Echoes of Peter Lik

[weepete]

Ok, so that's a pretty cheeky name drop to get people to look at this thread but his well known work "Beyond Paradise" was in my head when I took this:


The Beach by wee_pete, on Flickr

Not that it's the same caliber.

C&C is welcome if you would care to comment

 

[phogan2292]

Really nice! That lazy cloud trail works really well with the straight edges of the boardwalk and horizon.

 

[Murray Bloom]

Okay, not only did you drop his name, but used his photo as a guide for your own. Hmmm

 

[terri38 9]

I think it's a pretty shot, and a lovely view in the distance. I can feel the sand on my toes and the heat of the day. Very nicely done - you didn't need the name drop.

 

[weepete]

Thanks Phogan, tbh I didn't evven notice the cloud formation, but now you mention it does seem to create a nice wee frame

Murray, I'm still developing as a photographer and I've a long way to go yet, sometimes that means drawing insparation from others. So when I came across this beach by chance the leading lines of the walkway reminded me of his shots, with the dunes on each side it lead to a natural central composition, but other than that my image is different enough to make it valid in my opinion and I think that suggesting I used his photo as a guide is a bit unair. I think it would be more disingenuous to suggest I wasn't influenced by Lik's work.

Thanks Terri, glad you got the feel of this shot too. The funny thing is this was Spring in Scotland, temp was around 8℃ and with the wind chill it was not warm!

 

[Murray Bloom]

I understand what you're saying, Pete. There was no malice intended. There's nothing wrong with being inspired by others, and while some of my very early work (40 years ago) was inspired by Ansel Adams and Edward Weston, I'd be hard pressed to have invoked their names in relation to those images. I'd much rather that someone else made the comparison.

It's sort of a slippery slope. There are painters who proclaim themselves as 'working in the style of Thomas Kinkade,' which except for the commercial possibilities, makes little sense to me. Peter Lik, to me at least, is photography's Kinkade at this moment. His work is very nice, but I also believe that hype has become a large part of his reputation, compared to others who do work of similar quality, or better; but are far less known. Learn what you can from the Liks of the world, but strive to find your own vision.

As you wrote, your image is your own, whatever the inspiration. But how cool would it be if someone told you that your image reminded them of Peter Lik's work?

 

[terri38 9]

Thanks Terri, glad you got the feel of this shot too. The funny thing is this was Spring in Scotland, temp was around 8℃ and with the wind chill it was not arm!

Now that's funny! This shot does not give it away.

 

[Big Mike]

I think a slight vignette would really help this image. Give it a try and see what you think.

 

[weepete]

Murray - thanks for expanding mate and point taken. I certianly didn't interperate your comment as malicious so no worries there I've been tired and cranky lately so am more inclined to get the wrong end of the stick. Sooner or late I always go my own way, so I will get my own vision some day. At the moment i'm still trying to refine a lot of the basics in my technique, trying out a lot of different styles and being a bit more deliberate about the ideas that pop into my head. I do experiment quite a lot with my pics but these are very rarely seen by anyone else just now as the vast majority don't quite work. I'll keep on going with that and see where it takes me!

Mike - Hows this? I tried not to go too overboard with it and I do like the way it softens the edges a bit. I also did a wee colour correction as the grass looked a bit too green on my phone, I'll need to get one of those colour correction thingys soon and calibrate my monitor!


The Beach V2 by wee_pete, on Flickr

 

[JTPhotography]

Its a good shot. I would like to see it shot even closer to Lik's photo, much wider and from a lower angle, cropped to a pano. Nice scene, this is one of those views that I would visit and revisit MANY times.

 

[JosephCarter]

Nice shot.

I agree with JTs idea, even if you crop this image just above the hill on the left and take the same amount off the bottom, in my opinion it would create a more dynamic composition.

...and straighten that horizon!

 

[JTPhotography]

I am also slightly distracted by the dune on the right being stacked against the mountain in the distance. If you ever re-shoot this scene, maybe try moving left, having the walkway angle from your right to left, and center the mountains between the dunes. Just a thought.