I have attached three images, the first as it came out of the camera on the day, the second with a bit of modification and tidying up and the third a cropped image from the main photo. I use a Fujipix HS10 camera (bridge not full DSLR)
I will be interested to hear your comments
If you make any suggestions regarding alterations and if involves doing something, can you also tell me how - I use a basic editing program (not photoshop) and GIMP if I can manage it.
Thanks.
Attachments
DSCF3141 original.jpg (71.13 KiB) Viewed 6859 times
DSCF3141 modified.jpg (91.89 KiB) Viewed 6859 times
DSCF3141 modified cropped.jpg (200.72 KiB) Viewed 6859 times
Well 25 views and no comments as yet, how disappointing, I thought that we were going to try and generate a comment/critique culture to help each other out?
Ann,
May I start by asking what you wanted to achieve when you took this photo? If you wanted a macro image then in my opinion you would have needed to get in much closer to isolate a small part of the dandelion ( although I'm not sure if your bridge camera can focus in as close as required).
I find the composition too central, I think that for this to work the main subject would have needed to be more interesting. Of the three images posted I prefer the second one.
It takes time Pauline. I agree about the second image being the strongest, but it still needs more depth of field for me. I'm not so worried about the central composition.
So tripod, smallest possible aperture and waiting for the dandelion to stop waving in the breeze are where I would go. A reflector can be handy to reduce wind effects as well as filling in light.
It was intended as a macro photo but I couldn't have got any closer to the flower without missing some of the flower itself from the image, which is what I wanted - the whole flower centrally positioned. The crop was an afterthought when looking at the image later and is intended as an abstract image rather than a record of a macro flower image - I think it is a square crop.
It seems that as all of you preferred the second image as opposed to the first, I must have done something right when processing it, with a bit of sharpening and brightness/contrast/colour saturation.
I will note the suggestion of tripod - something I still feel uncomfortable using. Also in using the smallest aperture and waiting for the flowers to stop moving in the breeze.
I have looked at the images now on several occasions, before I pass my views. As a newcomer I am not able to pass a complete critique as such, just my views as I see them. I dont see an awful lot wrong with execution. You have pulled two reasonable images from your starting image. We can talk of our personal views as to compostion, (im in the offset camp..) but that is what they are views. You have processed the second image to an acceptable level, making a nice image. I would prefer to see the stem of the plant, or something to give it a little scale. The third image in my view is the strongest. With its pattern formations. Reminds me of fireworks. I like the background to it. Everytime you look at it you see it a little differently, and that holds your interest.
Don't be too dismissive of the GIMP. With exception of some of the fancy filters there is nothing I have found I can do in photoshop that I can not do in the GIMP.
Number 2 for me but square crop and maybe a little vignette to darken down the corners.
Having said that number 3 would make a killer wallpaper for your monitor.
Stu B wrote:
As a newcomer I am not able to pass a complete critique as such, just my views as I see them......
No need to apologise for your lack of experience.
Everyone can look at a photograph and get some reaction from it, and everyone's views are valid and welcome.
