Homage to Japanese Painting Photo

Photographer’s Note

My aim here is to evoke the feeling of a Japanese painting in a photo. An overall simplicity, and themes of mountains and blossoms, are of course important aspects of such painting. The challenging part is finding the exact POV to best emulate the style. Furthermore, to see the layered hills one must look toward a low sun, but then the blossoms are poorly lit. So much for the difficulties; the result is what counts, and I leave it to you to judge that.

elihesamian, mlopes, Porteplume, Clairedelune, MLINES has marked this note useful

Critiques | Translate

elihesamian (26091) 2005-12-26 12:46

Merry Christmass and Happy new Year to You and Your Family,Ken,

This is ready for a painter to make a paint,watercolor work from this !
great used of DOF,sensitive and very beautiful,too,with a special simplicity which I like,the background with layers and fading colors is interesting with its contrast to flowers of the branches here,well composed and Thanks for posting it,
Best Wishes
M

mlopes (492) 2005-12-26 13:44

Yes, and you did it! i just miss some more sharp in the flowers, maybe lost due to scan. Nice peacefull feeling.
Mario

Porteplume (3257) 2005-12-26 14:25

Bonjour Ken,

Japanese paintings or aquarelles always have amazed me. The technique the artists use, which created soft borders between the different areas, I mean it just looks like "a bit out-of-focus" and that is exactly what you have achieved - so maybe Mario did not quite understand, it does not disturb me at all, and maybe it was on purpose?

The perspective of lines and colours, and also the way you placed landscape and flora elements in the composition bring a certain depth into the flatness of the image. All this in quite delicate soft tones which effect get very close to the complementair contrasts of traditionnal japanese painting art. Well, I mean just about the little I know about it... :o) - It is more admiration for that art than true knowledge!

devimeuxbe (56532) 2005-12-26 18:04

Hi Ken
It's simple but well composed.
It's nice to see this in winter in France.
Bertrand

erdna (5360) 2005-12-26 19:22

I think you succeeded in getting that feel with your good composition. The picture may look better if you tweak the levels control of the PP software to add more highlights. It is always hard to do scan work.

Thank you for your visit and comments on my photo, "Hard Life, Hard Work".

Andre'

Clairedelune (4885) 2005-12-26 20:28

Hi Ken,
Your title is so true! This is a Japanese aquarelle for sure! I like the soft pastel colors, especially the different shades of blue of the background mountains. The fact that the blossoms are not well lit or that they are not so sharp doesn't bother me at all. What I'm not so sure about is the branches that are farther away. For me, they distract a bit. But still, I find your picture very beautiful, even peacefull. Thanks!
Claire

ktanska (16743) 2005-12-27 2:24

Simple and eye catching photo. I like the contours background and your framing. I wonder if you had a chance to avoid the branches in the background. A little oversharpened showing brighter halo on the edge of branches and background.
Kari

nerve (10216) 2006-01-31 13:50

Very Zen, beautiful!! i dont know how i didnt notice this one before.. it just reminds me of japanese paintings.. Minimalist yet soo elegant!..
A great piece of work this one Ken,
Best wishes.

Evolution (211) 2007-07-14 19:48

Ken, i am just now stumbling across this photo. i see it is an older post. i think you accomplished your goal of creating a painting quality. even though the blossums are not in sharp detail, or perfectly lit, i think the photo has a pleasing pastel quality to it. also, the graduated layers of color in the background work to strengthen the overal image. i like it. could be good as a screen saver !
brian