Picnic in the Desert

[Tuna]

White Sands, New Mexico.
Contax T2, Velvia.

All comments appreciated.

Tuna

[JK_Photo]

Superb! Gotta get me butt down there someday.
Those chairs look like fantastic subjects in and of themselves.

[Dzerzhinski46]

Dear Tuna,

Good grief man! any more of these fantastic shots and I shall quit photography out of frustration! Just kidding! A fantastic shot. The colors are rich, and the definition is superb. The lonely picnic shelters and the blue sky. Almost alien. A very good shot.

Dzerzhinski

[jar_e]

Great shot Tuna! As said before, interesting and unique subjects here, and definately not cliche at all. The one small thing that is a bit distracting is the overexposed are behind the centre most bench. I'm not sure if that's purposeful, but for me, it's a tad distracting.

Great shot though, interesting spot.

Jared

[CarbonTerry]

Handsome photo. the center area does seem a bit hot.

[villenadecorte]

You can always point out a shot by Tuna- and that is a compliment! Tuna your shots always amaze me. They pop- in a "pop art" kind of way.
This is great. The composition is excellent in this shot, as are the color ranges (is it the film?) I agree about the hot area in the center, but overall this is fab!
Any mods done?

All the best,
Rebekah
VillenaDeCorte

[Trevor Ash]

This one's good but the trash can isn't adding anything here.

[drg]

I'm intrigued not only by the quality of this, but also by what it may portray.

First well done on a technical level as shooting chrome against that kind of background and with the sun at the angle it is is demanding to say the least!

Secondly, the images conjured up in my mind from the history of this area along with the empty picnic shelters which have that "shelter" look is thought provoking.

This is very effective use of color the brown trash can not withstanding.

I'll enjoy looking at this again.

-CDPrice - Dr G

[DownByFive]

It's so surreal that it looks fake...But in a totally good way.

[mattp]

A really great shot Tuna, I wish I had taken this! It has a wonderful quality that makes it look like a shot from a world governed by dream logic. You just need a Dali-esque long legged elephant striding past in the background!

Good work..

matt

[Tuna]

Thanks for all the great comments, guys.

For whatever reason, this slide had severe vignetting on the short sides. I attempted to burn and dodge to even it out as much as possible but it certainly wasn't perfect. Many of you have noticed the "hot spot" in the middle which is due to uneven light distribution to the short edges, especially on the left side. I had considered a square crop but it just didn't feel right. After your comments, I looked at it again and came up with this, losing some sky to even out the balance I intended originally. We might be losing much of the feeling of space but the composition looks tight - and we definitely lose most of that uneven distribution of light in the image.

Does it work?

As for the comments on the trash can, I've tried to look at it as something that needs to be removed but just don't see it that way. I guess it will have to continue to be a distraction to some (or all but me...). Also, were I to remove it, how would we keep our landmark clean?

Tuna



(Huh?...what's that?......it wouldn't ACTUALLY be removed from that spot?.............oh.......I see...)

[JK_Photo]

I think you lose way too much with that cropping. I think the bench off to the left is an essential element for this compositon. The square comp. loses the dynamic for me.
A hotspot in the middle of the desert is fitting IMO

the trashcan doesn't bother me either. The lid mimics the shape of the bench shades.

[Paul.S.]

Great shot Tuna,

I took the shot into Pshop and desaturated it to a B&W, for personal taste reasons I realy like it as a B&W shot, it works for me but your opinions and milage may vary..

I also played with it in Pshop.. Over the original B&W I placed a graidieted towards the top at 65% opacity and set to softlight and a graidieted layer out to the bottom of the shot set to liniear burn an a 70% opacity. I liked it but then I'm working with a compressed JPG!

cheers.

P.

[Trevor Ash]

Tuna,

You got the crop right in the first one The trash can was a nitpick, not a show killer by any means.

[Tuna]

Dear Tuna:

Your photography never disappoints, its always entertaining, imaginative and professionally executed. There may be fussy nitpicks about this or that but, generally speaking, more times than not -- you flat out "get the shot."

Thank you for sharing your excellent work with us. I am always anxious to see MORE.

My Best to You,
Penny

*blush*

Penny, deserved or not, those are very kind words. Thank you.

Tuna

[villenadecorte]

too tight- IMO... original was far better, and added more to the overall composition. I wouldnt worry about that trash can.

[Tuna]

too tight- IMO... original was far better, and added more to the overall composition. I wouldnt worry about that trash can.

Thank you, Rebekah. I agree, I also like the original view.

So I went ahead and made another attempt at fixing the uneven-distribution-of-light problem on the left side. I think it helps lessen the "hot spot" in the middle.

Tuna

[readingr]

Thank you, Rebekah. I agree, I also like the original view.

So I went ahead and made another attempt at fixing the uneven-distribution-of-light problem on the left side. I think it helps lessen the "hot spot" in the middle.

Tuna

Tuna,

Another excellent photo - I like the serenity that I feel when I look at this photo. It makes me think of loads of things and some of the objects in th photo like the rubbish bin makes me look for the litter - don't ask me why but it does.

I think all the items add to this photo and the presentation of the clouds is terrific.

I also like the contrast of the starkness of the beach against the colour of the sky.

[almo]

Of all the photographers on this website it is Tuna alone that makes me want to sell all of my equipment and take up sketching, or coloring books, or something like that.

Tuna, you tha' man, dude. This is just stinking awesome. It never ceases to amaze me how you can take such ordinary reality and make it appear so fake. It's like ironic satire. It's like you shoot reality with its own gun. You stab the real with its own make believe knife.

Your eyes are truly portals to the absurde.

almo

[gahspidy]

Tuna, very good. I like the original crop. What I also like alot here is that you just managed to get the center shelter to cut just above the horizontal line of the dune, which to me is important in bringing out the extra dimension. My only nitpik is that the edge of the shelter is right on line with the edge of the dune. I would have liked to see it breaking just above it. Could be manipulated easily in ps. But thats just a nit. Great job

[GB1]

Ahh, White Sands. Been here several times.

Decent photo: you really feel the horizontals here. I like the blue but think it might be overwhelming here. I run into this issue with polarizers a lot: How much is too much? When I show my pix to others, they complain that the sky is too exaggerated. That might be the case here -- too much of a good thing.

Thanks for posting the Sandbox.

[Tuna]

OK, I'll stop after this last one...

Here is a purified version - not sure if I like it (mtbbrian, I know, I know..."NO CLONING"!).

Slightly more contrast which makes the sky a little more blue (for GB1 ;) ). And a little more detail in the sand.

By the way GB1, no polarizer used here - it must be the Velvia.

Tuna

P.S. - My only concern now is the title - does "Picnic In the Desert" make sense now? I know that WE know what they are but would a new viewer? What would be the new title?

[Trevor Ash]

Oh man, you're going to hate me for saying this but I bet you saw it coming

Since you cloned out that trash can (and other things if memory serves) I do in fact think it has been improved.....but......now the trash cans showing behind the other shelters are distractions too as well as the black grill SORRY!

But I think this is a much stronger composition and as long as the closest picnic table is obvious to the viewer I think the title is fine.

Edit: Looking back, I think the black grills are adding a lot to the composition and a version where ALL bits of trash can were gone but in which all black grills remained but be a winner.

[Tuna]

Oh man, you're going to hate me for saying this but I bet you saw it coming

Since you cloned out that trash can (and other things if memory serves) I do in fact think it has been improved.....but......now the trash cans showing behind the other shelters are distractions too as well as the black grill SORRY!

But I think this is a much stronger composition and as long as the closest picnic table is obvious to the viewer I think the title is fine.

Edit: Looking back, I think the black grills are adding a lot to the composition and a version where ALL bits of trash can were gone but in which all black grills remained but be a winner.

WHAT!!?? After all I've done?? Trevor, do you REALLY expect me to...

OK. I know I promised I would stop but it's NOT MY FAULT. BLAME TREVOR!!

Tuna

[readingr]

Tuna,

I disagree with Trevor on this I love the barbecue's and the trash can. I find they add to the photo not detract. I guess this shows that everyone is different and takes what that person wants from the photo. Without them I find the photo very sterile / clinical whereas with the items it gives the beach a used feeling rather than a photo that could have been taken in a studio and then the montage of sky and dunes added later. Perhaps its just me but I definately prefer the original or the last with the bq and trash can (litter bin in the UK :-))