Three Daisies. . . flowerpower

I've been getting some good feedback from this shot, but, I am not certain how I feel about it.
How do you feel about this one?
Thanks

Is this a real photo? It looks so perfect, as though assembled in PS. I like the depth of field to it, it's almost three dimensional. I can see it being used in a leaflet or PP presentation slide with writting down the right hand side.

I like it, but maybe it needs a bit of the grass or more of the plant from the foreground.

Greg

What no moon LOL

Another good one.

First off the colours of the daises are excellent and the shading of one of the daises on the other adds to the photo. The clouds are terrific along with the reflections in the water which gives you an indication of the rocky bottom underneath. It looks as if the daisies are in bright sunlight whereas the background is under a cloud.

Minor minor critique is that it would be nice to see the bottom of the daisies but then I think that might spoil the photo. Damn can't decide on this one. I like it and then I'm not that crazy about it but I never dislike it if that makes sense.

However the feelings are of great summer picnics on the banks of a river/a cove by the sea with good friends, good wine, and good food and lots of fun.

Hi Gary,
I feel a sad atmosphere in this shot. The sunlit flower with big dark clouds coming suggests the happy moment may not last long. Very sad.
yoyo

Everything in its place with this one Gary , flowers realy pop out at you almost like 3D ,My only critique here and its a small one ,the flowers seem to be held up by the photo frame , you need a few blades of grass or weeds in there with them .

In all well done :)

Glenn

Everything looks great on this photo. I like the composition and lighting on this the most. The shadows on the daisies really adds to the photo. I like where they are place and I'm not bothered by not having more foreground. I think this would have ruined the feel and anchored the daisies too much (one of those photos where you never know until you see it tho). I also really like how one of the daisies is "looking" right at the viewer.
What doesn't work for me is the DOF...it looks a little too blurred in the background where the sky and trees meet. Did you add blur to it or is this straight out the camera? It seems like I want a little more definition back there...may less grain? This is where the photo doesn't work for me.
But, that is just a nit pick, because overall I love this photo and think you did a wonderful job. Also I like how it has that "gahspidy feel" and fits with your portfolio very nicely...I can see it next to a canscape and it would not look out of place and even add to one of those photos.
Enough rambling...
Great Job
Cheers.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gahspidy

I've been getting some good feedback from this shot, but, I am not certain how I feel about it.
How do you feel about this one?
Thanks

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Wow, I really like this shot. You really got the perfect lighting of both the sibject and background. Props.

I have come back to this a few times, Gary. Finally I decided that I like it because of your, now classic, foreground/background contrapositioning of sharp v. blurry. Also the similar lighting/color technique that you so deftly used in your can series - as already mentioned by PlantedTao. However, I believe it only becomes special for me when I crop it to a square format, completely removing the darker cloud at the top. I understand that it completely changes the mood and compositional perspective but that would still be my suggestion. On a more basic technical level, I believe the middle daisy may need a burning-in of the back leaves and center to achieve the seperation and contrast the other two have - or it may just be a difference in monitors...

Well done, as usual.

Tuna

Greg . . .glad to know your thoughts on it

Roger . . .thanks for the time as always. Showing the bottom of the image was not an option as I had posed these three by standing them up between two rocks on the lake. If you saw how I held these up it looked ridiculous and some people in the area were looking at my prop like I was nuts. I had moved them around until the light had found them and then used a ND filter as well .

Yoyo. . .thanks for the comments. When you say this is Sad, do you mean that it hurts the image for you or the fact that it feels that way adds to the interest or effect? I wanted this to be very off-beat and odd somewhat as I usually like. Sort of like " A little Orange Flower"

Glenn . . .Thanks for the comments. The foreground seems to be the point of controversey.

PlantedTao . . .great thoughts and points you raise. First, glad to know your thoughts on the foreground issue. Second, yes, this is straight out of the camera. I think I too would have liked to see slightly greater dof. Third, I'm really happy to hear you say it has that gahspidy feel and like the Canscape comps as that is my goal. I'm working on doing flower shots in a non- typical way and composing them like the Canscapes I find effective. . .but I won't be doing the color on b&w. I have two other shots to go along this idea and they are " Little Orange Flower" and " Sunflower and Sky"
btw, the Canscape series is getting off to a good start and i will tell about it after the exhibits are over in late August

Snarkler . . .Thanks for the comments and happy to know it works for you. Welcome to the forum

Tuna . . .thanks for the analysis. I too have come back to this not sure if I want to include it as a piece but ulitmately feel it works and fits the comp that I was trying for. I agree about the burning in of the hot areas on the petals. As for the crop, I like it too, it took on a whole different feel and i thought it very good. I just am not sure if I want to lose the tension that the cloud brings and also lose the aspect ratio that i like. great points and comments, Tuna. Thanks

I like this but I don't love it ... and I think the reason why is that (for me) it feels as if there's some sort of "smoked glass" between the daisies and the background. The background has an overall "black" feel, which is not what I'm expecting to feel on a sunny day at the lake.

You may have been going for that intentionally, but for me, it strips the mood of joy, and makes it feel cold and tense.

I like this but I don't love it ... and I think the reason why is that (for me) it feels as if there's some sort of "smoked glass" between the daisies and the background. The background has an overall "black" feel, which is not what I'm expecting to feel on a sunny day at the lake.

You may have been going for that intentionally, but for me, it strips the mood of joy, and makes it feel cold and tense.

Hi Gary,
Sorry for the missed communication. I feel the sad atmosphere of the shot delivers. It does not hurt.
yoyo

Kelly . . .that makes sense to me and i can see what your describing Thanks for taking the time to comment.

Yoyo . . .thanks for clarifying.

Quote:

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Originally Posted by gahspidy

I've been getting some good feedback from this shot, but, I am not certain how I feel about it.
How do you feel about this one?
Thanks

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Gary, this is a neat shot. The flowers have that "bigger than life" appeal by opposition to the dark, intriguing background. An effect that you master very well. It's pretty and spooky at the same time, which make it different from the vast majority of the flowers shot I use to see.

My only concern is that the middle daisy lack definition comparatively to the others one as Tuna have already pointed out.

regards

Seb