Ikebana

[rssfhs]

My greatest hobby is photography, but I have many hobbies, including my most recent one which is Japanese flower arrangement, so it is natural that I would want to try and photograph my own arrangements. I am of course just a begginer, but here is one of my recent creations. I'm not much of a still life photographer either, so any critiques or suggestions are more than welcome:

[lkb-28]

Hi Craig;
In true Japanese fashion; simple, elegant & pure...
Nice shot; nice presentation...
Cheers;
Lee

[xepherys]

Very nice, Craig. I'm curious, though... and it may just be due to the resize, is the yellow lily in the front a bit blown out? How were you lighting everything? I like the simplicity behind the art, and overall, it's a very nice capture!

[cinci-photo]

I really like it. It's so simple. Perfect for hanging on the wall. Really, really nice. Looks like you're enjoying both your hobbies. Would love to see more.

[rssfhs]

Very nice, Craig. I'm curious, though... and it may just be due to the resize, is the yellow lily in the front a bit blown out? How were you lighting everything? I like the simplicity behind the art, and overall, it's a very nice capture!

Thanks for your comments Jesse! Yes, the yellows are perhaps a bit too bright, but they aren't blown out I think. All of the detail is there.

As for the lighting, I just used natural light. I have a large room with white walls and large windows, which does a pretty good job of diffusing the light, especially on an overcast day.
I just use a tripod and a fairly long shutter speed.

[Anthony J Howe]

This is a perfect picture of simplicity yet very effective still life shot Craig. The colours stand out well from the background colour and has a very pleasing view to it. Well done.

[Learn & Grow]

I like the composition and the wall color as the background. However, in my opinion, if the Ikebana was put on a, say, glass top instead of the plain-looking wooden one it would have glorified the whole image.

[rssfhs]

I like the composition and the wall color as the background. However, in my opinion, if the Ikebana was put on a, say, glass top instead of the plain-looking wooden one it would have glorified the whole image.
Good suggestion! I don't have a glass table top though (too many earthquakes here).
The "plain-looking wooden one" is actually a hundred year-old antique pipe organ bench.