The other half of Coupleofshooters

[RonCar10]

Canon EOS 40D,Tv 0.3, Av 32, ISO Speed 250, Lens EF180mm f/3.5L Macro USM, Taken at Longwood Gardens, PA approximately 9:15am.

This is my first post. My husband posted earlier. Could you please critique my water lilly on composition, lighting, and emotion of the picture?

[Bluenoser]

Hi RonCar10 - Not an expert at critique but I'll give a few comments.

I like composition on this. There are (imo) three elements/subjects in this image, the lily, the lilypads, and the reflection in the water. There is a nice balance between the three and no one part takes from the others.

I think the lighting is spot on. At first I thought it might be a bit overblown right around the core of the lily where the sun hits it, but after looking for a bit it actually falls nicely on the plant and adds shadow that brings out detail. The reflection is perfect and really adds to the overall symmetry.

Emotion - well let me just say that this image captures my eye and does evoke emotion from me.

Well done.

[RonCar10]

Dear Bluenoser - Thank you so much for your generouse critique. Your lingering with the waterlilly said a lot about the picture and you. The "well done" made my day. Hope to cross paths again in DPS.

[midnightpro]

I think this is a beautiful picture and i wish i could shoot like this. I love how the reflection of the lily has as much like on it as the original. MY only point of critisism would be maybe it is crop a little to tight and might look better with a little more space around the reflection. Nice work. Hope to see more of it.

[dmartinc]

The reflection is perfect, it really seems to glow from within. That's what makes this picture so good. The lily pads add a nice contrast but there's too much of them for my eye. I wish they were more at the periphery (and smaller ), but that's not what was there. Try to crop some of them out?

[RonCar10]

Dear MidnightPro - I'm new too and you can shoot like this. Thank you for the compliment. I agree that a little more space below the reflection would make a better pic, but unfortunately, there was another waterlilly. It was too busy to leave the second waterlilly in. Thanks for the critique. It really helps me to hear (read) what others think about my work. Hope to cross paths again in DPS - Carla

[jpel3500]

I think it's a great shot. I like the way the sunlight on the flower makes the reflection glow. Almost like two different flowers. A reflection (literal) of a reflection (figurative). Hope that made sense, it's awful early in the a.m. to get that deep! LOL.

Also really liked the other photographs you have posted on your site.

Good job. I like stuff like this!

JDPelfrey

[LeeR]

This is an excellent photograph, well thought out and well executed. The colors and the lighting are fabulous. I don't know that there is a lot of emotion in this image, but that's OK, sometimes it is ehough just to be beautiful.

Now, you have asked for critique and I am going to give it to you. Just remember all that has been said above. Overall, the image feels crowded like it has been cropped a bit too tightly. The objects in our photographs usually need a bit of room in which to 'swim'. Plus, empty space can actually be a very powerful thing in an image. If there is room, I would suggest leaving a bit more room especially to the top, bottom and right of the image.

[RonCar10]

Dear LeeR - Thank you for your critique. Cropping is difficult for me and I really appreciate your explanation of a subject's need for space. Unfortunately, there isn't any more space to "swim" in the original picture. I will keep your suggestion in mind in future compositions. Hope to hear from you again - Carla

[RonCar10]

Thanks jpel3500. My husband and I are all over the place in photo categories at this time. We do like macro though. Hope to meet again in DPS. - Carla