DRAMA LINES

[Korky]

Bugger! Yet again I find myself agreeing with BeePee.

 

Now...... get a grip of your pantalettes and return to producing the quality work you were stunning us with a few months ago.

 

G'night John Boy.

[kev7d]

I am still liking the originals posted. :)

[FUJI]

Isn't the photographic world a strange place?

Thanks BP, your pleas have been read through thoroughly, absorbed and ( hopefully) will be acted upon, but, and it is a big but......only if I get the result I want and not the one you want me to produce.

We are both Mavericks when it comes to what we post, you too are a brilliant photographer, who can really challenge the critical mind of viewers ........ We are both willing to tread in very deep and turbulent waters, only to be sucked down in a whirlpool of comment, both positive and negative.

What is amusing me currently, is that on the larger Ephotozine forum ( there are a number if us here on there too) the my first rendering of exactly the same portrait has won a User Award plus a largenumber of extremely positive comments.

Korky, no worries here, I take on board all that is said from all points of the compass......but what does worry me somewhat is the fact that all the pics of mine that you all liked......were taken then processed during my worst time ever with my vision ( no excuses ).

For two years was seeing the world through a pair of sight dimming, colour spoiling Cataracts, then, just a year after these were removed and replaced with amazing plastic lenses that not only restored my colour perception, they completely reversed my chronic short sight. Just a short time later during a post operative check up a sight distorting membrane was seen growing over the macula and optic nerve in my left eye.

Last July I underwent a vitreotomy, during which the jelly was sucked out of my eye, so that the surgeon could remove the membrane, I was awake during the whole procedure.....the jelly was replaced by water under pressure.

The good news is, that the surgery was a complete success and for the first time in my life I have 20/20 vision, except for minor distortions left after the epiretinal peel, these might improve in time.

Soooo, it is my recent work done through near perfect eyesight that you aren't liking.........this isn't an excuse but an observation .....perhaps I should rub Vaseline over my specs before I process another portrait ;-)

Very Seriously though, I will review what I am doing, not to please you all, but to sit back to analyse my older work then compare it with my current efforts.

Thank you, once again, for good honest feedback......it is so much better, than.......nice shot.......good effort.......Lovely.....etc.

Cheers all

FUJI

[ChrisLumix]

For two years was seeing the world through a pair of sight dimming, colour spoiling Cataracts, then, just a year after these were removed and replaced with amazing plastic lenses that not only restored my colour perception, they completely reversed my chronic short sight. Just a short time later during a post operative check up a sight distorting membrane was seen growing over the macula and optic nerve in my left eye.

Last July I underwent a vitreotomy, during which the jelly was sucked out of my eye, so that the surgeon could remove the membrane, I was awake during the whole procedure.....the jelly was replaced by water under pressure.

 

I wonder ... could it be that the effect of poor vision before you recovered from the op, has made you over-compensate now normal vision has been restored? In other words, you're making up for the out of focus, bleary, uncoloured world you were forced to live in, by now rejoicing a touch TOO much in colour and sharpness and contrast? Just a thought...

[Graham]

I was once told, and still firmly believe, that the only person you sould aim to please when making a picture is yourself.

This, taken to higher levels, can be quite isolating if you prefer extremes. Take the now slightly reduced amount of extreme HDR pictures you see. The thousands of extreme abstract coloured HDR that filled the forums some years ago were slated by many and have started to fall out of fashion. However, some great photographers still use the technique to produce powerful images.

Photography is, by its very nature, a realistic looking medium and many photographers strive to either make it more 'real', a paradox if ever there was one. Or to alter reality to a more painterly look. Others try to retain the reality and portray a scene as if the viewer was seeing it at the same time as the photographer. Very few photographers don't do any adjustments.

There are still a great number of photographers who say we should not be using black and white anymore as it demonstrates that lesser photographers than themselves try to hide poor photographs as art. Total BS but they still have a right to their opinion even misguided as it is. Or is it?

The biggest threat to artistic flare is the concept of conforming to public opinion.

[kev7d]

I tend to think not about how an image was processed or does it look real / unreal. For me the final out come has to be appealing to my eye regardless of the process or striving to achieve reality. If it is a good image, it does not matter?  

[Paul]

Colour for me Fuji - she is a wonderful character.

 

Paul.

[Craftysnapper]

Isn't the photographic world a strange place?

Thanks BP, your pleas have been read through thoroughly, absorbed and ( hopefully) will be acted upon, but, and it is a big but......only if I get the result I want and not the one you want me to produce.

Soooo, it is my recent work done through near perfect eyesight that you aren't liking.........this isn't an excuse but an observation .....perhaps I should rub Vaseline over my specs before I process another portrait ;-)

Very Seriously though, I will review what I am doing, not to please you all, but to sit back to analyse my older work then compare it with my current efforts.

Thank you, once again, for good honest feedback......it is so much better, than.......nice shot.......good effort.......Lovely.....etc.

Cheers all

FUJI

 

Do not take it to much to heart Fuji and even though I agree  with some off the comments,the main criteria is do you like it as it is?

 

Very often when someone makes a comment on one of my images how to improve it, and If I agree I will take on that advise and apply it but I also have the confidence that if I do not agree I will leave it as I liked it and not let it bother me, this is something that comes over time as your confidence in your own abilities. grows.

 

What you have to remember when working in Photoshop it's a little like playing the guitar in a room you keep turning the amp up and do not notice how loud the music is as you are getting used to it being loud as normal till someone walks in and say turn that music down, continual heavy periods of photoshop editing can have the same effect in how you perceive you work to how it should be seen, always something to watch out for.

 

Now having said that I will give my opinion (and just like as#les every one has one:) ) on why that processing does not work for me. It is because in the original she already has a very intensive stare and expression in those eye that does not need intensifying and sends it over the top as does the contrast increase wich does not suit the surrounding ambient lighting at all.

 

Thought I would give it a go but it may be to vanilla flavoured for you.

[ChrisLumix]

What you have to remember when working in Photoshop it's a little like playing the guitar in a room you keep turning the amp up and do not notice how loud the music is as you are getting used to it being loud as normal till someone walks in and say turn that music down, continual heavy periods of photoshop editing can have the same effect in how you perceive you work to how it should be seen, always something to watch out for.

 

What I've started to try and do (I don't always remember) is - when I think I've finished processing a picture - to walk away and do something else for a few minutes so it's "out of mind". Then when I return to it, it's with fresher eyes and sometimes I think I've gone too far and back off some.

[Leon]

I actually prefer the Mono....... (did I say that out loud?)