Having Trouble with "Less Is More"

[Chip]

Before I caught the photography bug, taking pictures was easy: I'd point the camera, press the button, and be happy. Now that I know just a little bit more, I'm becoming very much aware of all the variables that go into making a good shot. So, now I'm often confused about a lot of things.

One of the many things I'm struggling with is the "less is more" portion of composing a good shot. In the picture below, is the palm tree a positive, or is it a distraction? If it's a distraction, should it not be there at all or should I have made the tree out of focus?

Or, do the roses detract and would the photo be better with just the tree?

Also, for the roses on the left edge of the picture, should they be there? If I crop them out, then will the palm tree violate the rule of thirds?

I know this photo isn't anything special, but I'm hoping to learn what (or get a "feel" for) what's good composition.

Any critiques or issue spotting would be be appreciated.

Thanks.




EXIF:

Camera: Panasonic DMC FZ 18
Shutter: 1/640
Aperture: f/8
Focal Length: 11.7
ISO: 100

[Matthias099]

Overall I like your photo. I would not remove the palm tree. But it seems to grow out of the rose in the foreground. Next time I would try to just slightly move to either site so that they don't cover each other. Also it seems a little too dark, maybe try to brighten it some in pp.

[wulf]

What is the subject of the picture? The roses are colourful but rather small and round the edge. The tree is in the distance and partially obscured by the rose in front of it. The clouds are rather dull.

Is it a location near you where you can go back and try again?

Wulf

[Chip]

Wulf - Yes, I can easily go back and shoot again. Thanks for pointing out the "what is the subject" problem. I think that is what I was getting at when asking about the "tree v. roses as a distraction," but the way you put it more appropriately captures the problem I'm having.

When I go back, my sense is that the tree by itself would be a better picture, and that I should get a good bit closer to it. Thoughts?

Matthias - Thanks. I did have the exposure turned down when I took that shot, maybe a bit too much. The sun was going in and out from behind the clouds, so I was guessing as best as I could. And thanks for noticing that the rose was covering up the tree trunk. As many times as I looked at this photo, I never noticed that before.

Thanks for the feedback.

[dakwegmo]

Yeah, I don't think the problem here is one of simplicity (or less is more), but one of not having a clear subject. I've found that once I learned the basic composition rules, when I had a clear idea of what I was trying to convey with a photo the composition got a lot easier.

[wulf]

The tree would work as a subject - your challenge is to end up with something that isn't just a snapshot of a tree but a memorable photo.

One thing you might want to do is look at what other people have done with a similar shot - for example you could browse interesting palm tree pictures on Flickr. A lot of the idea won't be applicable to your setting and some, frankly, won't be very good but you should be able to sketch down a few ideas - eg. "close-up of the trunk, shot looking up the tree (diagonal layout), silhouette against interesting background", etc.

Try some of these ideas and you should find others popping into your head as you walk round with your eyes open.

Wulf

[Chip]

Thanks everyone. Very helpful comments.

To state the obvious, there are lots of palm trees here in Florida, so I'll try to create a memorable shot with one or more of them at some point soon.

[navy.wife_2004]

i think it's a bit of a distraction, but we're all different and like different things. nice shot tho. love the focus.

[PhotoNewt]

As others have mentioned your problem is that this photo has no clear subject. There is a difference between taking a snapshot and making a photographic composition.

A snapshot (and there is nothing wrong with taking snapshots when needed) is a quick photo intended to document a place or a moment. This is not a creative composition and is what most of us shoot around family events and during vacations. Knowing about composition and photographic technique will make your snapshots much better than those of other snapshooters in the family.

A photographic composition is an artistic rendition of a subject, it begins by selecting a subject, then deciding what you want to say or accentuate on that subject, then deciding how are you going to compose it - all of this BEFORE even setting up the camera. This mental process will lead to the proper selection of exposure parameters, color balance, filters, viewpoint, distance to subject and others to achieve the look that you have already composed on your mind.

In my humble opinion, if you need to analyze your photo after the fact to define what the subject is, is a snapshot!

[Chip]

Navy Wife - Thanks for the nice words.

PhotoNewt - Thank you for the insightful response. I'm obviously more in the snapshooter mode now, but will hopefully slowly transition into the photographic composition mode from time to time in the not too distant future.

I'm thinking about tweaking a phrase that James Carville made famous and writing "It's the subject, stupid" on the back of my camera. Lots to learn, and I need all the reminders I can get.

Thanks again.