September 7, 2019 — Lake Tahoe. Second evening. Five second exposure, f/16, ISO 64. Yesterday’s post was almost exactly what came out of the camera. A bit of color optimization, removing a tiny bit of extraneous light on the left, and a 16×9 crop. That was it.
Today’s image, on the other hand, received extensive tweaking, first in DxO PhotoLab and then in Photoshop. Most of the work went into bringing out the subtle color and tone gradations along the darker horizon band while balancing on the too much/too little tightrope. And after all that, it still looks very much like what came out of the camera.
I’ve been devouring Bruce Percy’s brand new e-book, The Creative Process. I unabashedly acknowledge that he is an influence, as are many others — with JMW Turner at the top of the list.
There are more coming. I do appreciate your comments. They inform the process more than you may know.
(Nikon D850, Tamron SP 24–70mm f/2.8 Di VC USD G2. RAW processing in DxO PhotoLab 2.3; Editing in Adobe Photoshop.)
For more abstracts, go to www.amagaphoto.com.
AMAGA Photography Blog 
That mesmerizing line in this beautifully balanced photo…ohhhh!! All that at Lake Tahoe…such beauty.
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Thank you very much!
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Except for the white “line,” you’ve paid homage to Rothko again.
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Rothko and Turner in the same image. My cup runneth over.
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And the iceman cometh—or at least the ice cometh soon for folks in the north.
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A quick Google search for Lake Tahoe turned up not a thing resembling your works of art. Honestly, I did not expect to find any as most folks are not thinking in the abstract when Tahoe is mentioned as a destination. This is pleasing and relaxing.
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Thank you very much. It is a perfect setting for ICM. When I first saw the lights, they were annoying, but both of my mentors of the past summer, Oliver and Rachael, would have said “embrace the lights.” I did. Wait till you see what’s coming.
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Eager anticipation, sir. 🙂
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Oh I see some connections to other artists here as well…I love the gentle feeling you’ve created Michael ☺️
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Thank you very much, my friend.
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Channeling Bruce Percy is a great idea. His work is excellent. I like the simple composition and subtle tones in this one, Michael. Nice work.
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Thank you very much. You are from Rochester aren’t you?
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Yes, originally from Rochester, NY. There’s a lot of Rochesters, so, just to be clear. Webster is just outside Rochester.
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Yes I did mean Rochester New York. It would be interesting to meet next time I’m around that neck of the woods.
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I think one thing I like about this is the sense of movement – I feel it. It’s like an arm swinging in a wide gesture, which is very appealing. Like a way to extend the breadth of the landscape. I like your horizons very much, and this may be a favorite. I wasn’t familiar with Percy, so thank you for that – but at first blush, what I see of his work often feels a bit too clinical, as stunning as it is. It’s as if the humanity got squeezed out with the details (and I know it doesn’t have to be that way – I am a fan of minimalism as well as chaos in detail). Coldness can be a danger with the style, but I think your work rarely feels that way.
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Thank you for your long and wonderful comment. Being ICM it was in fact an arm swing in widely. These ICMs are in fact horizons. They’re just a different take on the horizon. Percy is an influence, but I am very obviously not a slave. I understand exactly your comments about Percy‘s work. What I admire there is the simplicity of the reduction to form and tone alone. I find that very appealing. You’ll see echoes of that in my work. But you’ll see Turner in my work. And Rothko. But mostly, me.
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🙂 Not a slave, yes. It’s great to study the work of someone who can reduce forms as well as he can. We learn a lot!
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Let me know when you’re in our neck of the woods.
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I shall
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You do fine tweaking!!
Fun… in the shade! 😉
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Thank you very much.
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