Power Of Nature

This 'Lone Poppy' was the only one growing in this field of wheat for nearly a mile square, its bright colour shone amongst the wheat almost like a symbol of hope,and remembrance and I was moved to take this image a few months ago not knowing where or how I would use it,but since then I have donated it to a charity called 'Help For Hero's' which helps injured servicemen and women when they come home to their loved ones with all proceeds from the sale of this image on my website going to this brilliant chairty,but for me its a great way of showing how nature at every level can help in one way or another and not getting into the rights and wrongs it's just good to help others by doing my bit, I have already had a great response from the founders of this charity,public. Thank you

Nikon D300
Nikon F4VR600
F4,1/1000
iso 200
Matrix
PP-CS3, Full Frame,Border added

Thanks For Looking

Craig
I see what you are trying to do. There is is one thing obvious(as this is a photo forum )
The poppy has to be dominant.!!

Dont want to get into ethics.
Soldiers have a chosen career,-like gardeners or scaffolders or lawers, or traffic wardens
Every job has its bad bits.
This forum not the place for this.
Cheers
John

Hi Craig

I was going to say (before I read the story) that this sort of conceptual image has a multitude of uses - media, symbolism, graphic design, etc. John has chosen his interpretation.

Taken as a natural history image, I like subject matter, the narrow band of focus and composition. The image suffers a little at this size though and is probably one that needs to be seen larger.

Cheers,
Chris

I can understand why you took it, Craig and glad that you have found a use for it, in a practical sense. A good story to go along with an excellent image. If it symbolises what you feel strongly about then post it and be damned

I just wish that hope didn't appear so small.

Great concept Craig, but I find the black frame overpowering and oppressive.

Good luck with the picture.

I like the image Craig. I like the isolation of the poppy and as a splash of prime colour in a neutral field it does stand out. If the poppy were a bit bigger it would enhance the image for sure but I also think that cropping some of the oof (not all) foreground would give more prominence without losing the effect of isolation. Just a thought. Incidentally, I have no problem with you telling us how this image will be used as it does give a bit of an insight into the thought process involved when taking the picture.
All the best
Robert.
ps. I'm not too fussy on that big black border either but I can see where you are going with it.

I would suggest 20% off the bottom crop Craig, makes more of a panoramic image but the oof is a little too dominant for me.

Andrew

like this a lot Craig, yes the poppy is small in the frame, but it's in a big field of corn

nice idea, well executed and good story behind the taking of the picture - well done

but I don't like the black border, a bit over powering for the image

cheers

Colin

Like others, I would like to see the poppy a little more dominant within the picture. Personally, the frame does not do anything for me. Great concept though, and well worth experimenting with further if you get the opportunity.

David

I like this. I like the use its being put to. I like the small poppy. And particularly like the symbolism. As with Chris oR's drag shot - less is more. The smallness of the poppy in the vast sea of wheat is what makes this work for me.

The border doesn't bother me unduly.

Nice to think that nature imagery can move people on levels beyond the obvious. And satisfying for Craig to be able provide an answer to the question "well yes nature photography is nice, but whats it actually doing"

FWIW - for a lot of reasons I disagree strongly, but respectfully, with John R's comments.

A lovely and moving composition.

Thank you all for your very nice and helpful comments,I see a large amount of viewings V comments again.
.The frame was just put onto show how the image has been given to the charity, a black frame,and the name inside/A2 size. I just put this together in CS3 to give you a flavour of the finished article which will be used by the charity as they see fit and I am not a great lover of these frames myself.I feel this image has a place on this forum as it's a landscape image which tells a story and that story is helping this wonderful charity so for me thats all that counts.Thanks again to the people who have given lovely comments and took the time to understand my motive for taking the image.Thank you

The size of the poppy if fine by me as it is still very dominant due to its colour. I agree about cropping the foreground. Maybe this was a situation that would have benefitted from more DOF?

Looking back yes Ian you are right,but I wanted to render as much of the BG from the poppy out of focus, so went for F4,thanks for that

I think I like the first more but without the black frame. Good story.

Edwin Kats

Well seen, Craig. Works well for me and is more symbolic to me as the result of the excessive use of herbicides in our countryside. A lone poppy hanging on in a sea of monocultured wheat that has been heavily sprayed no doubt with herbicides and insecticides! DOF just right as it isolates the flower.

Wow, Mark!!. That's exactly what I thought when I saw it, then I read Craig's comments, and my mind turned to other things.

Hi Craig

Much prefer the repost - I would be tempted to crop to an even tighter pano!

David

Thanks gents, the farming issue raised by Mark is a very good point and yes this poppy was hanging on in the face of mass produced food and when you look at it that way the wheat is like processed food,all the same colour,lifeless and no goodness (I always eat brown bread/rice,pasta etc ) and the pressure to make it pay comes at the cost of nature so in that reguard it works also,thanks Mark for pointing that out

I can see where your coming from Craig and i like it!!!!

Keith.

Craig

Congratulations the image works fine. The charity needs all the support it can muster.

Hi Craig, to be honest when I first saw this I didn't much care for it as I thought the poppy was just too small in the frame. However on coming back to it this evening and looking at it again I think you've got it about right. My only small niggle is the small dark area appearing at the head of the poppy and I might have been tempted to tone it down a little or indeed clone it out.

Best wishes and I hope it does well for your chosen charity, I'm sure it will.

Hi Craig,

Both a very nice images, but the second I prefer. The images both make me think of a lonely heart, which pretty much sums up the message you are trying to convey here. Nice one.

Fran