This photo was taken while white-water rafting down the Grand Canyon. We mad a few stops along the way and the sun was what is was. There was no option to wait for better lighting or to ever return to the catus flowers. Any advice on techniques to improve shot
What artistic feedback would you like if any?
Any comments on improving the composition and balance of colors.
Pertinent technical details or techniques:
(If the background has been replaced, etc. please be honest with your techniques to help others learn)
Lumix G7, 1/250 f 14, ISO 200, 31 mm
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EJ, this is a fine string of cactus blooms. The warmth and uniform color of the surroundings looks good and shows off the blooms very well. I think that weathered stick adds well to the sense of place. The strong light also speaks to the hot, dry climate. Do these flowers open and close with the sun? If they open, this might also be interesting if taken under a light cloud, which would let more of the details show
So…your in Arizona or at least found it’s light. Tastes differ. For me, this is harsh, unflattering, forgetaboutit light. (330 days per year in AZ)
Maybe scan back issues of Arizona Highways at a library. Notice the soft diffused sunlight in most all the nature shots. Use a tripod. Think about shooting before sunrise and the first half hour after, before the sun burns off what moisture was in the air. The orange light of evening is softer tho sours the natural colors of everything. A polarizer will help, but not enough, good diffused light is what you want. Good light will provide true and saturated colors and is eye kind. Connecting with weather information can help anticipate softer light.
I suggest, any desert is the worst place to learn about photo lighting because there is very little diversity of light and few good light opportunities meaning few times when shooting can be productive…unless you want to make images with harsh light.
It can produce a slow learning curve you don’t realize your in.
GL
Yes, it has harsh lighting but your composition works very well. Love the weathered root… it is like an explanation point to the row of flowers. Don’t know if you can go back again, but how about using an umbrella to provide shade? Just a thought.
Thank you for your advice, I will try for your techniques for better shots when I am at a location that allows me to.
I should have mentioned - This photo was taken while white-water rafting down the Grand Canyon. We made a few stops along the way and the sun was what is was. There was no option to wait for better lighting or to ever return to the catus flowers.
EJ: I’m OK with the light and think you did well with what you had. This is where these guys live. The flowers themselves are in great shape and the hard shadows really don’t bother me much. From a composition standpoint I would have preferred to orient the camera so that the flowers were running more diagonally across the frame. An angle that would have cut away some of the empty URC would work better for me. This is a crude rotate and crop to give you an idea. You lose the stick which is an element I like but the flowers get more prominence and the shadows are diminished a bit. Thanks for posting and keep 'em coming.>=))>
PS: When posting try to resize your images to no more than 1500 pixels on the long side. Full resolution images can overwhelm the server and are better targets for image pirates.
I think this is quite excellent - given the conditions. Yes, better light might be better, but as Bill mentions, this is the environment - harsh and unforgiving. I too would have been attracted to the unique arrangement of these blossoms.
The details are excellent in the flowers and you did very well with the exposure - especially given the already mentioned light.
I really like Bill’s crop and presentation idea. Although I might not cut so tight and leave a little more room bottom and left.
I think you did quite well on this one EJ. There’s actually detail in almost all the shadow areas, which is pretty astounding. It also looks as if the highlights aren’t blown. Given that, you can do a lot in post processing, if you really want to play with it. I do like bill’s suggestion for rotating the image a bit.
EJ, those pink blossoms are outstanding what a great find, and I like that you were able to get 4 of them into the composition. The harsh light is not a major issue for me, it is the environment that this plant lives in. I think a little burning of the area beside the blossoms, and adding a strong vignette to the corners would help tone down some of these highlights. This is very much a matter of personal taste, but I might consider flipping the image horizontally, I tend to look at images from left to right, and prefer having my eye end at the cactus blossoms. Here is a rework that does all of the suggestions that i have made.
