Cegador (Prickly Pear)

Gallery: FloraPosted December 6, 201199 views5 comments

Nikon D5100 w/ Tamron 28-300VC
ISO 400, F10, 1/400 sec
Location: Superior, AZ - Boyce Thompson Arboretum

This image was taken at the same time & place as my previous post. The Arboretum has this labeled as a "Cegador" (Opuntia microdasys). These look much different from the prickly pear cacti that grow here in Arizona locally. Comments & critiques welcome.

Comments

5 comments

Comment posted by Mark Seaver on December 7, 2011 at 5:03 PM

The details in the central pad and the new growth are great. This is very nice as presented and I like seeing more than just the central pad, but I could also see looking for a composition without the bright areas on the left, both in front and behind the subject.

Registered on January 23, 2011, 1103 Posts, 17270 Comments

Comment posted by Gary Yeoh on December 7, 2011 at 7:50 PM

Tonia:
Like the sheen on the central pad. Agree with Mark about the left portion being a little bright. May be worth playing around with different crop.

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

Comment posted by Ian Wolfenden on December 8, 2011 at 3:58 AM

I like the way these plants seem to move across the frame, Tonia - this is nicely composed. Maybe a shade less exposure all round could be even better ?

Registered on May 18, 2007, 1108 Posts, 7647 Comments

Comment posted by Tonia Graves on December 8, 2011 at 2:47 PM

I did have a vertical version to this which did not include the bright left pad, but it felt unbalanced over-all.

Registered on October 29, 2011, 92 Posts, 1035 Comments

Comment posted by Bill Fach on December 10, 2011 at 7:44 PM

Tonia: I agree with the others regarding the bright areas. This also looks soft to me. I tried some sharpening but to no avail so I'm not sure of the source of the lack of sharpness. At your settings of f10 and 1/400 I would not expect motion blur unless you were hand held near the 300mm end of your lens. Cool subject that warrants more looks. >=))>

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