The photographer is looking for generalized feedback about the aesthetic and technical qualities of their image.
Description
I decided to try my hand at a little flora because I think this is such a bright, beautiful little native wildflower. Also called Rose Verbena, it is a spreading plant that grows in forest glades. Often used in rock gardens. The long-tubed flowers are visited by insects with long tongues, such as butterflies, skippers, and long-tongued bees such as bumble bees, mason bees, and leaf-cutting bees. The seeds are sometimes eaten by mice and birds.
Specific Feedback
Nothing specific.
Technical Details
Canon RF 100-500mm, Processed in ACR and PSE 2020 for exposure and cropping. Topaz DeNoise
Wonderful signs of spring, Terry. We also have Verbena’s down here in the Texas hill country. They grow wild down here in the Texas hill country and I love them! Mainly because the deer won’t eat them, they grow wild and will fill a field with their lovely purple color. I do like the soft lighting on flower and how it is set nicely in it’s environment. Nicely seen.
Hey Terry - thanks for joining us in Flora! Such intense color here and so natural looking, too. Not oversaturated to my mind which is easy to do with these colors. The shape of the flower cluster is so interesting - what is that in the middle? Buds? Inquiring minds want to know!
So with that said, I have some ideas for your next time with these flowers. You have a nice shot that could be used for identification on iNaturalist or in an Audubon book, but it’s not a creative image. There are possibilities though - get closer! That will get us to see more and give you some choices when it comes to composition, framing and DOF.
Second - clean up! The fallen flower in the scene as it is, doesn’t help IMO, but is distracting. Using it as part of a closer view would show more of a lifecycle approach and could make a nice contrast with fresh flowers. The grass poking into the scene is sort of neutral here, but could be worked as a strong contrast with the leaves of the flower or it could be a distraction depending on framing and brightness. It’s one of those things that either works or doesn’t if you know what I mean.
Third - bright patches! Dappled light is truly wonderful, but a major PITA, too. So I will go in tighter and make my own shade with my body, clothing or a collapsible diffusor. Walking around the subject looking for bright spots will certainly help you see them before deciding on a composition. Forest floors are messy, but enchanting places so I want to see more of this gorgeous flower.
You have a lovely image of the flower, but I’d crop in much closer to show it off. @Kris_Smith said it all! The first thing I do when I want to shoot a flower is to garden around it. Stray grass leaves and twigs get removed and a diffuser comes out (awkward to hold but easier with a remote release or the 10-sec timer). Your lens will focus to 3 ft and at 500mm it will give you an almost-macro image. Even better with a TC.
It looks like you have lots of valuable advice for future flora shots so I won’t add to it.
I did want to add that you could take this image in another direction if you’re so inclined.
I did some editing just for kicks, I just wanted to see what the possibilities were and the results took it away from the dappled light on the wildflower to more of a full exposure on the wildflower with dappled light in the BG. What it did was more of a flip flop, the light is sort of reversed in a way.
I included your original below so you can flip between them.
All of the edits were done with Exposure Masks in Ps, one mask was for the general exposure of the flower petals, one for the BG, one for the white-ish highlights on the petals, one for the saturation on the darker petals, etc., etc…
Then of course the tighter crop.
Nothing special and I’m certainly not suggesting that you should do this, it’s just an idea for ya.
I left the stray fallen petals there, I thought it added something to the image rather than taking away.
Thanks @linda_mellor. It is a beautiful flower, and easily grown. I’m waiting for some images from you showing the fields of Bluebonnets and Indian Paintbrush they showed on ABC news a few nights ago. They were incredible!
Thanks for all the great tips @Kris_Smith and @Diane_Miller. I will try to get some more shots soon, but the foxes have that area occupied right now, and I don’t want to disturb them. I don’t know what that is in the middle of the flower cluster, Kris. I didn’t notice it until I processed the photo, and I wondered the same thing. Maybe I can get a better shot of it if I get another chance to photograph them. From other photos I’ve seen of this plant, it may be as you suggest: Either spent or developing flower buds.
