Bisti Mosaic
2nd Place
Intimate Landscapes
Darwin Wiggett’s Summer Photo Contest
2nd Place
Intimate Landscapes
Darwin Wiggett’s Summer Photo Contest
A Hoodoo Tone Poem
A simple digital tone poem captures shape, light, shadow, and color… One sunset, I shot 3 basically different light/dark shape sets; a pyramid, a mesa, and a manikin. My pyramid’s form; simple light and shadow. Sharply focused, our pyramid pair starts the eye's journey... A mesa, cut by shadowy pyramid, casts a lost semi-shadow... Finally, our long-nosed Pinocchio-like manikin - casts it’s own sharp-nosed shadow behind the lit mesa... Then, a cone of light sweetly highlights illusive light / shadow pairs. Is it fortune – or by design? Much of a truly great photo is luck – provocative light stresses one area over another.
This image was nearly perfect out of the camera – but I applied a customary workflow using Lightroom 2 and Photoshop CS4. Lightroom 2 enhanced exposure 0.33EV while strengthening black point at medium contrast. A Clarity of 40, Vibrance of 20, Tone Curve highlights and darks were darkened -13% and -10%, respectively, for finishing touches. Photoshop CS4 and Pixel Genius Photokit Sharpener was applied on each hoodoo detail with Opacity 40%.
Guy Tal’s Chiaroscuro
Darwin’s LLTL Summer Contest was judged by Guy Tal, of Ultimate Guide to Digital Nature Photography fame; I’ve followed Guy for years and deeply appreciate his remarks concerning Bisti Mosaic.
Guy said, “As a budding photographer, I often heard the mantra ‘It’s ALL about the Light.’ It took me some years to realize that while it can indeed make or break some images, there’s a lot more to a good image than just light. Joe’s image tells as much about him as it does about the elements portrayed – the mark of a true artist. When the light got good he resisted the temptation to grab his widest lens and let it do all the work; instead, he decided to draw our attention to the unique intricate detail that made it interesting and personal to him. The composition is beautifully arranged in the frame and creates a nice sense of depth as forms progress into the distance, with the interplay of light and shadow making for a fascinating chiaroscuro. One more little insight into Joe – it’s his image and he will not be a slave to the aspect ratio dictated by the camera. He cropped it to place boundaries where he wanted them and to maximize appeal of his composition.”
First off – chiaroscuro – had to look it up. Sure enough, Wikipedia took me on a truly fascinating journey – chiaroscuro is the effect of light modeling in painting, drawing, or printmaking, where three-dimensional volume is suggested by value gradation of color and division of light and shadow shapes - often called "shading". In Photoshop terms, chiaroscuro might be represented by dodge and burn…
To find a fascinating historical review of chiaroscuro, click the word and see what visual delights Wikipedia has in store…
Editor’s Comments
Thanks, Guy, your comments led me into fascinating areas of painting and art which a geology background ignored… some of the timeless chiaroscuro paintings contain their own extremely unique interpretations e.g., Ruben’s Raising of the Cross (1611), Rembrandt’s St Peter and Old Man in Red (1620s). Rembrandt appears to have begun with chiaroscuro elements having strong contrast, then began to soften these elements in later paintings.
Fortunately for me, you saw this effect in Bisti Mosaic and opened yet another awareness for me… in Photoshop terms, I find limited use of Dodge and Burn provides my own approach to chiaroscuro. A recent discussion with Marlene Lorio aided more evocative emphasis on Shiprock, a prize image mentioned in prior blogs.
A simple digital tone poem captures shape, light, shadow, and color… One sunset, I shot 3 basically different light/dark shape sets; a pyramid, a mesa, and a manikin. My pyramid’s form; simple light and shadow. Sharply focused, our pyramid pair starts the eye's journey... A mesa, cut by shadowy pyramid, casts a lost semi-shadow... Finally, our long-nosed Pinocchio-like manikin - casts it’s own sharp-nosed shadow behind the lit mesa... Then, a cone of light sweetly highlights illusive light / shadow pairs. Is it fortune – or by design? Much of a truly great photo is luck – provocative light stresses one area over another.
This image was nearly perfect out of the camera – but I applied a customary workflow using Lightroom 2 and Photoshop CS4. Lightroom 2 enhanced exposure 0.33EV while strengthening black point at medium contrast. A Clarity of 40, Vibrance of 20, Tone Curve highlights and darks were darkened -13% and -10%, respectively, for finishing touches. Photoshop CS4 and Pixel Genius Photokit Sharpener was applied on each hoodoo detail with Opacity 40%.
Guy Tal’s Chiaroscuro
Darwin’s LLTL Summer Contest was judged by Guy Tal, of Ultimate Guide to Digital Nature Photography fame; I’ve followed Guy for years and deeply appreciate his remarks concerning Bisti Mosaic.
Guy said, “As a budding photographer, I often heard the mantra ‘It’s ALL about the Light.’ It took me some years to realize that while it can indeed make or break some images, there’s a lot more to a good image than just light. Joe’s image tells as much about him as it does about the elements portrayed – the mark of a true artist. When the light got good he resisted the temptation to grab his widest lens and let it do all the work; instead, he decided to draw our attention to the unique intricate detail that made it interesting and personal to him. The composition is beautifully arranged in the frame and creates a nice sense of depth as forms progress into the distance, with the interplay of light and shadow making for a fascinating chiaroscuro. One more little insight into Joe – it’s his image and he will not be a slave to the aspect ratio dictated by the camera. He cropped it to place boundaries where he wanted them and to maximize appeal of his composition.”
First off – chiaroscuro – had to look it up. Sure enough, Wikipedia took me on a truly fascinating journey – chiaroscuro is the effect of light modeling in painting, drawing, or printmaking, where three-dimensional volume is suggested by value gradation of color and division of light and shadow shapes - often called "shading". In Photoshop terms, chiaroscuro might be represented by dodge and burn…
To find a fascinating historical review of chiaroscuro, click the word and see what visual delights Wikipedia has in store…
Editor’s Comments
Thanks, Guy, your comments led me into fascinating areas of painting and art which a geology background ignored… some of the timeless chiaroscuro paintings contain their own extremely unique interpretations e.g., Ruben’s Raising of the Cross (1611), Rembrandt’s St Peter and Old Man in Red (1620s). Rembrandt appears to have begun with chiaroscuro elements having strong contrast, then began to soften these elements in later paintings.
Fortunately for me, you saw this effect in Bisti Mosaic and opened yet another awareness for me… in Photoshop terms, I find limited use of Dodge and Burn provides my own approach to chiaroscuro. A recent discussion with Marlene Lorio aided more evocative emphasis on Shiprock, a prize image mentioned in prior blogs.
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