Please Critique Photo of Tulip

[shutterdog]

What do you think? Do you love it, hate it...have suggestions for improvements. Do you think that the center of the flower being out of focus is a distraction or not? Click on photo twice to see larger pic. THANKS!


"Faded Valentine" 2/17/11

Camera Sony DSLR-A290
Exposure 0.006 sec (1/160)
Aperture f/8.0
Focal Length 210 mm
ISO Speed 100
Exposure Bias 0 EV
Flash Off, Did not fire
Natural Light Only

[dakwegmo]

I'm not sure what you're looking for, so I'll just give my general impressions.

First, I like the light and the composition. The way the light falls on the petals is nice, and the leaves or stems at the bottom make for a more dynamic composition that keeps your eye moving around the image. That said, I find the lack of detail in the flower itself distracting. I want to go in there looking for details, but there are none in there. A smaller aperture and longer shutter speed would have really helped. The greenery coming in from the side is also distracting. Since this was a controlled shot, it would have been better to remove that. Lastly, I would have tried to do something about the reddish/brown background, it's competing for attention, because our eyes want to go to the color, and there's not any in the main subject, a black or gray background would eliminate that distraction.

[shutterdog]

Thank you. I was looking for exactly what you felt overall about the photo. Funny that I see a black background and not the brownish background you are referring too. Does everyone else see a brown background or black?

[photocist]

You might need to calibrate your monitor. I see it brown as well.

It seems to be a bit underexposed too