I recently returned from a trip to the Blue Ridge Parkway. Admittedly I tend to gravitate more toward shooting grand landscapes as that is what piqued my interest in photography to begin with. However, for three of the nights that I was on the parkway, there were overcast conditions that prevented me from shooting grand landscapes. This gave me an opportunity to shoot some intimate and abstract images that I had seen on previous trips, but hadn’t taken the time to shoot. This is one such image.
What drew me to this image was the notion of the rhododendron growing out of the rock wall. It’s amazing to me that a plant can bloom and even thrive in such conditions. Beyond the literal meaning I was also thinking of the theme of redemption and how beauty can blossom in the hardness and brokenness of my own heart. Sometimes like this rhododendron it is small and imperfect and incomplete. Yet, I am being made new and the One who has begun this good work will bring it to completion.
Back to the image, I was drawn to the lines, color and texture surrounding the rhododendron and how they reveal the context of the scene. I feel like these elements compliment the scene, although admittedly it is a little bit busy.
Specific Feedback Requested
All comments and critiques are welcome, but specifically I would like to know your thoughts on the composition. I’m pleased with it overall, but would like to hear your thoughts.
Technical Details
Capture Info:
200 mm
0.4 sec at f/6.3
ISO 200 (to freeze motion due to slight breeze).
Processing:
This image has light processing. My RAW processing was limited to slight global adjustments to exposure and tonality as well as a slight amount of capture sharpening.
In Photoshop I adjusted the mid-tone contrast using a TK luminosity mask.
Hey Brian, this is a nice composition. I get the feeling of looking up and the placement of the Rhodie in the frame is good. There is a sense of dynamic movement in the lines of the cliff face. I also like the minimal processing; not overdone, just right.
I really like this - the tenacious lone rhodie is a stand out, but the rock itself is fascinating, too. Quite the juxtaposition. Have you considered any other crop? I wonder how it might do in a format not quite so tall and slim. The long L crack though definitely needs a vertical treatment. It makes the little bush look that much more precariously placed.
I like the story this tells and the placement of the plant. I also like the contrast in color between the plant and the rock face. I do find the composition a bit awkward in that the two parts of the rock face don’t integrate together very well. Each part of the rock face is beautiful in and on it’s own but having one being a solid rectangle within the other feels awkward to my senses. Because of this the eye explores one consistent area and then hops over and explores the other. The dark boundary also effectively separates the two. That’s how I see it.
A perfect comp and a great example of the rule of thirds, with the lines/cracks of the rocks lining up and the placement of the rhododendron. I wanted to let you know that you nailed this intimate landscape. Nice work.
There is quite a lot to enjoy with this image. First, the story - you’re right, it’s amazing how nature finds a way forward. And when one is looking, plants growing out of seemingly impossible situations, are more frequent than we might think. This tells a great nature story.
And that story is emphasized by the colors. The vibrant greens stand out nicely against the warmer and rich earth tones. I also like the hint of blues in the grays splattered around.
As you mentioned, I too like how the lines all seem to work together and with the plant being the centerpiece holding it all together.
And that brings up the composition, which I think is very strong. It’s not mentioned, maybe because it’s an underlying compositional element - but to me, the “rule of thirds” stands out nicely. I’d be curious as to your thoughts about how you placed the plant and whether or not any “guidelines” came to mind. Now I have to toss out the caveat… while I’m a long proponent of the “rule of thirds,” I view it simply as a tool, a compositional “option” to consider, which of course all depends on each situation. Many times, dead-centering that green plant could work, or you could create greater tension if you placed nearer the edge… but in general, I think considering such guidelines can often get you in a strong place compositionaly.
Nothing to suggest really. My only thought would be slight trims off the top and bottom. Not a huge fan of the tall digital format. Maybe crop to reduce the darker patches both top and bottom. But that’s pretty picky.
@Kris_Smith - I did take other comps of the scene and settled on this one. All of the comps that I took used the standard aspect ratio just like this one. I could consider a 4X5 aspect ratio and might experiment with that.
@Igor_Doncov - Thank you for your comment. I appreciate your feedback. I do understand what you mean about the two parts of the composition not integrating very well. I kind of think this creates an interesting tension in the image where as the bottom section is more structured with horizontal and vertical lines that create a steady rhythm in the composition and the top 1/3 of the image is more chaotic and random. I definitely see where you are coming from and can appreciate your perspective.
@Gary_Randall@Lon_Overacker - I definitely used the rule of thirds as a compositional tool for this image. I feel like it works well with this particular scene. I roughly placed the vertical lines in the bottom 2/3 of the frame along the vertical thirds line and intentionally placed the rhododendron at the approximate intersection of the upper left third line. Although I did want to leave space for the lichen that is arcing above the rhododendron so it is not directly on the thirds intersection point. As I mentioned in my reply to Igor there is a tension between the lower part of the frame which is more structured with the horizontal and (near) vertical lines while the upper part of the frame is more chaotic and random. Through the years NPN has been such a valuable resource for me to learn composition. Former NPN’er Ian Plant’s e-book “Visual Flow” has also been helpful and influential. In the field I was thinking about how the lines flow in the composition, but mostly it was just somewhat instinctive. It just felt right having the plant in that particular spot in the composition and then I refined the composition to make sure to leave room above the lichen that forms an arc and to place the vertical lines in the bottom of the frame at the approximate thirds lines.
