Valley of the Roseby
cryanComment by LucidLotus: Interesting abstract quality here. The harshness in the light and the straight black background give the image a sort of stark, desert-like feel to me. Yet, I also see some very interesting shapes emerging from the close up view. The super focused portion looks almost like a snake's mouth open and rising from its den. Either way, there is definitely a darker feel to this shot than the normal rose/floral shot.
As I mentioned the light looks pretty harsh, but whether that's a bonus or a detriment really depends on what you're going for. Something more inviting that draws the viewer in and tells them to get comfortable might require some softer, more diffuse light than is here. But if you're going for the starkness, something that definitely draws out a lot of texture and other details, then I think the brighter/harsher light was an excellent choice.
I like the composition for the most part. Much of the focused area is easily viewed, there are a good number of points of interest in that focused area. The unfocused parts, particularly in the back, help frame those areas that have the sharp focus. The background part of the rose I don't find distracting at all, however the unfocused foreground portions are a little too prominent for me and do detract from my enjoyment. If they were somehow less of an impact, I think that would help the shot even more.
I love all the bumps and curls that the rose has to offer, you can get lost in the different shapes available here and you've drawn them out very well and despite the extreme differences in focus throughout the image, there are more than enough points of interest for the viewer to enjoy.
I also like the color of the flower, its darker tones help compliment the feeling I get from the shot, it highlights the textures which I think would easily be lost in a more pastel color. You were able to get a nice richness in the darker yellow which is nice, I've found yellow to be a difficult color to shoot sometimes because of how the light seems to react to it. I think this darker tone helps alleviate some of those typical issues. The coloring also extends the old, withered aura the rose has, though that doesn't really seem to be important to the subject currently on display.
A very nice shot and not bad for a first try with a new lens. It certainly has a lot to offer a viewer and has been well presented too.
Photographer found comment helpful.
