[Irma]

This series has been a year in my pictures waiting for me to decide how to present them. I worked on them and this is what I have so far.

An up side down reflection I took in the lake. The water was moving and I took it with a 50mm 1/60sec. plenty of time to get some of the movement. I took it with f2 so much of it is OOF. Still I liked the painterly look.

This is the scene. I see in this one the composition balanced, but I am missing a bit the detail of the second one.

#1



#2



They have both some noise because I took them with ISO 800. I didn't remove it because I think it adds to the picture.

I hope you find them interesting.

[Toad]

I like them - have the appearance of textured glass

[Irma]

Thanks Toad...

I've been thinking a lot about these pictures and trying to find what I wanted to express and tell here. Why I like them or I feel happy when I see them.... I just found my memory!!

I remember that when I was 7 or 8 my parents had a LP with really nice music that made them happy. I remember the sunny living room and I remember that the cover of that record was a forest, a painting of a forest but the colors were in shades of brown and yellow mainly, or that is how I remember it. Actually my first post processing I did few months ago has brown and yellow... but I thought about keeping the true colors here.

In some way I am very happy to have found why and what I wanted to say here. Too far from a real forest scene, but to close to a childhood memory. I like even more the idea of questioning myself about my pictures. I believe this is a big step in my photography.

[Toad]

I like even more the idea of questioning myself about my pictures. I believe this is a big step in my photography.

You are right, Irma although there are 2 schools of thought about that.

I also agree that you should question your photos - be always asking yourself "why does this work?" or "why doesn't this work?" - but I have heard the argument persuasively made that artwork just exists and does not need to be explained. Personally, I buy into the first school of thought - I have always found the second philosophy a bit lazy-minded and non-analytical. The reasons exist - but the artist lacks the basic tools or the willingness to discuss them. How do you improve without the analysis? That would be like a chef that just throws things in a bowl without considering how the ingredients add to the dish.

[Irma]

I know some people as you describe here

artwork just exists and does not need to be explained.

I can't make any comment about "their art". But you describe it perfectly with the bowl and ingredients.

At this moment, all this questioning also ask for having an opinion about things, a clear idea.

I only hope with the time this kind of thinking and reasoning will come easier.

Thanks Toad for your interesting comment here...

[nia]

Dear Irma, these are so nice, I love your works,

Thank you,
with my love,
nia