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
I spent about 20 minutes photographing this, and wondered what others might think this is.
Other Information
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Image Description
I was walking around my favorite park late on a sunny winter afternoon. Because it hadn’t rained for a while, all the pinecones were wide open. I happened to see one where the light was coming across its scale and highlighting the umbo and prickle – I think that’s these are right I just Googled it. I exposed so the inside of the pinecone would go completely black, and make these look like little spaceships. I played with shallow and deeper DOF, but went with the deeper to get more of the pinecone in focus. I had just recently been listening to Rush’s “2112”, and the end of the song is the reason for the title. And if this was in space, the light would be very contrasty and only have one source.
Technical Details
Canon R
85mm Macro
ISO: 400
f/9 at 1/32 second with a tripod
Specific Feedback
I did close out a few things to clean up the image. But overall it’s not far off the RAW file. Any feedback or ideas are welcome.
Patrick: Close encounter? I’m guessing this is a pine cone and not an alien invasion but one never knows. I like how you framed this with my only nit being the relatively empty ULC. Perhaps a slight clockwise rotation of the camera would have filled the frame a bit more but this works for me. Nicely conceived, captured and presented. >=))>
This is fantastic! You’re not really sure what it is, and that makes it fun. I thought mushrooms at first, but perhaps @Bill_Fach is right, pine cone? I love the lighting, it makes me wonder if you light this or if it is natural light. Either way, well captured. I do agree with Bill about the ULC. Maybe a simple crop would help?
You created an interesting abstraction of repeated patterns and shapes. Black and white presentation looks good. Without knowing the methodology used for this photo, I would have done some stacking to get everything in sharp focus which would strengthen the comp. Also, try this with some flash set at low strength to add a little more definition to the repeated shapes. Those are just suggestions and I like the image for its creativity…Jim
Looks like some kind of pine cone to me, Patrick, but it’s a very cool idea. There is a look to it of alien spaceships coming in. I agree with @Jim_Zablotny that a focus stack would take this over the top.
Patrick, this is outstanding as presented. I’m wondering if it’s shelf mushrooms turned upside down. I does look like an alien invastion…yikes!!! I do think that cloning out that partial on the side in the upper right would remove a minor distraction. It could be a pine cone, but those seeds seem a long way apart for the cones that I’'m familiar with. Wery nicely creative.
Agreed! That looks great, I’d even be tempted to clone out the little one second down on the right that is almost touching the one next to it on the left, to keep a more uniform spacing, but really nice as is.
