Luminous Landscape Forum

The Art of Photography => User Critiques => Topic started by: Bruce Cox on March 17, 2013, 11:35:31 am

Title: pencil cactus
Post by: Bruce Cox on March 17, 2013, 11:35:31 am

Organized space?

Title: Re: pencil cactus
Post by: Chris Calohan on March 17, 2013, 11:39:20 am

There is so much going on, it's hard to let the eye relax to only the plant. And, it's not just the plethora of geometrics which challenge me, it's the oblique angles competing for visual acceptance which makes it all too much, in my opinion.

Title: Re: pencil cactus
Post by: walter.sk on March 17, 2013, 12:54:48 pm

I agree about the competing background.  One possibility: a black backdrop behind the plant, and shooting up so as to remove or minimize the pot; another possibility against the background would be to close in on a portion of the plant from an angle that organizes the field into a pattern of some sort that emphasizes the qualities that attracted you to shoot the plant in the first place.

Title: Re: pencil cactus
Post by: Bruce Cox on March 17, 2013, 07:45:03 pm

Thanks for your comments.  I haven't reshot it yet, though I did go back into the raw files.

Title: Re: pencil cactus
Post by: Tonysx on March 17, 2013, 08:05:27 pm

Better. I think. Have you tried cropping the right hand side as far as removing the brown chair?

Title: Re: pencil cactus
Post by: Chris Calohan on March 18, 2013, 09:05:42 am

Perhaps over-emphasizing the green, adding a deeper contrasting red, and understating the rest of the objects in the frame.

(http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8089/8567730229_5d6f5e6306_b.jpg)

Title: Re: pencil cactus
Post by: Bruce Cox on March 18, 2013, 10:23:52 am

Yes, pumping it up has its points, though this morning I have been tearing it down.

Title: Re: pencil cactus
Post by: Chris Calohan on March 18, 2013, 10:59:55 am

take it even further by lightening up the background...I'd take it down to the basic grays.

Title: Re: pencil cactus
Post by: Bruce Cox on March 18, 2013, 01:01:44 pm

I'm not sure which grays are more basic than others, but I generally tried to lighten the background per your suggestion and ended up darkening the cactus.

Title: Re: pencil cactus
Post by: David Eckels on March 18, 2013, 07:36:58 pm

I have to agree with Walter, I would simplify the background. Personally, I don't see that any amount of tweaking will get you where you need to be, IMO, and I think re-shooting would emphasize the lovely (and complex) lines of the cactus, color or B/W. Good luck.