Critique Style Requested: Standard
The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Susquehanna State Park, MD
This tree is in a parking lot, so I had to shoot over top of the cars and just fill the frame with the tree.
All critiques, comments and suggestions welcome.
Nikon D200, 200mm, 1/20 sec @ f/16, ISO 100, -0.67 ex comp to not clip the highlights
Sounds like you had to work hard for this one Mike! 
All kidding aside, I like the way you filled the frame with this dogwood. The blossoms look to be about peak and the lush greens are quite lovely and vibrant. Was this from yesterday up at the picnic area? Looks like I will have to get up there in the next couple of days. Nicely done; no suggestions from me.
Michael,
The level of detail in this photograph needs to be seen in a large print. The online venue does not do it justice at all.
Beautiful composition and great colors. It’s like an explosion of white spots over a darker frame. I agree with @Youssef_Ismail about seeing this large to appreciate the detail. Print it big as well.
This makes a great companion to Ed’s image; looks like a lovely time of year over there!
I wonder about dropping the green in the blooms just a tad to separate them a little from the wonderful greenery?
Wow, what a tree!! Love it!!
I love your tight framing, so that no distracting white sky is visible. The colors are gorgeous, though I agree with @John_Williams that the blossoms stand out more after reducing the green a bit. That’s a nice suggestion, John!
On my 5K Apple Display, I can really appreciate the rich details, though I agree with @Youssef_Ismail and @Igor_Doncov that a large HR print would look even better.
Great work!
Michael, Its a beauty. Sharp and the colors are spot on I think, And as Igor @Igor_Doncov says print it big.
Hey Michael, lovely image. I too, was curious about the colors. I would love to hear more from you about the green cast, if it was intentional, what the thought was behind it. Not really a critique just curious where that came from in your artistic vision. It is lovely as is but I would love to hear more!
Thanks @Ed_Lowe , @Igor_Doncov , @Ben_van_der_Sande , @David_Wallace , @Youssef_Ismail , @John_Williams , @gerard for the kind words, comments and suggestions.
@Ed_Lowe yes this was from the picnic area.
Thanks forc the rework @John_Williams . Looks great. Please read my response to David.
@David_Wallace . No the color cast was not part of my artistic vision. Quite the opposite. I disliked it. I’ve been back to this location the last 3 years, trying to see if the blossoms ever turn white. they do not. They are a yellow/green color. I shouldn’t be so lazy and improve my PS skills to remove the cast. LOL
Well done.
Hey, the easy solution is to use the eye dropper tool in LR or as a layer in PS and ACR. Another option is to add a curves layer in PS, hold alt/option and click the auto button, then select “enhance per channel contrast” then once you have that layer sometimes I’ll switch the layer mode to color so it isn’t impacting luminosity and then mess with the opacity.
This is lovely, Micheal. Sometimes the thing that gets in the way, causes you to be creative, and becomes a boon rather than an impediment. The composition is outstanding in that it feels natural and easy rather than something that has been worked to death (you may actually have worked it to death but it doesn’t feel like it :>). It really captures the glory of early spring. I think @John_Williams suggestion improves an already excellent image for the reasons he stated. It is always exciting when we can find the sacred in the profane as you have done here - in a parking lot, for heavens’s sake!
Michael: Looks like a target rich environment and you have the skills to bring out the best. I might like the image you posted in flora a tiny, tiny bit better simply for the different color palette. Good vision, great image.>=))>
