|
| Group |
Round |
C/R |
Comment |
Date |
Image |
| 11 |
Jun 25 |
Comment |
Hi Henry: I like both pictures, each one has its strong points. The monochrome shows better shadow detail in the shaded part of the arch; then the original color version has a dead twig at the left side of the frame which is connected to a tree that casts an interesting shadow on the rock foreground which has provided another point of interest. |
Jun 20th |
| 11 |
Jun 25 |
Comment |
Hi Nenette: The monochrome conversion has added impact and drama to this interesting scene. Then the addition of the seagull adds a great point of interest to an already fine picture along with the clouds in the sky.
The really good depth of field from bottom to the top of the buildings adds a lot of depth to the scene. |
Jun 20th |
| 11 |
Jun 25 |
Comment |
Hi Sheldon: This picture could be titled Survivor with this lone tree in an arid setting. Good depth of field from the bottom of the frame out to infinity, I like the ridges of sand in the foreground that lead you up to the tree which is the main center of interest.
The monochrome conversion has added some contrast, texture and shadow detail the original color version lacks. |
Jun 20th |
| 11 |
Jun 25 |
Comment |
Hi Peter: An amazing picture !! Some judges do not like dead centered images, I do not agree with that perspective at all. You have dead centered this picture perfectly and the composition works great, also the picture has high impact and drama.
The monochrome conversion was a good choice for this subject.
Great work !! |
Jun 20th |
| 11 |
Jun 25 |
Reply |
Hi Diana: Thanks for the kind critique. |
Jun 17th |
4 comments - 1 reply for Group 11
|
| 63 |
Jun 25 |
Reply |
Hi Charlie and Xiao: Thanks so very much for your comments and enhanced renditions of my blue and yellow iris flower. I found it very interesting your two renditions are quite similar in some ways and a bit different in other ways to each other. That is what makes this group #63 so very interesting is the different ways our members post process their images.
The two enhanced images carry a different mood than my image with less contrast. Gaussian blur seems to add more of an overall soft focus mood. cheers. |
Jun 14th |
| 63 |
Jun 25 |
Comment |
Hi Xiao: I like your creative idea and the mood you have created with the large leaf and the berry cluster a much lighter tone than the background.
I would blur out the background slightly more, but not to the point the stems totally disappear. If the stems disappear then the leaves and berry cluster would float in space, and this never looks right.
|
Jun 13th |
| 63 |
Jun 25 |
Reply |
Hi Pierre: This second version is an improvement in my humble opinion, as the flower grouping stands out from the background better.
I do not want to sound like an old crank nit-pic, if I may I would like to make another suggestion. In darkening down the background it has caused the dark areas at the edge of the frame to become more prominent. To correct this you could use your cloning tool at low opacity and blend in some green color in the darker areas; or perhaps use your blur tool at low setting. You would just have to practice in order to see what works best for you. cheers. |
Jun 13th |
| 63 |
Jun 25 |
Comment |
Hi Pierre: An interesting flower we do not have on the West Coast.
Using a long focal length zoom lens has resulted in a very well out of focus background, no distractions back there. My main thought is to darken down the background considerably, in my humble opinion it over powers the interesting flower. A darker background would make the flower stand out much better. |
Jun 12th |
| 63 |
Jun 25 |
Comment |
Hi Charlie: Another interesting subject photographed to perfection. I would never have considered photographing my cell phone.
With your 25 stacked images you have attained perfect sharpness front to back, then exposure is spot on for this particular subject. Your monochrome treatment fits this situation very well. I am glad you mentioned "tripod mounted" as this was vital in this case.
I probably would not have cut off the upper left corner, however this was your personal choice.
This picture is not a random snap shot, a lot of thought went into just how you wanted to present this subject, then excellent camera craftsmanship to get everything just so.
KUDOS. |
Jun 12th |
| 63 |
Jun 25 |
Comment |
Hi Alane: Hope you are on the mend from your recent surgery.
You have not furnished much information regarding how the picture was photographed, for instance what kind of lighting did you have, was a tripod used, what post processing program did you use ??
It appears to me this Hibiscus was photographed in sunny conditions with parts of the flower shaded. The lighting on the flower is quite spotty. If you are photographing flowers in open sun I find a diffusion screen is a necessity to soften the lighting, I have used cheese cloth in an embroidery hoop in this lighting situation and it works well, then diffusion screens are widely available. Most are made with translucent cloth of some type. I find cloudy conditions are ideal for flower photography, not full sun.
The central part of the flower seems sharp, however the outer petals are not sharp. If you are shooting at 300mm @ f/5.6 your depth of field will be very shallow, not sufficient to provide good sharpness on the entire flower. |
Jun 12th |
4 comments - 2 replies for Group 63
|
| 75 |
Jun 25 |
Reply |
Hi Alison: You have a heavy load with three kids at U.S. colleges. KUDOS to you for helping the kids further their educations. |
Jun 26th |
| 75 |
Jun 25 |
Reply |
Hi Ray: You are correct, some of the flowers at the top of the frame are not quite as sharp as the ones closer in. Could have used focus stacking but did not.
I was drawn to the scene by the variety of colors in the Zinnia flowers. cheers. |
Jun 10th |
| 75 |
Jun 25 |
Comment |
Hi Ray: The black and white presentation was perfect for this setting, a very stark and cold environment. Glad you told us you shot this scene through a bus window, that explains the ice crystals at the bottom of the image otherwise I would have wondered what what caused that texture. A good job of seeing and quite creative. The new cell phones are amazing in what they will do, however I will still keep my big and heavy DSLR. |
Jun 8th |
| 75 |
Jun 25 |
Reply |
Hi Alison: Thank you for the kind words. |
Jun 7th |
| 75 |
Jun 25 |
Comment |
Hi Mo: Very professionally done in all ways. Against a white background this Dahlia picture would fit well in a high end art gallery. Shot in your light box the flower just seems to glow, it has a different character than lets say a flower shot outdoors in cloudy lighting. Thanks for sharing. |
Jun 4th |
| 75 |
Jun 25 |
Comment |
Hi Alison: Let me just say in the very short time you have become a photographer you are doing great in your presentations, and this flower picture points this out. Excellent technical quality, the dark green out of focus background is very well done and then very sharp detail on the flower and buds. Did I mention perfect lighting !!
You have chosen a plant with a very nice artistic design with the main flower and unopened buds, and presented it very well. The the thin white border adds that final touch.
I do not want to come across as an old crank nit-pic, however may I offer you a suggestion regarding something to be aware of in future flower pics. The bottom pointer of the flower merges with the flower stalk in back of it, if you were to move a small amount left or right it would give some separation between these two flower parts.
Out here in Washington State this flower is known as Shooting Star which is the common name. The scientific name is Dodecatheon and there are various cousins found across the country. cheers...
|
Jun 4th |
| 75 |
Jun 25 |
Comment |
Hi Vincent: My thoughts regarding this June picture are very similar to my thoughts on your May entry.
I prefer your original as it shows some habitat as to where the yellow flower lives and the flower feels grounded. I would darken down the original flowers background slightly, especially the yellow flower at the upper right.
To me this June entry seems to float in space and lacks sharpness and texture. I cannot tell where your picture area ends and the black web page begins, a thin border would help to define the picture area from the black web page.
|
Jun 4th |
4 comments - 3 replies for Group 75
|
12 comments - 6 replies Total
|
