Cactus

[JBW]

[bugster0121]

Not sure why (maybe an expert can chime in and I could very well be wrong here ?) but this just doesnt hit any chords for me. Perhaps the empty right hand corner vs the brightness on the left IMHO. Perhaps cropping out the right as it seems sharper on the bottom third...

Thanks for sharing.

[JBW]

Not sure why (maybe an expert can chime in and I could very well be wrong here ?) but this just doesnt hit any chords for me. Perhaps the empty right hand corner vs the brightness on the left IMHO. Perhaps cropping out the right as it seems sharper on the bottom third...

Thanks for sharing.

Would it work better with a spider? I like it because of the movement from bright and sharp to dimmer and less focused. But then my wife will tell one and all my only good taste in in her as my life's partner.

[FrankMi]

Hi Brian, You have a lot of opportunity to explore different viewpoints with this image. Some other views may work better for you and others may not. I can provide you with some ideas to explore but in the end it is what you like that really matters.

For me, the high contrast background, and particularly the large white and small red background objects are grabbing attention away from the cactus. High contrast and bright colours will usually pull attention from low contrast and muted colours.

Because the background contrast is very similar to the cactus, the weak separation of the two causes the subject to become lost in the background.

Given the diagonal nature of cactus' position, flipping the image horizontally might also work. Lines running lower left to upper right will often be more pleasing than lines running from upper left to lower right.

You might consider cropping out the out-of-focus green and white right-hand corner. Sharpness elements will pull attention from out of focus elements, but out of focus elements in a prominent position in the image will usually detract overall.

Lastly, you could also try a 90° right hand rotation to a portrait orientation. Some objects, like a cactus, you expect to see upright and not laying on their side. Usually the expected orientation hits a stronger emotional memory chord of similar experiences with the viewer.

All guidelines can be very effectively broken under the right circumstances but there is a reason that in most images, they work quite well and produce a pleasing experience. I hope this helps!

[JBW]

[QUOTE=FrankMi;404489]Hi Brian, You have a lot of opportunity to explore different viewpoints with this image. Some other views may work better for you and others may not. I can provide you with some ideas to explore but in the end it is what you like that really matters.

Lastly, you could also try a 90° right hand rotation to a portrait orientation. Some objects, like a cactus, you expect to see upright and not laying on their side. Usually the expected orientation hits a stronger emotional memory chord of similar experiences with the viewer.

Actually all of what you said makes sense, up to the 90 degree flip. The angle in the shot is the real angle of the cactus branch.

I saw the white background as framing rather than distracting but I can see it as a distraction.

I do have to agree that a better crop or more creative crop would be a help. Luckily this is a potted cactus so moving it around is no problem.
B.

[JBW]

Hi Brian, You have a lot of opportunity to explore different viewpoints with this image. Some other views may work better for you and others may not. I can provide you with some ideas to explore but in the end it is what you like that really matters.

For me, the high contrast background, and particularly the large white and small red background objects are grabbing attention away from the cactus. High contrast and bright colours will usually pull attention from low contrast and muted colours.

Because the background contrast is very similar to the cactus, the weak separation of the two causes the subject to become lost in the background.

Given the diagonal nature of cactus' position, flipping the image horizontally might also work. Lines running lower left to upper right will often be more pleasing than lines running from upper left to lower right.

You might consider cropping out the out-of-focus green and white right-hand corner. Sharpness elements will pull attention from out of focus elements, but out of focus elements in a prominent position in the image will usually detract overall.

Lastly, you could also try a 90° right hand rotation to a portrait orientation. Some objects, like a cactus, you expect to see upright and not laying on their side. Usually the expected orientation hits a stronger emotional memory chord of similar experiences with the viewer.

All guidelines can be very effectively broken under the right circumstances but there is a reason that in most images, they work quite well and produce a pleasing experience. I hope this helps!

Not sure I like the 90 degree flip.

[Shadowman]

Would it work better with a spider? I like it because of the movement from bright and sharp to dimmer and less focused. But then my wife will tell one and all my only good taste in in her as my life's partner.

It actually looks like its covered with spiders. I like it for the patterns and DOF.

[JBW]

It actually looks like its covered with spiders. I like it for the patterns and DOF.

I suppose it does. The patterns were what attracted me, the DOF was a bonus.