The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
Trinity Center, Northern California
“Softly, I will leave you softly
For my heart would break if you should wake and see me go
So I leave you softly , long before you miss me”
Just listening to some oldies today:
"Softly, as I leave you " By Matt Munro, 1965
Beastly hot from 10-4, but lots going on this time of year.
Lots of dry dandelions, one of my favorite subjects, along with a stiff but intermittent wind blowing the seeds on their journey..
Lawn chair with umbrella, sunscreen, careful attention to the BG, remote, ice water and patience.
I RARELY have the patience to set all this up, but I’m glad I did this time.
Nothing else to do when it’s so hot!
I dug through probably 3500 + images to find this one.
Specific Feedback
all comments, nits, and suggestions very welcome
Technical Details
SONY A1 II
FE 90mm F2.8 Macro G OSS
Date Taken: 2025-08-1512:32:24
Exposure Time: 1/2000 sec
F Number: f/8
ISO Speed Ratings: ISO 10000
Exposure Program: Manual
Metering Mode: Multi-segment
Exposure Bias: 0 EV
Software: Adobe Photoshop 26.8 + DxO Pure Raw 5
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
I have no words Sandy. You really caught this image perfectly. Amazing. I do not understand the ISO and your editing. Way above my Head. You should get EP on this image !!!
Sandy: OOOWwwww! Just hurt my jaw as it dropped to the desktop. The capture of the seed head is great enough but to catch the escapee at just the right moment and position is magical. Just a magnificently beautiful image. >=))>
@Gill_Vanderlip
Gill !! It’s easy! It’s NOT over your head!!
I use DxO Pure Raw 4 or 5 for the NR. Others use ON1 which is also great. The image comes out smooth and noiseless most of the time.
You simply run the RAW image through the program before you start editing., and it spits it out right into PS (or LR, I presume) I don’t think much about high ISO’s any longer, when it’s needed.
There is a free trial for both programs - easy to learn and use. Try it!
An utterly gorgeous image, Sandy, and well worth wading through all those files to find the one that worked. Not much different from bird photography that way. Lots and lots of images to go through looking for the one with just the right pose and head turn, etc, etc.
Yes, the seed flying off into the dark side of the image is great. It shows it off that much more. The texture of the green background gives this some depth as well. That many images to shoot, and then go through. But I’m sure so many doing have something like this going on. When your patience pays off like this, it’s all worth it.
Sandy, an outstanding catch and the patience to be there and shooting. It’s easy to see why you had to go through 3500 images to find the one that works best when the seeds were blowing off randomly. You’ve got good details in both the dandelion head and the one flying seed, with that seed very well placed.
Perfect timing, it almost seems like such a moment could not have been really captured as is, but you must have been firing your shutter like nuts. 3500 frames! Awesome.
Pure luck and perseverance! I DO take a million pictures, trying to get just the right moment.
Culling is tough.
The top 2 seeds blew off in the next set of frames, but were in a ratty position.
I had probably 12 frames with seeds blowing in tthem, but this was about the only keeper.
