The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I shot this last weekend while hiking at a favorite spot. This time of year, the trail is lined with blue flax like this one. I came away with several images that I like, but this is one of my favorites. In particular, I really like the soft background on this one.
Specific Feedback
I wish the main flower were a bit sharper, but given soft feel of the image, I’m thinking it’s acceptable as is. Would love to hear other thoughts on this or any other feedback.
Technical Details
70 mm, 1/250 sec, f/3.5, ISO 200. Edited in Lightroom.
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
John, I think the limited contrast and dof of the main subject fits very well with the diffuse, oof background flowers. The result is a nicely dreamy look. I could see cropping to make the flower larger, but that’s likely to reduce the dreamy feeling as it emphasizes the softness of the flower.
Beautiful interpretation of this flower, John. I like the echoing out of focus blooms, but to me it feels like a bit too much background. I took it into PS and cropped it, probably more severely than necessary and also toned down the darker green areas in the stem leading to the buds which seemed a bit distracting and out of place with the general pastel tones. For what it’s worth, here’s how I see this image.
Oooh I love it when folks pay attention to small flowers that people often overlook. Flax is one and I especially like Toad Flax, but haven’t photographed it in ages. Anyway, I am not sure about the bg. I know what you’re going for, but I either want more OOF flowers or none. As is it feels accidental and a bit thrown together; unbalanced. There’s good sharpness and definition in the main bloom though and that’s hard to do with these little guys.
@Mark_Seaver@Dennis_Plank@Sandy_Richards-Brown@Kris_Smith - Thank you all for the feedback and suggestions. I felt like some tighter cropping was probably needed, but I had already cropped quite a bit in the original post and was reluctant to do more. That said, I did crop a little more in the reworked version, and I think it’s an improvement.
Dennis - Good catch on the leaves. I worked on them a bit as well and think they’re looking better. I’ll probably keep tinkering with them.
Kris - Yes, I wish there were a few more flowers in the background, especially in the lower right part of the image, which feels a little empty to me. It just wasn’t in the cards that day.
