Ranches of Plumas County, CA

[Jim McClain]

I wanted to share some of my photos of one of my favorite subject matter, barns and other buildings made of old, weathered wood. I don't have to travel far; I live in one of the most beautiful places on earth. If you have to be tethered to an oxygen hose all the time, this is the place to do it.

But before I share these photos, I wanted to say how confused I am about this forum, Herman's Genres. There's no forum description, so I have no idea what this forum is all about. I view the list of threads and there doesn't seem to be an underlying theme - it's about as eclectic as you can get. I don't know if my thread is appropriate for this forum, but there doesn't seem to be a forum that this actually fits in. Well, maybe the travel forum, or whatever it's called.

Another thing that concerns me is the lack of discussion about a photo or group of photos, like an honest critique or questions about the workfloor or processes or the location and setup. I'm sure there's some of that going on here, but in my short time here, it seems it's a pretty rare occurrence. Is that by design? Is that the way most members prefer?

Don't get me wrong, I like getting likes an' all, but I also like the feedback, the engagement with other members. When I first saw some of those words/no words topics, I thought it meant it didn't matter. But it just seemed like an awful lot of the posts here are no words posts. I don't want to hurt any feelings or appear to be arrogant, but jeeze, I can search Google for photos, if all I want to do is look at pictures.

Anyway, I hope you'll take the time to comment, either on my post or on my photos.

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[davect01]

Wonderful locations and shots

If I recall this particular "Herman's" section was created as a catch-all for random images and subjects

 

[bartjeej]

Herman is/was a forum member who created a lot of these single subject threads. Haven't seen him around in some time though.

Photo critique is probably one of this forum's weaknesses - perhaps we are a but too polite at times.

Regarding these photos, the subject matter is highly photogenic indeed! The first and last image veer a bit much towards HDR / oilpainting tonality for my liking, at least on my phone screen.

The 4th image, with the wheat in the foreground, is by far my favorite. Everything comes together there: simple graphic shapes at the base level, various textures, complementary colors, and beautiful subject, landscape and sky.

 

[Luke]

In general, this forum has been "ask for comments and critique" if you wish. Otherwise, it is considered a place to share photographs without opinions. Because really what others think of your photos should be irrelevant. And speaking for myself.....I don't want or need some random person on the internet telling me what I did wrong with MY photo. I know I'm not a great photographer....and when I feel like I need help with an image, I'll ask for it. To get the feeling of the forum in general, you should read the first few posts at this thread..... Words/No Words or W/NW image threads: what does that mean?

That's not to say that you are wrong for wanting feedback or discussion. And in fact, we have a special section for people that feel that way......feel free to share your images here with the C & C prefix. Photo Critique

Here's an example of a time when I asked for feedback....and as you can see, the forum was very good at giving it.....feel free to use the C & C section any time. [C&C] - I'm not sure it works - "the first cup"

Since you asked, I'll agree with Bart.....that first one's processing is too heavy for my taste. The rest are quite nice. And I love the subject matter.

 

[Jim McClain]

Thanks all for the feedback - and the move to the correct forum. I agree that there has been some over-processing. That has been a bad habit of mine and I have tried to get better. I re-edited the first photo above and think it's a better representation of my vision.

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[Kevin]

On my phone so I'll be brief... Great images, I love the one with the saddle, I agree with the sentiment in regards to the name of the "Herman" forum, I'll ask the moderation team (who have been around far longer than I) for their input in a different thread, I have an idea or two about the critiques wanted/not wanted concern but will likely need to wait till after the forum upgrade & some feedback.

 

[rayvonn]

Mocking of "snapshots". Anger that folks don't want their posted photos critiqued. Not Jim of course, but I do see that on one or two other forums. We don't really get any of that here.

Generally as regards the images IMO you don't really need HDR PP when you have a beast like the D810.

 

[bartjeej]

I much, much prefer that re-edited shot, Jim!

 

[Jim McClain]

Here's one of the barns located on the Thompson Valley Ranch, known for their Thompson Valley Beef - Black Angus beef - sold to many high end restaurants around the country. It's one of my favorite locations and only a couple of miles from my home.

This was captured May 2015, early evening.

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Almost exactly a year later (and an hour later in time of day), I captured this of the same scene. Just a week or so deeper into spring, but a dramatic difference in weather - more rain - and the colors really come out, especially in the ground cover of the mountain in the background.

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