Gazania rigens. Top view.

Image Critiques
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1

Original - NPN_FGisin_Macro_Gazania_rigens_01.jpg
Original - NPN_FGisin_Macro_Gazania_rigens_01.jpg1500×1500 731 KB

Critique Style: Standard

The photographer is looking for thoughtful feedback on the image as a whole, especially around the areas noted below.

Feedback Focus: Artistic / Expressive

About This Image

Curiosity and wonder played much more important roles in my early life than in my middle years. But now that I am retired, I find these often-neglected human traits circling back into my life with renewed vigor. Which is why exploring the natural world through a macro lens has become a favorite way to share my rediscovered curiosity and wonder with others in a more visible format.

Within the macro photography genre, I am much more attracted to the kingdom Plantae (e.g. plants) than the class Insecta (e.g. bugs). [I gave up trying to figure out why this was so long ago.] And so everything from textured tree bark to delicate flower interiors that pollinators find worthy of visiting is fair game. I am especially enamored by how the organic structures of life can magically arrange themselves into an aesthetically pleasing “complexity” that invites exploration instead of a mere passing glance.

Feedback Requested

I often find my images that started out as a result of “curiosity and wonder” almost always end up in my “favorites” category, even though they don’t always end up in the “epic/beautiful” category.

I’m less interested in technical help and more curious to know what your impressions are of this image.

Technical Details

Focus stack set of images created using Nikon camera’s Focus Shifting feature. Stacked in Helicon Focus. Clean-up and color/luminosity tweaks in ACR and Photoshop. Two LED light panels provided the lighting. Image taken against a dark background.

2

Perfect image, Franz. Like you, I’m fascinated with plants although I’m at the early stage of my experience with macro/close-up.

Wonderful soft colors with perfectly chosen background, excellent DOF, the shape of petals etc, all that is great in your image. What strikes me most is the diagonal composition.

And great creativity of course.

3

Franz, the twisty flowers look great and are set off very well by the spiky green, oof leaves below. This looks like an unusual plant, that you’re showing off well.

4

This has a wonderful playfulness about it, Franz. I like how the flowers appear concentrically in front of the leaves. It’s like a series of fireworks, one becoming more prominent as the preceding one fades. And with the blue background, the color palette is striking: muted pinks and soft yellows with green and blue. It’s an image to be proud of. Curiosity rules!
ML

5

Franz: There’s a whole lot to like in this shot from the subject to the capture to the processing and the final presentation. Superbly crafted image.>=))>