Life will find a way
Every year I grow Wave Petunias and these flowers produce thousands of seeds that end up growing like weeds. I haven't had to buy any new plants in the past 5 years!
This one sprouted in a crack in the pavement and had me thinking of some post apocalyptic scene so I wanted to grunge it up a bit. I applied 3 different textures from Shadowhouse Creations and partially erased the textures from the flower.
Nice use of the textures. I would suggest a slight crop from the right. Seems a large expanse of blank space that takes away from the focus of the flower, crack in the wall and hole. Those alone give it the look you suggested, to me. Like the erasure of the textures from the flower so that it really stands out from the rest.
Hi Ken, this is way cool! The textures, holes and cracks are a great contrast to the flower. Might I suggest, darkening the foreground pavement and popping the green...............here you go, hope you don't mind, it looked like a fun image to work on. Crop to taste, personally, I like it as is...............the more funk the better. Thanks for posting, do more!
Hi Ken, I like your approach to the subject; my preference would probably be somewhere between the OP and Jay's repost. I think bringing the foreground tones down helped a lot...but I liked the more subtle texturing/grunge effect on the background in the original. Nicely seen and nicely done!
Ken, I like your original post and the thought behind it. Post apocalyptic is the feeling I get also (Did you read Cormac McCarthy's The Road?) It's always amazing to see how much will to live plants have. I hope we see more!!!
"It is only with the heart that one can see rightly" - The Little Prince
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I, too, like Ken's original vs the redo. More subtle, contributing to the theme he's working on.
Hi Ken....I like the idea and you have presented it well with your processing. I do think the bottom needs to be toned down or cropped.
Ken, Great idea and title. You caught my attention. I like the toned down foreground but maybe somewhere in between the two. Nice job!
Like Hazel, I thought a crop from the right was a good idea. But for a different reason. I wanted to center the bloom on a vertical divine proportion line. I also cropped a small amount from the top to put a horizontal divine proportion line between the blossom and the rest of the plant. Flipping the image horizontally to put the flower on the right seemed like a good idea for two reasons.
When there's a strong element like the bloom is in this one, that's where the eye is drawn. If the viewer reads the image left to right, the eye pretty much stops at the bloom if it's on the left. However, with it on the right, the eye goes across the image to get to it, where it continues to move to the light blue.
In addition (again assuming the viewer is reading left to right), the story is unfolding as the eye moves across. The first thing the reader needs to know is the setting, which all that blackened concrete provides. After that, the triumph of the flower in all that desolation is introduced.
I think I like the original light foreground to guide the eye back to the left so it reads the story again.
Wonderful composition and the title says it all! Lovely use of texture and I like Dennis's post the best. Beautiful work!
Nice image and application, Ken.
Nice textures.
yes, Dennis said it right.
Great photo! and great title
Thanks, everyone for your suggestions and compliments!
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