July 2010

"Chrysanthemum"

COMMENTS:

Brian Magor	Nice shot - well done. I think the green at the bootom is distracting - I might convert it to black to give a more solid base to the image.
Richard Harper	It is amazing what you find when you see things in a different way.  I like it. Have you thought of flipping it top to bottom, so that it reads from bottom left to top right.  I would probably do one of two things.  Either clone the green background to get rid of the black at bottom right,  or, the  alternative, get rid of the green . Either way, it would give a better balance to the picture
Rick Cloran	A nice bit of seeing.  I like the general structure that you employ here.  I think you have largely done what you set out to.  The light petal is a plus to my mind as it breaks the tonal pattern of the petals and helps to anchor my eye.  I do find the yellow at the bottom distracting and believe the mage would be stronger still if you were to remove it and have only black going across the bottom.
Jim Mayo	Good composition.  The colors look a little unnatural but I never saw the original colors. It seems like the trend in flower composition is to extend depth of field so every detail is in focus.  Personally I like part of the image to be blurred.
Chuck Mc Collom	Susan, this is my kind of image.  Your close-up treatment captures this very well with sharpness.  My eye is first drawn to the white petal and then to the out-of-focus green element at the top left.  The green adds another color, but I think it distracts the eye a little away from the main subject.
Linda Speh	Macro can be a lot of fun.  Your image is really nice.  I like the way the green gives the lavender of the petals more depth.  I like the fact that I can still tell it is a flower. So many macro shots are cropped so tightly that we are not able to tell what it really is.

About the Photographer

Susan Davi I am a computer engineer and work for a large company in Research Triangle Park, NC and currently am   a project manager there.  The job can be frustrating, so my husband and I have many creative outlets to help take us away from the corporate life.  We both like working with our hands and have a passion of working with wood and fused glass. My husband has been dabbling in photography since we were married when he bought a Canon AE1 at the BX in the Air Force in 1981.   Last year he purchased an SLR and joined us up for the Carolina Nature Photographers Association.  During the first outing, I tagged along taking pictures with a point and shoot and quickly got frustrated by its limitations.  So about 4 months ago, I purchased a Canon T1i Rebel and have been learning about digital photography.   I enjoy experimenting with the various settings to see the effects in order to get the best shot and at times, am surprised at the results. I am drawn to creative photography like that of Tony Sweet, www.tonysweet.com I am hoping someday to incorporate photography with wood and glass for some new creations.