Hydrangea at night...what am I missing?

[crabbyman]

I took this shot in my backyard last night. I did a little brightening in lightroom and tried to bring out the orange in the brick, but not much. I feel like there's a really interesting picture here, but I don't think I quite caught it here and I'm not sure why so I thought I'd see what other people had to say about it. I'm primarily looking for composition ideas as I don't generally like to do too many touch-ups, but any advice will be appreciated. I like how the flowers at the top are slightly blown out and the gate is out of focus, but I still feel like I'm missing something. Thanks!

If anyone can help me figure out what I'm missing I'll take another picture and see if that feels more complete.

Exif data
Camera Canon EOS DIGITAL REBEL XSi
Exposure 0.067 sec (1/15)
Aperture f/1.8
Focal Length 50 mm
ISO Speed 400

[KristerP]

First and foremost the garden hose (?) and the white plastic thingies on the wall are distracting. You could try to level down - and move into a position where your two "points of interest" (that being the gate and the flowers) are the only major objects in the photo.

[Michael_2010]

You will have to hire an electrician and have him remove that meter!

The lighting is the biggest problem with this one. You obviously want the focus to be on the Hydrangea bush with the gate as a blurred backdrop. However, the light is putting all the attention on the meter mounted to the wall. Plus, my eye is actually drawn past the Hydrangeas and toward the out of focus gate. To me that indicates the balance of the picture is a little out of kilter.

[KansaiGreenie]

Hi crabbyman,

This is interesting. I can clearly see what you want to communicate with the image but you're not quite there.

I agree with KristerP and Michael_2010. In any photograph, your eye is drawn to the brightest element in the image. In this image it is the meter box on the wall. The second brightest thing is the gate and the third is the walkway. The flowers are one of the darkest things and therefore don't attract our attention.

My advice is to control the light in the scene. A speedlite that you can use off the camera would be best, but if you don't have one, than go to the homecenter and get a painter's light. They are like an aluminum dish with a clip attached to it and are really cheap. The last time I got one it cost me about $5. Turn off the porch light and use the painter's light to direct the light on to the bushes. Using this would allow you to focus the light on the flowers and make them the brightest part of the scene.

I hope that helps.

KG

[crabbyman]

Thanks for all the tips. I think you're all right in that the electric meter and FiOS box really pull attention from the flower/gate.

Initially I thought the lighting was kind of cool, really highlighting the one hydrangea and dimming the rest of the scene, but the more I read your comments and look at it the more I agree that I'm really pulled to the gate/meters. Perhaps if the over exposed bud were in the middle that would solve this. I was planning on trying this shot again using the suggestions I got here, but the hydrangea is pretty dried out after 3 days of 100 degree + heat, so it might have to wait a bit. I do like the idea of a painter's light, I think that might capture what I'm looking for here. I'm fairly new to photography so I don't quite get all the nuances yet, your tips all really helped me out! Thanks again.

[Michael_2010]

Frequently our eyes will see the best in a scene like that, but the camera lens is not as forgiving.

I like the painter's light idea. That won't cost you an arm & a leg and it could turn into a great lesson in lighting.

[KansaiGreenie]

Back when I was a photo student, I couldn't afford equipment but I needed lights and I came across these in the hardware store. They are great because they are cheap, they've got a clip so you can attach them to things, you can change the bulb so you can different brightnesses, etc. The big problem (when shooting inside) is that they are hot and can be really uncomfortable for people to stand under for a long time. Of course, my preference is for speedlites, but these lights are a good work around.

I look forward to see what you come-up with next.

KG