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What is your reaction to this, either aesthetically or emotionally?
Other Information
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Image Description
This is a composite of a straight photo of plum blossoms and an ICM of the surface of a scummy, but colorful, pond. I made the photos on the same day, close in time together, while taking a walk along the river trail in our town.
Technical Details
Both photos hand held, using Sony a7r3. Composited and processed in PS and ACR.
Specific Feedback
Looking for any comments. Does the balance look ok?
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
This is really cool. What caught my eye first were the red(pink)/green complementary colours which work so well together. The brighter blossoms on top of that add great texture and the lines of the tree trunks and branches yet another wonderful pattern. All of these elements together form a really pleasing and cohesive image. I like this a lot and I can’t think of anything that I would change.
I love the layering of the blossoms and the translucent tree trunks, Bonnie. The color transitions are interesting and creates a spring feel in the image that I like. Very nice work.
I love this, Bonnie, especially the way the colors blend horizontally. It gives me a peaceful feeling, except for one thing. I’m not 100% sure about the “upside-down” branch in the TR quarter. I can see it as a strong feature, and it is balanced a lot by the trunks or branches in the LL corner. It just feels a tiny bit too distinct, and could be blurred in my eyes. The white blossoms are superb.
I agree with Tom and the others. The colors and depth of the image with the blended elements all form an engaging image. Nicely done Bonnie! It does feel like I’m way down deep into the blossoms. A successful image both artistically and emotionally.
First reaction: OOOOOOHH!!! I love the way the blossoms are floating in the frame like fairy dust against the lovely BG. (You do scummy water so well!) The limb in the UR doesn’t bother me as it is pleasingly draped and nicely fills a void in the blossoms and balances the larger limb or trunk in the LL.
[Edit: After reading through others’ posts and interpreting the title more literally, I can see that those are not lichen but plum blossoms. I think there is something about their size relative to the rest that had me going in the lichen direction (or it could be all the lichen gobbling up my own plum trees).]
Initial reaction and interpretation: I like the color palette a lot. The rosy red and the deeper green work really well together. The lichen scattered across the frame adds an interesting element. I think I would describe it as an adding age to the image and to the scene. It makes the whole thing feel ancient, even with the vibrant colors. The ghost-ly shapes of branches are also interesting.
This seems like an excellent application of some of Stephanie Johnson’s techniques from the recent webinar, and I do mean that in a complimentary way, not a “this looks like SJ’s work” way. The colors and approach feel different to me, partly because I think the lichen are not from ICM, so they retain their clarity, which is part of the appeal here for me.
First reaction? Oooooo!! Oh so lovely Bonnie. My goodness! I would put this on my wall in a heartbeat! It is a cohesive work of pure art. Truly. Ok, I went over the top - but that was my first reaction - over the top. The color palette is so ethereal and soothing. How you do dat? I take it this is a double (at least) exposure? And you’re right, the TR branches really do balance the branches on the left and need to be there. I would be curious to see just a tad less definition of them though, allowing the branches on the left to be more the star of the show. So well done. Kudo’s!
This is a lovely image! I would like to preface my comments with disclosing I am a beginner photographer. I hope it is okay to share my reaction to your image. I was first drawn into your photo by what (at first glance) appeared to be little delicate flowers. I then quite quickly questioned that first response - maybe it could be a dusting of snow, I thought to myself. Having only recently dabbled in ICM myself for the first time, it then occurred to me the effect might be the result of light coming through the subject. Curiosity took over at some point, which brought me to look at other aspects of the image, noting the gentle color transitions and traces of details . I really like that there is more to the image than what is on the surface at first glance.
Since others made similar comments about the relative brightness of the two sets of branches, I went back and lightened the left hand ones. It’s subtle, but I think it grounds the image better. Thanks.
Of course it is!! One doesn’t need to be an experienced pro to have a valuable reaction. It’s interesting to hear everyone’s thoughts!
I love it! I can’t really see a difference between the original and the second pic. I think the photo would be terrific as a very large wall print. The Blossoms look like sparklers, perhaps emphasizing them even more would be appropriate. Well Done!
Wow! Oh! Stopped me in my tracks. Words cannot express how much I love this image. The sublime mystery. The pink melting into the green. The curved branches against the vertical sweeping lines. The delicate white blossoms sprinkled over it all. Just amazing, Bonnie.
I’m still going back to see older images that come up…
Many positive comments already, but I could not leave without also saying this is absolutely exquisite. I’m blown away.
Exceptional image and EP!
