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
Does this bring to mind anything beyond the obvious? Or maybe it’s not obvious? Does it invoke a certain mood or just an aesthetic reaction? Any reactions or questions welcome.
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.
Image Description
This is a composite of two images - one of some aloe blooms in our front yard and one of bubbles in runoff from a downspout on our house. As I’ve been doing lately, I composited this because I thought it would look cool - not trying to tell a story.
Technical Details
Sony RX 100 VII, hand held, at least one photo at f/4.5, 1/200s, ISO 400. Processed first in ACR to adjust overall exposures, then composited and further editing in PS. Aloes layered over bubbles with Difference blend mode, converted to b&w, curve adjustment, toning to give a warm look.
Specific Feedback
Any feedback welcome. Does the overall balance look ok?
Critique Template
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Bonnie, fun image! It reminds me of the song “Tiny bubbles in the wine…,” not sure why it does, but it does. Love technique you’ve perfected with just the right blend of images and post processing. Nicely done.
I like the effect. It raises my curiosity, as I can’t really get a sense of scale, or even what kind of surface I’m looking at. It’s like aquatic plants, and the colors is sand-like, and of course the bubbles on top make the picture.
My first impression is “cool, what is that?,” and then I try to figure that out. I haven’t yet, but I like the shapes of the plant life and the bubbles of various sizes. It’s captivating enough to engage my mind.
[Edit: One of my first thoughts was whether it was a composite because I couldn’t reconcile it any other way except perhaps as shadows shot through a car window or something, but the background wasn’t right for that. But then I decided to just think about what it felt like. It has an interesting set of contrasts–arid succulents and water. To me, that’s one of the contrasts that makes it curious and engaging.]
ML
You will never believe what my initial reaction was. A family tree.
Yes I thought I saw the portrait of Queen Victoria in one of the bubble. But seriously, wouldn’t that be a gas?! If you somehow inserted portraits within those bubbles. Would that take it over the top? I wouldn’t create a family tree though. I would insert portraits that are related in a different way. Like one with Frida Kahlo and another with O’Keefe. Crazy, eh?
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Splendid creative image Bonnie! My first impression was of wonder and curiosity. The juxtaposition of water droplets and flowers remind me of Spring. I also get this vibe of fossils. I had to look it up and discovered Paleobotany which is the scientific study of ancient plants, using plant fossils found in sedimentary rocks. These fossils can be impressions or compressions of the plants left on the rock’s surface, or “petrified” objects.
Thank you @linda_mellor, @Marylynne_Diggs, @Igor_Doncov, and @Alfredo_Mora.
I remember that song! And now I can’t get it out of my head. 
It is a composite Marylynne. I like your observation of the contrast between arid succulents & water - that hadn’t occurred to me.
Yes. 
Not sure my PS skills are up to that, though. 
How interesting that you see plant fossils. Now that you mention it, I can see that, also. In a previous life, in my first job out of college, I worked doing a subset of paleobotany called palynology. Palynology is the study of microscopic plant fossils like pollen or microscopic marine organisms. That was a fun job!
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WOW!! Super cool!! Phantasmagorical! I love the subtle blooms among the wash of bubbles. The different sizes of the bubbles is very engaging. The toned monochrome is perfect. After reading the description and other posts, yes, it evokes fossils of some sort. This is high-end gallery worthy!
Intriguing. Keeps me looking and wondering. Lots of texture. I’m assuming it’s one image overlaid on another, which you’re so good at. Removing the color makes it more mysterious.
This is really cool, Bonnie. In some ways it reminds me of a microscope slide with all kinds of cool microscopic critters, but at a t the same time I recognize what these are in the macroscopic world. I particularly like the circles (water drops?) and the way they play with the rest of the image. The monochrome tint you chose is perfect for this.
Fantastically well conceptualized, Bonnie! Absolutely love this. First impression: ink drawing. Second thought (for whatever reason): Japan. Truly fantastic. If it was my image, I might bring up the Lights just a bit in the tone curve. Just stunning !
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Thanks, @Dennis_Plank and @J_Fritz_Rumpf.
Those are bubbles. They appeared dark in the original photo. And yes, the way they play in the image is one of the things I really like.
In the PS file the brights are pretty close to blowing out. I think things darken a bit either when I export to jpg or when posted here; I’ve noticed that before.
Yes, Bonnie, I notice that as well when I export jpg’s to a post. It always darkens them 
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I keep coming across this image, Bonnie. Really love it 
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