Reflections and Shadows
www.flickr.com/groups/photographycritique/discuss/7215760...
Assignment: PCA16
Deadline: Sunday 10th February 08
Image Tag: pca16
From: The Tamed Shrew (Kate)
Mission:
Flowers. Yes, this is the week to show me how you can produce a flower
picture in your own style and be pleased to hang it on your wall
afterwards.
My shot had to be done today as i am away until monday now so here it is... I was going to use the other flower shot (reflections and shadows) but my wife prefered this one so its my pca16 entry
WIT : well first off i bought a bunch of flowers for the wife, nothing
special as i knew i was going to be messing with em, she was pleased
with them until i started picking em for this assigment, A mirror and
a big piece of white card for a backdrop. I laid the flowers on the
mirror to get the reflections and i was going to use some water drops
somewhere along the line but decided against them. The blue was
created by messing with white balance and the shadows where never
planned, was just something that happened once i set the scene, once i
see them tho i incorporated them into the shot. If i had more time to
reshoot i would try to put more distance between the flowers and the
mirror so that the reflections were not touching.
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Comments and faves
iki-photos and Manuela Leanca added this photo to their favorites.
Alex Alexandrovna slooooooow (52 months ago | reply)
I found this Cool image in
The Coolest Damn Cool Photographers in the World
Copperhobnob (52 months ago | reply)
Simple but stunning!
kascam9 (52 months ago | reply)
Very nice;)
Eliza Claire (52 months ago | reply)
Works really well, very effective.
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Seen next to a fellow photo of Totally Beginner--Extremely Beginner. (?)
htailor (52 months ago | reply)
Nicely done :D and a gorgeous shot
I saw this awesome photo hanging out in:
Totally Beginner--Extremely Beginner
htailor added this photo to her favorites. (52 months ago)
follystone (52 months ago | reply)
Excellent.
Monica de Moss photography (52 months ago | reply)
1) Meeting the Goal
Yes and very creatively
2) Technical
Think that the lighting was a bit rushed - but the angle you took the shot at works really well to show the reflective elements. The reflections are super in detail.
3) Composition
Neat angle
4) Impact
It's pretty and unique.
Malcandjo1 added this photo to their favorites. (52 months ago)
Malcandjo1 (52 months ago | reply)
wow realy good spring is here
nasu1 (52 months ago | reply)
Very creative shot and pleasing to the eye! I really like that you use three flowers in arrangement and put them on a diagonal. You've created great lines. And the empty space surrounding the flowers, reflections, and shadows works very well. For me, the background would be better without the slight gray color in two of the corners. And it's a little hard to tell with the small version, but the flowers have a slight blue cast to them. But that might just be an issue with my monitor. Kudos on your originality. :-)
garreyf (52 months ago | reply)
Very creative. At first I thought you did this in ps. Great use of the mirror.
Its a very simple yet effect composition. I see you kept the flowers are pairs. I may have separated them and shot only 3. Thats just me.
Excellent job. This could hang on a wall.
wildlens2007 (52 months ago | reply)
Interesting set up. I'd enjoy seeing this large to get a better sense of how it works. I initially thought this was a photoshop effect. Your idea to move the flowers further from the mirror would be cool to see as well. I'm still puzzled about the shadows. Overall, the effect is really cool, I like it. My biggest quibble is probably the frame. This could be cool with the actual frame of the mirror, maybe something carved and/or antique. Nice work. (You'll have another chance to get your wife flowers on Valentine's day this week :)
~Robb (52 months ago | reply)
OK! Way cool!
I was trying to figure out how you did this without reading you WIT.
I thought these flowers were hanging with fishing line or something...any way I'm glad you told us...it was driving me crazy!
Full marks for creativity! I can't tell at this size but it looks to be sharp all the way around. The colours are nice and the shot overall is very interesting. Good job!
Farkled (52 months ago | reply)
As I said when you 1st posted it, this is the 1st novel approach to flowers that I have seen in a long time. I love it so much for that reason that all other reason has departed. Try though I might, I can't find a quibble. I simply love this image. Thank you!
Pockets1 (52 months ago | reply)
@Garreyf - There are only 3 physical flowers in this shot, the other 3 are their reflectiosn in the mirror.
@Farkled - Thank you i concider it high praise that you like the image so much
kascam9 (52 months ago | reply)
Very creative and imaginative, the reflections and shadows work well. Gorgeous colour and light. I too am seeing a blue caste, but that may have been intentional as mine was.
Darwin Bell added this photo to his favorites. (52 months ago)
The tamed shrew (52 months ago | reply)
very nicely balanced shot - but I must say for my taste the other shot (minus shadows) is my favourite! I wonder if this bugs me a little with the frame? I'm not too keen on them, having seen so many on wallpaper sites (just a personal thing!). Your other shot had a great deal of subtlety that I loved. This is a bit bright for me.
Great piece of technical work though, well done.
Kass & Rachel (52 months ago | reply)
cool idea. I thought you had tossed them in the air and took a high-speed shot until I read your description ( I still don't get where the shadows are coming from??) Technically, there seems to be some noise in the shadows, and the lighting is a bit harsh. But it has high impact for me, and I wouldn't change the composition.
--
Seen next to a fellow photo of Photography Critique Assignments. (?)
cateybee (52 months ago | reply)
The blue works beautifully with the yellow and white. It's fresh and bright, perfect for daisies.
Such a unique and lovely shot!
rickh1113 (52 months ago | reply)
Technical - the focus looks good but hard to tell at this size, the far right edge looks a little soft. Good exposure and no flash or light spot in the mirror.
Composition - interesting effect with the mirror. Not sure about the blue shadow effect.
Impact - its uniqueness does make you take time to figure it out.
nadege34 (52 months ago | reply)
very original shot, and the flowers are lovely. I really like how you think there are 6 flowers but in reality there are only 3...fantastic use of a mirror. I don't mind the frame but I am not too keen on its colors, I think I would have likes something a bit darker. Great composition and nice impact.
Drennen (52 months ago | reply)
very cool man. Grabs me right away. I was disappointed I could not see a larger version, have you disabled this in your settings? Or did you just upload this pixel challenged rendering?
Technical
Sharpness and exposure are looking good. The rightmost flower maybe has a tad too much light, but its minor. The lighting in general that casts those shadows works really well here IMO.
Composition
Three of anything is always a good choice, and to have the reflection, and then the shadows as another sort of reflection, its all working very well. This would have been a good submission for next week too! The choice of colors and even the border is all working together well.
Well done.
Drennen (52 months ago | reply)
very cool man. Grabs me right away. I was disappointed I could not see a larger version, have you disabled this in your settings? Or did you just upload this pixel challenged rendering?
Technical
Sharpness and exposure are looking good. The rightmost flower maybe has a tad too much light, but its minor. The lighting in general that casts those shadows works really well here IMO.
Composition
Three of anything is always a good choice, and to have the reflection, and then the shadows as another sort of reflection, its all working very well. This would have been a good submission for next week too! The choice of colors and even the border is all working together well.
Well done.
P.S. Please refrain from posting it to other groups during the week of submission. I don't want to hear what those losers have to say anyway. JK!!
ஐ♥S๑mmeя βяeeZe♥ஐ added this photo to her favorites. (52 months ago)
thegarnetgirl (52 months ago | reply)
Fantastic, imaginative shot...
Seen in Totally Beginner--Extremely Beginner
evanleavitt (52 months ago | reply)
Interesting shot. You got creative with this one, love the lines.
The lighting is a bit harsh in a few areas, but its not too distracting. Wish I could see it larger. The blue tint compliments the shot nicely. Well done!
bowtoo (52 months ago | reply)
At first I thought it was all photoshop but I see that you did this with smoke and mirrors instead :-)
I don't really like the blue but can't figure out why.... I suppose it is not a common background color so it makes the image seem unnatural.
The exposure and focus are good - although there does seem to be some detail missing on some of the petals that probably suggest overexposed areas.
Nicely executed,
--
Seen next to a fellow photo of Photography Critique Assignments. (?)
a_paphia (52 months ago | reply)
I'm glad you kept the shadows, they add a lot to what would otherwise is quite plain. It seems highly unnatural to have the flowers floating like this, but the reflection idea was a good one - that aspect has come out nicely. I'm slightly miffed as to how you used an odd white balance to change the colour of the paper, but not the flowers... was PS used?
Parsleycat (52 months ago | reply)
This has to be one of my favorites... I know I leaned toward this one (and not the one you had originally thought of) in the first place and it's because everything seems to be floating. Not one to look at while on Valium or something equally mind bending! I think the colors, the blue, and the white are very compatible.
I'm not usually a fan of borders, but in this case, due to the floating feeling, the borders are a good addition to keep this image grounded!
The composition makes me what to tilt my head, I suppose since it is on a mirror and I think you rotated it purposefully, and you just like to mess with our heads here!
In any case, I thing it is certainly a worthy submission and would look very cool over a desk, on a bedroom wall, in the kitchen, or just about anywhere!
Terri :)
Lee Siah (52 months ago | reply)
I have to admit i don't qutie like the shadows. :) i see that other like them :) The shadows give me a haunted feel, i think it might be because of the blue..
I like the concept of flowers on mirror, certainly created this floating effect which is worth exploring..
summerspot (52 months ago | reply)
[before reading the other critiques] What an interesting way to present flowers! They look as if they're suspended in mid air. I'm not sure I like the purplish-blue background. It also feels as if there's a slight blue cast (if you look at the shadows on the petals). Nitpick alert: There are a few white specks that I would clone out. I would also remove the piece that's hanging off the stem of the flower on the left. Very nice submission, cool effect.
Jockaye (52 months ago | reply)
I love the feel of this. If I hadn't read your WIT section then this would have really puzzled me. Very creative use of the mirror and card. It does seem a little bit noisy when viewed large. Not sure why as the ISO is only 200. I'm also not too fond of the thick blue border, I don't think it compliments the image.
Good submission.
Parsleycat (51 months ago | reply)
Please upload this image to our pool for consideration!
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Margaret O'Neill added this photo to her favorites. (17 months ago)