Red grass - red wool?

[Pippi]

I took this picture in the southcoast of Iceland last June - what do you guys think?

[Hindey]

This is quite a surreal image. It just looks like an alien landscape. The sheep are arranged in a visually appealing and interesting manner and the red grass just adds further mystery. Different elements work well, but overall I think (for my tiny brain at least) that there is just too much going on; the grass, the sky, the sheep, the landscape.

Many; too many; interesting elements leaves me feeling confused. It's probably just me, so I wouldn't worry about it too much!

Cheers,
Chris

[>JJ<]

Wow this is amazing, really made me 'look'!

It really does look like another world, wish I could of been there to experience it.

[Nina]

Interesting shot. Kind of strange yet appealing at the same time. I dig it !

[wposloski]

This is a very cool image. The colours certainly do make it look alien, as Hindey and JJ noted. The fact that two of the sheep are staring at the camera somehow supports their central placement in the frame. We are not used to looking at a "living" red landscape and its separation from the sky by a small strip of "normal coloured" vegetation does not fully resolve the conflict in the overall picture.
What makes it red?
Bill

[Clicker]

I took this picture in the southcoast of Iceland last June - what do you guys think?

Very Surreal, makes you want to look for tell-tell signs that its fake! But, I believe you...

I agree that there is too much going on, and lots of things of interest... With the Awesome cloud covering and the Mountains in the distance, not to mention the animals and red grass... Whoa!

My suggestion is a crop: ( hope you don't mind)

[Hindey]

Rachel's crop definately improves the image for me. Less area to focus on means that my poor brain can get over the stranger elements of the picture and appreciate them.

[Pippi]

Thank you all for the comments and ideas to improve - I don't mind the cropping at all! Maybe this image didn't need the sheeps at all? Normally though I like more pictures that have a subject - I find it really hard to make good landscape photos with nothing to focus on, but that is just me ;) Why is the grass red? Well, this isn't actually "a grass" in a normal sense, this is just some kind of "grass" that growes on the sand. On the southcoast here we have a lot of black sand (like a black desert) so the plants that grow there are a bit different.

[gahspidy]

I like this shot as it has a weird , out of this world feel to it. But a crop does help some. Either a long vertical or just tighter horizontal can work. Very good image.

[bobbythebandit]

Oddly enough for me i prefer it as it is, without the crop.Lovely colours and scene.
Bobby

[Nina]

I don't mind the original shot and personally find it more appealing.

[gahspidy]

I think I would agree after looking at it a few times over. It can look good with a crop, but I find nothing wrong with the original and feel that the vast space around the sheep adds to the eerieness of the image.

[Nina]

As I said earlier I prefer the uncropped version. It makes the whole scene more interesting to me. I did want to add one thing.
This whole scene reminds me of a cartoon on American television. It was the pilot of a show called "Courage The Cowardly Dog" and it did so well that it was made into a regular television series. The episode was called "The Chicken from outer space" I highly reccommend it and if you all see it, I am quite sure that you will agree with me.
The feeling and look of the cartoon seem to be taken right out of this photograph (Sheep not included).

[jcharris]

Hello Pippi ,

Like all the previous comments , i would just like to add that this is a amazing photo !
It just make me keep on looking and looking ....
Even without the suggested crop i feel this is a beautiful photo !

Just like to ask ?
How warm do your summer get in Iceland ?

Regards
james

[XVampire]

The color combinations make this pic absolutly stunning, and i really like how one of the sheep is doing his own thing while the other two seem more interested in the camera.

[Pippi]

Thank you all so much for thaking the time to look and comment on this photo - I really appreciate it This is one of my favourite photos.
But about the summers here in Iceland then the avarege in Reykjavik is around plus 10 but a hot day would be anything above 16 degrees Celcius! It does get a bit warmer though up in the north and east (around 20 few days each sommer) and sometimes on the south coast - this sommer we had a very unusual heatwave and got a record, 31 degree on the southcoast and it was killing us!

[shesells]

Pippi, I just wanted to say that I love your photo. It's beautiful and so different. I think the pose of the sheep couldnt have been better even if you told them how to stand. lol I'll bet the larger original is just gorgeous. I do like Rachels' crop a lot and I do like your original a lot, I can't decide which, so I just have to reason that you can't have too much of a good thing, so go with the first one! It would no way be as good without the sheep. It would be good but not as good. I would love to actually see a scene like that where you can just go running out into it, like it was real. Wait a minute, it is real! If not, you've fooled us all.
Good Job,
Kit

[Pippi]

No - there was no photoshopping here! Or at least nothing more than the usual curves, contrast, a bit of saturation and so on - this "grass" was amazingly red on the black sand with the white sheeps Maybe I shouldn't post anything moore - I doubt that I can top this picture :/
Just once again I wanna thank you all for the good comments - and then I mean that they are real comments and not just "nice pic"