Molasses Grass Suite

Image Critiques Weekly Challenge
1

Molasses Grass Suite - Winter Light.jpg
Molasses Grass Suite - Winter Light.jpg1000×1286 1.77 MB

Molasses Grass Suite - Dark Tips.jpg
Molasses Grass Suite - Dark Tips.jpg1000×1500 2.52 MB

Molasses Grass Suite: DarkTips

Molasses Grass Suite - Inflorescence .jpg
Molasses Grass Suite - Inflorescence .jpg966×1449 1.41 MB

Molasses Grass Suite: Inflorescence

Molasses Grass Suite - Golden Hour.jpg
Molasses Grass Suite - Golden Hour.jpg1500×1000 1.9 MB

Molasses Grass Suite: Golden Hour

Critique Style Requested: Initial Reaction

Please share your immediate response to the image before reading the photographer’s intent (obscured text below) or other comments. The photographer seeks a genuinely unbiased first impression.

Questions to guide your feedback

These are a few images from a series I worked on at Hawaii Volcanoes National Park in December 2023. Tell me about your perception of the grass as stand alone photos and as a series, how does the series impact your interest in a stand alone photo?

Other Information

Please leave your feedback before viewing the blurred information below, once you have replied, click to reveal the text and see if your assessment aligns with the photographer. Remember, this if for their benefit to learn what your unbiased reaction is.

Technical Details

Shot on Sony ILCE 7C
FE 28-60; F4-5.6
Golden Hour ISO 100; 60mm; 0ev; f5.6; 1/1600s
Red Tips. ISO 640; 28mm; 0ev; F4; 1/160s
Inflorescence. ISO 1600; 60mm; 0ev; f5.6; 1/160s
Edited in Lightroom

Critique Template

Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.

  • Vision and Purpose:
  • Conceptual:
  • Emotional Impact and Mood:
  • Composition:
  • Balance and Visual Weight:
  • Depth and Dimension:
  • Color:
  • Lighting:
  • Processing:
  • Technical:
2

Margaret, the first post stands out because of how the lighting shifts across the frame. The grasses on the right show off the characteristics well, while the backlit grass on the left has a fine glow. You might burn-in (or even crop off) much of the sky, so it attracts less attention.

#3 is nice because of the isolated glow near the center. Again you’ve got a good mix of showing off the grass character and an emphatic glow. Your use of the light looks good.

In #4, the glow looks to be the whole story, with the road being a significant part of that “story”.

In #2, your intent is less clear. The lighting in the top 1/3 makes it the main attractioon. You’ve got a good mix of red and yellow/green in the grass and ferns, that would look good on it’s own with some and brighter. If a balance between the grass and the tree/sky is what you’re looking for, dodging the lower half would help.