Grass

[mistress_elaine]

Remember the Burma photo I just couldn't get right, no matter what I tried? Well, I had yet another go at it (I'm stubborn that way), and on approximately my fiftieth attempt (no exaggeration) I came up with a version I deemed somewhat usable. To wit, this one.

Comments

[miss5am]

I can see why you were hell bent on getting this one to your liking, or at least in the proximity. I think it's a really interesting photo actually and they asymmetrical factor does add to it as it brings contrast to the tree in the distance that is almost squarely in the middle. It works :)

Great subtle reflections here as well :)

[mistress_elaine]

I agree, it is an interesting photo, but somehow it's not quite right. It would have been better if the tree had been completely in the middle (that's what I meant by it being asymmetrical), or much more to the side, and if the grass in the foreground had been spread a bit more evenly, and been properly aligned to the bottom edge of the photo, and... and...

Aaaargh. At some point I'm going to have to stop being such a bloody perfectionist.

Anyhow, thanks a lot, Sharon. I'm glad you found some merit in the photo after all the effort I put into it! :-)

[miss5am]

That's the thing though (at least to me), I personally find what may be considered to be imperfection more perfection than perfection itself. Only because I find it more interesting. Like people's faces (models for an example), the ones that are unique I find more appealing than the so-called-drop dead gorgeous type.

Maybe a bad analogy, but this time of the morning it's the best I can do ;)

You're welcome. Your efforts were do not go unappreciated.

[mistress_elaine]

I largely agree with you on people's faces; I tend to find the ones with little irregularities more interesting than the really perfect ones. However, I'm also a sucker for geometry, and in shots like this, I just want the geometry to be perfect. Hence part of my frustration with this photo -- the lines just aren't right. That said, my greatest problem was with the colours. I'm still not entirely satisfied with those, but as I said, they'll have to do.

[anonymous]

what i really like about this one is the horizontality. there are such strong visual lines across the image...the dark tree line in the distance, the faint green one the tree seems to be growing from, the bright yellow-green one in the middle distance, and the line formed by the clumps of green grass in the foreground. these lines seem to draw my eye into the picture, much like the cross-ties in a picture of receding railroad tracks. and the drawing in leads the eye to the tree.

i think it would have been quite a different picture if the stong horizontal line of the grass had been, instead of a line, a big round clump or an amorphous polygonal shape of some sort. in that case, the grass would have struggled with the tree for visual supremacy. this way, it's the threshold that invites us to look at the tree. nice picture.

[mistress_elaine]

Thank you! Yes, the horizontal lines were very much what drew me to this picture. It's a pity they're not completely straight and parallel, but I still like the geometry of the shot. I agree it wouldn't have been nearly as interesting if the clumps of grass hadn't been aligned.

[mistress_elaine]

Heh. Yeah, the day-glo yellows and greens are reminiscent of the 1980s, aren't they? Thankfully, I cherish my memories of the eighties, so I rather like that comment. :-)

Holgas are fun. I'm taking mine out for a day's cycling today; I look forward to seeing how it will cope.

An astonishing number of my friends have expressed an interest in buying a Holga of their own. I wonder if you will ever be among them...

[mistress_elaine]

Hmmm. At the risk of sounding a tad arrogant here, I think the Holga might not be for you. See, the thing about Holgas seems to be, rather paradoxically, that you need to be a decent or at least an enthusiastic photographer to make the most of them. I don't think the camera is at all suited for snapshots. If you simply want pictures of your friends and family, and want those people to be recognisable no matter how bad the conditions are, you're much better off with a regular point-and-shoot camera -- a reliable one. Holgas are far from reliable. From what I've heard, eighty percent of Holga photos come out useless; it's really the exceptions which make it worthwhile, rather than the norm. Which makes Holgas great for experimental photography, but rather less ideal for people who are not that much into experimenting, and who like accurate depictions of the situations they've been in

[jardinmagico]

Hi there,

I just wanted to let you know that I friended you. (I think I first came across your journal through bestshot, but lately, I've noticed more and more of your comments in the journals of other LJ friends of mine..)

No need to friend back, this was just meant as a FYI. :)

[mistress_elaine]

Why, thank you! Actually, I like your own photos, too, so I will add you back. We seem to have rather a few friends in common, so I might as well...

Nice to meet you!

[jardinmagico]

Cool, thank you! And nice to meet you, too! :D