Spring Beauties

Critique Style Requested: Initial Reaction

Please share your immediate response to the image before reading the photographer’s intent (obscured text below) or other comments. The photographer seeks a genuinely unbiased first impression.

Questions to guide your feedback

It’s spring wildflower season, a bit early, but going strong. After some overnight rain, I went to see about wet spring wildflowers. Each flower is about 3/4 inch (15 mm) across so this full frame view is approaching life size (1:1). A 30 shot stack at f/16 using Helicon Focus.

Other Information

Please leave your feedback before viewing the blurred information below, once you have replied, click to reveal the text and see if your assessment aligns with the photographer. Remember, this if for their benefit to learn what your unbiased reaction is.

Technical Details

R5, 180 mm Macro, tripod and 2 s timer

Beautiful, Mark. I love the focus point on this. It seems we like to see focus stacked images of these kinds of shots. But this one works for me as is. Excellent.

Really beautiful, Mark. It looks like I should be able to touch and smell them. Very nice.

I really like the image as a whole, and the detail, lighting and colors in the 2 blooms are excellent! We have these in Western Washington as well and I know how hard they are to get right, so WELL DONE! Personally, I would prefer to not have the bud in the center but I would not suggest cloning it out as this is a very fine image as is.

My initial reaction was a soft exhale and then a deep breath. Spring beauty indeed! I’ve tried to photograph these flowers before. No easy task given their tiny size. This is a lovely image!

Oooh these are some of my favorites. My initial reaction is to watch my step because my yard is blanketed with these. I feel caring and protective of these because they are so small and delicate, but their profusion makes it difficult to do sometimes. And I know they are ephemeral and it won’t really matter if I mash a few lightly. They are tougher than we think.