# Fountain Under the Mistletoe



## terri (Sep 23, 2003)

This shot was taken in late winter/early spring, before the leaves could pop and hide all the mistletoe.   I sat on the bottom step leading up the fountain and shot almost straight up.   Kodak HIE @ 360, #25 red filter used.


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## oriecat (Sep 23, 2003)

Terri, that is totally cool.


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## terri (Sep 23, 2003)

Thank you!!!   ... I'm waiting for Will to show up and tell me what's wrong with it.     

But it's a fave of mine.   I'm so glad you like it!


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## motcon (Sep 23, 2003)

hey now! how dare you! (how dare you 'what', i don't know....i'm reaching back to sand lot tactics).

ok, now that is out of the way, let's get on with this, shall we? 

composition - extremely well done. remember the banter about 'objectivity in art' ? well, here's some for ya....compositions are naturally weighted to the llc. if you have a blank sheet of photo paper, put one dot in the center. your eyes will drift to the llc. then take a small black square. place it in the llc, then ulc, then urc, then finally the lrc. the same small black square seems heavier in the llc and larger in the urc. soooooooo that stated, your placement of the fountain is perfect. 

exposure - appears to be right on. then again, what is 'right on' for hie? whatever works...and this works.

crazy black and white stuff - do you print your own work? if so, the tree could use a bit more local contrast. the overall contrast of the shot is well done, but some local contrast would snap that up like you would not believe. 'kiss it with a 4', as they used to say.

well done.


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## terri (Sep 23, 2003)

Damn... I feel like I won a prize!    :goodvibe: 

I've never heard this about composition, your llc thing.   Never!  All anybody ever seems to yammer about is the rule of thirds (yawn) which admittedly usually works, but seems to mean little in perfectly lovely stuff.    No, I've never set foot in a darkroom, actually, my stuff gets processed for me and I get a "spread" to select from.   This seemed the best exposure.   

I'm torn between getting myself involved in the darkroom or maintaining status quo, because I am quite anal and I don't know that I'd ever come out.   To me it is close to an art form all of its own, and I love reading everything about it.   Especially with HIE, there are so many things to try - most of my HIE gets developed (like this image) in TMax, with broader landscapes in D19 in a deliberate effort to enhance the grain, which I like to do sometimes.     

There's little doubt I'd get exactly what I wanted if I learned to process my own stuff.   But - I also know I have so much to learn jsut shooting the stuff, and playing with the other stuff I do..... 

There's no doubt about it - my day job gets in the way of my photography.


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## motcon (Sep 23, 2003)

terri said:
			
		

> There's no doubt about it - my day job gets in the way of my photography.



yah, me too, but i have determined insomnia. 

well, the 'rule of thirds' is based on the golden mean, on which i could write at length, but i'll spare y'all. the rule of thirds overlays the weights in a composition. er, didn't even think about this, but:

llc = lower left corner
ulc = upper..
urc = upper right corner
lrc = lower...

many fabulous books on the human response to art and composition. and i mean fabulous. northern châteauneuf-du-pape fabulous.

of course you would have much more control over the final product if you did the work, but you knew that.

i'll make the offer here that i've made to others on this forum: send me a neg and i'll print it.


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## terri (Sep 23, 2003)

Now that is a generous and fabulous offer.... a Tuscany, 1990 Solaia kind of offer.... you don't get THAT every day.     

Rhone freak.... I should have guessed!   

I'm just happy you like the image....I do have tons more reading to do, I know, I know...  see why I keep my signature that you told me to get rid of???


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## vonnagy (Sep 25, 2003)

you never did tell if someone kissed you under the mistletoe!! 
Do tell!

wow terri, this is an awesome photo, i personally love it! Wish i could say more but I have to leave for work now, lol. Day job getting in the way of work eh? lol, well starting in october my boss is going to let me work at home! yeah!  More time to do this photography stuff!


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## terri (Sep 25, 2003)

ha ha!!  No, no one smooched me that day...  :cry:  sad, really.   

I was challenged enough by the hoards of small children tearing around the fountain steps threatening to knock me over from my perch on the bottom.    :shock: 

Thanks for the kind words....  You're going to work from home???  I am totally jealous!!


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