Milkweed

[ScoutR]

Couldn't decide between this one and the one I posted in the Oct. comp so I thought I would put this one up for some C&C on composition. I like doing this kind of shot but find it very hard to compose when there are so many distracting Elements.


Panasonic Lumix G1: 20mm: 1/2000s: f1.7: ISO 200: 20mm

Wendy

[Donald]

An absolutely first reaction - no in-depth ponerding or analysis. Clicked it open, read your comment and reacted.

It feels too close up. I can't get the context. What is it? Where is it? Everything falling out of the frame. I want to put my hands on your shoulder and pull you back a couple of paces.

Now I'll go and take a longer look and may arrive at a different view.

[Geoff F]

Yes, possibly showing the whole of the seedpod may have produced a better composition. Even if it did mean losing the lower leaf.

[Katy Noelle]

Oooooo! I love the colors and textures and the light! You know that I love close up but, in this case, I'm having the same reaction as Donald - the lines are leading me out of the frame and I wish that I could step back just a titch. Do we lose the color and detail if we do???? How do we have both? You already know that I'm no expert; so, I'm going to wait and see what others say and LEARN! btw, though, this is really gorgeous!

[Dave Humphries]

Hi Wendy,

I can see what you're trying to do with the crop points on the right (I'd have done the same), but my first impression was also wanting to see 'a bit further up' the seed pod.

[Donald]

Right - got it ..... maybe.

Just been looking again at post #31 in the October Comp thread. And .... this one is too busy. There's too much in it. In the competition image there's a clear point of interest and the rest of the image is uncluttered.

[purplehaze]

Hi Wendy,

I am wondering if the thing I love about this composition is the very thing I might be tempted to criticize. Like Dave, I am wanting to see further up the seed pod, but the fact I can't creates a kind of tension that for me that totally suits the subject matter--a seed pod cracked open to reveal the inner beauty that will soon be dispersed to the winds. Of course we voyeurs want to see more, but sometimes less is more, especially when it reminds us of the discreteness (?) and evanescence of nature's beauty. Other that that, I want to say I absolutely adore the texture in this photo, and the contrast of smooth and prickly. Love your work.

Janis

[ScoutR]

Thanks to everyone for the feedback. Too busy seems to be the general consensus and I will agree. Stepping back got way busier though as the background started to come into focus and the background was a mess of weeds and grass.
I'm happy with the DOF in this one and that's what I'm working on right now. In the future I may have to spend some time with the trimming shears in order to get better composition.

Janis you are a poet, thanks for you different take on this. It kind of reminds me of the McCains Sweet Potato commercial where the commentator is waxing poetic about the qualities of the potato and the down to earth farmer stops him and says "It's a potato"
Please don't take that the wrong way, I appreciate your comments, but some people would look at this and say "It's a milkweed pod" Like some were saying in another thread, I'm glad we have different ideas and so many ways of seeing things.

Thanks again everyone
Wendy

[mythlady]

Well, I'm going to swim against the tide and say that I like it a lot -- when I clicked the thread open, my first reaction was, "Wow." Maybe a little bit more of the seed pod, sure, but the textures are so wonderful and I really do like the lines of it. The dof is great as well. And the colors. Did I say I liked the image?

[Dave Humphries]

Well, I'm going to swim against the tide and say that I like it a lot -- when I clicked the thread open, my first reaction was, "Wow." Maybe a little bit more of the seed pod, sure, but the textures are so wonderful and I really do like the lines of it. The dof is great as well. And the colors. Did I say I liked the image?

Actually I'm with you Elise, so that's two votes from the "it's not too busy" camp.

[ScoutR]

Thanks Dave and Elise: I have been going through my other shots. (who takes so many milkweed shots? ) and all the ones with the top of the seed pod have too much DOF and the ones with the required shallow DOF have the top of the seed pod cut off. LOL, I'm good at that sort of thing.

Thanks again for the feedback
Wendy

[purplehaze]

It kind of reminds me of the McCains Sweet Potato commercial where the commentator is waxing poetic about the qualities of the potato and the down to earth farmer stops him and says "It's a potato".

LOL. I was going to qualify my original post by saying that I am a prairie girl; although I don't think I would live anywhere else, I have been conditioned to take my thrills from little things like seedpods, if not potatoes.

Best,
Janis

[Wirefox]

have too much DOF

Focus blur tool is your friend Especially with relatively simple outlines like this. I was waiting on this thread so that when everyone was on a downer over the cropped seed pod I could sweep in all avant-garde and contradictory...but it seems Elise and Dave beat me to it

Its a tight crop but it is also very well composed with three corners of the frame 'holding' the image. And to borrow a quote from Katy "I love the colors and textures and the light!" (I wont do the "Ooooo" because my throat is sore from hot air burn) This image just felt right straight away. Well now you are suitably confused and torn betwixt the sensible and the downright ornery I would go with the gut feeling that made you post in the first place.

[Clactonian]

I find that my attention is divided by the open pod top left and the closed pod bottom right, with the casing disappearing top right, taking my eyes with it. Yet I still like it as a photograph and understand the arguments about questions, and tension. The colours are beautiful and the detail crisp. I have a foot in two camps with this one.

[wilgk]

It is the capture of the 'texture' that makes it terrific