The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
This is my first ever post to the website. The picture is from a large flowering tree at the Arnold Arboretum in Boston. This was taken last year. Unfortunately, New England is still recovering from a long winter and there are not many new blooms yet. I generally don’t try to be heavy handed in the editing process but this time I really lowered the shadows to let the flower stick out and hide the green foliage.
Specific Feedback
I would like general feedback but I would also be interested in what people think of the darkened background.
Technical Details
ISO200, F4.5, 1/320s
Panasonic 30mm Macro f2/8
Processing: Lightroom. I lowered the shadows, lifted the whites and slightly increased the texture +4
Jay, welcome to NPN! This is a fine look at this flower, showing great detail both in the mass of stamen and in the petal edges. If this is a crop, space at the bottom of the frame similar to what you have at the top would be nice. My personal feeliing is that I’d like to see hints of background to the flower’s left (if there is any), similar to the subtle bits of green on the right. The greens to the right look fine. Wow, a 30 mm macro…you have to be very close!
Hi Mark, Thanks for the thoughtful ideas. Unfortunately, there isn’t any room left at the bottom of the frame but I did rework the edits a bit trying to bring out some of green in the background of the left. Admittedly, editing is not my strong suit but I definitely like how it looks!
Jay: Welcome to NPN and thanks for a fine first post. The rework is a definite improvement with the additional leaf detail complementing the petals nicely. As for the room at the bottom, with a uniform edge like you have here a simple AI generative expand can give you the extra room you need. I also edited your title to reflect that you have posted a rework. It’s always a good idea to do so so that members know to revisit the shot and comment on the changes. You can do that yourself by clicking on the pencil icon next to the title. Also, it usually works better to post the rework in the original post by using the edit (pencil) icon at the bottom of the dialogue box and then using the up arrow Icon to place the new shot. I’m not sure I described the process very well but congrats on a fine image and I’m looking forward to more of your work and comments on other images. >=))>
Hi Bill, Thanks for the positive feedback and the very cool AI generative expand, I have never seen that before. The example you showed looks awesome, I’ll need to try it out. Thanks for the tips on how to post rework. I will be sure to do that next time. I am really inspired by your macro photos - they are amazing!
