The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
With all the rain we’ve had this year, the grasses are luxuriant. The European oats along the trail where we walk every day just call out for for a photo. There’s interesting texture in the background from the soap plants (Chlorogalum pomeridianum, of which I should post a pic also at some point).
Specific Feedback
I liked the background texture of the soap plants, which make this interesting (vs. just the oats by themselves), but didn’t want them to compete too much. Any comments welcome.
Technical Details
Converted to b&w with a TK8 panel darks mask, dodging/burning to even out weird spots, cloned out specks and strays around the edges, toned.
Oh does this look familiar, Bonnie! I love the sparse lines and captivating shapes, and the monotone feels just right. Please do post some artistry with Soap Plant – it is so lovely and the deer (I presume) eat ours every year before I manage to shoot any.
The wild grasses are thicker and taller this year than we’ve ever seen, thanks to a record wet winter. We’ve each been out every morning for a couple of hours with a big weed-eater cutting this stuff. I’m 5 ft tall and it’s head high. The guy who has been cutting for us can’t get to us for another three weeks and it’s too thick to leave that long, with fire season looming, so we’re doing the acre around the house.
I need to shoot some of the yellow Mariposa Lily, though, before it falls victim. Do you have them?
Hi Bonnie,
that looks beautiful. I really like how you composed the image. The oats stand out nicely from the background. They do not compete too much in my opinion.
I hope you don’t mind that I downloaded your image and played around with it:
Oh, Bonnie, this has such singularity. It has a purposeful haphazardness that is so organic, for lack of a better word. Wait, I’ll think of one. It’s kind of soporific in a sense. Relaxing, soothing. Sort of enervating. The way the sharp seed heads drift in and out of focus conveys how it must sway in the wind. I’m glad you went with a monochrome version.
Jens, I don’t mind at all when folks play around with my images (here on NPN, that is!). I noticed that darker set of seed heads and the miscellaneous darker spots that were left, and I was thinking that I would leave them as is because I liked the little imperfections. Your edits do look nice, though.
Diane, the deer around here haven’t hammered the soap plants lately. They did when the plants first started shooting up their flower stalks, but soon gave it up. We definitely have white Mariposa lilies around here, and maybe yellow ones, too. They’re all past now, though.
Bonnie, I’m thoroughly enjoying your clean look at these oats set against a dreamy backgound. How nice that you could find two isolated stalks to star in your photo.
