The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Michigan has been gray and rainy and the weather is not favorable for outdoor photography. I took some cuttings of a few of our dahlias last summer and they are blooming indoors. I lost the mother plant, but several cuttings have survived and will be planted outside next spring. I chose to provide enough flash to keep the BG gray which helps getting the yellow and apricot colors to glow. I used 5 diffused flashes on the subject and one on the BG. Flashes were at different power settings to preserve flashes. I could have used about 5 more images in the stack to get the farthest petals nice and sharp.
Specific Feedback
How do you like the gray BG for this comp?
Technical Details
Z9 105mm f2.8 Micro. (1/15sec at f5.6, ISO 100, 45 image stack (PMax), 6 flashes set on TTL using Nikon’s CLS flash control. Exposure bumped up slightly, Topaz DeNoise AI, Levels, WB adjusted slightly cooler than default, slight crop for comp…Jim
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
The gray background is very suitable, Jim, and I actually liked the far petals being out of focus-it adds a touch of softness to the image that feels welcome. The one thing that I’d change if it were mine is the angle of the flower in the frame, Having the stem come in at an angle like that just feels odd to my personal sense of taste.
Wow, this is a blowzy beauty. The softness of the petals; that silky smoothness comes through really well and I don’t mind the tilted stem because it emphasizes the weightiness of the bloom itself, as if it is an effort to have it up there. My inner persnickety person wants to clean up those lower petals a bit. I like the bits of green as well. The gray bg is a bit … murky for me. Can you lighten it just a tad? Not to white or you’d have done that to begin with, but just a tiny lift.
Oh and I know what you mean about gray days. I’m just west of you in WI and although we have a tiny dusting of snow now, it won’t last and we’ll go back to freezing mud and bare branches.
Thank you @Dennis_Plank and @Kris_Smith for the critiques. I did not rotate the image per your suggestion. I’ll get a better one when this blooms next summer with bigger flowers and thicker stems. I lightened up the BG and pushed the BG to a very light gray. Definitely looks different than the original…Jim
