The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I was sitting in ambush for bird video/stills when I spied this lone trout lily on the back lawn. Who am I kidding? The place is dirty with them, but since the entire plant disappears after pollination, it doesn’t really matter and these early wildflowers are really important for bees.
Specific Feedback
Originally I had more leaves off to the right, but thought they were too much so isolated it and included just the two. The purple one is part of the plant (two leaves, one stem, one flower per) and I liked the color contrast. The flower is named for the mottled leaves that resemble trout. Is it too much? I actually lightened it slightly rather than darken it because I thought it deserved some attention, but that the bright yellow flower would get most of it.
Technical Details
Tripod and possibly a 1-stop ND
Lr for everything - touch of exposure, reduced blacks, highlights & whites, boosted shadows as per usual. Touch of texture and clarity. Linear gradient to lower exposure at the bottom. HSL panel to bump purple luminosity and manage colors for best separation and presentation. The usual stuff.
I love the flower, Kris, but the washed out leaf feels off to me. I think it would work better either denser or removed, especially since you didn’t include the base and there’s nothing to associate it with the flower except the text in the description of the image. I don’t think including the entire leaf in-focus could compete with the flower-not with that color.
Hi Kristen - This is a fantastic image whichever way you crop it, but I think I prefer your uncropped version. I see how you might find the leaves on the right side of the picture to be a little too much, but I like the additional negative space and I really like the shades of green in the background.
Whip-crack-away! I agree that both more leaves and more space benefit the flower. Now that it’s off-centre, I get more space to examine the lovely bloom and the interesting leaves at my leisure. As @John_Kilgour says, that negative space is good, and what a great colour too!
What a gorgeous and elegant little flower!! I like both versions but the composition could leave the viewer wondering if there is a bit more off the bottom of the frame. In either, I think that leaf might fit better if it was a little darker and more green – at least matching the one on the far right.
Thanks @John_Kilgour, @Mike_Friel & @Diane_Miller - I’m glad I put the 2nd version up since it was my original thought about what to show in this little scene. Trout lily leaves come in a lot of colors since the mix of reds, purples and greens is different on every plant. Like snowflakes, no two are alike. So I thought the color difference showed that, but it is a bit disharmonious, too. The time for these flowers is over so maybe next year I can try again.
Kris, this flower reminds me of our day lilies that are about to bloom in our flower bed, except for the way the petals fold back, and of course the stem has no leaves up around it like our day lilies do.
I’m wondering about cropping horizontally but cropping out all the leaves and only include some of the grass? All of the attention should go to that beautiful bloom. Anyway, a nice smooth BG sure makes it stand out, leaves or not.
Thanks @Shirley_Freeman - Lilies are quite similar to each other, but these guys are pretty simple flowers - two leaves, a stem and one blossom. They are so early that they are always a welcome sight.
