[Irma]

Here is my second series. I tried to be consistent in colors with slight variations in the background. I was after a minimal look without looking too simple. I tried to add some textures in these ones but nothing really worked.

#1


#2


#3



Thanks for your comments...

[Toad]

I like the continuation of this theme. #2 immediately leaps out at me because of its sense of depth. The principle poppy has turned to address the other more distant ones.

In #1, you have reduced the "etc" moment of the field to a single flower - and it still works - possibly even better than when you have several flowers.

I also like the 2D presentation of #3.

Wow - 4 threads on poppies!

[Irma]

Thanks a lot Toad for your review. I am very happy, it means a lot that you like this series as well...

and you are right about your comments on the pictures... you described them a lot better than me

[nia]

These are beautiful dear Irma, I see a kind of Zen touches, at least for me!
You really did a great set, I loved them all,

Thank you,
with my love,
nia

[matthew]

Irma, I'm really enjoying all of these photos.

#1 doesn't really work for me. The overlap with the flowers to the left, and the close spacing between the orange flower and the tall stem, distract me from the flower on the right and breaks the simplicity of the composition.

#2 is more appealing for me, but I find that the light orange really comes forward when it's next to the darker reds, making the distance cues somewhat ambiguous. I'd be interesting an a really severe crop to isolate the flower on the left from the others defocused in the background.

#3 is really fantastic, and I love the way the flowers line up and relate to each other. (Remember, though, that I 'have a thing' for flat picture space.) I might want to clone away the OOF stems that are in the middle of the picture, and perhaps the ones on the very edges that are on the bottom of the frame. But I find this a very relaxing and contemplative picture.

[Irma]

I appreciate very much that you talk about the orange spots. It has been a little bit my concern in this series. Even though they are the same flowers but hit by the sun I see the color of those spots a bit out of "normal, or logic" flow in the color palette. If I take red-orange and make the green my contrast color, it has to be a lot cooler, and if I take only the red and the green in front (talking about my color wheel) it could be expected that my third color would be either yellow or a blueish... I am very happy to see that you point this out, I will be working on my color palette here. On the other hand I could just change the brightness of the orange spots to make it reside in the background.

#1 I see what you mean with the high stem. I left it as a high note in a constant melody, I agree that in some point takes the eye away from the flower. I would like a lot to have it there, maybe I could make it fade a way a bit into the background, so it is present but not distracting.

#2 The crop you suggest in this one would leave me a very minimalistic approach, and I like it. Sometimes I don't do it because I am afraid to end up with a boring or too simple image. Thanks for this advice, I will make some tries with this idea in mind.

#3 Very happy that you talk about the background on this one... I was so unsure about the cloning.. that is why I left it as it is. I agree that some cleaning would be right...

Thanks a lot Matthew for your thoughtful review. I appreciate it very much...

[Zig]

Personally, I like the balance in #1 and 3, with #2 fighting against itself in terms of composition and colour density.
I have a feeling that #3, if only because there is more purposeful inclusion of the poppies, perhaps needs more details in the poppies when the viewer's eye reaches them: this(for me) would involve exposure for the poppies themselves, rendering the entire scene more "high key" as a result. However, I know my idea might be more clichéd, and would alter the basic feel you were aiming for with the collection!

[Irma]

Sorry Zig to respond to your comment so late. I didn't see it before.

Thanks for your comment, and I know what you mean with #3. I want to try again this effect in other flowers maybe with sunflowers... I am taking your advice with me...

[Don Schaeffer]

a lovely and unorthodx floral

[NT73]

At first glance, I preferred the second, but I also liked the wiggly stems in the first.
As a series and printed it would be OK.

[Irma]

Thanks Don, NT for your comment...

[pinmollusc]

#3 grabbed my attention immediately, and I really love that shot. However I wish you shifted slightly to your right-side before you captured the shot, and someway removed the insignificant buds out of the frame( preferably at the time of shooting ). love the contrast of red vs the light green, however I wish you'd add a little bit more vibrance to the red petals later on, may be in photoshop.

Save that I love the composition, the way flowers make up the diagonal in the frame and the vertical stems that slightly curve as if to signify the weight of the flowers, is just fantastic.Its poetic and descriptive.Its simplicity is the key to the success of the shot.

About # 1 and #2 I would've thought of the Rule of the thirds and placed the flower accordingly. and in #2 i would have avoided the flower bud lying next to the flower( left). But I love the use of depth of field. It created the overall simplicity of these photographs.

Another shot I would have taken i this situation is a shot capturing the flower, from below it.lying on my tummy, so that I could signify the strength and power of the little flower over the other elements of the nature.May be it wasn't the theme of your photo session here but may be you could have kept that for a later presentation.

Another tip is to use a water sprinkler and shoot some macro-type close ups of the flower bathed in dew.

[kNox]

All of them have a nice feel to them, but I like #3 the most because it's far simpler than the others. If the strands in the background were less obvious it would have been the perfect picture, IMHO. Can you share the settings you used?

[vlad]

The first and the third ones are absolutely great. I love the colors, the simplicity, and the tenderness. The last one is my favorite.

[BrandyMaeD]

Those are beautiful. I love the contrast in the softness in the background and the poppy itself. Love the coloring of this. They are very sweet and calming shots, delicate, pleasing to the eye. I could look at them all day.

[NT73]

For you newcomers to this forum, Irma has not been around for a while. If you click her avatar there is a website and a pm thing.
I can't remember wether it was family, illness or business that caused her to move away.

Her photography was always interesting and a little different. Over the years it improved tremendously and each time she brought different ideas .

[jinko]

Love the colors and mood on these photos. The first two are my favorites, they look like paintings. The third is a bit boring though.

[Sassman]

Here is my second series. I tried to be consistent in colors with slight variations in the background. I was after a minimal look without looking too simple. I tried to add some textures in these ones but nothing really worked.

#1


#2


#3



Thanks for your comments...

I really liked no. 1 & no. 3 Both are well conceived. No. 2 I believe lost something when shown with 1 & 3. I especially like the difussion in the bokeh in 3. I believe they would both be wonderful printed on Aluminum!!!
Good Work!
Sassman

[Barbara G.]

Thanks Sassman and welcome to the forums! As you will find some threads are newer in content and others will be older. Although, there are gold nuggets in the old and the new! Glad to see you here!

[YveeE]

I love the 3 pictures, I love the minimalism and bokeh. However if they were mine (wish they were!).

No.1 I would do a squarer crop (crop between seed head 5 & 6) - the three poppies are triangulated and the one over on the extreme left detracts from that.

No 2 I would clone out one of the two adjoining flower heads but it does now work form me as good as one above. Perhaps square crop on f.head and s.head only?

No 3 sublime - tiny seed head bottom/left distracts me if I'm really picky.

& wow keep posting with that talent!

[Barbara G.]

YveeE,

Hello and welcome to the forums! It is nice to have you here and we look forward to learning more about you!