Pitcher Plants

[Mary Stamper]

Caught a rare moment of nice light in the Pitcher plant garden.


D2x
200mm macro lens
1/640
f4.5
iso 200

[Mike Moats]

Hey Mary very cool comp, and I like the lighting on the plants. I would like to see a little more room on the sides as the plant edges are a bit crowded. The BG is a little busy and distracts from the plants. Always shoot from different angles till you find the best BG. I would also do a slight crop on the top.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hi Mary,
Mike is right on with a bit more room.......even for me Mr. tight crop...................I like the play you have with the sharp FG one and the OOF one in the right BG. Mike's advice on moving around is very good. Not always easy with this type of subject or the environs.

[Sharna Lee]

Mary,
This is a lovely image. I agree about the tight crop but I'm suspecting that no matter which way you crop it will be tight because of the number of plants around this one.
The lighting is beautiful. The colors are brilliant. I do love that OOF plant on the right. I think it's stunning.

Sharna

[Fabs Forns]

I think the main problem with the image is the mixed light on the subject leaf. If thie were evenly lit, the whole thing would come together perfectly.

[Mary Stamper]

The funny part about it is that I moved around and settled on this background because I liked it. Some people seem to like really plain backgrounds, kind of like standard portraits. I sometimes like the background to be as much the subject as the foreground. Also, if it weren't for the mixed lighting, I wouldn't have taken the shot at all. I like the sharp overlay of the shadows over the other stuff in the photo. Sharp shadows seem to be a no-no in photography for some reason, and I've never understood why. :confused: I also chose the crop because of the in-your-face feel that I get from it. More space seems to push things farther away and give me a cooler reaction. But each to his own, I guess.

[Steve Foss]

No worries, Mary.

You composed an image exactly how your artist's eye envisioned it, and you pleased yourself. At the core, that's what a photographer is supposed to do, IMO.

Posting a photo in a critique forum when some characteristics of the image fly in the face of traditional photo wisdom is guaranteed to draw some negative comments, but I always tell my photo student/clients that as long as they are doing what they are doing on purpose, and as long as they accomplish with the image what they set out to do and have pleased themselves, they have made a successful photograph. I tell them to develop their own vision as artists and not to be too concerned if others like it (unless they are trying to sell to publications, in which case they've pretty much gotta follow the norms as the photo editors lay them out).

The style of your photograph does not move me as an individual, but IMO congratulations are in order because you succeeded in your vision. http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3269/2606293692_ebc31a3a1a_o.gif

[Mary Stamper]

I think it is always interesting to discuss these things. It's interesting to see the different values/priorities with which people see. And yes, there are all sorts of different "games" one can play, depending upon who one is trying to "sell". Sometimes I consider myself fortunate that I don't have the pressure to make a living from photography, because I can take chances and step over and on the lines with impunity ;)

I realize that the more one flaunts convention, the narrower the potential audience becomes. I'm OK with that.

[Robert O'Toole]

Agree with Mike's Critique, my feelings exactly. This would have made a better vertical also I think.

And I also agree with Steve's post. Good work and very well said. Thanks for sharing that!

Robert

[Roman Kurywczak]

I think it is always interesting to discuss these things. It's interesting to see the different values/priorities with which people see. And yes, there are all sorts of different "games" one can play, depending upon who one is trying to "sell". Sometimes I consider myself fortunate that I don't have the pressure to make a living from photography, because I can take chances and step over and on the lines with impunity ;)

I realize that the more one flaunts convention, the narrower the potential audience becomes. I'm OK with that.

Hi Mary,
I find your comments very interesting myself.....you describe things in terms of "games" & "sell".......I do neither! My BG is an art major in NYC.........so trust me....stepping outside the box is a norm! When I went to MOMA....I couldn't believe some of the things they called "priceless". Needless to say I didn't agree with everything they called art.
This site was not created to "just give pats on the back"...but to give honest critiques! This doesn't mean we dont think OOTB.............but we are applying many years of photographic experience and trying to avoid many mistakes we have made ourselves! Not that we didn't like our images when we were taking them.....we just grew as photographers..... that's all this site is about.......growing! I myself have had my eyes opened to many possibilities.....even since I became a moderator ........& even if the critiques aren't always what I expected.
Roman

[Julie Kenward]

Actually, Mary, this is a perfect response to your image.

You managed to illicit some great responses as to how this could be "corrected" from a photographic standpoint and that's very important. If it's not your vision, then that's okay...but the moderators would be remiss not to point these things out so we can all grow from their advice.

However, you also got your vision across to some of us regardless of what rules you did (or didn't) break. I love the lighting and the play of shadows on the front plant because I think photography is about ALL light and not just consistently EVEN light (although I admit that works best in most cases.)

However, all that said, the BG is a bit busy for me. If you had blurred it just a bit more I would have totally fallen in love with your vision here. As it is, I like it - but I do lose focus on the main plant when I view it and that bothers me a bit.

There IS an OOTB section in this wonderful forum...you might want to check us out over there. :D

[Mary Stamper]

Actually, Mary, this is a perfect response to your image.


However, all that said, the BG is a bit busy for me. If you had blurred it just a bit more I would have totally fallen in love with your vision here. As it is, I like it - but I do lose focus on the main plant when I view it and that bothers me a bit.

There IS an OOTB section in this wonderful forum...you might want to check us out over there. :D

Julie...thank you, but WHY does it bother you that you lose focus on the main plant? You're SUPPOSED to lose focus on the main plant. I want the eye to wander from plant to plant, just as it does in the garden. :)

[Arthur Morris]

Julie...thank you, but WHY does it bother you that you lose focus on the main plant? You're SUPPOSED to lose focus on the main plant. I want the eye to wander from plant to plant, just as it does in the garden. :)

I have read all of the above with interest. I have always pushed the button when what I saw in the viewfinder looked good to me and have never given a rat's behind about what others (especially photo buyers) think. And that has sort of worked for me.

What bothers me in the quoted post above is that you are telling Julie what she is supposed to focus on... You can enjoy the right to create and post the images that you like, to create them so that they please you, to ignore the advise of others, but telling another what they are supposed to do does not quite make sense to me...

Lastly, where Steve sees negative comments I see suggestions for improvement.

[Mary Stamper]

Hi Artie...

One of the most interesting pieces of educational material I've seen is the set of DVDs by Vincent Versace (happens to be about Capture NX), and he speaks quite a bit about how he intends to "direct" the eye of the viewer. He goes so far as to say where he wants the eye to go first, second and third when the viewer sees the photo. I thought that was incredibly interesting. That's what I (try to) do as well. I want the viewer to see what I see. If I can't do that, then I think I have failed in communicating my message.

When I saw this collection of Pitcher plants, I didn't see one plant. I saw the whole bunch and I wandered from plant to plant and I noticed an interesting pattern of wandering and tried to duplicate it. It is not about a single plant. I want the viewers eyes to wander as mine did, not fixate on a single plant.

This isn't really a picture of Pitcher plants, it's a picture of the sensation of wandering from plant to plant. I'm not sure whether I've conveyed that or not.

[Arthur Morris]

Hi Artie... One of the most interesting pieces of educational material I've seen is the set of DVDs by Vincent Versace (happens to be about Capture NX), and he speaks quite a bit about how he intends to "direct" the eye of the viewer. He goes so far as to say where he wants the eye to go first, second and third when the viewer sees the photo. I thought that was incredibly interesting. That's what I (try to) do as well. I want the viewer to see what I see. If I can't do that, then I think I have failed in communicating my message. When I saw this collection of Pitcher plants, I didn't see one plant. I saw the whole bunch and I wandered from plant to plant and I noticed an interesting pattern of wandering and tried to duplicate it. It is not about a single plant. I want the viewers eyes to wander as mine did, not fixate on a single plant. This isn't really a picture of Pitcher plants, it's a picture of the sensation of wandering from plant to plant. I'm not sure whether I've conveyed that or not.

Hi Again Mary, I am fine with all of the above. As I stated clearly in my post, what I was not fine with was your telling Julie how she should view an iimage: "You're SUPPOSED to lose focus on the main plant." What you want is one thing. Telling others what they should do is another, and is not in the spirit of BPN.

[Steve Foss]

Lastly, where Steve sees negative comments I see suggestions for improvement.

I see suggestions for improvement in the "negative" comments too, Artie. :)

Mary, this is just IMO, but in the end we put our images up here for review by our peers to see what others who share our passion think of our interpretation. Isn't it better to welcome differing viewpoints and thank people for them than try to construct defenses against what aren't even attacks?

[Robert O'Toole]

Well said again Steve, thanks for the input :)

Robert