Sensuality: The Essence

[JBW]

Sensuality: The Essence ~ Sony Alpha a68 ~ Tamron 90mm 272E Macro Lens ~ ISO 100 ~ Shutter Speed 1/50s ~ F/7.1 ~ Natural Light ~ Exposure Compensation 0.0

Every flower, indeed every thing has its essence. If what I shoot will share their essence I get a good shot. Sometimes even a great shot.

Shot in our garden/temple somewhere in the Philippines.

Brian

[Manfred M]

Nicely seen and captured Brian. A very simple image and I really like that type of work.

A couple of things for you to consider:

1. I suspect a tiny crop along the top to eliminate the small dark area where the stem of the flower goes off the edge might be worth considering. It's a very tiny distraction.

2. The colours are a bit muddy. For a white flower, I would have expected it to have some areas of just about pure white, but I don't see any luminosity values above 210 where I would have expected something closer to 240.

[JBW]

Nicely seen and captured Brian. A very simple image and I really like that type of work.

A couple of things for you to consider:

1. I suspect a tiny crop along the top to eliminate the small dark area where the stem of the flower goes off the edge might be worth considering. It's a very tiny distraction.

2. The colours are a bit muddy. For a white flower, I would have expected it to have some areas of just about pure white, but I don't see any luminosity values above 210 where I would have expected something closer to 240.

Hi man, I tried eliminating the green above the flower but it also eliminated the curve. Not a trade-off I'm willinjg to make. I could have boosted the brightness but it was shot in the shade, it is not a pure white, closer to creamy white, and too much brightness would have ruined the softness. There was also open rich brown earth beneath the plant.

[Shadowman]

Nicely done, has quite the flow to the imagery.

[JBW]

Nicely done, has quite the flow to the imagery.

like cream from a jug

[Manfred M]

Hi man, I tried eliminating the green above the flower but it also eliminated the curve. Not a trade-off I'm willinjg to make. I could have boosted the brightness but it was shot in the shade, it is not a pure white, closer to creamy white, and too much brightness would have ruined the softness. There was also open rich brown earth beneath the plant.

Brian, the changes I was thinking of are very subtle.

[JBW]

Brian, the changes I was thinking of are very subtle.

The color change will depend upon personal taste and yours does look good too. I did try that crop and to me it destroys the flow.

[KenC]

After reading the additional info on your shot, I would have to say that the original has most probably what you wanted us to see. The adjustments don’t “hurt” the image, and just go to reinforce what I have been trying to teach myself about photography: we could all see the same scene and walk away with different results. That’s why it is the “art” of photography.

[JBW]

Sensuality: The Essence ~ Sony Alpha a68 ~ Tamron 90mm 272E Macro Lens ~ ISO 100 ~ Shutter Speed 1/50s ~ F/7.1 ~ Natural Light ~ Exposure Compensation 0.0

Every flower, indeed every thing has its essence. If what I shoot will share their essence I get a good shot. Sometimes even a great shot.

Shot in our garden/temple somewhere in the Philippines.

Brian

Manfred suggested some subtle color changes and a not so subtle crop. The different crop for my taste just doesn't work. I did work on the highlights and mid-tones. I also used the color picker Manfred suggested I try in Capture 1. The result is an exceptionally subtle edit (at least for me ). I think it does improve things. Thanks M.

[Manfred M]

The color change will depend upon personal taste and yours does look good too. I did try that crop and to me it destroys the flow.

A lot of photographers like the flow to integrate with the edge of the frame. This usually gives better flow and in this case it eliminates a distracting element. Small areas near the edge of the frame tend to not work well with the extra transition, especially in a high contrast situation like you have here.

[JBW]

After reading the additional info on your shot, I would have to say that the original has most probably what you wanted us to see. The adjustments don’t “hurt” the image, and just go to reinforce what I have been trying to teach myself about photography: we could all see the same scene and walk away with different results. That’s why it is the “art” of photography.

I would agree with you. With the caveat that 'Art' has standards.

Haiku is a form of poetry created within the Japanese culture. Many outsiders claim to write Haiku in a different language, from a different viewpoint and without the traditional cadence. Usually they fail.

I would argue that photography is the same reality.

My preferred genre is close-up/macro. On more than one occasion I have had to justify my claims to macro.

I have certainly been critiqued (justifiably) on my colors and compositions.

There are indeed many ways to compose an image. But (mixing my metaphors) there's only one way to do a proper barrel roll in an airplane.
Brian
PS welcome to the club. Please don't let Manfred and myself drive you away. We have been having these discussions for about 5 years.

[JBW]

I just showed our gardeners the trwo shots and they both preferred the slightly brighter one.

[Manfred M]

I just showed our gardeners the trwo shots and they both preferred the slightly brighter one.

Unless your gardeners are photographers, I would suggest that their views may or may not be particularly relevant. Their opinions are valid of course, but may have a completely different set of references that they are working from. Much like your non-Japanese Haiku example, our terms of reference drive out tastes and they may be or may not be appropriate. A non-Japanese can have an opinion on haiku, just as a non-photographer can have an opinion on an image. I tend to prefer to go to the source.

In terms of photography being art, there I would have to strongly disagree. Some photography may be art, but the bulk of the photographs taken currently are anything but art. A shot with a selfie-stick pointing at the subject with some well-known tourist attraction is hardly art. None of the work that I do is art and in fact I intend it not to be art. I'd go a step further and suggest that the photographer cannot determine whether his or her work is art; that is for someone else to decide and the people deciding might not agree.

[JBW]

Unless your gardeners are photographers, I would suggest that their views may or may not be particularly relevant. Their opinions are valid of course, but may have a completely different set of references that they are working from. Much like your non-Japanese Haiku example, our terms of reference drive out tastes and they may be or may not be appropriate. A non-Japanese can have an opinion on haiku, just as a non-photographer can have an opinion on an image. I tend to prefer to go to the source.

In terms of photography being art, there I would have to strongly disagree. Some photography may be art, but the bulk of the photographs taken currently are anything but art. A shot with a selfie-stick pointing at the subject with some well-known tourist attraction is hardly art. None of the work that I do is art and in fact I intend it not to be art. I'd go a step further and suggest that the photographer cannot determine whether his or her work is art; that is for someone else to decide and the people deciding might not agree.

You are such a snob. My aim in photography is to help all people to find the sacred. That means that our gardeners opinions on my images are exactly equal to yours.

[LePetomane]

I like it. Well done.

[JBW]

I like it. Well done.

Thanks, it did need a touch of brightening

[Manfred M]

You are such a snob.

I've been called far worse Brian.

Think of it this way Brian. Would you ask me for gardening advice? I might have an opinion, that in my mind is valid, but would not necessarily be relevant to a garden where you live. A gardener, especially with local experience, would be a far better person to get advice on your garden.

If you are looking to increase the quality of your photographs, ask an experienced photographer. If you are looking for a better garden, ask your gardener.

My aim in photography is to help all people to find the sacred. That means that our gardeners opinions on my images are exactly equal to yours.

Perhaps you are posting to the wrong site? This is a photographic learning site with an aim to get you to improve your image making. I believe the members here have done that for you.

[JBW]

I've been called far worse Brian.

Think of it this way Brian. Would you ask me for gardening advice? I might have an opinion, that in my mind is valid, but would not necessarily be relevant to a garden where you live. A gardener, especially with local experience, would be a far better person to get advice on your garden.

If you are looking to increase the quality of your photographs, ask an experienced photographer. If you are looking for a better garden, ask your gardener.




Perhaps you are posting to the wrong site? This is a photographic learning site with an aim to get you to improve your image making. I believe the members here have done that for you.

No, I'm sure I'm posting to the right site.

CiC is a fine site to get good advice on how to technically improve my art. It is not however the be-all and end-all of deciding the value of an image nor how it should look.

[FootLoose]

like cream from a jug

Is that the effect you were after, Brian, a liquid flowing? On first sight it seemed to me the direction of "flow" is from the centre of the image up to the right hand corner. So rather than pouring down, it is leaping up. I would suggest flipping it horizontally so the action moves from left to right and also rotating it very slightly so the top edge of the flower is flowing downwards rather than horizontally.

[JBW]

Is that the effect you were after, Brian, a liquid flowing? On first sight it seemed to me the direction of "flow" is from the centre of the image up to the right hand corner. So rather than pouring down, it is leaping up. I would suggest flipping it horizontally so the action moves from left to right and also rotating it very slightly so the top edge of the flower is flowing downwards rather than horizontally.

No it wasn't. But there were some comments... I'm going to give your suggestions a try