Sharon-Lesson 7-Colors in 1-2-3
(photographing with the soul)
Rick,
Sorry for the delay in submitting my Lesson 7. This lesson was challenging, but I enjoyed it! I found that I took alot of pictures for the "colors" and not so much for the content. It was difficult for me to concentrate on the colors AND still capture a moment......... There is much more that goes into really good photographs than I ever imagined. Now, I guess Lesson 8 will put it all together!!!!
Sharon
Sugan Hill Road
I want to make this "Sugar Hill", is it? Anyway, you are right on the point—that is, spotting/focusing on color and harnessing it does tend to subvert all our other design skills in the camerawork. Funny that way, eh? Lots of balls to keep in the air and make a coordinated effort. It all becomes second nature eventually (really!). Let's call this one your ALL GREEN MONOCHROME effort. Your design abilities are definitely in play, but I agree, not quite as deeply or as surgically and intentional as your norm. The coolest (nice vague word) about this image is the incredible dark lines tracing the tops of the soil mounds. [don't people know you shouldn't pack dirt high up on the tree trunk?] So, those great graphic lines coupled with the white hot burn on the tree trunk could have probably been more fully realized/explored, what have you. Though 100% on the all-green-one-color quest!
Red Dress
More in your usual strong compositional wheel house. A study in red and brown, and pale white/gray. Well, really, almost all browns and reds. Nicely seen. I chose this over several others as it uses a nice little balancing splash of red in the lower left corner (not sure what the object is—car light?). I also like the subtlety of the giant word LIME and the smaller, almost hidden lime under the red dress. Then, the relationship graphically between the porch slats (verticals) and the wider fence slats (verticals too). This image really does a dance in balancing like elements: Red dress echoed in red splash, giant LIME echoed in small lime, Big slats and thin slats. Complex while looking remarkably simple. The taming of the color palette helps us, as viewers, gain access and grip on the interplay!
\Spring Window
The multi-color, or three-color, shot. I'm a big fan of providing neutral gray/white/black fields or areas when going for high saturation and colorful images. Just being kind to the viewer and letting their eyes rest a bit as you go full throttle on the explosive color in other locations. Nicely done! One techy crit I have is that the focus seems confused. I feel like the flowers in foreground with vase are the main subjects, but the focus seems locked in the center on the couch. Or, if the couch is really the center of interest (absolutely a twist and valid too), I might grab an aperture that make the foreground ensemble more obviously/deliberately out-of-focus. As it is, it seems accidental. Moreover, I see the connections between pillow flowers/patterns and real world version but think there is more to work on regarding their connection. I love the fact that the neutral gray tiles make a diamond shape and that ceramic decorated box is mirroring that exact form in space. It looks like you have a handle on using a polarizing filter? If not, I would suggest working with one. (have we talked polarizers?)