Hello from the Critique Club-
Do you love this photo? For me is is a "not quite" picture. Technically it is not quite perfect. Compositionally it is not quite interesting. It meets the challenge, but not in a compelling way.
As your other commenters mentioned, the biggest technical flaw is the lighting. While it is viually nice that the top is light and the bottom is darker, giving some weight to the macro and emphasizing the round shape, the over exposed top is distracting. To my eye the exact center of the image is slightly less focused than the edges, is it my imagination? I like the color, the texture is great.
Your composition is straight-on-in-the-center. This approach is the most common but not always the most effective. It is a static, rather than dynamic composition. Even with a macro that fills the field a different arrangement might have been more effective. What if the closest point had been moved slightly off center to the left? Since we "read" a photo left to right, the molecules on one side would appear closer and larger, tapering off slightly to to right would lead the viewer that way and enhance the sense of infinity. I tried simply rotating the photo 90° clockwise and it creates a feeling of movement left to right, dark to light that is not present in the original orientation. Cropping in closer to cut out both the blown out area and the dark blemish that really attracts the eye might be explored.
My advice? Take some risks. Clearly (looking at your impressive portfolio) you have mastered your camera and are comfortable with the technical aspects of photography. Now explore how composition can improve a picture. Luckily the challenge is over and you can use your editing program to burn in the over exposed areas and add the fixed up image to your portfolio.
Please remember that these comments only represent one (far from expert) opinion.
Message edited by author 2003-11-16 10:07:41. |