Chinese themed garden

After some critique on composition primarily and any other feedback at all please!

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sometimes what is in the background is as much of interest as what is in the foreground.

- overexposed in some spots, colors suffer as result
- distracting background
- subject too centered in frame
- a little soft

F4 Cyborg wrote in post #8332643
sometimes what is in the background is as much of interest as what is in the foreground.

But when it is not the intent of the photographer, we call that a distraction.

you see through your eye's and I'll se through mine. I tend to think out side the box and build in.
To make all the world believe only one item in a photograph can be of interest is a bit misleading.

F4 Cyborg wrote in post #8332982
To make all the world believe only one item in a photograph can be of interest is a bit misleading.

I don't recall saying that?

What I meant was that if some part of a photo that was not part of the photographer's intent and detracts from what the photographer was trying to convey, theN it's a distraction, i probably should have said 'accident'. (which can sometimes be good).

But I am a firm believer that everything in a photograph is important. A photo is indeed a sum of it's parts.

Unfortunately there are some blown highlights which I have tried to recover but it was that darn mid day sun. My intention was to create enough depth of field so the Chinese bridge would be able to be seen but deliberately not sharp. Perhaps in looking back I should have tried to get everything in focus?

As for the softness I think that maybe due to the poor web quality upload as on my laptop it is pretty tack sharp.

How would of you guys composed the shot?

Thanks

Open up the lens a bit to throw the bridge more OOF and maybe a go tad wider.

Luckily it's a flower, so I'd say move I into a good position with your hand (via stem) so you can incorporate it and the bridge.

And maybe a small fill flash or reflector for the shadows.

The bridge in the first picture is too close to the flower. In the second picture, I agree that the bridge needs to be more out of focus.

From a newbie's point of view.

i think the first is better composed. too bad some of the flowers look like they're already on the way out. i would've maybe plucked off the bad petals.

Thanks for the tips guys, looking more at the second one I agree less DOF would have helped! Unfortunately if I had plucked the petals I would have been torn a great big new one!

mattyb240 wrote in post #8335521
Thanks for the tips guys, looking more at the second one I agree less DOF would have helped! Unfortunately if I had plucked the petals I would have been torn a great big new one!

Just don't get caught.

i think the background are a little too distracting - maybe try to blur them a bit in PP?