Nature Paintings

vladimiroltean · 10-01-2012, 12:30 AM

Here is a more delicate question. I know the OOF rendering is nice, colors are cheerful and all the blah blah, but just from a photographic view. Would you consider these pictures as standing on their own, rather than just DOF experiments? I mean, can the bokeh and the painterly rendering become a subject in itself? Constructive criticism please. Thanks for watching and reading.

nmrecording · 10-01-2012, 04:05 AM

I like the first one. THe second, the bokeh isn't as pleasing to me. The bokeh is very distracting to the main subject IMO that my eyes had a hard time focusing on the subject itself.

disco_owner · 10-01-2012, 04:05 AM

Very nice , really like the Bokeh and colors of the 2nd shot

Na Horuk · 10-01-2012, 04:27 AM

Originally posted by kcobain1992

I mean, can the bokeh and the painterly rendering become a subject in itself?

In the first example I don't see it on my screen (maybe if it were a large print; its probably just my laptop monitor), but on the second one I would say yes, definitely. With the second shot the eye jumps to the branch with leaves, but then keeps getting drawn to the bokeh, especially the highlights. I really like the contrast in the second one - the razor sharp leaves and the bokeh (which appears to have depth, its almost tangible). This makes the whole photo take on a different mood. Even stopping down would change the photo a lot. In the second one, its like someone took an.. abstract, impressionist painting and glued leaves on it. If you are interested in how much you can use bokeh in your shots, check out impressionist landscape paintings, for example. They are not sharp or detailed, but they are still powerful. Of course, being paintings the don't have DoF and bokeh.

smf · 10-01-2012, 04:31 AM

I like the first photo very much. In the second photo, for my taste the "bokeh" is too intense and the shapes within that bokeh are too well defined.Basically, I think I agree with nmrecording.
Best wishes, and I hope to see more of your photographs.

vladimiroltean · 10-01-2012, 01:47 PM

Originally posted by nmrecording

The bokeh is very distracting to the main subject

As I said, the bokeh is the main subject in both pictures.

Originally posted by Na Horuk

someone took an.. abstract, impressionist painting and glued leaves on it.

Yes, exactly.

I didn't quite receive the harsh critique I was looking for, but thanks anyway for the nice comments.

stewh · 10-01-2012, 01:57 PM - **1 Like**

I think the OOF area of the first one can stand alone as an appealing image. If you crop out the sharp area I don't think the compositional elements are that strong however. Why not try shooting the same sort of subject out of focus without any area of sharpness - just concentrate on 'form' . Not to everyone's taste but completely valid from my point of view. nice work.

vladimiroltean · 10-01-2012, 02:02 PM - **1 Like**

Originally posted by stewh

I think the OOF area of the first one can stand alone as an appealing image. If you crop out the sharp area I don't think the compositional elements are that strong however. Why not try shooting the same sort of subject out of focus without any area of sharpness - just concentrate on 'form' . Not to everyone's taste but completely valid from my point of view. nice work.

And not even mine - I think that way it would only be a "bokeh shot". This way it's half-photo-half-painting

Alliecat · 10-02-2012, 09:22 PM

Originally posted by kcobain1992

I mean, can the bokeh and the painterly rendering become a subject in itself?

Sure. I like the first one, although I wonder if the in-focus part of the plant could be a little farther left; the rightmost flower is cropped off. But yeah, it works. If it gives you the impression of the subject, then yes, that's the subject

Check out some pix by Freeman Patterson -- he was doing lovely "painterly renderings" long before everyone decided "bokeh" was a cool word to use a lot.

vladimiroltean · 10-04-2012, 02:33 PM

Originally posted by Alliecat

Freeman Patterson

Wow, thanks! Definitely, I have a lot to learn!

Alliecat · 10-04-2012, 02:59 PM

Didn't mean to imply you did... I just get kind of tired of hearing this word all the time; it's suddenly become a sort of cliche buzzword. I had to go look it up the first time I saw it; had no idea what people were talking about. "Oh. Shallow depth of field? OH. Well, ok..."

Anyway, if you like that kind of thing, you will probably really enjoy Freeman Paterson's impressionistic photos. I have several of his books & have always liked his style.
Have fun with it!

vladimiroltean · 10-04-2012, 03:06 PM

Actually, I used "bokeh" for lack of a better word. I always liked how shapes can diffuse and turn into patches of colour, but never really knew about impressionism in painting and photography. Goes to show my ignorance, I guess. Better to learn now, than later, though!

Alliecat · 10-04-2012, 09:01 PM

But it's kind of cool that you discovered something on your own, though. It means you went out and looked at things, and said, "Oh, hey, look at that, that's neat" and wanted to take pictures of it. Photography can be such a personal thing... I think if what you're doing makes you happy, it doesn't matter what's trendy or what everyone else is doing. ...well, unless you want to compete with the 'everyone else'. Now you can learn some more from the wider world about the thing that caught your interest in the first place.
Maybe you can find some of these books in a library over there, or from Amazon. Freeman Patterson is a Canadian treasure

I can't afford to take one of his workshops so I have to make do with the books!!
Freeman Patterson : Books

vladimiroltean · 10-06-2012, 03:25 AM

It wasn't that much of a revelation as you imply. Yes, photography for me is a very personal thing, but in my case, my creative process basically follows the principle: "when all you have is a hammer, everything around you looks like a nail". And that's not only true for my photos, if you had the chance to know me. When I learn a new technique/expression/whatever, I tend to overuse it in absolutely any situation until I find interesting enough combinations

grainbelt · 10-06-2012, 04:41 PM

Originally posted by stewh

Why not try shooting the same sort of subject out of focus without any area of sharpness - just concentrate on 'form' .

Agree wholeheartedly with this.

10-01-2012, 12:30 AM	#1
vladimiroltean Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Bucharest, Romania Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,465	Paintings Lens: Takumar 50/1.4, Helios 58/2 Camera: K-x ISO: 100 Shutter Speed: 1/500s Aperture: F2 Here is a more delicate question. I know the OOF rendering is nice, colors are cheerful and all the blah blah, but just from a photographic view. Would you consider these pictures as standing on their own, rather than just DOF experiments? I mean, can the bokeh and the painterly rendering become a subject in itself? Constructive criticism please. Thanks for watching and reading.

10-01-2012, 01:47 PM	#6
vladimiroltean Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Bucharest, Romania Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,465 Original Poster	Originally posted by nmrecording The bokeh is very distracting to the main subject As I said, the bokeh is the main subject in both pictures. Originally posted by Na Horuk someone took an.. abstract, impressionist painting and glued leaves on it. Yes, exactly. I didn't quite receive the harsh critique I was looking for, but thanks anyway for the nice comments. Last edited by vladimiroltean; 10-04-2012 at 03:07 PM.

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10-01-2012, 04:05 AM	#2
nmrecording Inactive Account Join Date: Feb 2010 Posts: 59	I like the first one. THe second, the bokeh isn't as pleasing to me. The bokeh is very distracting to the main subject IMO that my eyes had a hard time focusing on the subject itself.

10-01-2012, 04:05 AM	#3
disco_owner Veteran Member Join Date: Apr 2012 Location: Sydney Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,629	Very nice , really like the Bokeh and colors of the 2nd shot

10-01-2012, 04:27 AM	#4
Na Horuk Veteran Member Join Date: Feb 2012 Location: Slovenia, probably Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,186	Originally posted by kcobain1992 I mean, can the bokeh and the painterly rendering become a subject in itself? In the first example I don't see it on my screen (maybe if it were a large print; its probably just my laptop monitor), but on the second one I would say yes, definitely. With the second shot the eye jumps to the branch with leaves, but then keeps getting drawn to the bokeh, especially the highlights. I really like the contrast in the second one - the razor sharp leaves and the bokeh (which appears to have depth, its almost tangible). This makes the whole photo take on a different mood. Even stopping down would change the photo a lot. In the second one, its like someone took an.. abstract, impressionist painting and glued leaves on it. If you are interested in how much you can use bokeh in your shots, check out impressionist landscape paintings, for example. They are not sharp or detailed, but they are still powerful. Of course, being paintings the don't have DoF and bokeh.

10-01-2012, 04:31 AM	#5
smf Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2008 Location: Midland, MI Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 4,083	I like the first photo very much. In the second photo, for my taste the "bokeh" is too intense and the shapes within that bokeh are too well defined.Basically, I think I agree with nmrecording. Best wishes, and I hope to see more of your photographs.

10-01-2012, 01:57 PM - 1 Like	#7
stewh Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Ontario Photos: Gallery Posts: 280	I think the OOF area of the first one can stand alone as an appealing image. If you crop out the sharp area I don't think the compositional elements are that strong however. Why not try shooting the same sort of subject out of focus without any area of sharpness - just concentrate on 'form' . Not to everyone's taste but completely valid from my point of view. nice work.

10-01-2012, 02:02 PM - 1 Like	#8
vladimiroltean Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Bucharest, Romania Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,465 Original Poster	Originally posted by stewh I think the OOF area of the first one can stand alone as an appealing image. If you crop out the sharp area I don't think the compositional elements are that strong however. Why not try shooting the same sort of subject out of focus without any area of sharpness - just concentrate on 'form' . Not to everyone's taste but completely valid from my point of view. nice work. And not even mine - I think that way it would only be a "bokeh shot". This way it's half-photo-half-painting

10-02-2012, 09:22 PM	#9
Alliecat Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: East of Everywhere, Canada Posts: 740	Originally posted by kcobain1992 I mean, can the bokeh and the painterly rendering become a subject in itself? Sure. I like the first one, although I wonder if the in-focus part of the plant could be a little farther left; the rightmost flower is cropped off. But yeah, it works. If it gives you the impression of the subject, then yes, that's the subject Check out some pix by Freeman Patterson -- he was doing lovely "painterly renderings" long before everyone decided "bokeh" was a cool word to use a lot.

10-04-2012, 02:33 PM	#10
vladimiroltean Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Bucharest, Romania Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,465 Original Poster	Originally posted by Alliecat Freeman Patterson Wow, thanks! Definitely, I have a lot to learn!

10-04-2012, 02:59 PM	#11
Alliecat Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: East of Everywhere, Canada Posts: 740	Didn't mean to imply you did... I just get kind of tired of hearing this word all the time; it's suddenly become a sort of cliche buzzword. I had to go look it up the first time I saw it; had no idea what people were talking about. "Oh. Shallow depth of field? OH. Well, ok..." Anyway, if you like that kind of thing, you will probably really enjoy Freeman Paterson's impressionistic photos. I have several of his books & have always liked his style. Have fun with it!

10-04-2012, 03:06 PM	#12
vladimiroltean Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Bucharest, Romania Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,465 Original Poster	Actually, I used "bokeh" for lack of a better word. I always liked how shapes can diffuse and turn into patches of colour, but never really knew about impressionism in painting and photography. Goes to show my ignorance, I guess. Better to learn now, than later, though!

10-04-2012, 09:01 PM	#13
Alliecat Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: East of Everywhere, Canada Posts: 740	But it's kind of cool that you discovered something on your own, though. It means you went out and looked at things, and said, "Oh, hey, look at that, that's neat" and wanted to take pictures of it. Photography can be such a personal thing... I think if what you're doing makes you happy, it doesn't matter what's trendy or what everyone else is doing. ...well, unless you want to compete with the 'everyone else'. Now you can learn some more from the wider world about the thing that caught your interest in the first place. Maybe you can find some of these books in a library over there, or from Amazon. Freeman Patterson is a Canadian treasure I can't afford to take one of his workshops so I have to make do with the books!! Freeman Patterson : Books

10-06-2012, 03:25 AM	#14
vladimiroltean Veteran Member Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Bucharest, Romania Photos: Gallery Posts: 1,465 Original Poster	It wasn't that much of a revelation as you imply. Yes, photography for me is a very personal thing, but in my case, my creative process basically follows the principle: "when all you have is a hammer, everything around you looks like a nail". And that's not only true for my photos, if you had the chance to know me. When I learn a new technique/expression/whatever, I tend to overuse it in absolutely any situation until I find interesting enough combinations

10-06-2012, 04:41 PM	#15
grainbelt Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: Minneapolis Photos: Albums Posts: 587	Originally posted by stewh Why not try shooting the same sort of subject out of focus without any area of sharpness - just concentrate on 'form' . Agree wholeheartedly with this.