this photo feels almost japanese in its simplicity. i noticed today that you tend to blur the outside edge a lot, using the blur like a vignette. rhowan looks very mature in this photo. they grow up so fast!

Love the feel of this image. The tone works very well here, and I feel contributes to the image. Also a very nice contrast between Rhowan and the grass. Just lovely.

What can one say except - Beautiful?
The colors, the situation , the texture (field/hair resemblance... )

Just enjoying this wonderful image.

Beautiful simplicity, I like your work very much ;)

Lovely image :) I love the simplicity of the single figure and two muted colours - excellent!

Peter

Very nice and simple image. I soft those soft colors.

Simple composition, but perfectly suited for a square.

Wonderful story in the photo David. A bid scary as a parent watching our young wonder off to find their own way, you have captured this well (in my eye at least!)

I really like the colors. Two clear sections and the soft corners are a nice touch.

this is straight out of a dream...amazing!

Fantastic, really love this photo. So simple with it's colours and textures yet extremely effective. Great work!

GORGEOUS shot, sir. Love the empty space.

Wonderful light in this photo.

Perfect use of negative space and these tones are crazy.

Wonderful.
The best you've posted in a very long time...

Stunning image. The contrast between the muted sky and the highly detailed grass is great and the composition is altogether perfect. Gorgeous shot.

Looks simple but also fantastic. Great composition. I like it a lot.

Success with finishing your HDR book. I'm looking forward to read it.

Wonderful - needs to be a huuuuuuge canvas!

Wow, nice capture. the square frame is perfect. Beautiful soft colors and tones. Thanks for sharing

Wow!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't know why - but your "multiple faces of photography" are often a good inspiration to go on with my own know how. Thank you David .

Wonderfull, stunning, superb, awesome ... love the framing. A masterpiece!

Wonderful composition David!

David, beautiful image of Rhowan.

the simpler you think, the better your photographs. :-)
three in a row of an extreme beauty. can you manage four? :-)

Best thing ive seen for ages

From the beginnings of spring you seem to have brought us summer. It's beautifully simple, one to sit back and enjoy-so I'm going to!

The simplicity of this shot is great.

Is f/54.8 the correct aperture, as isted in the EXIF data?

*Whoops, as *listed* in the EXIF data.

This I like, a lovely peaceful shot.

Terrific work here Dave.

just amazing!!!

Love this shat David.

Also, did you know that your favorite pier and structure feature at the end of Doves new video Kingdom of Rust? The song is brilliant but the Video is something special. I thought you should take a look!

Simple. Beautiful. Simply beautiful.

David,

I absolutely love this photograph! It is positively beautiful.

Looks like a walk towards the end of the world.

Exquisite.

Carlos

So simple and so beautiful! Well done!

great shot. nicely framed, beautiful tones, simple composition... awesome

stunning shot, fantastic use of the hdr technique, beautifuk sky!

Beautiful simplicity. Beautiful story telling.

I'm not sure about how you've done the vignette effect. At first glance I didn't notice it, but once I did it felt distracting. This kind of composition wold be good for the Lensbaby effect--do you think?

Fantastic!

I love this shot reminds me of Christina's world painting. Think it i the mood and color and of course subject. Well done! Managed to capture exactly how i feel today.

Christina's world painting link:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christina's_World

Yes!

hi david, you should really see if you can teach another PPSOP course on advanced composition. this is breath-taking and done with my favourite G9...wow!

I hope I don’t irritate anyone by adding to a past discussion. I don’t check the blog on a daily or weekly basis, so when I get the time I sit and go through several posts, and their respective discussions, at a time.

Regarding the over-discussed HDR issue. I would like to add a couple of simpler angles if I may.

To those who invalidate the image because of the process, and the comment that said that the first thing that an HDR image does is say “HDR”, I too believe that my first thought about those images is in fact “HDR”, but don’t we think the same when we see an impressionist’s painting? First we identify the style and then take in the image. E.g. I am always conscious of whether photographs are journalistic, landscape, head and shoulder portrait, environmental portrait etc. That you may or may not like the image or HDR technique is one thing, but saying that an image loses its power to speak because of its HDR treatment is, in my opinion of course, absolutely wrong. I personally didn’t like the shoe picture, just as I don’t like some other HDR pictures, but I do like some high dynamic range works. This then means that my appreciation of these images goes beyond solely admiring the technique used.

The next point is in reply to those who insist that photography must convey several layers of meaning or social commentary. I love the work of people who use their pictures as mentioned. The hours of thought and discussion that a single image can cause is wonderful. But if we are going to insist on these qualities in a picture then perhaps landscape photography is utterly useless. What I’m saying is that sometimes the success of an image is quite simply its beauty and nothing else.

To end this rather long comment with a slightly humorous touch, consider this. Primal instincts aside, when a beautiful woman walks past I cannot help but turn my head. In fact, the same woman might walk past ten times and I can more or less guarantee that I will turn my head every single time. And I will stare without once thinking “this beautiful specimen has been created so because of a perfectly generated genetic code that has been passed down to her through two combined gene pools etc. etc.” I hardly ever stop and wonder whether she can solve complex mathematical equations or if she has the ability to completely transform my ideas, or even if she can tell a good joke! I also won’t go on to think “the fact that this woman is so beautiful must mean that her father is rich enough to have been able to marry a supermodel, for working class men are rarely able to seduce women of such perfection…” Some pictures are just good for staring at, but they still instigate feelings and are therefore successful.

I agree with one thing though, I would like to see a bit more of David’s other work.

Cheers David and see you in Dubai for your 2 day HDR course 

Tienes una manera de mirar cuando fotografías a los niños que me da muchísima envidia. Son las imágenes que me transmiten más sensaciones, de todas las que veo en Chromasia.
Un saludo.

a perfect one i like the minimalistic composition and the structures of the grass and her hair. stunning one and well present in 2x2

Good discussion: May I add my comments.

Quote:
To those who invalidate the image because of the process, and the comment that said that the first thing that an HDR image does is say “HDR”, I too believe that my first thought about those images is in fact “HDR”, but don’t we think the same when we see an impressionist’s painting? First we identify the style and then take in the image. E.g. I am always conscious of whether photographs are journalistic, landscape, head and shoulder portrait, environmental portrait etc.

Maybe, but to individuals who enjoy art I would suggest that impressionism is more than merely a style or technique. It was a movement borne out of much more than a technical process: it has artistic depth. In response to the suggestion that we identify the style in an image first I would strongly disagree, but it depends of course on who's work you are viewing. For example can you honestly say that you notice the style first when viewing a Penn or Avedon portrait because if you do that I suggest would tend to render their world class images as mere style of content.

Quote:
That you may or may not like the image or HDR technique is one thing, but saying that an image loses its power to speak because of its HDR treatment is, in my opinion of course, absolutely wrong. I personally didn’t like the shoe picture, just as I don’t like some other HDR pictures,

I would be interested to know why you didn't like the shoe picture. My reason was that I didn't feel it was an appropriate technique for an object that quite obviously had a story attached to it (which the viewer can define) And furthermore, we know why David chose to use HDR, i.e. he is exploring the technique for techniques sake. Does no one else agree with this idea of appropriateness or is it not something most people consider when processing an image.?

Quote:
The next point is in reply to those who insist that photography must convey several layers of meaning or social commentary. I love the work of people who use their pictures as mentioned. The hours of thought and discussion that a single image can cause is wonderful. But if we are going to insist on these qualities in a picture then perhaps landscape photography is utterly useless. What I’m saying is that sometimes the success of an image is quite simply its beauty and nothing else.

The people who insist are of course merely expressing an opinion, but in my experience they are generally very well informed with regards to photographic discourse around the subject. Further, by defining an image as being beautiful it could be suggested that a meaning or concept has been conveyed by that image in order for us to arrive at that judgement: it's a paradox.

Quote:
when a beautiful woman walks past I cannot help but turn my head. In fact, the same woman might walk past ten times and I can more or less guarantee that I will turn my head every single time. And I will stare without once thinking “this beautiful specimen has been created so because of a perfectly generated genetic code that has been passed down to her through two combined gene pools etc. etc.

LOL ;-)
Are you sure that's all you are thinking because when my wife spots me looking at an attractive women she has a different idea. The action of looking at women is known as the male gaze, and whilst it does have something to do with beauty it has a lot more to do with male power, dominance and sexuality. It is debated heavily within the domain of media and is a fascinating subject to explore and try to get your head around.

see: http://www.ltcconline.net/lukas/gender/pages/gaze.htm as a starting point.

Anyway, it's all good debate isn't it

Beautiful shot Dave - one of my favourites for a while! Great work!

The colors are incredibles !
This is a great picture!

If photos can be cuddly than this one certainly is. Lots of warmth and serenity here.

Well, I must confess my issue with much of Dave's work has and will continue to be the infinite time he dedicates to subjects I feel do not warrant attention(the much posted flotsam and jetsam). The time dedicated to post processing such lamentable subjects irks me as I it does seem to be a diversion away from far more pleasing images such as today's.

I also feel that HDR, although interesting is not the sort of process I would wish to spend too much time on. It is time consuming, really only exists because of individual programs dedicated to it (photomatix for one) and is very gimmicky (like the lensbaby fad that came and went).

Combining random and not at all thought provoking images (for me) with HDR just leaves me perplexed. This image is a prime example:

http://www.chromasia.com/iblog/archives/0902241844.php

For me it is not even shot imaginatively. I resent trying to rescue mundane images with convoluted processing. The image should be compelling, the process accentuating this.

That said, when Dave does post such images as today (yesterday and the day before) boy do I appreciate them. Like a breath of fresh air.

As Beavis and Butthead once said:

Beavis: Heh, heh, Butthead, why do we have to have crap records?
Butthead: Ugh, huh, huh so you know when the good ones are played...

The same holds true for images it would seem.

Great shot Dave. Really like the solitude. Sorry, bit slow on this one!

Enjoy being 'home alone'! ;-)

I'm echoing the thoughts of others I know, but I love the simplicity of this image.

Fark Dave, some of the commenters here must have more hair on the palm of their hands than the wolfman.

Just beautiful, David. Natural and sensual in an innocent way. Waves of hair, windblown grass, the human feminine form- all images instinctively loved by anyone pure of heart. :)) One of your nicest "nature" portraits. :) p.s. belated thanks to you and Libby for calendar! Maybe next year at ArtChicago...! :)

Beautiful work. Simple and classic composition. Thanks for sharing!

Curtis

Bonsoir,
Great composition..Amazing processing..Bravo!

je suis fan c'est tout!

Wonderful photo, I love the tones and this atmosphere.

Yet another of your shots that I will paint...someday, once I learn how. :) Simply beautiful.

Thanks everyone, it's much appreciated.

splendid colours here. one of your best.

this is beautiful. i am glad you are posting again :)