Shot this scene this morning. It was first time I’ve been out in the past few weeks thanks to this Covid nonsense, but it was so hot and humid I thought I was going to die anyway! It’s bad news when you’re sweating like a pig at sunrise. It was only 80 something degrees, but the humidity was 93% when I left the house at zero dark thirty. I hate Florida summers!
Would appreciate any and all comments, suggestions, and critiques.
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Bill, I believe you live in Florida, so stay as safe as you can. I live in Massachusetts, where we got slammed hard in April/May, and while things are slightly better now it’s still not close to normal yet. Getting out to photograph safely is still not always easy.
I assume these are pitcher plants, and they make wonderful translucent subjects for a a backlit scene. I like how you arranged them in a circle, and used a wide angle lens low and close. They seem to be exploding out of the composition. Processing of exposure/contrast looks great for this extreme high dynamic range scene, with nice detail throughout. It looks very realistic, and not the overcooked HDR look. Nicely done.
My only suggestion relates to the composition. I just wish there was slightly more breathing room at the top, the horizon feels cramped. The landscape’s horizon is also tilted to the right. This bother’s me less than it normally would, I’m bothered more by the tightness of the horizon to the top edge.
I think including the light rays are very important to the concept of the image, so for me cropping the trees and light rays away is a non-starter.
I like detail and symmetry in foreground flowers. Wish the brush was not there to hide another flower patch. Agree with Ed about the image being tilted to the right and not enough trees in background
Thanks @Ed_McGuirk and @svetlana for your comments and suggestions. One point of clarity though, the image isn’t actually tilted at all. I was on a slight hill, but I wasn’t looking directly downhill, instead, I was pointed diagonally downhill, which gives it the tilted appearance. I guess it looked normal to me because I was there; I didn’t consider that others, who were not there, would view it as tilted. I’ll have to return and choose a better view angle, which will be easy because this is pretty close to our home and right in the middle of nowhere. At the bottom of the hill is a large beaver pond I want to shoot as well so I was going to return anyway. RE: the top being cropped, I didn’t have a big choice there. I could have included a little more space but not a lot because of an ugly interfering limb from a nearby tree. This area looks pretty clear, but that’s only because I was shooting at 12 mm. In reality, there were trees all around.
I really like these trumpet-like flowers. The greens and yellows really pop. I understand @Ed_McGuirk’s view about the light beam in the URC, but there is something about this corner that is distracting to me. It may be the stuff just at the horizon line below the sun. Given your introduction, I can feel the humidity. I understand about the image not being tilted right, but that dip to the right adds to the distraction for me. I love the flowers and grass.
Thanks @Larry_Greenbaum. The distraction under the sun that you mention is the reflection off the beaver pond, and I appreciate your comment on the perceived tilt. I’ll definitely have to be more careful in choosing which direction I point my camera next time. This area is full of pitcher plants so there are plenty of other compositions available. Perhaps I’ll try one at sunset instead to prevent the beaver pond reflection from being an issue.
Bill, if you go back looking for different comps, here is a suggestion. I love the circular / radial arrangement of the pitcher plants. Assuming you can essentially replicate this, i think it would also be interesting to position yourself more to the left, and place the sun rays in the center of the image (and the center of the flowers). This would give you more of a symmetric composition, with the sun in the center. I’m a fan of symmetric comps. I would also try to add more sun/sky/trees, if you can find a different angle of view that lets you avoid the offending tree limb. IMO you don’t need a lot more, just a touch.
Thanks @Ed_McGuirk . I will definitely revisit and try again. Can’t always promise sunrays, of course, just depends on the given weather, but can definitely try other comps.
