Golden rays of summer . . .

[Kathy O]

Does anyone have any comments on this photo?? I would be interested to hear what other people think of this of this photo. Thanks.

[Digital]

Kathy, this is a nice shot; however IMHO your subject is in competition with your background.
Also the leaves on the left side are a distraction.

Bruce

[Polar01]

Very nice image Kathy, like the detail in the flower, however the flower and the back ground are fighting for attention.

Cheers:

Allan

[Brownbear]

Beautiful colour and light... I agree with the comments about the background.

[brucehughw]

Hi, Kathy.

As soon as I saw the photo, and before I read the first two posts, I had a similar thought: the background competes too much with the foreground. I took some flower shots recently, and paid a lot of attention to getting a dark background. Light backgrounds, imho, tend to distract. In the attached image, I saw the pretty flower and then moved around until I could place it in front of a darker background.

Happy shooting,

Bruce

[Kathy O]

Thanks for the comments everyone -- much appreciated!

[Brownbear]

Hi Kathy,

I'm reading a book called "Digital Flower Photography" by Sue Bishop, 2008 Edition. It's a great book which covers the subject very well.

Christina

[Kathy O]

I do understand what everyone is saying about the background, but I also want to say that I really get tired of looking at flower photography and it all looks the same (you see one flower photo you have seen them all) I kind of thought this photo was unique, different and pretty all at the same time, not like all of the others, with that said I do respect the opinions of more experienced photographers than myself ( I only dabble in the art, wish I had time to do more than dabble!) Thanks again for all the great feedback!!

[Kaye Leggett]

I agree with the others (sorry Kathy), but wonder if you could make something of this photo by cropping hard and having yellow on yellow ? I've experimented with white on white this summer and tried pink on pink today (need practise on this one though) You may also need to clone out the stem of the background flower.

[ScoutR]

I kind of thought this photo was unique, different and pretty all at the same time( I only dabble in the art, wish I had time to do more than dabble!) Thanks again for all the great feedback!!

I'm with you Kathy, I love it. I too understand what the rest are saying but to me this shot stands out for the exact reasons that you like it. Keep dabbling.

Wendy

[Stagecoach]

Hi Kathy,

I fully concur with your post No 8, what you are saying and aiming for.

There are flower images that are ideal for seed catalogues and flower images that are ideal for hanging on a wall and being appreciated for their beauty. Both have a place in photography.

[Kathy O]

I'm with you Kathy, I love it. I too understand what the rest are saying but to me this shot stands out for the exact reasons that you like it. Keep dabbling.

Wendy

Wendy,
Have you posted any of your photo's lately?? I love your work and have missed seeing your creations. I am sure you have posted but I do not get on here as much as I used to. Thanks for the compliment on my photo -- I appreciate it!

Kathy

[ClaudioG]

Hi Kathy, i love your image and i appreciate the reason you've taken it like that and not followed the norm,( which also has nothing wrong or really normal about it. ) The only thing is maybe crop leaves on left...it'll take away that really bright part on left as well. Great image though. I stayed on it longer than when i look at other flower images.

[Kathy O]

I agree with the others (sorry Kathy), but wonder if you could make something of this photo by cropping hard and having yellow on yellow ? I've experimented with white on white this summer and tried pink on pink today (need practise on this one though) You may also need to clone out the stem of the background flower.

Thanks for your input, it is appreciated!

[Kathy O]

Hi Kathy, i love your image and i appreciate the reason you've taken it like that and not followed the norm,( which also has nothing wrong or really normal about it. ) The only thing is maybe crop leaves on left...it'll take away that really bright part on left as well. Great image though. I stayed on it longer than when i look at other flower images.

Claudio,
Thanks for your compliment, I do want to play with the crop a little bit and see how it changes the photo. The photo was taken at sunset the sky was just so beautiful but where I was located a photo of the sky just wouldn't have done it justice (to many electric wires and poles) so I decided to take a photo of this marigold instead and decided to include a glimpse of the sunset in the background and for some reason the flower in the background does not bother me, I have played with the idea of getting rid of the leaves on the left, we'll see what happens when I start playing with the crop. Thanks again for your input.

Kathy

[Kathy O]

Hi Kathy,

I fully concur with your post No 8, what you are saying and aiming for.

There are flower images that are ideal for seed catalogues and flower images that are ideal for hanging on a wall and being appreciated for their beauty. Both have a place in photography.

Thank you Grahame, and yes I agree both have a place in photography, that is what makes it fun!

Kathy

[FootLoose]

Well, I like it. I love the yellow on gold, I think that makes it a very high energy photo. Others have said that the 'main subject' competes with the background, but I think it is that struggle that gives the image its visual intensity. I don't see this as a flower shot: the subject is the light - as the title indicates - and I think you have done well to capture it.

[Kathy O]

Well, I like it. I love the yellow on gold, I think that makes it a very high energy photo. Others have said that the 'main subject' competes with the background, but I think it is that struggle that gives the image its visual intensity. I don't see this as a flower shot: the subject is the light - as the title indicates - and I think you have done well to capture it.

Thank you so much, your description of the photo is exactly what I wanted the photo to say, I just couldn't find the words.

Kathy

[dan marchant]

I really like the shot, including the background colour. For me the only problem is that the background is a little too bright. Darkening it slightly in PP would keep the great colour but allow the flower to stand out more.

[Kathy O]

I really like the shot, including the background colour. For me the only problem is that the background is a little too bright. Darkening it slightly in PP would keep the great colour but allow the flower to stand out more.

Thanks for your advice!!