Lily at Sunset - Weekly Photo
Uploaded: June 29, 2009
Taken at sunset near Lake Fort Smith, Arkansas
Exif: F Number: 5.7, Exposure Bias Value: 0.00, ExposureTime: 1/50 seconds, Flash: did not fire, compulsory flash mode, ISO: 200, White balance: Auto white balance, FocalLength: 85.19 mm, Model: Canon PowerShot SX10 IS
Susan M. Reynolds July 01, 2009
Hi Pat ~ Nice crisp image and lovely color. Don't think it could get much better than this photo...did you try a square crop that might take off some of the negative space on the right or did it look too crowded that way?Patricia A. Cale July 01, 2009
Thank you, Susan. I purposely left the left side of the composition as negative space. In classes I took at Morton Arboretum, while earning a Nature Photography Certificate, one instructor taught us to put the subject in, or close to, a corner. That makes the subject more dynamic. I also compose my shots in the viewfinder and do not crop afterwards except to remove unwanted objects on the edges. By removing the negative space, the flower would not have room to "look" into the frame. #7699302Susan M. Reynolds July 02, 2009
That makes perfect sense.Meghan Gonski July 04, 2009
Yeah I like the negative space. I think you framed it very nicely. But for some reason I don't like this photo. I think maybe the flower color didn't come across the way it was in real or maybe because it looks a little shriveled up (but then not everything is perfect in life so photography should not only capture the perfect flowers)Patricia A. Cale July 04, 2009
Susan, tell your other group that negative space can be used creatively!!!Meghan, this isn't my favorite shot either. This was taken at sunset, but the flower was in shade, so I didn't get the good gold color in it. Another problem in the shot is the partial flower in the background. I had to leave part of it in, but I really wanted the main lily alone. And, if I tried to compose with the two flowers, it just didn't work. This isn't a hybrid lily (it grows wild here), so it may not look like the lilies we're used to seeing. #7705409
Meghan Gonski July 05, 2009
Ah sucks when you can't get the shot you imagined huh?Thomas Ehlers July 06, 2009
Hey Pat, it looks alright to me, I think it would look fantastic if you could get the second flower out of the pic. Always compose in odd numbers, it goes better for the eyes. #7712795Patricia A. Cale July 06, 2009
Thanks, Thomas. I know that rule but I like to break it!!!The way the flowers were growing, I couldn't isolate any and I couldn't get closer because they were on the edge of a mountain. #7713075
Barbara E. Gould July 17, 2009
The clarity and DOF is great! My eyes keeps going to where the tip of the bud is cut off....?Patricia A. Cale July 17, 2009
Thank you, Barbara. And, yes, there is that "rule" that odd numbers of things work better. BUT, I have shot with two and got excellent photos, too. So, it all depends on you and the situation. And I always think "rules are made to be broken", and I take chances that may or may not work. But, with digital cameras, you can shoot and see what works. #7749439Barbara E. Gould July 17, 2009
I have taken many flower photos, and now am curious as to instinctively what I did.....and how people responded. I think most of mine are singles...Sign up for an interactive online photography course to get critiques on your photos.
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