Been spending a lot of time looking down at frozen streams lately, finding interesting patterns in the ice. This series was taken over several days, in an area no larger than a square meter. Patterns changed completely from day to day, each being replaced by something new with each freeze-thaw cycle.
Looking for some feedback on this series of abstracts. I'm relatively new, don't post much, and do this for fun, so please be kind :) Constructive criticism appreciated.
Hi Chad!
These are my kind of images - well done! There are two things that you have done particularly well here and both show a more sophisticated eye than you are crediting yourself with I think!
First, you created a series that works so well as a group. Many times people put similar subjects together and call it a series but in your case, these actually form a group that brings all the images higher. they have synergy! Nicely done!
Second, most people forget that abstracts still benefit from composition. Here, as individual images, I can't pick a favorite. They are all really well done. Your composition in abstract is fantastic. Solid work.
I hope you post more! Also please participate in dialog with others in the group. You will not only get more feedback, critiquing improves our ability to analyze our own work while at the same time helps others. And as Alan often says: if you have eyes, you have an opinion about what you see. (or something like that - sorry if I messed that up Alan!). All opinion are appreciated.
;)
Hi Chad! You should post more, then. ;-) These are great!
I second everything Ruth has written, except that I do have two definite favourites, the third and fifth, which are beautiful, real visual treats for me. I think that this is because the elements you've used in your composition are more bold, and lead my eye around the image more strongly. However, that doesn't make the others deficient, as there is a quieter, more contemplative pleasure to be had in the eye drifitng among the finer, softer (I don't mean out-of-focus!) detail and texture.
Let's see and hear more from you. And I'm not being "kind". Just truthful.
Ruth Carll and Chris Jablonski thank you both so much for taking the time to comment, and for the feedback. Pretty much floored by your kind words!
I'm hoping to be more engaged both in posting and in commenting in the future, and look forward to learning more in the process. I'm not good at describing what makes a great image for me, but hopefully I'll improve and be able to provide some helpful comments.
WRT these images, I was really struck by how diverse the compositions were in such a small area, and how they changed over the few days. Gives me ideas for an additional series of the same composition evolving over time. Image #2 was one of the first I took. After processing, I was a little bothered by the softness of the lower left, and went back the following day to recapture a sharper image, but the composition was gone. Still got a great image, but the character had changed entirely. Nevertheless, the original remains one of my favorites with #1 and #5 right up there. #4 isn't my favorite, and maybe doesn't stand on its own, but as a part of the series, I think it helps to bookend the spectrum of shapes I captured.
Anyway, cheers for the encouragement! Looking forward to being more involved.
Hi Chad, great images, thanks for posting and being open to feedback.
I'm in general agreement with Ruth & Chris on these. All have strong, graphical lines that provide a layer of interest. If I had to choose 3, 4 & 5 are my favorites, fi asked to be picky # 2 is a little busy but I think would work as part of a series (as Ruth suggested)..
As Ruth indicates I am a firm believer that anyone with a set of eyes has an opinion, and that all opinions have value.
I actually believe that opinions of newcomers are MOST valuable as they are solely driven by the viewing experience and not bogged down by adherence to 'rules'.
I look forward to other posts/responses and am inspired by your work.
Thanks Alan Brown for your feedback, and kind and welcoming message. Indeed I have a lot to learn and always open to hearing opinions.
Absolutely agreed that #2 is busy, even chaotic, which might be part of its appeal to me! I like how the organic, amorphous shapes in the top left collide with the regular, angular shapes in the lower right. That boundary is a mess. There's a metaphor in there somewhere.
I'm attaching the second day photo of #2 as comparison. Same location, same (virtually) compo. It is marginally less busy, but so different!
Wonderful, and I agree a perfect collection of imagery. I have nothing to add further to what was said above. I'm drawn to #3 the most but they are all great.... and #2 looks like a war between "circles" and "straight edges", nice. :)
#3 is really interesting, and so different from the lot. Hard to see in these, but in full size there are fractal patterns in the 'oil slick' texture. Could spend all day looking at them. And as they say regarding #2: all the interesting stuff happens at the boundaries, or something like that :)