Al Swanson
February 2025 - Tucson Botanical Garden
Original
About the Image(s)
We visited the Gardens a couple months ago and I thought this fountain was a classic. The setting reminded me of some old English gardens I had visited years ago--shaded area; heavy foliage; cluttered background. I didn't do much in post but straightened it, removed some foreground and brightened the fountain. Tech: Canon 7D; ISO 400; F11; 1/250.
6 comments posted
This is definitely a classic fountain and I can see why it captured your attention. Nice rendering in black-and-white. Perfect focus. I do find the background so cluttered that it's extremely difficult to separate that from the fountain. It all seems mushed together. Wonder what would happen if you darkened the background some to better distinguish it from your main subject, the fountain. Posted: 02/04/2025 18:34:43
The fountain stands out well in your original because the colors separate the subject from its background. I feel that it doesn't work quite as well in the black and white format.
Maybe darken your background a bit as Mike suggested, or try to blur it. What a beautiful spot though!
Posted: 02/04/2025 23:13:00
Maybe darken your background a bit as Mike suggested, or try to blur it. What a beautiful spot though!
Posted: 02/04/2025 23:13:00
I feel the fountain got lost in the black and white as it blends with the background. I suggest selecting it and try different gradients of B&W to help it stand out. I think it needs a little straightening too. Posted: 02/12/2025 16:57:44
I agree with Kaylyn about the fountain appearing a little crooked. Perhaps a crop from the left would take out some of the background as it is pretty busy. As Peggy mentioned, the conversion of this image to B/W might not be a good choice. The color version is much prettier. Posted: 02/13/2025 03:15:04
I agree with everyone that the main problem here is that the fountain is pretty much lost in the background. I did a crude edit to try and bring out the fountain, as well as bringing it up to a more vertical position. Posted: 02/13/2025 15:48:55
As everyone has poited out, these fountains are not easy to get pleasing results. Two things that come to mind are: one, a foggy morning to camafloge the background and two, if possible, capture flowing or sprayng water in slow motion, which could take the eye away from the background. Posted: 02/23/2025 00:59:29