Jean Armstrong  


Dead and Alive by Jean Armstrong

January 2021 - Dead and Alive

About the Image(s)

.Nikon D7100 1/250 sec. F4.8 ISO 200


This round’s discussion is now closed!
10 comments posted




 
Wow, Jean -that is great!.
Wonderful detail throughout. Edges of the petals are very sharp and add to the image. Beautiful lighting and coloring. The only tweaking you might do is to darken the light spot in the upper right. It is a little distracting.
Very attractive image!
Janet   Posted: 01/16/2021 08:38:37
 
Thank You Janet for your critic. Not sure how to remove light spots in the image. but I will go into my post process and see if I can figure it out.
  Posted: 01/16/2021 13:17:13



Charissa Lansing   Charissa Lansing
Hi Jean,
To me, this contrast in themes is very interesting and I think you've revealed fascinating details that I enjoy studying. For example, the textures in the shriveled flower are great and the focal point in what looks like the rose heart is well placed in the frame. Thanks for sharing this!

Although the blue lighting conveys a lovely sense of evening calm for me, it also pulls my attention away from the interesting subject, making me wonder about the setting. I did try removing the light spots in the upper right of the image, as Janet suggested. Unfortunately, the result then draws my eye to what appears to be a blue cast on the petals in the lower right of the image.

  Posted: 01/17/2021 08:57:34
 
Thank You for the Kind words Charissa,
I really appreciate the complements. I do not have much confidence in my ability as a photographer. I love doing images that are more artistic then perfect.   Posted: 01/17/2021 15:45:51



Dick States   Dick States
(Group 65)
Hi Jean, Nice image. I really love the detail in the spent rose. I find the little cluster of red pistols in the center of the spent rose really adds interest to this study. I feel the image is sharp where it needs to be to bring out the detail in the image. I agree with the others about the bright spot in the upper right background. I tried to fix the bright spot but was not very successful.

It is so important when doing close-ups to pay close attention to the backgrounds. In this case perhaps moving a slight bit to change the background may have made all the difference needed to make a great background. With a subject like this, that's not going to move, shoot, then look on the monitor looking for distractions. It's always good to make shots at different angles. This is overall a nice shot.   Posted: 01/17/2021 15:37:00
 
Hi Dick,
thank You for your encouragement in all of the images I have submitted. You are a wonderful teacher.   Posted: 01/17/2021 15:47:33
Dick States   Dick States
(Group 65)
I failed to mention in composition using the rule of thirds. If you will visualize the tac-tac-toe lines (grid). The red pistol cluster is in one of these spots, the lower right spot. When I look at this image as my eye moves around in this image my eye ends up going to this spot due to location and the red color. There's great detail in this area. This is great composition! As mentioned before, the issue is the bright white area in the upper right. Due to its brightness it wins out and becomes a distraction.
I also wonder if your white balance was correct. It looks to me it was set for full sun and you were in the shade. White balance should have been set for shade which would warm up the image and do away with the blue cast.

Well, I went back again and did more work on this. Jean, I think your going to like this. I removed the bright spots and cropped a little.
  Posted: 01/17/2021 18:26:29
Comment Image
Dick States   Dick States
(Group 65)
Jean, what do you thing of this?   Posted: 01/21/2021 09:43:15
 
I love it Dick ! You are a true artist. Some time I hope to be as good.
Thanks   Posted: 01/21/2021 17:25:22



 
I love the colors, the clarity of most of it, and the interesting detail in the dead flower. The upper petals are a bit soft, however, and I agree the bright light in the upper right is distracting.   Posted: 01/26/2021 14:03:39