The
guidelines for this assignment were to strive to compose an image so that you are eliminating any natural limits from the scene in order to allow your viewer to imagine that the subject extends well beyond the boundaries of the frame.
As is often the case, Dave's images of rural Kansas made me want to get out and explore the countryside.
The Path Taken was especially inviting, arousing that innate desire to follow the path up over the rise to see what is on the other side. I love the fact that it looks like one could go on exploring forever. Great job composing the scene in layers to convey depth and draw the viewer in Dave.
Konza Prairie MorningPhotographed by Dave Leiker (prairiedust)
The Path TakenPhotographed by Dave Leiker (prairiedust)
I enjoyed Rick's beautiful image of
Yellowstone Hot Pools, although I think the image might have been a bit too segmented to present the "limitless" view I was looking for in the assignment. Still, this is a beautiful, well executed image with nice depth.
Yellowstone Hot PoolsPhotographed by Rick Pepin (TrvlRick)
Rick's image of
Hot steamy streams of water was more effective at filling the frame with the subject and allowing the viewer to imagine that the streams of steaming water extended well beyond the edges of the frame. Very nice job with a challenging exposure Rick.
Hot steamy streams of waterPhotographed by Rick Pepin (TrvlRick)
Rebecca's
Worshiping the eye was a cool image; however, the visual cues included in the image (the curve of the pool) lead the viewer to imagine the real size of the pool, therefore I'm not sure that the image was really effective at "removing limits."
Worshiping the eyePhotographed by Rebecca
Lorin's
climber image was an effective composition that excluded the defining limits of the rock from the scene, thereby allowing the viewer to imagine that the rock was much taller than the frame. Great job Lorin.
climberPhotographed by Lorin Schroeder (wildshutter)
As Dave said, "So many beautiful submissions.... there are two that just soar above the others." Michele's
I can fly and
The Leap were both amazing images. Several folks commented that it was difficult to pick just one of these images, and that was evident from the voting thread, with these two images tying for
People's Choice. I found it very interesting to examine the perceptual differences between the two images Michele submitted for the assignment and this image in her personal album that shows the ground in the foreground (follow the link to see the image):
http://spiritofphotography.com/coppermine/displayimage.php?album=lastupby&cat=0&pos=64&uid=214 Notice how including the foreground (in the image I linked to) establishes the limits and prevents the viewer from imagining that her beautiful model is really flying high. It's also interesting to note how including the clouds in the lower portion of her
I can fly! image really helped reinforce the idea that the model is flying above the clouds. Very well done!
I can fly!Tied for
People's ChoicePhotographed by Michele Bollhalder
It's obvious that Michele put a tremendous amount of thought into creating these images, and her image of
The Leap is simply outstanding on many levels. Dave said it best with his comment that "Pure Michele emotion and heart takes flight." This is in all respects an outstanding image, with the model's body position and expression contributing to the sense of pure exhilaration in
The Leap. The timing and technical prowess required to capture this image are very impressive, and I've selected this image as
Editor's Choice for Technical Merit. Amazing series of images Michele!
The LeapEditor's Choice for Technical Merit, Tied for
People's Choice Photographed by Michele Bollhalder
I really enjoyed the process of being a bit creative, and the freedom to view an often photographed scene in a different way in my two images of the aspen at Oxbow Bend and the image of Lower Falls in Yellowstone. I purposely composed each scene to remove any defining limits from the frame so that the viewer would imagine that the subject extended well beyond the edges of the frame. I'm pleased that the assignment allowed me to set aside preconceived notions of how the scene should look, and compose images that are a bit more creative and personal than the standard tourist photos at those locations.
Aspen at Oxbow BendPhotographed by Keith
Reflection in the OxbowPhotographed by Keith
Gallons... x 1,000,000Photographed by Keith
Carol's
Canyon Climber image was well composed. Excluding the top and bottom of the mountain lets the viewer's imagination run free, and allows them to imagine that the climb extends well beyond the edges of the frame. Well done Carol.
Canyon ClimberPhotographed by Carol Burkett
Lars'
removing string image made me smile. Of course the angle of the string provides a visual cue that enables me to estimate how long the string really is, so this "limit" isn't really removed. I can however imagine that the plant is much taller than it might be.
removing stringPhotographed by Lars
I also smiled at Chris' interesting play on the concept of "removing limits." I'm sure Chris will be so excited about playing with his new D7000 and lenses that we'll see a creative burst of energy and lots of impressive images in the near future.
Phase One - CompletePhotographed by Chris
Julie did a nice job composing her
Hot Spring image to exclude the edges of the hot springs, allowing the viewer to imagine that the hot springs are much larger than their actual size. Nice job Julie. (And beautiful composition.) As Rebecca said, the scene is so inviting that it makes the viewer want to jump right in!
Boardwalk Along the Hot SpringPhotographed by Julie Schroeder
I enjoyed Marilyn's play on removing the limits of time as well, with her image of the Ancient Rock Art Sheep Panel. Including a person in the image was a nice technique to show the scale of the rock art.
Ancient Rock Art Sheep PanelPhotographed by Marilyn McKinney
Thank you to everyone that participated in this assignment. Your amazing images inspire me! I hope like me that you enjoyed the creative freedom to photograph your subjects with a slightly different perspective in mind.
Keith