I just happened to see this picture, and I absolutely love it. Though other people said the shot was overexposed with the sunlight on the flowers, I think it resulted in something that you may or may not have intended. It almost looks like the flowers are creating the light themselves. Gorgeous picture. Do you have this in print?
Yes I agree technically there isn't a solid focal point to concentrate on. I did take a number of other shots of single flowers/ clusters of flowers etc where the focal points were very definite. In the end, this shot appealed to me for a number of reasons, the strong sense of separation of colors, the sense of rising of light above darkness, the intricate overlapping of leaves etc. It gave me much pleasure to know that I was there to enjoy and capture this moment of peace (during a time when people were pre-occupied with the Iraq war). So please forgive me for having no focal point in this picture.
Originally posted by the general:
there isn't really a focal point to consentrate on.
Thanks for the comment. I didn't want the water to reflect and distract so I used a hoya polariser on the lens. It also helped to prevent the petals from being washed out in the bright sun.
Originally posted by kiwiness:
Wonderful shot! I love these lilies, you have done it well, there is no sign of water at all!
this is wonderful, I love waterlilles, and you have captured them well. The sunlight on the leaves, even though abit over-exposed on the flowers IMO it is still just a fantastic comp, angle, and mood.
Fits The Challenge-Yes
Composition-Nicely done
Background-n/a
My Opinion-This is a love shot of water lilies. I think the fact that you got down _low_ really added to the impact. The composition, focus and color are very nice. My only negative observation is that there is some over exposure. This of course is a factor for all digital photographers. LIGHT. Either too little or too much. No, doubt this is a good shot. I'd think it would make a good print, it's got a lot of appeal.
I adore the perspective on this field of flowers (water lilies?), but as my eyes are lead to the top of the picture, I find there is no "focal point" to the composition..not that this is necessarily a bad thing, but I'm just not sure which part of the whole should be the main point of interest. I enjoy the DOF though, I like that the back flowers are in focus, and the lighting creates the feel that the flowers are "endless" as they fade off into the darkness.
I like the play on color in this image. The composition and exposure look good as well. The main thing that I think could help this picture is a little more sharpening. As it is now it looks a little soft to me. I also am a little bothered by the very dark area in the top left corner of the photograph. I gave it a 5.