Flower Gazing at the Ocean

[thefly1985]

First off, I am not sure whether this belongs in landscape or not, but the landscape is definitely a prominent area of this photo graph. Also, this was taken with a point and shoot camera that I happened to have with me in Uruguay during this sunset. I did a little cropping and basic editing with Flickr when I uploaded the photo.

Questions:
What do you think about the composition here (I didn't necessarily follow the rule of thirds)?
Is there any post processing that you would recommend here?
Finally, what would you have done differently (other than use a DSLR)?



EXIF:
Device model: Canon PowerShot A710 IS
Focal length: 5.8
FNumber:4
Exposure time: 1/125
No Flash
Hand Held

[KansaiGreenie]

What a nice photo. In answer to your questions:

1. What do you think about the composition here (I didn't necessarily follow the rule of thirds)?

I think the composition is great! It's got a nice balance. The negative space in the upper right balances with the flower on the lower left.

2. Is there any post processing that you would recommend here?

I'd like to see more saturation in the colors, but I love images with heavy, sticky colors. Also, if it were my photo I would make the sky a little darker, but the flower a little brighter so that the flower pops off the screen.

3. What would you have done differently (other than use a DSLR)?

I would have gotten down a little lower and shot upward a bit. I would have tried to get just a little bit of space between the bottom of the flower petals and the coastline. Just to seperate out the flower more.

KG

[thefly1985]

Originally Posted by KansaiGreenie

What a nice photo. In answer to your questions:

1. What do you think about the composition here (I didn't necessarily follow the rule of thirds)?

I think the composition is great! It's got a nice balance. The negative space in the upper right balances with the flower on the lower left.

2. Is there any post processing that you would recommend here?

I'd like to see more saturation in the colors, but I love images with heavy, sticky colors. Also, if it were my photo I would make the sky a little darker, but the flower a little brighter so that the flower pops off the screen.

3. What would you have done differently (other than use a DSLR)?

I would have gotten down a little lower and shot upward a bit. I would have tried to get just a little bit of space between the bottom of the flower petals and the coastline. Just to seperate out the flower more.

KG

Thanks for the advise KansiGreenie! I hadn't noticed it before, but now I see how a little space between the flower petals and the coastline could have helped made the flower stand out. I am very new to this, so I am limited in my ability to edit my photos, but I think I will give it a try. I guess I will have to do some digging the the forums, but this might be a good image to practice with. Thanks again!

[BBenson]

Nice shot. The flower & stem seems a bit dark. Maybe a white card to bounce a little bit of light onto the flower and stem, provide a bit of separation. But not too much - still want the backlights on the stem to be strong. Yea, I usually don't have a card with me when shooting sunsets either, so improvise.

Bob

[thefly1985]

Originally Posted by BBenson

Nice shot. The flower & stem seems a bit dark. Maybe a white card to bounce a little bit of light onto the flower and stem, provide a bit of separation. But not too much - still want the backlights on the stem to be strong. Yea, I usually don't have a card with me when shooting sunsets either, so improvise.

Bob

Thanks for the insight Bob! I'm still learning and its always providing me with new things to try. However, I am getting ready to head up to Alaska for two months and I don't think I'll be able to duplicate this shot up there in -40 F!

[wal]

Nice pic.. the colors are nice and not too overly exposed. the flower makes a nice subject with a bright background such as this.. the only thing bothering is the landscape at the background. IMO, if this was taken at a lower angle, it could be better..

[BBenson]

Originally Posted by thefly1985

Thanks for the insight Bob! I'm still learning and its always providing me with new things to try. However, I am getting ready to head up to Alaska for two months and I don't think I'll be able to duplicate this shot up there in -40 F!

Control the light! OK, there won't be a lot of sunlight there for a while, depending on where you are. Makes it more important. Expect anything from nicely soft to really harsh, to dark if you're sufficiently north. Technically, go easy on transitioning temps. I used "warm" and "cold" cameras at the North Slope, didn't break any film (was a while back). Batteries drain rapidly in the cold, high school chem, +/-10C, etc. Figure how you can keep them warmest, swap them appropriately, keep your fingers unfrozen. Beautiful up there in winter, very unforgiving

Bob

[thefly1985]

Originally Posted by BBenson

Control the light! OK, there won't be a lot of sunlight there for a while, depending on where you are. Makes it more important. Expect anything from nicely soft to really harsh, to dark if you're sufficiently north. Technically, go easy on transitioning temps. I used "warm" and "cold" cameras at the North Slope, didn't break any film (was a while back). Batteries drain rapidly in the cold, high school chem, +/-10C, etc. Figure how you can keep them warmest, swap them appropriately, keep your fingers unfrozen. Beautiful up there in winter, very unforgiving

Bob

Thanks Bob. Sounds like some good advice to me! I think keeping my fingers from freezing is probably going to be the toughest part, since I'm gonna be doing a lot of work outside, but hopefully I'll get a little bit of time to capture some pictures.

[denja]

This is an absolutely lovely image. The first think that I saw when looking at this image was the one bloom opening wide to the last bit of sunlight, while the bud i back of it was already in shadow and drooping. I took the liberty of playing wit it a little, and did a slight dodge on the sun, added a little saturation, and boosted shadow detail. If you would like me to take this down, let me know. Otherwise let me know what you think.

Jim

[thefly1985]

[QUOTE=denja;792200]This is an absolutely lovely image. The first think that I saw when looking at this image was the one bloom opening wide to the last bit of sunlight, while the bud i back of it was already in shadow and drooping. I took the liberty of playing wit it a little, and did a slight dodge on the sun, added a little saturation, and boosted shadow detail. If you would like me to take this down, let me know. Otherwise let me know what you think.

Jim

Thanks for the input Jim. I do like what you did with the shadow detail, but I am not too crazy about how the colors are pixelated on the flower. The idea is good, but I wish this photo was shot in RAW so I could be a little more flexible in the post processing. Thanks again!