Photogenic Water Lily

[Jay Sheinfield]

At my favorite place for flora, St. Louis Botanical Gardens, this flower was stopping all the photogs. I managed to get some angled shots, but this straight-on shot seems to best capture what I saw. I hope I did it justice! Comments welcome....

Full frame
Hand held

Nikon D3s
ISO 800
Nikon 200-400mm with t/c (440mm)
1/250 sec @ f/16

removal of small lily pad in foreground and leaf repair.

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Jay,
This one walks the fine line with me on the clipped or deliberate cut debate........no question the water lily is a stunner! My gut feeling is I want to see it all.....but I have reposted a crop to start the debate.......which do you feel is more effective? Only thing on repost.....crop.....patched in a hair of black in ULC......should have done it in blue....but you get the idea. Let me know your thoughts!

[Jay Sheinfield]

Hi Roman,

This is one of those, where I go, what was I thinking!:o Your re-post works much better. Are there any "good practices" about cut vs crop. I have quite a few images I think that beg the issue................

Jay

[Steve Maxson]

Yup, the flower is superb, but I had the same reaction as Roman. I like the deliberate "cut" of the repost that puts the flower center in the ROT position and doesn't leave my eye poking around the top and upper left edges of the frame. :)

[Roman Kurywczak]

Hey Jay,
I'd love to say there is a rule....but alas no. Few things to keep in mind about the "rules".....they can help immensely and many of us use them w/o much thought now......but this was after a long road of experience! I do feel that if you are going to cut off things....keep in mind to make them diliberate! A partial cut just doesn't feel right.....again...something that is gained in time. Using the rules and bringing your photography to a technically pleasing level (which I feel you have)....allows you to go out and throw away all the rules! Make sense? You must learn to see.....B4 you can really see! OK....enough philosophy....glad you like it and an easy fix for you!

[Jonathan Ashton]

Lovely shot, I too was a little uncertain about composition, I like the repost by Roman. I would be tempted to remove what appears to be a reflection underneath some of the lower petals.

[Dave Mills]

Hi Jay, Roman's repost nailed it for me. I like the diagonal positioning between the 2 subjects. If this were mine I might match the color of the light petal in the corner to match the rest otherwise strong image!

[Julie Kenward]

Jay, even though I prefer the intentional cut on Roman's post, I think you did an outstanding job on exposure, clarity, and controlling those yellows.

One thing to consider when making "intentional" crops is keeping the focal point (in this case the yellow center) away from the edges enough that it doesn't feel like it's too close to the frame's edge. Getting it close to a ROT's position is also another guideline - but, again, that doesn't always work. Starting there...and working backwards so the framing feels "right" usually will give you the quickest way to find the best crop options, though! Final thought...print 2-3 versions, hang them on a wall with tape and look at them for a day or two. Your eyes will soon tell you which one you like best and that gut reaction is almost always right!

[Anita Bower]

A beautiful image of a beautiful waterlily. The colors and light are just right. I prefer Roman's crop and the tension between the lily and the leaf in diagonal corners. Hope to see more of your images.