Dogwood in Blue


originial picture


Dogwood in B&W

Critique Style Requested: In-depth

The photographer has shared comprehensive information about their intent and creative vision for this image. Please examine the details and offer feedback on how they can most effectively realize their vision.

Self Critique

I like the position of the blossoms in their relationship with each other—dogwood in general appeal to me as a subject.

Creative direction

I want to convey the gentle beauty of the blossoms without all the background interference.

Specific Feedback

The aesthetic choice of my editing process. Is there a more appealing way to change this into an artistic rendering of the subject?
Technical aspects were a challenge in terms of eliminating unwanted distractions.

Technical Details

Shot with my Cybershot 7m4, ISO 400, f/7.1, at 1/2000 sec.

Description

The Yosemite photo workshop was advertised as Falls and Dogwood in Bloom. Finding any blossoms that were not past their prime was difficult. I struggled to find any that were within the range of my camera lens. Manuel metering and getting the focus on the chosen blossoms almost distracted me from even trying. There was a fairly significant breeze. All I hoped for was something that I could rescue in post-processing. I had to use my Cybershot because my Sony a7iv and lens had just tumbled to the pavement and were not usable for the rest of the workshop.

2 Likes

Oh my God – I’m so sorry to hear about the loss of the good camera – I hope it proves repairable! (I don’t do a lot of workshops but there almost always seems to be some sort of crisis on them.) Having a backup saved the day here.

I love the position of the three flowers and think you did a great job removing the larger stem! I have no issue with the color version but B/W was a great way to go to enhance the artistry of the scene.

I hope you got some more great images! Both dogwoods and falls are not easy!

Thanks, Diane, for responding to this image. I have not viewed the color version as having much appeal, and your reaction is making me take another look at it. I am sure there is more I can do with it. To be honest, I did not try.

As to my camera, it was under warranty, as was the lens. I sent them to be checked, and they had not sustained any damage. There had been a problem with the way the lens seated into the camera, and it appeared there was damage that turned out not to be the case. I always take backup cameras with me on workshops.

Glad to hear it’s OK. I just realized I didn’t say how much I love the frame, too!

Thanks, Diane. I use Nik’s Silver-Efex Pro for B & W conversions. The choice of framing is almost endless.

Barbara: This is really well done. I like your first iteration a lot. I especially like how you tamed the BG. I might even consider making the branches that are coming out of the blossom on the left go away completely pretty much as you did with the branch connecting the blooms. Top notch shot. >=))>

Definitely prefer the monochrome. Really nice processing.

Thank you, Tony. Your feedback is greatly valued.

Very well done, Barbara. I was torn between the two monochrome versions, but I think I like the first just a bit more. There the white blossoms stand out a bit more. In the second the background distracts just a bit too much I think. The image has a nice dreamy mood.

Thank you very much, Holger, for comparing the two monochrome versions. I was striving for a dreamy mood, and the blue seemed to capture that.