The Candy Man

Image Critiques Abstract Nature Critiques
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You may only download this image to demonstrate post-processing techniques.

Ok, you old timers like me… sing along, I know you want to:

"Who can take a sunrise
Sprinkle it with dew
Cover it with choc’late and a miracle or two…
…The Candy Man can

Who can take a rainbow,
Wrap it in a sigh
Soak it in the sun and make a groovy lemon pie…
The Candy Man can
Oh, the Candy Man can"

“The Candy Man” - Sammy Davis Jr.

Ok, apologies up front if the song gets stuck in your head - like mine now for a couple weeks…

This image was captured just 23 minutes after my previous post. While this motion blur could have been captured anywhere, it makes me so happy that the photographic potential in Yosemite is boundless. I will never tire of this place.

With a relative lack luster fall in the valley, I started my trip from my first stop experimenting with the motion blur, in-camera-motion, or what folks like to call the ICM… (sounds to rigid to me…) I realize this isn’t everyone’s fare and so I’ll only be sharing a few of my favorites - this being one of them. I’m happy to share what the static scene was if anyone is interested - for now, the abstract mystery is what I wanted to share.

I just have to say that after visiting and photographing in Yosemite - mostly the valley proper for about 40 years… I feel like that a window to a new world has been opened… Well, at least it’s fun and I’m enjoying the time capturing and seeing what can be imagined…

Thanks for any comments!

What technical feedback would you like if any?

processing of course

What artistic feedback would you like if any?

Feel free to offer your thoughts - on this image or motion blurs in general

Pertinent technical details or techniques:

(If this is a composite, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)

Straight, in-camera single frame. Very minimally processed. I have a standard preset I created in ACR that apply to every image. Then in PS, after dust bunny cleanup, I added a single layer created from an adjusted LAB Color layer using the multiply blending mode at a moderate opacity to simply pop things very mildly.

Nikon D800E, Nikon 28-300mm @82mm. f/11 1/4s, iso 400 vertical motion hand held

6 Likes
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This is a beautiful pastel abstract of lines and colors. I don’t relate this to trees or even nature really. It’s just an excellent abstract of pleasing colors combinations that stands on it’s own and lets you interpret it in any way you feel.

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Wonderful abstract, Lon. I’m always open to ideas of experimentation in photography as you’ve done here…:+1: Especially if it works well too…:sunglasses:
With the positive results it allows more options going forward I would suspect…:+1:

btw: thanks a lot for planting that SDJ song in my head also. Now I need to flush it out with some good old Grass Roots song or maybe Johnny Nash “I Can See Clearly Now”…:clown_face:

1 Like
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This is all about the delicate pastel colors and I love it Lon. Look forward to seeing more.

5

This is really beautiful art, Lon. The colors are exquisite and wonderfully complementary. Way to step out of the box!

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This is flat out gorgeous, Lon. I always tell myself that I am going to try this sometime, but I never have for some reason. I love the pastels you captured; they give off a lovely serene vibe. I could see this as a beautiful print. Great thinking outside the box!

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These type of images are not easy to do, but this one turned very well. The delicate pastel colors are just outstanding. I kind of debated if this would also work with a warmer WB, but I just loved the blue and purple hues of the two trees in the center, and would not want to change them. So, taking a tried and true approach regarding your tree images :grin:, I decided to do a rework where one could have his cake and eat it too.

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What I like most about this is the subtle color palette. And the abstractness of the icm leads to different interpretations. Almost could be a water reflection.
:vulcan_salute:

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This is exceptional Lon. The texture, the spacing of the trunks and the colour transition looks great. No nits from me.

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This is a real nice motion blur. The complimentary color scheme is wonderful. Lots of room for playing around with color balance, but the blues really add a nice touch. Well done, sir.
-P

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Lon: Going back and forth between this and your most recent post and I like them both. The color palette here is so nice. I’ll make some other comments on the other image but :+1::+1: here.>=))>

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I hadn’t seen this one before – it was before I joined. I’m glad I got to see it now, as I think it has a very special ethereal beauty, with wonderful colors!

I’m so happy to see this new category and think I might drop in a few contributions!

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I love the Candy Man reference Lon. It does look like a rainbow of candy. I did not see this when it originally came out either. I think this is stunning.

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Wow! I just stumbled upon this, Lon! It is so lovely. The beautiful soft colors in stripes are great! Sounds like a funny song, I’ll have to look it up.