Well, Chris, if you want very honest yet fair criticism of these, post them over in the Flora Gallery. Those people will let you know what is good and bad, believe me. For me the colors are a little too much, and I am a color freak. The paintbrush in the first one are too close to the edges, the partial flower in the right middle is a problem, and the background should probably be blurred more. The background in the second one is just too busy and distracts from the main flower. That's my two cents anyway. Like I say, for advice from those who really know, try the Flora gallery.
Thanks Morris, I will do that. Yikes, I'm now seeing this on the gallery monitors and whoa are they colorful. Thats the problem editing on different displays... if all monitors were created equal... this thread will self-destruct in 24 hours if Rich and Rene are around... so enjoy the color burst for now folks...
Those colours are a bit ott on my monitor, but I like the comp. in #1, only negative with that one is the part Paintbrush cut off on the right!. Looks like flowers are getting going up in Indian peaks now!.
I like #1 for the most part but tend to agree with Morris's comments on that one. I really like the placement of the front flower in the second image. I might have moved over to th left a little and turned the camera more to the right, so as not to include the cluttered bunch of flowers in the upper left.
Posted by Rod Chandler on July 25, 2009 at 4:09 PM
I agree with everyone as well except on #1. I think the background realy detracts and should be cropped.
Critiques acknowledged! Thank you for the input; it makes me a better photographer and envisage...
Posted by Chuck Peacock on July 25, 2009 at 11:12 PM
I'm going to be a bit contrary.
Aside from the oversaturation I think both of these are excellent as is. I like the OOF background in the paintbrush shot - makes is not so "sterile".
The Columbine shot may a little off balance, but that's really nit-picking. The isolation of the front flower vs. those in the background is a great effect. If possible I would have tried to gently bend that lower left flower away to separate it from the main subject - or move to the left as Grant suggested.
Discussion
9 replies#1 Indian Paintbrush in the Indian Peaks Wilderness. Shot with Lumix LX3
Aside from the oversaturation I think both of these are excellent as is. I like the OOF background in the paintbrush shot - makes is not so "sterile".
The Columbine shot may a little off balance, but that's really nit-picking. The isolation of the front flower vs. those in the background is a great effect. If possible I would have tried to gently bend that lower left flower away to separate it from the main subject - or move to the left as Grant suggested.