Here is an image from November 2021 when we were lucky enough to have a significant frost. The leaves of wild blackberry bushes can be quite colorful in autumn. And this leaf was nicely decked out in ice crystals from the frost. I like how the angle of the early morning light was hitting this leaf, both directly lighting the top of it, but back-lighting the section in the lower right.
Specific Feedback Requested
any critique or comments are welcome
Technical Details
Is this a composite: No
Canon 5D MK4, Canon 100mm Macro, ISO 400, 0.3 sec at f16
Beautiful colors, lines and frost textures. Doing a scroll crop, I think I prefer it without the top OOF, bringing more attention to the radiating lines of color. A really good one, Ed.
Terrific image, Ed. I agree with @Harley_Goldman that it feels like a much stronger image with a small crop along the top. The backlit leaf with frost is awesome.
Thanks @Harley_Goldman, I like your suggestion about doing a crop of the top. I got fascinated by the light at the top, but I think your suggestion strengthens the graphic design aspects of the image.
This is the nicest blackberry leaf photo I’ve ever seen! Just gorgeous. I despise the rampant and invasive Himalayan blackberries around here - they’re always in the way of a good photo because their color is so off from the “native” vegetation.
I rather like those arching lines at the top of the original, but I agree with Harley that the OOF background part is distracting. Maybe just darkening that background area would allow you to keep the curvy bits.
A beautiful capture for sure! I’m torn on this one. I really like the edit for the graphic boldness of it. But, like Bonnie, I also really like the frosted curves at the top as well. Just for kicks I took a shot at darkening that area in PS. Below is the result. I’m still not sure .
Funny I was just eyeing some black or raspberry leaves in the snow a few weeks back, but didn’t bother and I’m glad I didn’t. This backlit version is what I was looking for, but didn’t find. What a beauty.
I was going to suggest a crop and while I like that version, I like what Adam did a little bit more. It gives a nice backdrop for those frosty silhouettes. Fabulous find and superbly executed.
Really loving the pop in this image Ed. The bold red is just amazing. The fact that only half of the leaf is glowing vibrantly adds tremendously to this and of course the frost is literally the icing on top. I love the crop but I also love what @Adam_Klaum did by burning the top section and keeping the curve of the leaf. It’s a fifty - fifty draw for me. Sorry!
Thank you for all of your thoughts and suggestions, I appreciate hearing your input. Adam, I also like what you did with your rework and darkening that background leaf at the top. Now I am torn and have to ponder your approach vs. a crop, it is a close call.
I’m pretty sure our New England blackberries are a native species. In fall the leaves turn yellow, red, and even purple, which makes then interesting for photography.
I would agree that it is a very close call between the two versions. Both work great for me and you sure can’t go wrong with either. One of those really nice dilemmas.
Exquisite image! I actually prefer it without a crop. Perhaps darkening the top some, but not as much as Adam’s rework. Just a minor improvement to a marvelous image…
I’m late here and just want to say how incredibly gorgeous this is! I like the original crop with the darkened top, and would even consider reducing the contrast on that section, to make it recede further but keeping the blue.
Beautiful image. It is a bit of a tough call between cropped vs not cropped. They both have merit. I think I lean towards the crop, I like the abstract nature of it. Beautiful color and Texture. Well done.
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