Not quite spring + Repost

Gallery: FloraPosted April 1, 201146 views8 comments

We had a brief glimps of 60 and even 70 degree weather, only to be knocked back into the 30s and a bit of snow. The crocuses did't seem to mind and the light dusting only added to their beauty.

For me, this is about the winter/spring contrast and the tiny snow crystals. I tried to find a grouping of the best looking flowers and then chose an aperature that emphasized the purple and green color scheme. The left-most blossom is just touching the top of the frame, which was an oversight. I don't do much flora, but would like to pursue it more this year.

Any tips, suggestions or critiques are truly welcome. I'm still training my eye and learning technique.

Nikon D80
Mode: Aperature
ISO: 200
Lens: Nikon 300mm f/4 & TC-17E II
Exp: 1/15 sec at f/10
Tripod & exposure delay (no mirror lockup on the D80)

Comments

8 comments

Comment posted by Pat Sampson on April 2, 2011 at 7:39 AM

Jeff,

I don't recall commenting on one of your images before, so welcome to the Flora gallery. I like the textures you captured in this and the image concept. Compositionally, I have a little trouble separating the sharp plants from the more blurred bg shapes. Also the partial fg crocus draws my eye away from the in focus primaries. I might have tried to find a point of view that isolated a couple of these without the others in the bg. I don't know that, that was possible of course. This may just be me. I prefer strong subject separation in images. In any event, it's a good looking image as posted and I hope to see more flora images from you.

pat

Registered on May 19, 2007, 953 Posts, 15989 Comments

Comment posted by Bob&Charly Nelson on April 2, 2011 at 6:49 PM

A wonderful natural image Jeff. Great eye and capture.
Bob

Registered on October 27, 2005, 289 Posts, 4202 Comments

Comment posted by Jeff Loomis on April 2, 2011 at 9:58 PM

Thanks so much for the honest feedback. After considering your comments, I tried cropping to eliminate the oof foreground flower and emphasize the three sharpest flowers. I also darkened the background to try to create some more separation. I think the result is a simpler comp with a little more pop. What do you think?

Registered on January 26, 2010, 68 Posts, 719 Comments

Comment posted by scott lanz on April 2, 2011 at 10:21 PM

I liked the original, but I like the repost much more. Very nice image.

Registered on November 14, 2003, 840 Posts, 12902 Comments

Comment posted by Angela Classen on April 2, 2011 at 10:39 PM

The repost is definitely better. The little OOF bud in the front was a bit distracting. Love the color scheme, and the frosty particles on the blooms are very, er - COOL

Really nice image.

Registered on June 13, 2007, 434 Posts, 2742 Comments

Comment posted by Morris McClung on April 3, 2011 at 5:15 PM

Lovly deep rich color. I also like your dof and pov, and the pof, too.

Registered on May 7, 2007, 670 Posts, 19650 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Yeoh on April 4, 2011 at 1:35 AM

Jeff:
The repost is definitely stronger.

Registered on September 1, 2009, 588 Posts, 8184 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Fach on April 6, 2011 at 1:11 PM

Jeff: Poor little guys, but then again they certainly seem to like the cold. We have tried to grow them but with little or no success but it just does not get cold enough here. The repost is a nice improvement. I've edited your title to reflect that you have a repost but you can do this yourself in the future to let others know there is an alternate version available. Nicely done.>=))>

Registered on November 1, 2003, 1805 Posts, 26981 Comments