Stream in Tutuko

[Octane]

Late afternoon sunlight illuminates submerged rocks in a stream in the Tutuko Valley in Milford Sound.

Typically, this region would be wet, but, after having experienced the heaviest rain in a decade, the entire valley was full of streams, creeks and rivers which made trekking a lot of fun! Light was fading quickly, and I had a couple of hours to get back to my lodge for the evening, so I packed up, turned around and headed back straight after having nabbed this image.

This is a very heavy crop from the full frame image, less than 50%.

Canon EOS 5D Mark II, Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM
4s f/16.0 at 36.0mm iso200

Slightly higher resolution available here (http://users.tpg.com.au/octane2/sit.html).

Comments, critique, etc., most welcome.

Thanks for looking. : )

H

[suma126]

SORRY H but it doesn't do anything for me this time

[bloodhound31]

Not sure what it is mate, but even at thumbnail level, this image is strangely hypnotic. I find myself drawn to the grain in the feature stone, then it leads my eye up and to the left, following the trail out of the photograph.

Thanks for sharing the experience and kinda weirding me out...:thumbsup:;)

Baz.

[Ric]

I like the abstract view that you have created, I hope that was what you were after.

Sometimes it's not about what you photograph but the effect it creates.

It's very Zen like. A bit like a japanese garden only with water.

Cheers

[Octane]

Ric,

You got it! I'm so happy that you've picked up on the abstract nature of this one. That was my entire intent and purpose. Hole in one.

Landscapes need not be grand sweeping vistas of mountains or fields. They can be up close, as well as personal works, too.

Shane, the fact that this image does nothing for you is good. It works for both of us; for me: it tells me that it either blows chunks -- I have to do better, and, for you: perhaps as an opportunity to look at it not as a traditional landscape, but, a little tiny artistic representation of nature in its own right.

I shy away from abstracts as I'm not good at them, and, it's very, very difficult to convey the emotional message, and, produce an impact that a good abstract photo/painting should do. I have immense respect for photographers/artists who can get that message across through their works. It is something I will work on in future.

Thanks, Barry. I guess my intent has worked, to an extent. 2 out of 3 ain't bad.

H

[troypiggo]

Brace yourself... I'm kinda with Shane on this one. Thinking it might have looked better from a much lower angle so there's more foreground and background, more depth or something.

[Octane]

oh noes.

*hangs head in shame*

Seems I've hit a dud with this one!

50% approval rating thus far.

It's all good. I learn from this. : )

H

[astroron]

Hi I am in the negative:( I looked at it for a while to see if I could draw anything out of it, but to no avail:shrug:
Maybe I am not very receptive to the abstract:sadeyes:

[Octane]

Ron,

Whether in the negative or positive, it is still constructive. And, for that, I thank you. : )

H

[suma126]

sorry h but i have never understood abstract work. nice try at it anyway:)

[Octane]

No need to apologise, mate. It's all good. Not every picture I make is going to appeal to everyone. I just post them as I process them. : )

H

[multiweb]

It's a cool shot but maybe no suited for a close up. What makes your shots interesting, waterfall shots or streams IMO is the clear difference between the still (sharp parts) and the moving (soft blurs). It works well with a wider FOV but a close up like his one would have been better with very short exposures. I bet looking at those rocks in real life and seeing the crystal clear water, reflections and refraction must have been quite nice but it wouldn't translate to a longer exposure shot. But of course you're the expert on the matter. Those are just my personal views on what I like or dislike. :thumbsup:

[Octane]

Thanks, heaps, Marc. I appreciate the thoughts, and, I know exactly where you're coming from.

You know, this is a crop from a cascade. I was going to process the whole image, but, when I was zooming in looking for any artifacts/dust particles, I found a crop which I thought looked abstract-y. Something flicked on in my head and said to keep it. I will eventually end up processing the full frame. That might do the scene some justice. :)

Cheers, mate. Appreciate the comments. These are the types of comments from which I learn. And, I am by no means, any expert. I'm still a noob!

H

[troypiggo]

Sorry if the comments came off a little harsh. I was going to mention in my first post that I'd like to see the full frame shot because you said this was a heavy crop. Well? We're waiting.... :)

[RickS]

I quite like it :)

[leon]

H mate, I know you are the top Water Man, but I'm afraid this one doesn't do it for me, sorry.

Leon

[tims]

Hello H

From your NZ visit, were all your photo's taken with the Canon EF 17-40mm f/4L USM lens? The details in the photo's are amazing - I didn't realise zooms could produce that sort of quality.
Is this one of Canon hi-end zooms?

Tim

[lacad01]

H. I like how the texture of the rocks comes out in this one. May have been nicer zoomed out a bit, unfortunately I don't get abstract concepts either ;)

[alexch]

I like it :) All it needs a for me is and off-white border, a nice frame and a wall.

[Suzy]

Hi H,
You are about to get two responses to your pic in my reply. Hubby walked in whenI was sitting in front of your pic staring it out and he came over to the computer and said "oh, very abstract". So that was his response. My response is that I literally stared this out for a good 10mts, went out to a restaurant and had dinner, came back and stared further. I'm very much into anything relaxing (decor wise) and if I had paint on my walls that would give that pic justice I would buy it from you. My first reaction to your pic was that it was a great decor for the wall. I like the subtle patches of contrast, the tiny bit of green on the rock on the front left, the little brown rock amongst all the grey ones, and then there is some beautiful texture from the water mist to the beautiful textures on those rocks. I first thought maybe it would look better in a wider view, and then decided not as it would detract from the subtleties of this picture. It's a very relaxing piece.

Thumbs up for me :thumbsup:

[Ric]

Hi H, I think your onto a winner with this one.

The idea of a good abstract is to generate comment both positive and negative. Every person will see and experience something different within the image and no not everyone will like it.

But the fact that people want to discuss/comment on your image is a good indication that it works as an abstract.

Cheers

[M54]

I like it very much.
Love the composition and the contrasting textures.
The clarity of the grain in the stone looks great.

It's a very intimate shot.
:)

[Octane]

Troy,

No need to apologise at all. Your words are never harsh! And, if they were, they would be for a good reason. I'll get around to processing the full frame, soon... : )



Rick,

Cheers, glad you're one of the ones who enjoyed it. : )



Leon,

That's quite OK, mate. It's not to everyone's specifications, that's for sure. The rocks, in their almost deliberate composition, appeals to something inside of me. It's like a Japanese Zen garden, without the pebbles. ; )



Tim,

Thank you for the kind words!

Yep, the 17-40mm f/4L USM is my workhorse. I don't think I'll be switching to its more expensive sibling anytime soon. I do like the sun stars that the 16-35mm f/2.8L II USM creates, but, this will do me for now. All my filters are 77mm diameter ones; I don't want to have to mess about with getting step down rings for the 72mm diameter, or having to purchase new filters as I've got a fair bit of an investment in filters already.

The other lens I shoot with is the 24-105mm f/4L IS USM. Another fabulous all-purpose lens.

In comparison, the 17-40mm is less than half the price of the 16-35mm, but, as you can see, it provides plenty of detail as is. I'm not really into the whole sharpness of a lens thing, to be honest. It's blown out of proportion. When producing images for print or for the web, you have to sharpen the images, anyway. It's just a fact of RAW image processing. I also find that having softness, either through work in post, or through natural diffusion, provides for images which have a certain mystique and other-wordly feel.

The one thing I do miss by not having the 16-35mm counterpart, though, is the magnificent diffraction spikes it provides when shooting the sun. They're extremely thin and well-defined.



Adam,

Cheers. Well, the image made you look and think about how I could have done it better, so, that's something. ; )



Cheers, all.

H

[Octane]

Alex,

Thank you, mate. It will indeed be printed. Perhaps not so big, but, an 18x12 or a 24x16 would be nice.



Suzy,

Thank you. And, thank you.

You see all the little things that I see, too. Cheers. : )



Ric,

I think you might be right about that. As mentioned earlier, I shy away from abstracts as it's definitely not my forté. A good abstract conveys and evokes emotion in the viewer. Maybe I did do right with this one, then, because as you mentioned, it's generated both positive and negative (yet, constructive) remarks. And, that means a lot to me as it helps me grow.

Thank you!



Molly

Thanking you, kindly. Glad you got something out of it, too. : )

And, you're right, it's an intimate and personal image. It reminds me of the hike, the copious rain, the wet shoes and socks, the fogged up spectacles, the drenched hair, etc., that it took to get into the thick of the forest and get a couple of images. : )



Thank you to each and every one of you for viewing and commenting. I'm not here for constant praise or to go on an ego trip -- not one of my images has won an award or been recognised for anything. My aim is to hopefully present to anyone who views my images, the natural and inherent beauty implicit in the nature that surrounds us. My goal is to present scenes which resemble what the first humans on this planet would have seen; landscapes void of buildings, roads, fences, and anything else that ties the scene back to humans. It's just something (call it Romance) that I want to pursue to make my images a little different to others.

I love getting constructive feedback; knowing when there's small or big issues present, knowing what works and doesn't work in an image gives me a chance to reflect and think upon how I can do it better next time.

H