The heart of it

Image Critiques Weekly Challenge
1

Kristen_SmithOctober 10, 2024_1008115.jpg
Kristen_SmithOctober 10, 2024_1008115.jpg1250×898 1.32 MB

Critique Style Requested: Standard

The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.

Description

While out walking in the fall, I spied this still semi-lush plant (a violet I think) and this red maple leaf. The contrast was too much to pass up so I plunked the tripod down and tried to find a decent composition. Removed some brown leaves and that was about it. There is still a lot more of the actual ground showing through, but I still like it. Nature is messy, but not too much I hope.

I also really like that the veins of the leaf contrast with the rest of it. And one bit is folded up, which I thought made another nice contrast.

Specific Feedback

Ok, so it’s not terribly original and doesn’t add much to the universe, but I find it appealing. The freshness of the green is a bit startling for September. Oddly, we have a species of violet that blooms at this time of year and I’ve found them before in September and October. The flowers are white. This one wasn’t blooming so I suspect it is a yellow violet given its size.

Technical Details

Tripod

Screenshot 2024-12-05 at 5.33.50 PM
Screenshot 2024-12-05 at 5.33.50 PM662×330 68 KB

Lr for processing including taking the exposure down a smidge, put a lot of contrast into it using various sliders, upped the texture more than usual as well. Reduced vibrance and saturation a bit. Pulled the green luminance down and cropped some.

Critique Template

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1 Like
2

Very nice!! The slightly chewed-up violet leaf shows they won’t be far behind the maples. I love the gesture of that one bit that is folded up! Very nice lighting with the BG not being intrusive.

1 Like
3

Thanks @Diane_Miller - they hang on for a while and then succumb like almost everything else. The light was cooperative that day. I haven’t been shooting at all lately (it’s been more than a month!!), but I’m going out today. Hope I still remember how. :roll_eyes:

4

Kris, the red/green contrast stands out well. That Maple leaf is in pretty good shape for this time of year.

5

The colors and diversity between the two leaf types works very well. The vein structure in the red leaf has a corresponding structure in the leaf to the upper right of it, which is very appealing. There does seem to bit a bit too much of the green leaves and I wonder if you might consider cropping out some of the extraneous leaves, which will enhance the contrast of the two side by side, without the extra confusion.

6

Thanks @Mark_Seaver & @HarveyAbernathey - the leaf is toast now, but back in September it was still looking good. I might play with some cropping options…