The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
As it was a rainy day, I decided to experiment indoors with a shot of my wife’s potted begonia. I like how the cluster of flowers hangs down below the leaves and wanted to capture the cheerful tropical colors. So I set up a file cover of complementary color for BG and an LED light pointing upwards from a 4 o’clock angle. I didn’t use flash, just muted natural light from the windows to supplement the LED.
Specific Feedback
I’m not 100% happy with this, as I don’t normally take studio shots. Everything looks a little 2-dimensional, so please don’t hesitate to advise me on how I could have set this up better.
Technical Details
OM1 + 60mm macro 0.17sec f3.2 ISO 200 + tripod LED video light, 18 shots stacked in Zerene
Adjusted WB and tonal tweaks in LR; Denoise; minor Shadows/Highlights in PS and added some canvas.
Everything here is perfectly sharp, perfectly clean and perfectly under control. Every detail of the inflorescence is accounted for, every leaf vein present and correct, and the subject lifts off admirably from a background chosen with evident care for its chromatic contrast with the magenta blooms. The technical craft commands respect, and very probably consumed an entire weekend.
This, alas, is also precisely where the trouble begins. There is not the slightest accident anywhere in the frame, and everything sits politely on the same plane of intention. The image rather summons the botanical plates of the nineteenth century: precise, informative, descriptive, the sort of document one would slip between the pages of a learned herbarium without a moment’s hesitation, where it would feel quite at home and possibly even mildly flattered. As a purely technical exercise the success is undeniable. But one cannot quite shake the feeling that the photograph lacks a real intention. It tries to show everything, and in doing so it says nothing beyond what it shows.
Perhaps a more dramatic, more directional light would have helped, the sort that carves shadows and lends the subject a presence rather than mere legibility. Perhaps too a bolder, tighter composition that accepts to show less in order to suggest more. In photography as in conversation, what one chooses to leave out often weighs rather more than what one is so eager to declare.
One might also gently wonder whether the focus stacking quite earns its keep. A touch of softness would establish a hierarchy of planes and give the scene a sense of depth that uniform sharpness cannot quite provide. A stack assembled from a modest six to nine frames might achieve exactly that effect, without sending the entire image to the dentist for a thorough polish.
I should add that I am no great expert in photography in general and even less so in studio work in particular. These are merely the sort of avenues I might wander down were I ever unfortunate enough to find myself behind the camera in this kind of situation, presumably while muttering darkly at a sprig of foliage that refused to behave.
Mike, I would be thrilled with an image like this but I am not used to shooting studio either. I think @sebastien-maloron may have hit it, too perfect. I don’t know if that is it or not. Like I said, I would have been happy with the photo and probably wouldn’t have asked your question.
@sebastien-maloron - Yes, this is just the sort of critique I had hoped for! I think you politely hit the nail on the head by saying: “It tries to show everything, and in doing so it says nothing beyond what it shows.” That and “what one chooses to leave out often weighs rather more than what one is so eager to declare”. More directional light, a tighter composition and slightly softer stacking could all improve this. I think my dilemma here was: how can I reveal the beauty of these blooms without showing everything? And I didn’t solve this. But, at the same time, I did learn more about lighting/exposure, which was useful in the experiment.
By the way, I really appreciate how you take the time to advise people - so gently but eloquently - on their contributions, which sometimes, as here, fall short of the optimal. And don’t worry, the whole weekend wasn’t consumed by this; after 4 stacking run-throughs, I washed my hands of this and, as the sun came out, I went to look for butterflies. Now if only I could stop sending these insects to the dentist for a thorough polish!
Thank you, Shirley - but I’m glad I asked that question! I can be a bit of a perfectionist on a rainy day - which is why I prefer the rough-and-ready of “shoot while you can” out in the field.
Hi Mike. You brought out excellent detail and color in the plant. For me, the issue is the background. It seems to command too much attention and the colors don’t feel natural. When the weather clears, it would interesting to see how this would look against some natural foliage.
@Allen_Brooks beat me to the background, Mike. It was the first thing I noticed about this image as I’m not familiar with any foliage quite that color. Also, the background uniformity and the abrupt change from the all in-focus plant to a completely uniform (hence out of focus looking) background gives the image the feel of a cut and paste. You could play with a textured background of some sort. Another approach might be to select the plan using something like the Object selection tool, making sure it gets the internal edges as well, and feather the edges a fair amount to make them blend a bit with the background.
Thanks, Dennis. You and Allen have caught the real problem. If I ever attempt this sort of shot again, I’ll bear in mind your great advice. I posted this attempt more as a learning exercise than as a shot at an EP (!). I clearly need to give more thought to the BG in such a situation - and your tip for feathering the edges is something I’ll try next time. It’s refreshing to try something new, and if it doesn’t come off, as here, I live and learn.
Mike: I’m really late here but did want to add my 2¢. My first impression was with regard to the BG so I’m just going to be lazy and ditto @Allen_Brooks and @Dennis_Plank . I think you might have more success by going high key and make the BG pure white. I do commend you for shooting begonias. We had some in our garden many years ago and I got zero quality shots. If I recall ours didn’t look quite the same as yours so yours may just be better subjects than what we had. Next time it rains break out the white board and give it another shot. >=))>
