The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I’m not sure this one actually belongs in the Flora Category, but I guess it is ultimately the image of a flower. This was at the Huntington Chinese Gardens a few years back.
Specific Feedback
Is the composition acceptable with the flower centered? My original crop had more plants on the right and top, and I ended up adding some canvas to the bottom and left.
Technical Details
Canon 5DMiii, f5.6, 1/1600s, iso 640, 100-400 at 400 mm. Shooting birds. . . .
Critique Template
Use of the template is optional, but it can help spark ideas.
You produced a very unconventional view of a lotus flower with some interesting lighting. The single greenish petal projecting to the right seems to be OOF and wish that it was as sharp as the rest of the petals. Flowers always challenge DOF, but you were able to get most of the flower including the FG elements nice and sharp. Several light areas on the leaf seems to pull my eye away from the flower. And there’s a lot of good stuff in this image including comp, lighting, and color scheme. The shadows bring out a lot of depth and certainly make this one pretty good. Curved stem and flower hanging down gives us a view that we normally do not see. The small bit of leaf provides a foundation for the comp. Colors are great and the BG with those shadows are especially nice. I like this image because it is unique. Well done…Jim
Jim covered most of the nits I might have picked up on, Ed. I might be tempted to crop in just a bit on the left side and if you don’t have too much ugly stuff to deal with on the right, you could add the same amount of canvas to that side. It’s a beautiful and unusual view.
Thank you for the great analysis @Jim_Zablotny, and for your concurrence @Dennis_Plank. I recropped and reworked this a bit. Not sure I really came up with what I wanted though.
While I really like the 2nd version, I’m curious as to why you feel it isn’t what you wanted. I ask because I have a few shots I feel similarly about. There’s just something off about them and I can’t quite define what it is. I’m happy to help you work though it if you like. Maybe I’ll put up one of my conundrums and you can have a go at it. This is one of the more frustrating aspects of photography for me - hitting the right balance of what I want to present and what I saw.
Kris. Thank you for your help with this. I think it is the light on the leaf that still bothers me a bit with this one, compared to the new clarity of the water. I really have a hard time pinpointing what it is that doesn’t feel quite right.
@Bill_Fach, my apologies for leaving you out of my gratitude for the EP earlier. I really appreciate you for so many things, and for this EP. Thank you.
