Beautiful Flower

Taken in Northville, NY in the beginning of Summer.

Posted by Katherine Morgan on Thu, 06/24/10 19:10
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Comments by Jeff Dye on Thu, 06/24/10 20:22

I just came in from photographing a flower (a pretty one) in my yard so at the moment I'm in
flower mode. Yes, it's pretty but there are several problems. The light on the flower is good.
No harsh highlights but look at the background. Clutter and high contrast problems back
there. The wood takes up a significant area of the frame. Arguable whether it's attractive or
not. IMO it's not, at least so much of it. The stamen area of the flower is just about dead
center. Generally, that's not a good place. I don't know what your gear consists of. If it's a
DSLR there are inexpensive but very effective filter like attachments that allow you to get in
much closer if you're as close now as your lens will allow.
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Comments by Jan Bjorklund on Thu, 06/24/10 20:38

I find that a uniform background would have worked better than the division between the brown on the right and the distant blurred area on the left. The brown extending across the background could have created the sense of a flower set against a fence while at the same time I find an open area like on the left leads the eyes of the viewer away from the focal point of the picture; namely, the flower.

I would agree with Jeff about getting in as close as your camera will allow you... filling the image with the flower would be the optimal but that is not always possible or desirable.


Comments by Tanya DeLeeuw on Fri, 06/25/10 16:30

I enjoy the rich colour and detail in the flower, Katherine.

Although I agree with Jeff and Jan that the left-background is a bit distracting, I also know that one can't always choose the perfect background (and my own preference is not to move things to secure a better background).

The contrast of the flower against the wooden post, though, is lovely.


Comments by Jeff Dye on Fri, 06/25/10 18:35

"One can't always choose the perfect background." Not true! EVERYTHING within the frame
is chosen or should be. Everything includes the main subject and what may be in front, on
each side, and in the back. One can't or shouldn't conclude, "nice subject, lousy
background, but it doesn't matter." It doesn't matter if you're satisfied with mediocre work.
If you want your work to steadily improve it really just comes down to paying attention to
strict composition.


Comments by Tanya DeLeeuw on Fri, 06/25/10 18:53

Point taken, Jeff! That's what Photoshop's for! ;-)


Comments by Tanya DeLeeuw on Sat, 06/26/10 10:29

I should expand on my 18:53 comment ... of course, one always tries to get the best background/composition ... however, sometimes there are once-in-a-lifetime shots that you've got a few seconds to catch and then it's gone forever ... so a little PS help with the background is called for.

Have a great weekend, everyone!


Comments by Bob Buckles on Tue, 06/29/10 21:23

I'd go for the wood background. It makes a nice contrast with the flower. Don't know how long that stem was, but I'd try to swing the flower to the right if possible.


Comments by Alias on Fri, 07/02/10 18:57

Katherine,
I think there was a better image available right where you were with a little more care.
I find the beach and water far more interesting than the wood, but they are so tilted and
blurry that they just distract. I think by getting lower you could simplify the image.
Sometimes centered images can work, but seldom when it appears accidental rather than
deliberate. Also, absolutely nothing is sharp.

Just for reference:

.