Nature Is this subject too bland?

chmance · 07-26-2015, 08:13 AM - **4 Likes**

Is there hope to making this punchier than this? Or is the subject too bland? I was hoping to play up the light edges of the leaves. Is it better to turn this to a monochrome and use a cyan filter?

Thanks so much for the feedback. Am just learning the art of deciding whether a subject is better in colour or monochrome.

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vonBaloney · 07-26-2015, 08:26 AM

Well, I haven't seen it in B&W, but this one I'd probably prefer this color version as it is an unusual and ethereal color for the subject. Is it really that color? Looks underwater...

chmance · 07-26-2015, 08:34 AM

Originally posted by vonBaloney

Well, I haven't seen it in B&W, but this one I'd probably prefer this color version as it is an unusual and ethereal color for the subject. Is it really that color? Looks underwater...

The leaves are really bluish greenish. I used slight solarization to play up the whitish edges of the leaves. Then decreased the clarity to soften the edges.

**Kerrowdown** · 07-26-2015, 08:43 AM

If it were mine... I'd certainly clean up/clone out the brown tip on one of the leaves, as it really catches the eye.

chmance · 07-26-2015, 08:52 AM

Originally posted by Kerrowdown

If it were mine... I'd certainly clean up/clone out the brown tip on one of the leaves, as it really catches the eye.

I intentionally left it there to provide a counterpoint to the sea of blue-green. It is also a reminder of the drought here in Western Canada : ) I didn't realize it is a distraction. Thanks for your observation.

vonBaloney · 07-26-2015, 09:06 AM - **1 Like**

Yeah, I'd get rid of that too, as it provides "reality" to what I see otherwise as an almost ghostly mysterious image...

**luftfluss** · 07-27-2015, 10:02 PM

I've been looking through your photo gallery here, and there is a wonderful sensitivity evident in many of your photographs.

My "critique" to you would be to trust your instincts. If I were in a gallery looking at your photos, I would realize that the decaying leaf-tip of this plant was not left there by accident.

chmance · 07-28-2015, 01:16 AM

Originally posted by vonBaloney

Yeah, I'd get rid of that too, as it provides "reality" to what I see otherwise as an almost ghostly mysterious image...

Thanks for the advice vonBaloney. In my reply above to Kerrowdown, I said I deliberately composed the picture to show a single brown-tipped leaf to break the monotony of the bluish-green palette. I just didn't realize how that touch of reality does not jive with the rest of the photo, which you described as "almost ghostly mysterious." I take that as a compliment : )

---------- Post added 07-28-15 at 01:22 AM ----------

Originally posted by luftfluss

I've been looking through your photo gallery here, and there is a wonderful sensitivity evident in many of your photographs.

My "critique" to you would be to trust your instincts. If I were in a gallery looking at your photos, I would realize that the decaying leaf-tip of this plant was not left there by accident.

Your comment about my photos is encouraging ... especially after a 25-year hiatus from photography. I picked it up again in April last year when I bought a used K10D and got introduced to the amazing world of digital photography. It's hard to teach an old dog new postprocessing tricks. But am patiently teaching myself the art using an earlier version of Photoshop Element. My first entry in a contest in this forum was taken with that camera. It was a lucky shot as I was still learning how to use the camera at that time. You can see the photo here https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/129-weekly-photo-challenges/294098-weekly...ml#post3236104.

Cheers!

cxdoo · 07-28-2015, 02:18 AM

Personally I don't find it bland and also don't mind the brownish tip. B&W would only diminish the impact.
It's a very serene looking image and would make a great poster.

chmance · 07-28-2015, 02:37 AM

Originally posted by cxdoo

Personally I don't find it bland and also don't mind the brownish tip. B&W would only diminish the impact.
It's a very serene looking image and would make a great poster.

Thanks cxdoo for your kind words. Much as I respect the contrary opinions, I think I will keep the brown tip there : )

Macario · 07-28-2015, 02:42 AM

no subject is too bland. It is just the way some subjects are photographt that they become bland (well, some subjects are very difficult to make interesting, but not impossible).
And with your subject, it is not too bland at all. I think it has more to do with composition which could be more interesting. Now it is more of a registration of the plant, instead of something unique of you.
I assume you can make it again. So go back and try different compositions, different angels. maby bakclighting etc. Just experiment.

DeadJohn · 07-29-2015, 08:14 AM

No, it's no too bland.

drypenn · 07-29-2015, 09:50 AM

Personally, the brown tip laced the image with personal emotion, as it depicts sadness and beautiful imperfection in an otherwise too perfect image.

chmance · 07-29-2015, 05:04 PM

Originally posted by Macario

no subject is too bland. It is just the way some subjects are photographt that they become bland (well, some subjects are very difficult to make interesting, but not impossible).
And with your subject, it is not too bland at all. I think it has more to do with composition which could be more interesting. Now it is more of a registration of the plant, instead of something unique of you.
I assume you can make it again. So go back and try different compositions, different angels. maby bakclighting etc. Just experiment.

Wow! I love the gold nuggets in your feedback. Challenging and inspiring! I definitely will go back to Van Dusen Botonical Garden, look for this plant, and look for the most expressive interaction between the subject and the light.

---------- Post added 07-29-15 at 05:10 PM ----------

Originally posted by drypenn

Personally, the brown tip laced the image with personal emotion, as it depicts sadness and beautiful imperfection in an otherwise too perfect image.

Thanks drypenn. I totally agree with your interpretation of my interpretation. It jives with what I wanted to convey. That brown-tipped leaf is there to remind the viewer of the reality of entropy in what appears to be a "perfect" world. Despite appearances, the physical universe is in decay, albeit slowly, which is in keeping with the law of thermodynamics.

This photo has divided my friends in their reaction. My left-brain friends-photographers hate that brown tip; the right-brain ones love it.

I have yet to meet one who is indifferent to it.

Biosaurus · 10-23-2019, 01:30 AM

Originally posted by chmance

Is there hope to making this punchier than this? Or is the subject too bland? I was hoping to play up the light edges of the leaves. Is it better to turn this to a monochrome and use a cyan filter?

Thanks so much for the feedback. Am just learning the art of deciding whether a subject is better in colour or monochrome.

beautiful color

07-28-2015, 01:16 AM	#8
chmance Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Vancouver Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 484 Original Poster	Originally posted by vonBaloney Yeah, I'd get rid of that too, as it provides "reality" to what I see otherwise as an almost ghostly mysterious image... Thanks for the advice vonBaloney. In my reply above to Kerrowdown, I said I deliberately composed the picture to show a single brown-tipped leaf to break the monotony of the bluish-green palette. I just didn't realize how that touch of reality does not jive with the rest of the photo, which you described as "almost ghostly mysterious." I take that as a compliment : ) ---------- Post added 07-28-15 at 01:22 AM ---------- Originally posted by luftfluss I've been looking through your photo gallery here, and there is a wonderful sensitivity evident in many of your photographs. My "critique" to you would be to trust your instincts. If I were in a gallery looking at your photos, I would realize that the decaying leaf-tip of this plant was not left there by accident. Your comment about my photos is encouraging ... especially after a 25-year hiatus from photography. I picked it up again in April last year when I bought a used K10D and got introduced to the amazing world of digital photography. It's hard to teach an old dog new postprocessing tricks. But am patiently teaching myself the art using an earlier version of Photoshop Element. My first entry in a contest in this forum was taken with that camera. It was a lucky shot as I was still learning how to use the camera at that time. You can see the photo here https://www.pentaxforums.com/forums/129-weekly-photo-challenges/294098-weekly...ml#post3236104. Cheers! Last edited by chmance; 07-28-2015 at 02:18 AM.

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07-26-2015, 08:26 AM	#2
vonBaloney Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 6,029	Well, I haven't seen it in B&W, but this one I'd probably prefer this color version as it is an unusual and ethereal color for the subject. Is it really that color? Looks underwater...

07-26-2015, 08:34 AM	#3
chmance Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Vancouver Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 484 Original Poster	Originally posted by vonBaloney Well, I haven't seen it in B&W, but this one I'd probably prefer this color version as it is an unusual and ethereal color for the subject. Is it really that color? Looks underwater... The leaves are really bluish greenish. I used slight solarization to play up the whitish edges of the leaves. Then decreased the clarity to soften the edges.

07-26-2015, 08:43 AM	#4
Kerrowdown PEG Moderator Join Date: Aug 2008 Location: Highlands of Scotland... "Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand" - William Blake Photos: Gallery Posts: 57,816	If it were mine... I'd certainly clean up/clone out the brown tip on one of the leaves, as it really catches the eye.

07-26-2015, 08:52 AM	#5
chmance Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Vancouver Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 484 Original Poster	Originally posted by Kerrowdown If it were mine... I'd certainly clean up/clone out the brown tip on one of the leaves, as it really catches the eye. I intentionally left it there to provide a counterpoint to the sea of blue-green. It is also a reminder of the drought here in Western Canada : ) I didn't realize it is a distraction. Thanks for your observation.

07-26-2015, 09:06 AM - 1 Like	#6
vonBaloney Pentaxian Join Date: Oct 2011 Location: Albuquerque, NM Posts: 6,029	Yeah, I'd get rid of that too, as it provides "reality" to what I see otherwise as an almost ghostly mysterious image...

07-27-2015, 10:02 PM	#7
luftfluss Site Supporter Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: NJ Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 11,619	I've been looking through your photo gallery here, and there is a wonderful sensitivity evident in many of your photographs. My "critique" to you would be to trust your instincts. If I were in a gallery looking at your photos, I would realize that the decaying leaf-tip of this plant was not left there by accident.

07-28-2015, 02:18 AM	#9
cxdoo Pentaxian Join Date: Apr 2014 Location: Limassol, Cyprus Posts: 1,150	Personally I don't find it bland and also don't mind the brownish tip. B&W would only diminish the impact. It's a very serene looking image and would make a great poster.

07-28-2015, 02:37 AM	#10
chmance Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Vancouver Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 484 Original Poster	Originally posted by cxdoo Personally I don't find it bland and also don't mind the brownish tip. B&W would only diminish the impact. It's a very serene looking image and would make a great poster. Thanks cxdoo for your kind words. Much as I respect the contrary opinions, I think I will keep the brown tip there : )

07-28-2015, 02:42 AM	#11
Macario Pentaxian Join Date: Feb 2011 Location: Hoek van Holland Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 1,393	no subject is too bland. It is just the way some subjects are photographt that they become bland (well, some subjects are very difficult to make interesting, but not impossible). And with your subject, it is not too bland at all. I think it has more to do with composition which could be more interesting. Now it is more of a registration of the plant, instead of something unique of you. I assume you can make it again. So go back and try different compositions, different angels. maby bakclighting etc. Just experiment.

07-29-2015, 08:14 AM	#12
DeadJohn Pentaxian Join Date: Jan 2011 Location: New York Posts: 4,833	No, it's no too bland.

07-29-2015, 09:50 AM	#13
drypenn Veteran Member Join Date: Nov 2012 Photos: Albums Posts: 963	Personally, the brown tip laced the image with personal emotion, as it depicts sadness and beautiful imperfection in an otherwise too perfect image.

07-29-2015, 05:04 PM	#14
chmance Veteran Member Join Date: Jan 2015 Location: Vancouver Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 484 Original Poster	Originally posted by Macario no subject is too bland. It is just the way some subjects are photographt that they become bland (well, some subjects are very difficult to make interesting, but not impossible). And with your subject, it is not too bland at all. I think it has more to do with composition which could be more interesting. Now it is more of a registration of the plant, instead of something unique of you. I assume you can make it again. So go back and try different compositions, different angels. maby bakclighting etc. Just experiment. Wow! I love the gold nuggets in your feedback. Challenging and inspiring! I definitely will go back to Van Dusen Botonical Garden, look for this plant, and look for the most expressive interaction between the subject and the light. ---------- Post added 07-29-15 at 05:10 PM ---------- Originally posted by drypenn Personally, the brown tip laced the image with personal emotion, as it depicts sadness and beautiful imperfection in an otherwise too perfect image. Thanks drypenn. I totally agree with your interpretation of my interpretation. It jives with what I wanted to convey. That brown-tipped leaf is there to remind the viewer of the reality of entropy in what appears to be a "perfect" world. Despite appearances, the physical universe is in decay, albeit slowly, which is in keeping with the law of thermodynamics. This photo has divided my friends in their reaction. My left-brain friends-photographers hate that brown tip; the right-brain ones love it. I have yet to meet one who is indifferent to it.

10-23-2019, 01:30 AM	#15
Biosaurus Senior Member Join Date: Feb 2018 Location: Hérouville Saint Clair, Normandy, France Photos: Gallery \| Albums Posts: 143	Originally posted by chmance Is there hope to making this punchier than this? Or is the subject too bland? I was hoping to play up the light edges of the leaves. Is it better to turn this to a monochrome and use a cyan filter? Thanks so much for the feedback. Am just learning the art of deciding whether a subject is better in colour or monochrome. beautiful color