[Pavel]

I was torn on how to present these 3 images. I felt that they form a theme and I wanted to present them together, yet for review it makes more sense to present them individually. They are all 3 after the same effect. I am hoping for some global comparison and than comments on perhaps one of them in greater depth. I am of course interested in your view on the concept and composition, but I am now strugling with CS3 and I feel very uncertain on how I am doing in that area. Therefore any comments on post-processing are particularly welcome. Thank you Pavel

[enviroguy]

Hi, Pavel! I think that I might like to offer some comments on these photos, but the file size that you uploaded to so large that I cannot view any one image without a lot of scrolling. Thus, I cannot properly evaluate the photos. If you intend to upload somewhat smaller images of this series, I would be pleased to have a go. I suspect other members may have the same concern.
Regards.....Dennis

[Pavel]

Dennis, the file sizes are all less than the limit of 250K/photo and no bigger than any of my previous postings. They are below the Shuttertalk Limit and less than half the PhotoSIG limit which gives you no problems. My file size should not not pose any problems for you. Are you talking about image size on the screen? If it is too big, just zoom down (lower right corner on my version of Internet Explorer). However the image size is not bigger than my previous photos and you did not find a problem there - I am not sure that I understand what you need. Pavel

[enviroguy]

Pavel! Your solution is brilliant. After using a Windows computer "forever", I didn't know about the Zoom feature. Duuhh! Now I can easily proceed. Thanks once more.....Dennis

To begin. The 3 photos are really quite different. The first appears somewhat like an abstract, I think, because the background is excluded. #2 and #3 are more realistic although all the photos seem to have a distinct blueish colour cast. Did you push them this way or is the colour natural? In any case it tends to enhance the cold feeling of ice and snow, so I think it's fine. #3 with ice hanging from what appears to be discarded rebar, is kind of unnatural, yet interesting at the same time. I believe the effects you achieved with the ice are great. If I had to make a choice for a favourite, I would pick #3 because it seems to me to be the most "organic". (Chemistry was a specialty in my other life) Regards.....Dennis

[Pavel]

Hello Dennis, thank you for a very generous assessment. I love ice and I had fun with these 3 photos. #1 and #3 are fairly extensively processed (mostly local changes to exposure, contrast, saturation, sharpening) in CS3, #2 is mostly as it was, except for increased vibrance (similar to saturation) and clarity (local contrast) in Lightroom and sharpening in CS3. The blue was there but it was boosted, particularly in #3. I wanted to see if you and others would prefer #2, as it got lighter treatment or #1, as it appears to have the least amount of treatment. Thanks for comments. Pavel

[NT73]

Ok, At first glance the first one is a little too blue, but it depends on the effect you want.
The third one...I sometimes find with my own efforts that when oversaturating you can get a distinct outline to certain features. In this case the icicles. Almost like the edge finder tool.
Having said that, it is an effect I have tried with a little bit of success.

[Pavel]

Thanks NT for comments. I have a sense that you wish to communicate some dissaproval about oversaturation with blue, but I am not certain. I really do want to know. Subtlety is lost on me. Please feel free to be blunt. I know that you do not wish to offend and I will not take your opinion as an offense. I value your opinion and I really want to know. So please just write plainly what you think (but leave words like incompetent, idiot, junk etc. out). Thanks for commenting. Pavel

[NT73]

#1.....I do not know if you wanted the blue effect but I like snow white, as in colour and not Disney.
So the blue just looks over the top. Others may feel different.:/
#3 ...I am not disapproving the saturation. Just I see the lines around the icicles in the larger (2000) version, which is not evident on the smaller size (740) pic.
It looks pretty, but seems to attract artefacts.

[blowup]

Hi Pavel,

Yes, there is too much blue, for my taste.

#1 has a strong blue cast to the shadows. While some may feel this heightens the feeling of "cold", it looks unnatural (and I'm not partial to blue).

#2 is a kind of humerous photo. It looks like a monster with a million teeth surfacing from the deep. Again, there is an unnatural blue color in spots (e.g., in some of the ice nodules on the rocks).

I didn't really notice the blue in #3, until after I'd looked harder at the first two. But it's there where the icicles attach to the rod, and in some of the rock shadows.

Without knowing what you did in post-processing it is hard to know how you arrived at the "blues". (It may be that this was the effect that you wished to create.) I think that #2, in particular, is worth fiddling with to adjust the colors. If the thing with the icicles hanging down is a piece of concrete, it may be that it should be closer to gray. I might try adjusting the original with Levels, if you can find black, white and a real neutral gray in the photo. Otherwise, Auto Levels could still give an improvement.

I hope that this is helpful.

Gary

[Pavel]

Thank you NT. I did go over the top on # 3, even by my taste. I do like to have some blue both for aesthetic reasons and because blue seems to communicate cold to me. I may try to produce white snow and see how that works and repost. I also noticed that the lines crept in. I do not think it is oversharpening, I suspect it is the result of oversaturation. I will check that out. Thanks for very helpful review. Pavel