Nikon 105 Micro, Fuji Velvia.

-- jason elsworth (jason.elsworth@xtra.co.nz), October 12, 1999

Answers

nice colors. but where's the main subject??

-- Jamal Murad (jamal@hotmail.com), October 12, 1999.

I agree with Jamal, why don't you try this again after picking out the green or after framing mainly on the green leaf using the fern as a border to accent the leaf. Pat

-- pat j. krentz (krentz@cci-29palms.com), October 12, 1999.

It first looked like this would make neat "wallpaper" for a desktop, since the branches begin/end at about the right points on the left/right and top/bottom of the frame. A few clicks of the mouse showed, though, that as a pleasing tiling of the plane, this image fails.

This raises the interesting question whether a photograph of something "natural" can be taken which does "fill the plane" (or at least your desktop).

As for a "main subject": I've never been able to figure out just what the "main subject" is for Ansel Adams' "Moonrise, Hernadez, New Mexico". Is it the town? The sky? The Moon? This inability to decide compelled me to conclude that not all photographs needed one.

-- Matthew Francey (mdf@my-deja.com), October 12, 1999.

The main subject is your reason for taking the photo and all photo's have one, some have more, Ansel's stated reason for making Moonrise was 1.the moon rising over the town with 2.the crosses in the graveyyard reflecting the setting sun, it only took him 11 years to get what he wanted from the neg. Which by the way if you like it, you can get a duplicate neg from U.ofA. at Tucson for about $5.00 and you could play on your own. Pat

-- pat j. krentz (krentz@cci-29palms.com), October 13, 1999.

I like this just fine as is.

The entire frame is the subject. This is a very common graphic type of composition, and in fact this sort of thing seems to sell quite well, judging from all the greeting cards etc with this type of composition.

The fact that he used a brown fern makes it stand out from the crowd and gives it a seasonal touch.

The only change I would suggest is completely removing the green leaf. This would make a very nice "wall decor" print. Such things are very trendy now.

Nice job.

Cheers!

Keith

-- Keith Clark (Clark Photography@spiritone.com), October 13, 1999.

Jason, I feel I would have taken the same picture if I was there. I love the color of the fern and the repetitive pattern. The green leaf would have certainly caught my eye too!. BUT, I have to agree with Kieth that in this case the picture may be better without the contrasting subject. I like the pattern, I only question how sharp everything is. It is difficult to judge at this small size. If it is very sharp it must look very nice! Donna

-- Donna P. Bollenbach (cassidy@icubed.net), October 13, 1999.

The subject is spelt "FERN."

I like this simple but very nice picture although I would prefer not to have the green portion in the image at all.

Cheers,

Alan

-- Alan Yeo (nature_sg@yahoo.com), October 14, 1999.

The green leaf / background is unsharp or out of focus and is just too much for my eye. Could it have been hidden, have you got other frames without it? Otherwise the subject is a great, almost knitted pattern.

-- Marshall Black (MARSHALL.BLACK@SCOTTISH-COURAGE.CO.UK), October 19, 1999.

No king or queen was ever dressed in such golden finery.

The green was just the contrasting touch needed to shake up the pattern and enhance the rich hues. Cover it with your finger, then take it off.

Splendid. I wish for this on my wall, about six feet long.

-- Tony (papajmama@yahoo.com), October 19, 1999.

Thanks for all the input. I took this picture because I was attracted to the wonderfull color, the repeating pattern and becuae I felt it was an image with commercial potential. The differing opinions show me the importance of trying different compositions, different lenses and different ideas with the same subjects. This is the only shot I have. The slide looks very sharp, it is my digital darkroom skills that I think are lacking.

-- jason elsworth (jason.elsworth@xtra.co.nz), October 19, 1999.