Ellen Fisch  

By the side of the road by Ellen Fisch

July 2026 - By the side of the road

About the Image(s)

I was driving from New York to my tiny cottage in New Hampshire, when I stopped at a roadside gas station/snack bar. Usually, these places are purely functional and hopefully clean. This particular roadside stop in Vermont was charming. The owners and workers had done everything to make a short stop a very pleasant one. They were selling, in addition to gas, home baked goods, souvenirs, sandwiches and such. Outside the small store were two tables, where one could relax and snack. Each was decorated with a jar of wildflowers. It was a lovely respite from a long drive!


I used my Lumix DC-LX100M2 with a Leica 1:17-2.8 lens. It was a bright, sunny day: everything was on Auto. Usually, if I were using manual, I would set the ISO: 125 and f:5.6

I used Photoshop to color correct and crop

10 comments posted

Angela Bonner   Angela Bonner
Lovely to see the vase with wildflowers in it. Nice touch by the owners.
The flowers and vase are lovely and sharp and colours really natural.
I have had a play and blurred the background a bit more and also toned down the highlight of the table a tad. I think it helps bring the flowers out more. See what you think?   Posted: 07/02/2026 12:18:24
Comment Image
Ellen Fisch   Ellen Fisch
Thank you so much Angela. I deeply appreciate your comment and am grateful for your critique: noted and helpful.   Posted: 07/03/2026 17:53:35
Kurt Reinhard
Good shot of the wildflowers. The photograph is very sharp and well balanced. I also really liked how you kept the leaves in the background out of focus. I think that helped bring my eyes to the flowers. As a suggestion, you might want to try cropping in a little more. I think you will still have plenty of leaves to frame the flowers, and the flowers might stand out a little more.   Posted: 07/03/2026 00:19:32
Ellen Fisch   Ellen Fisch
Thanks so much Kurt! Helpful suggestion about cropping!   Posted: 07/03/2026 17:54:57
Rose Norman   Rose Norman
What a nice find! It looked like you had to set it up and here it was - just for you!
The flowers are beautiful. Blurring the background a little would make the flowers stand out more. The background leaves look they are framing the flowers.   Posted: 07/03/2026 17:01:21
Ellen Fisch   Ellen Fisch
Thank you Rose! When I came upon the flowers, it seemed that they WERE just for me......a rare treat! A bit of blur is a good idea!   Posted: 07/03/2026 17:56:30
Doug Sampson   Doug Sampson
Your photo captures far more than just flowers in a jar - it tells a complete and charming story about a chance discovery, genuine hospitality, and the unexpected pleasures of travel. The mason jar, the weathered white table, the lush Vermont greenery behind, all combine to create some authentic charm. The bright sky behind may have fooled the auto meter a bit - a gentle brightening of the flowers may make them more luminous and vibrant. A subtle warming of the color balance may enhance the sunny Vermont afternoon feeling and make the pinks and yellows glow richly. Blurring the background as suggested probably does help this image.

What a great reminder that photographs often come from simply paying attention to the world around you. Good job!
  Posted: 07/10/2026 03:42:11
Ellen Fisch   Ellen Fisch
Thank you so much Doug! I appreciate your suggestions and will follow them in the future! The world around us offers wonderful shots if I keep my eyes open!   Posted: 07/12/2026 21:08:02
Jennifer Wu   Jennifer Wu
Beautiful wild flowers. I agree with others 'blurred the backgrund ...' made so much difference. Nice shot.   Posted: 07/11/2026 17:11:35
Ellen Fisch   Ellen Fisch
Thank you Jennifer! Will blur background more in the future!   Posted: 07/12/2026 21:09:32

 

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