795

Pam M April 27, 2005

So ... in honor of keeping focused on the subject ... and ... someone around here who said keeping the number of items in a pic on the odd side ... I moved over ... and ... and for Protacio ... I cloned out the tower. Well ... I miss the tower ... but ... this one is nice too.

Sharon! Are you sure there's only suppose to be three?

Thanks All of You!! This was huge fun.

LOL if anybody else has ideas ... let's see what can be done for my Whipping Posts. #1297806

May 01, 2005

Beautiful photo's Pam, I love the warm tones! I think the first is my favourite.

Kim #1309539

Pam M May 01, 2005

Thanks Kim :-D

just between you and me ... I like the first one best of all the ones with the bridge. and I really like the one of just the birds ... reallly reallly like it.

(i'll tell you something funny about the bridge ... one day I walked around trying to figure out a new angle ... and I was so surprised to realize that the most graceful view is right in front of my RV! I guess it just proves diamonds are in our own yards. Doesn't always pay to spend too much time looking elsewhere.)

:-D
pam #1309587

Ali Atri May 24, 2005

Pam there is really great colors in this photo. the land seemed to be on pillasters till I saw the headlights.
Nice. Ali #1391456

Pam M July 30, 2005

Just a note: this thread has more discussion on the Some are King Fishers and Some Wanna Be image (above.)

have fun,
me
#1656266


To discuss, first log in or sign up (buttons are at top center of page).

Get Constructive Critiques

Sign up for an interactive online photography course to get critiques on your photos.


 

Did You Know?

Discussions by Category: You can view photo discussions on various themes in the Community > Photo Discussions section of the site.

BetterPhoto Websites: If you see an orange website link directly under the photographer's name, it's totally okay. It's not spam. The reason: BetterPhoto is the one that offers these personal photography websites. We are supporting our clients with those links.

Unavailable EXIF: If there is no other information but 'Unavailable' in the EXIF (meaning no EXIF data exists with the photo), the 'Unavailable' blurb is not displayed. If there is any info, it shows. Many photos have the EXIF stripped out when people modify the image and resave it, before uploading.


 

The following truth is one of the core philosophies of BetterPhoto:

I hear, I forget.
I see, I remember.
I do, I understand.

You learn by doing. Take your next online photography class.


Copyright for this gallery photo belongs solely to Pam M.
Images may not be copied, downloaded, or used in any way without the expressed, written permission of the photographer.
Log in to follow or message this photographer or report this photo.