I visited my local botanical gardens and was struck by these succulents. The color contrast (reds/yellows vs greens) and strong backlight gave me the impression they were glowing like lit candles. I decided to get in close and use a shallow depth of field to showcase the colors and light. My intent was to straddle the line between recognizable subject and abstraction to convey the impression of lit candles.
Specific Feedback Requested
Do my choices of close focusing distance, shallow depth of field, and overall composition convey my impressions and intent?
I appreciate you posting this Dean and your good amount of backstory and intention. That very much helps in my critique.
Generally yes, all the aspects of your method have indeed helped to get that across. I smiled at the title as I recognised the idea in the image.
Something to consider may be the impact of the right side of this frame. Square crops are great for feeling balanced, but the lack of “candles” on the right feels to me like it is less impactful.
I made a rough crop taking away the right, it’s roughly 4x5 (screen capture, so not accurate)
I feel that strengthens the message, by eliminating space that isn’t candles. I Amy be also inclined to go a little darker to allow the highlights to more prominent.
I like your idea very much and feel you have executed the concept really well.
I like the “candles” look of this shot, Dean. I also like what Alister did with the crop. The backlighting on this really makes it look almost like flames burning. Nice title and shot.
Thank you @Alister_Benn for your thoughtful critique and for all the time you invested over the three days of critiques. I am going to try out a different crop and darker luminosity based on your observations.
And thank you @Shirley_Freeman for your comments. Glad to hear that others see the flames as well.
