Red Pearl

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RedPearlAmaryllisedited
RedPearlAmaryllisedited2000×1503 713 KB

Critique Style Requested: Standard

The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

Description

Sometimes, you have to recreate the sun on a cloudy, dismal day. Our Holiday amaryllis began to bloom and decided this was going to be a challenging shot due to the overall size and depth of the subject. I used a light tent for overall diffusion of light from the main flash and used the Nikon macro flashes to expose the shadows and BG. Setting the strength of the flashes takes trial and error and to avoid TTL preflash, I chose manual settings for the flashes.

Specific Feedback

How do you like the lighting for this photo?

Technical Details

Z9 60mm f2.8 Micro (1/100sec at f4.0, ISO 64, 5 flashes Main 1/8, shadows 1/132, BG 1/4 power, 30 image stack PMax) Levels, Shadows & Highlights, Rubber stamp tool to smooth out irregularities in BG, Crop for Comp, Adobe Camera Raw for final Highlight and Shadow adjustment, Curves for overall saturation and Contrast, reduction of red saturation in BG.

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

Hi Jim. I think maybe a bit more directionality, to create some more shadows would make this image more dramatic. The composition is awesome. I do see a triangular sliver of darker gray in the bottom left corner. Maybe a backdrop that has a bit more variation?

3

Jim: Great comp of this stage of the bloom and I like the lighting of the flowers and the precision of the stack especially. Knowing how much effort I put in for my rudimentary “studio” work I also applaud the care you took to craft the image. The only thing I’m kind of meh over is the BG. That may reflect my personal bias and preference for either pure or near white or very dark for amaryllis. When I grow up I want to be able to do the stuff you do with flash as to my eye that’s pretty masterful. >=))>