Meandering

25
Written by Scott K Marshall
I do like this image - I feel like it meanders to the distant skyline - lots of texture and engaging light - I am enjoyiing working through unedited shots or shots previously discarded (due to being unhappy with the colour). You will also note more Mono shots appearing ~ I hvave no intention of walking away from colour but I am definitely enjoying mono more. As always enjoy - critiques always welcome - Scott
I do like this image – I feel like it meanders towards the distant skyline – lots of texture and engaging light – I am enjoying working through unedited shots or shots previously discarded (due to being unhappy with the colour). Regular visitors amongst you will also note more Mono shots appearing ~ I have no intention of walking away from colour but I am definitely enjoying mono much more. As always enjoy – critiques always welcome – Scott

25 Comments

    1. blimey i had missed all the comments on this image – excellent really glad you liked it – I often am uncertain about images and this was one of those – I thought it may be too much to take in – thanks

      2. I am at the stage when Usually I just post – make the error and correct it (that’s how my learning works) – equally I know that you cant please everyone all the time – so my policy is shoot what I like try as much as possible and lets just see where it goes. I have loads of images sitting in a folder called Good Stuff and it’s been there for ages – in fact I cropped a shot today which I had been happy with for a month but just decided the balance was right by cutting some more – ha ha

  4. Yep..keep at it. B&W can add drama to some images, calm to others and subtleties that sometimes colour just hides by its dominance. As you ‘Meander’ along I look forward to seeing you produce more

    1. cheers David – I have read a couple of pieces recently that digital struggles with mono and that film is the best medium – I know you get lots more colour range from analogue film. I have been thinking of taking some roll film shots just as a play around.

      1. You may have tried it….but if not take a look at :http://www.ononesoftware.com/. There Perfect Photo Suite is a great editing suite of software, I am using it more and more instead of Adobe. Process and convert in Nikon NX Capture then tweak in On One. The reason I mention it is that one of the suites (than can be purchased as a stand alone) is Perfect B&W. It is a great converter to B&W. Lots of easy options with immediate previews and dead easy to use. One of the features is a section that gives a ‘look alike’ conversion of just about every emulsion type there has ever been. If you use film you decide prior to shooting a roll which type you are going to use…with On One you can try all the alternatives on any shot. Some may say cheating….but come on we are in the digital age, we all tweak camera settings so why not files. In any case B&W aside On One has been my best buy in software.

      2. David I have the website open just now and will have a nose around. I have spent several years getting my head around adobe products since Photoshop 6 although i settled for Elements 11 meeting the majority of my needs and last Year I got Lightroom 4 (which took some getting used too – but I got there) – interestingly as part of my 6S (Lean Fundamentals process) preparation for how I would organised my workflow I decided to subscribe to the Adobe Cloud Photo package which is £8.70 a month (inc vat) for the latest full Photoshop CC & Lightroom 5 – also looked Photmatix and decided I didn’t like the images it produced and use the Google Nik (suite but that is hardly if ever used as I get better control with Lightroom) so I am not too sure about channelling energy in to a new package with so much going on – but I truly appreciate the suggestion and will have look at the free plugins for PS for definite. I am currently agonising over my camera choice and going round in circles current fav is the D800 – currently my iPhone 5S take better shots than my current D60 in tricky light so I am getting frustrated – the Fujifilm X-Pro1 Digital Camera is getting rave reviews and i seen a comparison against the big hitters at F22 ISO3200 and noise wise there was no discussion – so maybe the goal posts are moving again. I really do appreciate you suggestions and positive comments David – I am guilty of thinking a lot – sometime too much when in fact I should be out taking pictures – ha ha

      3. I know what you mean about ‘thinking’ I feel we are all guilty. Trouble is what works well for one person doesn’t work at all for another…..and it is not lack of skill on that persons part. As an example I just cannot get on with Lightroom, yet very happy with NX and Adobe. But On One is very intuitive and adds another dimension. I have had the Nik Filters since before they were Google and used them a fair amount till On One had an offer and I thought I would try, the rest is history as they say. Now cameras…..just got a D800 and starting to get it set up for my way of working and so far so good. It fits well with my D700 which I swear by. My Scottish blood runs deep in my veins so I try to spend my money wisely. Have always avoided the top end cameras as a new model (update) always comes along or else a slightly down sized version with most of the top end features, so what you buy today is out of date tomorrow. The theory has always worked well until I bought a D600, the logic being file size wasn’t enormous bit double that of the D700 but importantly to my mind it was lighter in weight so easier when on the hills or traveling so called lighter. Sad to say I struggled with the D600 to get results I was happy with, the first Nikon ever not to work straight out of the box. So much agonising and the D800 was purchased two weeks ago and seems to be £1600 well spent and I feel at home with it. The D700 was great in tricky light and noise when pushed was not a problem I feel sure the 800 will do even better….but time will tell. Back to thinking….I often regret think for too long and miss the moment.

    1. Jo just shoot from the hip any time – photography is subjective – some one in the camera club recently looked at one of my images which I was quiet proud of and pointed out 3 photos within it by cropping differently – I was too close to the subject to see the other images – great feedback. Thanks

  7. I sometimes find digitally taken monochrome shots a little flat, I don’t know if it’s the editing or what, but I wouldn’t put this one in that category. I don’t know how you’ve achieved it but I find these shades of grey very appealing. The weightiness in the undersides of the cloud beautifully contrast with the intensely bright light above. The same sort of contrast can be seen in the water and sand, and then the distant hills soften it all to make a wonderfully balanced image. That’s what I think anyway. Nice one! 🙂

    1. first of all, sorry Lorna completely overlooked this image for responses – fabulous feedback – most of the contrast in the clouds came from shooting straight in to the light – the wetness on the sand from the shallow beach and outgoing tide did all the work for me, glinting beautifully. Really glad you liked it, messed around for ages to try and balance it – also several different crops – so sounds like a result cheers.

  9. Great title! I think it’s always nice to ring the changes with a few B&W images every now and then. Even if some of my readers are not so keen!

    1. Aye I am trying lots at the moment seen you flowers on your website – very striking – they look like studio or light tent work or is it post processing?

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