Sketches
Input/feedback, please!
I’d like your help/participation with this one!
I try to have an idea of an end result when I take a photo. But, sometimes, I surprise myself with other possibilities after I see the image on the computer and get a chance to try different treatments. So, what I do is “sketch” some ideas and see what evolves and develops (excuse the pun!). I find it’s a good practice and helps to keep my eyes and mind open. And these sketches help to give me ideas and inspirations for future shots.
So, here are 8 images…all versions of the exact same shot. A rather mundane scene taken at the Gillson Park Beach when I took my earlier posted images of the icy terrain (Gillson Park Beach, Wilmette). I am posting them in the chronological order I processed them, starting with the original “untouched” version, to show the progression of my ideas.
For the most part, these are not “Photoshopped” as that term has been used lately to describe manipulation. Most of these adjustments were made in Adobe Lightroom with some additional stylist treatments using photo plug-ins (Nik Software and OnOne Software).
Sooo….please let me know what you think. Which, if any, do you like? (The images are numbered in their captions.) Please leave your comments below.
Guess which one I like! haha
Gillson Park Beach 1 (original)
Gillson Park Beach 2
Gillson Park Beach 3
Gillson Park Beach 4
Gillson Park Beach 5
Gillson Park Beach 6
Gillson Park Beach 7
Gillson Park Beach 8
-Stephen M. Levin
“My Mind’s Eye”
www.stephenmlevinphotos.com
My top three in order : 1, 5, 2. 😉
1, and 7
They all look soooo chilly! Come catch some sunshine with us.
#2 – because I’m all about the happy blue clarity. But I see a lot of merit in each – I like the idea of displaying all of them.
#6 is my favorite. Simplistic . I would consider overexposing that version ….making it lighter so some of the lines wash out more.. And it appears more like a pen and ink a sketch. This wads fun distraction for me this morning as I need to find a skilled nursing facility for my mom today… Thanks for sending it out!
I choose no. 5 – it delivers an ambiance and mood – offering a story opportunity.
#1 and 6. 6 shows the winter of Chicago. Simple and to the point. 1 I just like – a little happier -and a nice day st the start of Chicago winter
Steve, I like them all, and I like them all EQUALLY. Each is a stand-alone reality, no better or worse than the others. I could imagine them displayed side by side, making a statement about the same spot owning different moods.
We are in Florida. When I think of Gillson Park Beach #5 is the one I imagine.
I like #1 the best. One of my favorite things about this image is that you have captured the simple beauty of winter and it has an honesty about it, like a beautiful woman without makeup.
# 1 & #5 are my favorites. I see #5 as the colder ‘middle of winter’ feel and #1 as a softer & warmer ‘end of winter’ feel –that touch of blue sky reminds me of spring.
What you saw through your lens is your best shot Steve. It wreaks of January along the lakefront in Chicago and any alteration is an injustice to this shot. IF I was to pick a couple of others, they would be 3&4 (cause nobody else did)
I like 1 and 7. I like the sky of 1 as it typifies Chicago winter. 7 emphasizes the barrenness of the trees in a way that is striking.
I like them all and I love that you experimented and tried so many ways of processing one image. What a great experiment! My favs are 2 and 5.
I think I like #5 the best. To me, it shows what I perceive as the ‘desolation’ of winter the best.
My favorite is 5 as well. Although, there are a couple more that I am partial to, but they each give a different feel.
I love #1
It’s pure, it’s real, it’s true.
It’s beautiful.
I like #2
It’s a warm feeling in the middle of a cold reality.
Interesting…as of 3:30 on 1/31/15, the vote on this page shows #1 and #5 chosen 7 times each. Next was #2 with 4, 6 and 7 with 2 each, and 3 and 4 with one each (thanks to Jay!). No one picked number 8!
Guess which one I like? Really….I like them all. In fact, I already have “ideas” for other possibilities I could have tried.
# 6, in its starkness and directness, is chilling…just like the winters I remember. Keep up the great work Steve.
#5!
Go with your gut. Which one captures what you felt when you visualized it.
I vote for 1, 5, and 6. Thanks for linking me to these!