The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Trout lily is a true spring ephemeral - leaves come up first; two per plant and then a single flower between them. Once the blooming is over the leaves disappear entirely. They are named for the mottled coloring of the leaves. This is one in my backyard, bravely unfurling in the late April snow. The green buds next to it are spring beauty, another prolific flower in my yard.
Specific Feedback
Open to processing ideas and also any you have for another shot at this - if the foot or so still out there melts, no doubt these will come up right away.
Technical Details
Camera on beanbag on the ground
Olympus 90mm f/2 legacy macro - probably f/5.6 or 8 given the size of the bokeh balls
Lr for processing including a bit of a crop to eliminate some eye-magnets & a slight warming wb. Lowered highlights quite a bit and smoothed the overall tonalities. Some masking to add clarity & texture & drama where I needed it. Slight color grading of mids and highlights.
I’ve seen the tiny flowers but the foliage has its own beauty too, and so cool you captured this one pushing up through the snow. I like your composition Kris, with the leaf slightly off center and that you’ve included some habitat, which helps to tell the story. Looks like the sun was out, so some kind of shade, from your hand or a reflector, would have provided more even lighting on the leaf.
Kris, I am not sure I have much to offer that could enhance this lovely capture you presented us here. The low angle you used to create the photo is very good to show the leaf growth. Nothing like that vantage point. The tiny orbs of light in the BG are also another plus to my eyes. They are just barely there to create a subtle bokeh effect. In addition to that, they follow the terrain contour accentuating the ground undulation. I like the very shallow DOF. Although it’s clear that the light is coming from the left, I wonder if the image would be even more striking if the ULC would be closer in luminosity to the URC. It’s as if something was creating a pleasing shadow in that corner that is not present on the left side. I know you said you lowered highlights quite a bit. So, my speculation may not be helpful. Anyway, it is wonderful to see how nature bravely fights the elements. Beautiful photo.
Thanks @Jim_Lockhart & @Egídio - this was just as the sun crested the trees behind the river and I wanted a backlit presentation for this - trout lily works really well with backlighting. That darker area is probably a tree trunk throwing a shadow. At this time of year there are no leaves on the trees and so these early wildflowers exploit that before the forest floor is all shade. I might have a go with lifting that corner - the evenness might be a good thing. Nice catch!
