Some weeks ago I visited the Tiveden NP situated 4.5 hours drive north from where I live in Sweden (the city of Malmö). Amongst other things I photographed water lily leaves situated in smaller lakes in this NP otherwise covered by an old forest. Here is one example.
Note: Another part of the Tiveden area is famous for the red water lily (nymphaea alba f. rosea), but it is not the one I have photographed here.
Specific Feedback Requested
Any comments are welcome!
Technical Details
1/3, f/8, ISO 400, Olympus OM-D E-M1X camera with 40-150 mm 2.8 lens at 62 mm (124 mm equiv.), tripod, cable release
There is some banding in the image when uploaded to NPN, I will try to fix that later on!
I love the colors and simplicity of your photo. The grass(?) points to the leaf to say “Look Here”.
I have the same banding problem you have. I don’t know if you have it, but I found that exporting the PSD file to JEPG using Adobe Bridge does a good job eliminating the color banding.
Oh I like this very much. The simplicity and elegance of the plant and your framing is quietly dramatic. Aside from the banding issue, which seems to be happening more these days, I see some odd blurring or smearing around the edges of the plant - including the leaf and the straight parts. It’s almost like there is Vaseline on the lens. Maybe the plant moved in the water/wind during the exposure? I suppose it could also be the light in the water itself. I like the breakdown and decay happening in the leaf against the perfection of the scene as a whole. It’s as if the plant is hanging on to its life and dignity to the bitter end.
Really love this, Ola! It’s got a very fine art look to it. It’s very elegant looking and modern with the dark background contrasting the bright plant. Beautifully composed!
Hi Ola,
I always view the image and study it before I read anything from the photographer or the commenters just to form my own opinion without influence.
Like others have said, this is simplicity at it’s finest!
The still water really adds to the overall look and it adds mystery to the environment under the surface.
The color contrast is wonderful!
I might, maybe? be tempted to crop a bit off of the right so the needles are closer to the LR corner and to balance the overall look just a bit. The lily is left of center slightly and seems ever so slightly out of balance (I hope that makes sense).
Very nice image and I miss Sweden, I’m not from there but my grandparents were, I have only visited and traveled there.
Elegant simplicity!! All said above! I’m curious what is happening at the edges of the leaf – just from floating in the water? I think @Merv has a good idea about a crop.
Very nice image Ola. The minimalist look, or simplicity, of it is wonderful. I just like it as it as you have presented it as I feel that the placement of the elements, with plenty of air around them, is important for the feeling that the overall scene conveys (one of calm and peaceful, but happy, loneliness). Hope that makes sense. Cheers.
Thanks for the advise. I have no banding in the original jpeg when shown on my computer screen, only when uploaded to NPN. Not yet fixed!
My guess is that it is an effect of the water - There can sometimes be some weird effects in situations like this. But I will check my other images from this occasion to find out if there is an effect due to longer shutter speeds.
I will explore this possibility, thanks for the advise.
Your last name is very Swedish. Hope you get the opportunity to visit Sweden also in the future.
Very, very nice! I love the simple, clean composition and those beautiful warm colours but the best part of the image (at least for me) is how the stem of the plant disappears into the murkiness of the dark water. Wow, so beautiful!
I think I see banding, diagonally from top left to bottom right, but I’m on my cheap work monitor so it might only be visible on some monitors but not others…
Yes, it is, I was able to see the manifest where my grandfather boarded a ship bound for the United States and the name was “Rosenqvist” originally, and by the time he made it through Ellis Island, the V had been replaced with a U for some reason.
I’m glad it was changed because here in the US, it was far easier for people to get the spelling correct just by the pronunciation.
@Kris_Smith and all of you moderators, thanks for the EP. It is very much appreciated and give a lot of additional inspiration to go out and take photos!
