I was struck by the beauty of the Japanese Water Irises (Iris ensata) that I observed during a visit in early June to Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden with fellow photographer Cindy Dyer. Most of the irises, however, were either in the bright sunlight or in the deep shadows. I was delighted when I spotted one flower that was partially illuminated by the sun in a way that made it pop out of the shadows.
I tried to capture the effects of this beautiful lighting by moving in close and focusing on the petals (photo 1) and by moving back and including more of the stem of the flower (photo 2). I was using my 180mm macro lens, so when I talk about “moving,” I was moving my feet and not merely adjusting a zoom lens. Initially I was most taken by the first image, but the second image is growing on me more and more—I think I like them equally now. Do you have a favorite of the two shots?
© Michael Q. Powell. All rights reserved.
Second image for me. By including the long stem it gives more perspective to the colorful petals. Just my thought.
Thanks, Ted, for explaining your thinking. It is always a challenge for me to understand how others view my images. My normal tendency is to fill the frame with the primary subject, but as you pointed out, a wider shot can help to give more perspective and a greater sense of the environment.
I think I tend to do the opposite 😂. Push out wider and have my main subject get a little lost. LOL
Reblogged this on UNIVERSE.
and i love both (hahaha)…great shots and effects Mike. 🙂
Second image, and these are both stunning! 🌟
Thanks for providing your views. As I noted in a response to another comment, I am always thrilled to see my images through the eyes of others and love it when others provide their thoughts on my images.
Beautiful irises. Great shots.
Thanks. I never realized until a few years ago how many different irises and variants there are and the incredible array of colors that they come in.