dseltzer

Thank you very much, Sir Doug!

"Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar." - Sigmund Freud

;-)

That's quite a compliment. Thank you!

And no, I don't think Gord would have expected it at all!

But, he has defined a whole new kind of photographic art!

Looking at your straight-from-the-camera shot, I'd put money on this being a Common Grackle. As for whether they're found in BC, well, I don't think they read maps very well :)

Kaushik, thank you very much for looking and for your very complimentary comment. Much appreciated!

It's nice to know species and such, but it's also clear that you don't have to know the particular species to make an outstanding image!

Oh, it's a staring contest, alright, only I'm not too sure this critter ever knows quite what s/he is looking at! Actually, they find their way around darned well for having spend seventeen years under ground! They're terrible fliers, as you probably know, and run into things a lot, not to mention falling in love with lawnmowers and chain saws! In their defense, as another friend said, "They don't get out much."

 

I'm inclined to agree with about the light oval in the background... maybe I'll see what it looks like if I clone that out... shouldn't be hard. BTW, I came across a couple interesting facts about these bugs today: there are fifteen unique broods; they are only found in the eastern half of North America/Canada; the current brood is number fourteen; number ten is the largest (about four of five years ago); and it's the single largest, simultaneous emergence of life on the planet! Oh, yeah, and the Entomologists have also determined that the seventeen year cycle is an ingenious adaptation to avoiding predation, since potential predators haven't a chance of perceiving a cycle of such length! Entirely useless, but interesting stuff :)

Pnina - I shall, indeed, continue, and with all the more vigor for the sake of your encouragement. I got home late tonight, so I'll have to check tomorrow and see if the "model" is still dressed and ready for a shoot ;-) so I can try different angles and approaches. Thank you for making specific suggestions! That is so helpful for knowing what you intend and how you think about it. Stay tuned...

Bela - The gray of the darker parts of the flower is so obvious now that you've pointed it out! I had not seen that before... I think I was making a "color assumption," if you know what I mean, without really looking critically. This is why critiques like yours are so very important! I'm delighted that you like the composition. Thanks for spending so much time with this and being so clear and specific. Between you and Pnina, I have now many things to try out and work with. Thank you!

How wonderfully affirming! You've zeroed in on all the elements that I did, in fact, carefully consider in making this image, and it's just plain exciting to know that you see it! It ain't too bad, either, that you like what you see :) Thanks for giving me such a thorough evaluation of this image.

Glad you like this composition. Thanks for stopping by and commenting. Warm regards...

Thanks very much, Joe. These "lovely" characters emerge from the ground every 17 years. We have two of the four or five "broods" of them in the U.S. This one's group is the smaller, coming out about five years off the other's schedule. One wonders just how something like this evolves! Warm regards...

Wonderful!

I'm so glad I followed your link from "The water source...." Your preface has added a richness and depth that is not necessary, but is a wonderful accompaniment to your lovely Chelm series. I'm often not sure if we're not all in Chelm all the time!

Amazing. There are so many levels of this, it would take many paragraphs to really explore it. Fortunately, it also speaks (with your help) for itself quite well.

The tension and energy you've captured here is truly palpable. Another very fine portrait, Joe. Warm regards.

Hanna, thanks for looking and for the detailed critique. The cropping of the stem was something I puzzled over, particularly in terms of having it enter exactly from the corner, the bottom or the side - I did have just enough flex space to move it. I've seen a number of pics with comments about corner placements of entering stems, branches, etc., and it's seemed that a bit off the corner has been preferred... less "conventional." As you said, it's probably mostly a matter of personal taste.

 

As for the seed pod, I did hope to show the relationship, so I'm glad you picked up on that. I really appreciate knowing your take on this pic. It's just so helpful to know what happens to an image after it gets past someone else's eyes!

You're so right about trying to do anything new with flowers that someone hasn't already tried... but I'll keep at it, too. Thanks for looking and commenting.

Thank you for taking time not only to look and comment, but to spend time working on my picture. Just FYI, the pink blob is actually a peone blossom, and I thought the bit of color there, off focus, might be a nice contrast. Annoying and distracting to you, I see. I had also thought the other out of focus spike of Sage plus the leaf above it added to the composition's balance. Again, we see it differently, and that's why I put it up for critique. I will study your crop, and I'll likely try taking more of these flowers - they bloom all summer - and try leaving out the pink background. Thanks again.

David and Giuseppe, thanks so much for taking time to look and comment. Glad you like this!

Another attempt to produce a non-standard flower picture, this time

with more attention to movement and composition leading the eye.

Please let me know what you think.

Trying for a bit of a different perspective, to move away from the

"usual" flower picture. Does this image do that? How about the light

and the compositional elements? I appreciate your comments.

I like this picture, Colton, and I agree it would benefit from some cropping at the bottom. The brown of the mud and the scruff is distracting. I'd bring it up to just short of the first tree trunk... just past where the mud ends. I think the lighting is good, you picked a good time of day, and your exposure and depth of field are fine. Keep shootin', Colton!

Another great one! I never knew bees could be attracted to honey, since they make it themselves. So, I learn something about bees, as well as enjoying another one of your wonderful Garden Beasts images.

Your work always demonstrates a very uncommon understanding of and ability to use light. This is another beautiful example.

I think this is wonderful, and for me, the black background works very well, especially with the light coming from her right. I've followed your work since I joined PN, and I am always delighted with something beautiful whenever you post something new.