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Sunset Man
{K:11259} 1/21/2006
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Kind of an interesting desolate scene but doesn't hold the viewer's attention much more after that initial view ...
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Sunset Man
{K:11259} 1/21/2006
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P.S. But of course I'm sure everyone in your 'Clique' will 'come' to like it, so disregard my previous brief commentary ...
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Andre Denis
{K:55940} 1/21/2006
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This looks very striking Ina!
Great colours, very California! But like the California of surealistic dreams! I can see Jim Morrison walking down that stretch of highway :)
This one looks award-worthy to me!
Andre
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John William
{K:781} 1/21/2006
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Very nicely done.
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Andre Denis
{K:55940} 1/21/2006
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Sorry Ina,
Forget what I just said... I've just lost interest in it. It only held my attention long enough to right a positive comment :)
Andre
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/21/2006
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Don't worry Douglas, I can take any criticism :) It's not supposed to be spectacular, but rather moody :) like a memory. Best regards, Ina
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Ann Nida
{K:45230} 1/21/2006
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Hi Ina,
~~Thanks for the memories~~ (sung in my best Bob Hope voice) I love what you've done with the scene here. The red road shoulder and selective colouring is really interesting. Those impending clouds rolling over those mountains are an ever common sight there and sometimes the gliders would look for waves to ride near those clouds further south on 14 towards Tehachapi. I love the composition here. It really shows the inifinitism of the road going on forever. Really nice colour work and a wonderful vanishing point. Super clarity and razor sharp details. Faves for sure. For some it will be just another desert road but for me this image will always hold fond memories cause it was my backyard for 6 years and I did enjoy my time in the desert. Thanks Ina.
Cheers - Ann :)
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Rashed Abdulla
{K:153636} 1/21/2006
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very beautiful and atract image ,great depth of field and with very high details ,contrast and colors , all of the best my friend .
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/21/2006
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Thanks Andre, I love the Jim Morrison idea, and your next comment made me smile :)))) Don't want to keep you up too late, we're on Toronto time :)
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Sunset Man
{K:11259} 1/21/2006
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Andre ...
Perhaps you mispelled the word 'Write', but just probably a simple error on your part while indulging in sarcasm after reading another's critique ...
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/21/2006
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Thanks Ann, I'm happy to know that you like it. This one appealed to me, I thought of you and your lenticular cloud. There was a great cloud above that I have cropped to keep this format. The vegetation is so typical, and this is how I remember it :) I have a thing for straight roads and open spaces :) Cheers, Ina
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/21/2006
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Thank you very much Rashed, I'm glad you like it :)
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/21/2006
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Thanks very much John :)
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Mohamed Banna
{K:34213} 1/21/2006
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Ina
all artists have many ways to represent themselves,
and here you rediscover a great vision burrowed in your inner feelings,,
"the color tones"
i like the earthy color tones here,
i like that you paint an abstract from those colors in this linear way..
nice angle and great composition
WELL DONE
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/21/2006
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Thank you so much dear Mohamed :)
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Jim Goldstein
{K:21230} 1/21/2006
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Very nice PS work. The desaturation and recoloring works exceptionally well. The clouds rolling over the mountains adds a considerable amount of atmosphere. I'm not too fond of the roads edge falling right in the middle of the image. Cropping a little off the right of the image removes the dead tree on the edge of the frame and offsets the road divide into more of a rule of thirds orientation. See the attached image as an example crop. Ultimately this is a very inspiring image. It makes me want to relook at some of my images to see what creative possibilities might exist.
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Cropped |
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/21/2006
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Hi Jim and thanks for your comment and re-cropping. I'm one that avoids centered compositions 99% of the time, generally speaking. Of course it IS dead centered, no denying :) Yet, I'm starting to experiment with some more unusual things (or new to me, at least), and this is one of those :) We're on the same wavelength, though - Best regards, Ina
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Ali Abu Ali
{K:855} 1/21/2006
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Great shot Ina and a nice color burn
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Gorilla K
{K:17526} 1/21/2006
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...what great photo,Ina!...great contrast and colors...simply gorgeous!!!
best regards,
Winfried
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Bob Walker
{K:1066} 1/21/2006
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Excellent image and PS work, Ina!
Love the colors and overall feel... and of course, as noted, I love this area!!
Best regards,
Bob
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Andrzej Pradzynski
{K:21195} 1/21/2006
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Amazing, impresive view and great PS job Ina. You got fantastic perspective effect and wide angle feel of this seemingly neverending road streached through totaly emptied desert - sends a deep sense of neverness. I like the overall warm tonality of the picture and the darkened monochrome skies - those add a modest pinch of dramatizm to the composition and strenghten poetic layer in this great portrait of the HY 395. My fav. Great job Ina. Cheers, n.j
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Bart Aldrich
{K:123} 1/21/2006
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Beautiful moody creation!
The sepia-look of the top third makes this look fabulous.
Good work.
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Bart Aldrich
{K:123} 1/21/2006
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Douglas,Douglas, Douglas: What's happened?
Bitter...party of one.
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/21/2006
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Thanks very much Ali :)
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/21/2006
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Thank you very much Winfried :)
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/21/2006
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Thanks very much Bob, it's close to your "backyard" as well as Ann's before she moved. Maybe you can tell me where the old charcoal kilns are? I forgot where I saw them - I remember we took a side road through some sand dunes See below:
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Charcoal Kiln |
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Gabriela Tanaka
{K:17991} 1/21/2006
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This is a most beautiful shot, dearest Ina! I watched it in panoramic and it took my breath away!The colours and the angles, the perspective - all are great!But above all, your PS work on this shot is amazing! My compliments!
Love from Gabriela
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/21/2006
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Thanks very much Bart! I used the sepia to tone down the blue sky and blue mountain color to keep the focus on the road itself :)
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/21/2006
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Thank you very much Andrzej :) I hope you're enjoying the beautiful spring weather we're having!
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/21/2006
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Thank you very much Gabriela! You are having snow and we're having wonderful weather - for the past few days, after a lot of rain it's been warm and sunny :) Crazy, but I love it :)
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Alan Shaffer
{K:5804} 1/21/2006
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This is very sweet Ina. This road takes me into a dream.
-Al
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/21/2006
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Thanks very much Alan! I wanted to get a dream-like view - the idea came from my conversations with Ann Nida who used to live there, and she mentioned "memory lane" - that's what I wanted to achieve, the way one remembers a place :) It's about memory - I'm glad you saw it this way :)
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Eb Mueller
{K:22784} 1/21/2006
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Very effective panorama crop with surreal enhancements. Just perfect the way converging highway lines confirm the immense distance. The colorations are perfect. I am amazed at what comes from your creative deliberations in PS.
Eb
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/21/2006
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Thanks very much Eb :) We're having "California" weather right now in Ontario, it's really unusually mild, but hey! Snow pictures can wait :)
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Sunset Man
{K:11259} 1/21/2006
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Sorry Bart ... but this image gave me a headache.
Although if you like it ... then it must be good!
Ina ... I've changed my mind somewhat :))
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/21/2006
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Ahhh, Douglas, I don't know what to say, just take it easy :)
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Brane T. Cervek
{K:470} 1/21/2006
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HI Ina,
Very interesting image, great landscape and nice work, if I may you should brighten a bit of sky and a bit more of hills, this could bring out this great photo perspective and depth.
great work Ina, go on!
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Jeanette Hägglund
{K:59903} 1/21/2006
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THIS is totally fantastic! You have to teach me how you make this in PS. You mean the clouds is from another shot? ....selective desaturation i´m using in my portraits (new one and not yet posted on UF) and selective re-colouring. You are so skilled in ps Ina. I really like this one and hope you gonna post more of them!
Jeanette
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Jeanette Hägglund
{K:59903} 1/21/2006
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a fav also .... and you inspired me to take a look at my old slides from death walley...and places around :)
J
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Roberto Arcari Farinetti
{K:177228} 1/21/2006
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a mirage fine work..
very good.. empty space..
fantastic
roby
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/21/2006
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Thanks very much Roby, appreciated :)
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/21/2006
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Thank you Brane, I think you're right about the dark sky. The problem was when I began to lighten the sky, I got strong streaks (lines) in it. That is a technical problem, I've tried blurring it and it didn't work very well. Basically it was between streaks and dark, so I left it dark. The hills can be lightened no problem :) Best regards, Ina
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/21/2006
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Thank you very much Jeanette :) I would be happy to tell you, it is a fairly straight procedure. I lasso (select) the areas and work the different tones separately, section by section inside the selection. First I applied a graduated blue filter in the sky, which cut the brightness and the white spots in the clouds. The clouds were smoothened with NeatImage and the hills were selectively sharpened. A light vignette also was applied to the bottom which adds a light shade, easing the contrast with the black frame. So basically it's selective desaturation, selective sepia, sharpening or de-noising in sections, and selective color and contrast adjustments. I had fairly straight lines, so the lassoing wasn't too complicated. The problem was the graduated blue filter in the sky, which became too dark when turned to sepia, but if I lightened it it gave me strong streaks. After a few tries, I decided to leave it dark, but if I were to seriously do it again, I would have to find a way to get rid of the streaks or maybe apply the graduated filter last.
Hope to see your Death Valley pictures soon! Best regards, Ina
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/21/2006
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PS - Ideally, Jeanette, work with layers. Copy the base and keep each portion of the picture on a separate layer. I just discovered this is a better method, you don't destroy everything if you don't like it. On each layer you keep one portion and erase the rest completely. Then you really have more control over each section. I just started using layers about 3 months ago, so I'm still not 100% familiar with all the possibilities of adjustment and at this point I need to read some PS book.
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brian underdown
{K:-1176} 1/21/2006
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For me your composition works spot on for this shot ,i see you have used that far point in the center to create that wide view,something im always looking is a far point to establish the wideness of the scene.love the ps work and a great choice colour .in full pano view for me it has my attention and thumbnail its th ecolours that attract.great work must have taken some time to achieve the final outcome.
brian
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/21/2006
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Thanks very much Brian, I wrote in the message above to Jeanette the procedure, it takes a bit of patience especially if you use layers, but you gain more control over each section. It did take the best part of my day, a few hours :)
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Yahya El Hosafy
{K:8366} 1/21/2006
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wonderfull revisiting Ina.
very impressive and inspiring colors.
very moody feelings this photo adds.
well done.
to my FAVs too.
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/21/2006
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Thanks again Yahya, I really appreciate it :) Best regards, Ina
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Bob Walker
{K:1066} 1/21/2006
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Hi Ina,
The only kilns I'm aware of, other than Death Valley, are a little south of Lone Pine (10 miles or so?). We went last year and were pretty disappointed. There was barely a semblance of the kilns remaining, and what was there, was behind a fence.
Best regards,
Bob
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/22/2006
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Yes Bob, that's the ones in my picture (only one). I had to cut the bottom part because of the ugly fence, and unfortunately it was getting dark and there wasn't enough contrast. I was a bit worried driving through that sand, but it was interesting. There was also an abandoned mine where I would have liked to stop, but we always had to rush... Thanks for confirming this! Ina
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sherif hussein
{K:13806} 1/22/2006
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Beautiful & very nicely captured
Sherif
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/22/2006
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Thanks very much Sherif :) Best regards, Ina
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Tracey Main
{K:7294} 1/22/2006
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Brilliant work Ina I love it, the background gets me and the clouds its amazing it looks like one of the many beautiful tracks I have driven here in Australia and thats were you get to appreciate such beauty, well composed and taken on a good angle beautiful work Tracey..
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/22/2006
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Thanks very much Tracey, I thought Australia might have similar desert landscapes, you certainly have the climate :) Best regards, Ina
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Kathy Hillard
{K:25721} 1/22/2006
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The hills and the clouds just come alive when this is opened in panorama view, Ina! What a difference! Well done...I'm glad that Ann and Hugo got you thinking! :)
Kathy
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/22/2006
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Thanks very much Kathy! In the previous picture Hugo mentioned ZZ Top and a "round box" so I took it as a vignette idea, and Ann mentioned "memory lane" and that's how it came together :) Heh-heh, and do I have a red barn for you!
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Kathy Hillard
{K:25721} 1/22/2006
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Cool! I can't wait!
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Susie OConnor
{K:34798} 1/22/2006
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Ina I love it. Very nice job with the selective colorings. I think it's intriguing. Well done in my opinion!
Susie
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mundh
{K:3974} 1/22/2006
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hey ina this is one hell of a shot. nice colors too
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/22/2006
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Thanks very much Susie :)
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/22/2006
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Thanks very much Mundh :)
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Karina Brys
{K:16541} 1/22/2006
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Although it is clear that you experimented in PS with this one, I must say the result is amazing. A mixture of the planet Mars and a post nuclear attack :) And lets be honest, we all use PS in a certain degree to create a better image. Playing with it gives a better insight not only in the programm itself but also in photography in general.
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/22/2006
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Thank you very much Karina for your in-depth comment, the subject lent itself to this kind of treatment :) Best regards, Ina
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Robert Kocs
{K:89061} 1/23/2006
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Great postprocessed creattions, love the recolorized details with unique effect. Well captured landscape, wonderful perspective, lovely poitn of view. Another brilliant work, well executed capture. Very well done dear Ina! :)
My best wishes!
Robert
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Steve Aronoff
{K:21276} 1/24/2006
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A true work of art! I'm really impressed by this photo.
Steve
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Hugo de Wolf
{K:184670} 1/24/2006
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Hi Ina, good stuff, the kind of imagery that makes the viewer think, elaborate and create a personal feel and story of / behind these images. Fear and loathing in Las Vegas for me. Maybe a bit more away from the music theme, yet it Rocks too!
Cheers,
Hugo
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/24/2006
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Thanks very much Hugo - I gave you credit here (read the about) for the ispiration to use a "round box" - it's not a round one, but more of a linear vignette :) Cheers, Ina
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Galal El Missary
{K:84110} 1/24/2006
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wonderful shot Ina , great angle and prespective , excellent colors , very well done .
Galal
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/24/2006
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Thank you very much for your comments and continued support, Galal :)
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Anthony M.
{K:8973} 1/24/2006
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ohh i love these colors! that orange road really grabs your eyes attention. very different. i like it !
Ant
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/24/2006
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Thanks Ant, it's a very photo-processed image :)
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Mark Beltran
{K:32612} 1/25/2006
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I see that this has made it into a lot of people's fave list, including mine. The toning you used is what a Moose filter would do in the field. This is so much of the best of America, the open country. One gets a healthy sort of "fear" if I that's not too strong of a word here, of the wide expanse, of nature, and how really small we are out there. And one gets an idea of how really short our time on earth really is compared to the thousands of years these mountains and deserts have seen.
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/25/2006
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Very true, Mark. I wouldn't call it fear, but rather "awe" for the vastness of the space. Thanks for picking this as a favorite, I have no idea what a Moose filter is, but I'll look it up. I have a couple of pictures where I just discovered a huge funnel cloud in the baxckground when I darkened the sky to make it look more threatening. How cool is that?
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Mark Longo
{K:12757} 1/25/2006
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A lot of interest here. The variance in saturation and "lighting" from top to bottom is quite unusual. But what draws me to this one is the perspective lines. Obviously the lines of the road, sure, but there is also very strong perspective seen in the embankment and then also in the vegetation beyond. With all these lines working together there is a dramtic effect, and I think the PS changes you have made accent that drama. I agree with someone else's preference for a *slight* right of center placement of the road edge. I very much like the exactly vertical aspect of the centerline.
Mark
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Mark Beltran
{K:32612} 1/26/2006
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Oh, a moose filter is a polarizing filter sandwiched in with an 81B warming filter, and just as expensive as buying two separate filters :) funnel cloud? I gotta see that!
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György Szönyi
{K:8347} 1/26/2006
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You are so prolific with your postings, Ina, i can hardly cope with them. This is a very nice rendering, I like the color scheme and the menacing clouds and shadows. The upper and lower dark area amplify the panoramic effect, although I could do without the darkness in the foreground. All in all, very effective. best, Gyuri
PS: How do you achieve that the program offers larger view for the panoramic picture? I have reedited my panos but no such option appears.
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/26/2006
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Hi Gyuri, I am not as prolific as I could be - LOL - I've cut down significantly from 3 posts/day to one, or less. Given that our new limit is 4/day, I am very "restrained" - ha-ha-ha! With regards to panoramas, there is no special option. Just cut your picture to a 2:1 (or more) ratio and upload it as any other. Mine didn't go through initially at 1200 x 600, so I make them 1200 x 598 to be on the safe side. But I've seen larger ones, (over 1900 long - no higher than 600) - so the allowance may have changed. Mine are crops, not stitched panoramas in the true sense, but I like the format for showing better detail. Best regards, Ina
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György Szönyi
{K:8347} 1/26/2006
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Thanks for the information, Ina. I did not even realize that we are allowed to upload 4/day now. I am also too much overworked these days even to dream about such an output...
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/26/2006
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Gyuri, I have so many I can put 4 everyday and never run out, plus the ones I photoshop, but I find the more you post at once, you force your viewers to critique more, and you end up with fewer critiques, or shorter, or both. I think one a day is OK for me, I'd put more only if they made sense together. I can hardly reply to all comments as much as I'd like to take my time, I'm falling behind, and can't even view any new people which is a pity...
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drilan P drilan
{K:12030} 1/28/2006
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Je ne suis peut-ętre pas le premier ŕ vous le dire :) mais vous faites de grandes photos de cette Amérique déserte. J'aime beaucoup la lumičre et les couleurs de celle-ci.
Merci, drilan
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/31/2006
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Merci beaucoup pour vos compliments, Drilan :) Best regards, Ina
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Melisa Meyers
{K:9532} 1/31/2006
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Wow Ina! This is a fantastic piece. The recoloring really makes this dream like and the shawdowing really draws the eye to the long and lonely road!
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Ina Nicolae
{K:44481} 1/31/2006
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Thanks very much for having such an in-depth look at my pictures, Melisa :)
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Laura Haw
{K:2696} 3/1/2006
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Beautiful. Amazing colours, love the feel.
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Laura Haw
{K:2696} 3/1/2006
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Beautiful. Amazing colours, love the feel.
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