Kirsti Näntö-Salonen

October 2025 - The Secret Garden

Original

Original 2

About the Image(s)

”The Secret Garden” is another image in the same series as last month?s swans, with the Memory appearing in color in the midst of the gray bleakness of reality. - In the upper floor of the derelict hospital, a leak in the roof had resulted in an unexpected patch of bright greenery growing on the damp floor and droppings of the birds (Orig. 1). I wanted to show somebody to discover this vibrant secret garden, and added a layer of Orig. 2 which is my reflection in a broken mirror in the garage we keep our car. I added another layer of Orig. 1 in normal blend mode and 54% opacity, and erased parts of the layers to create a more dream-like feel. I selected the ugly brownish yellow tone in the HSL editor and reduced its saturation to nil. That left me with an essentially black-and-white background and very bright green ferns. I was struggling with the green: is it too garish? I tried to adjust the hue but kept returning to the original. - What do you think? Any other ideas?

8 comments posted

Matt Conti

Such a creepy image, Kirsti! It reminds me of something out of a horror movie. You certainly nailed the bleakness mode. I am glad you noted the cracked mirror as I would not have guessed that. It's a cool effect.
It's true, the green contrast might be a bit too much on top of a B&W background. In addition to muting that, you could also try adding a bit of green to the background to pull it together. You might darken the background to add a bit more spook.
Overall, very much in the Halloween spirit! Posted: 10/16/2025 18:39:17

Kirsti Näntö-Salonen

Thank you, Matt! Adding green to the background is a grand idea - I think that it will be the perfect solution! Posted: 10/25/2025 17:51:14

Peggy Nugent

This is a very haunting (or maybe haunted?) image, Kirsti. The green plant is so vibrant against the debris on the floor. I like the way it's growing over your ghostly feet. The crack in the mirror is an excellent addition - it really gave me a feeling of unreality.
I took Matt's idea of adding green by creating a layer with blur=>average, then putting that layer in color mode and masking out most of the plant, with a lessened opacity on the floor. I was trying to give the mirror portion a little more ghostly effect. What do you think? Posted: 10/17/2025 16:35:54

Kirsti Näntö-Salonen

Peggy, it is perfect now! I especially love the way the mirror looks now! Posted: 10/25/2025 17:55:00

Brad Becker

Kirsti, This image felt like a departure into the realm of modern art. There is something very edgy and original in this image. I do agree the green feels a little too bright but fully appreciate your goal of creating this striking juxtaposition. Posted: 10/19/2025 22:29:40

Kirsti Näntö-Salonen

Thank you,Brad! I appreciate your comment so!- I think that Peggy's beautiful edit solved the problem without sacrificing anything of the contrast. Posted: 10/25/2025 19:09:20

Maria Mazo

Hi Kirsti,
I always admire how you recreate your images, where reality and subconscious creativity work together to create striking visuals. I like the effect of including the broken mirror, and I also appreciate how the composition forms a corner that frames the wild, beautiful greenery growing against the debris on the floor. I also like Peggy's version, the touch of green balances the other greens beautifully. Posted: 10/21/2025 13:27:05

Kirsti Näntö-Salonen

Thank you, Maria, for the lovely comment! I think that Peggy's touch of green was just what was missing. Posted: 10/26/2025 17:32:06

PID Digital Dialogue

Group 54