Sage in bloom

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

Several aspects of this shot were fairly new to me and I’m interested in knowing how others react.

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

ISO 1000, f/5.6, 1/250th

Don, I love the soft lavendars and greens in this image and the field of sage! Not sure about the strong white light in the background. It’s distracting, although I can see how it’s backlighting the flower stem on the left. Is that the sun rising or an artificial light source? Whatever, it pulls my eye away from the flowers. PS I need to learn more about sage. Would love to have these plants in my yard, but not sure they would like this climate!

The light is the sun coming through tree branches, Susanna, not too long after sunrise. Thanks for the comments.

This variety of sage is about the only one that tolerates our clay soil, alas.

I love the soft sage and backlit blooms, but the bright spot grabs my eye a bit too much-I find myself squinting to get the sun out of my eye. Nice use of selective focus and shallow depth of field.