The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I grabbed this image of these seeds coming out of the pod they were encased in one morning in my backyard. The light from early morning sun if I am remembering correctly was to the left and behind me.
Specific Feedback
I am just looking for general impressions of the photo, thoughts on the light and composition. I did the best I could with the background. This was the best I could do as it was busy and I loved the angle of the light and the arrangement of the seeds, so it was a compromise. In hindsight I should of gone back into the house and gotten a background, but the light was changing so fast, so this was a compromise.
Technical Details
Shot with a Nikon D500 with a 105mm f2.8 Sigma Macro lens at f8 1/180sec at ISO 400. No flash.
Doug, sometimes we do have to compromise, and in this case I think you made the right decision. The BG isn’t that bad. You might could darken the top left are somewhat but not a deal breaker for me. I am finding the seed head that is coming into the frame on the right that is oof is a bit of distraction. Not sure what is best, cloning, cropping or just darkening slightly. Just a thought. I am really enjoying the hairy strands that caught the sweet light so well. Very well done, in my humble opinion.
I really love the light and the composition works for me. I usually try to get the entire object in focus or a very shallow depth of field. This works for the seeds, but I find myself wishing the pod and one leaf on the right were sharper. If you don’t have to deal with a breeze, even a hand held stack might work, though I don’t know how the software would deal with all those filaments. You could stack the pod and leaves and leave the seeds about the way they are and it would still look real. Just a thought for the future.
Hi, this is a fantastic view of the seeds and fine strands coming out of the seed pod. I did not even notice the background because the strands are so bright. I would crop the right side some to avoid the OOF area. But maybe you are committed to a certain size. I know this was taken quickly to catch the light which is stunning. A vertical view that includes more of the strands might be nice. Lovely image.
Doug, I really like the lighting here and the details and color of the seeds is great. BG is no problem for me. I think Ann might be on to something with a vertical or even a square crop on this. I like the chaotic explosion of the seeds.
Doug, you’ve done well here with a good look with lots of details at a challenging subject. Both your original post and the square crop look good. The two leaves that go soft, sharp and soft will always be a problem (unless you move them before you shoot. (Some folks will and other’s won’t “site clean”.) You can burn them in, especially the sharp areas, but you’ll also probably need to do some local desaturation after the burn. Similarly, you can burn-in the base of the pod to reduce it’s visual presence. Something else to think about…the shaded seeds are taking on a bit of a blue cast. This sort of thing the human eye/brain combo automatically compensates for (so we “see” it all white) even though the blue is a real reflection from the sky. That can be adjusted with blue desaturation through a localized mask, if you wish. The sharpness of the seeds and their tails looks great.
Doug: I love milkweed seed pods and think you did really well here. The colors and the sharpness of the fibers make this for me. Nice job working a very worthy subject. >=))>
