Dreamgrass


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tjhan

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Feb 11, 2007
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Grass is everywhere, and such commonness means most ignore or just walk over it in search of more interesting subjects. Yet, I find much intrigue in it.

This photograph aims to show the dreamier side of normal cow grass, it can be pretty too. If one were 5 inches tall, drunk and stumbling around in a field, this is probably what your eyes would see.

grass.JPG


C and C welcome of course. I use this picture as my desktop background since it's soothing to the eye.
 

I like how the picture looks soft to create the dreamy effect. It is indeed soothing on the eye :). I can almost imagine how it'd look with a bright red lady bug on the tip of the leaf.
 

I don't like insects on my plants lol. Anyway thanks for the input, it is soft from a shallow dof.
 

hey tjhan! haha i can't see the picture~ strange~
 

great idea!

but perhaps can be better:

1. pick one specific leaf that you want to be the subject - in this pic there does not seem to be a subject leaf. the eye is drawn to the focused crowded bunch in the center.

2. make sure this one leaf is well lighted and well exposed, so that lots of details are available, eg veins, dew drops (if present), bugs, etc the backlight is very nice. the subject leaf can be backlighted too.

3. and as all subjects position it in a dynamic yet balance position, ie not in a static dead centre, etc etc
 

Nice colors and the softness works well here. Composition wise maybe can play around with colors. Like what bluemystery mentioned a lady bug or something associated with grass would make the picture more complete. :)

does not necessary need to be an insect... probably if u have a water bottle with u at that time u could sprinkle on the grass. :D
 

Thanks for the comments guys!

I don't quite agree with the ladybird or insect idea though, as it seems to draw attention from the subject. This grass is actually lit from the top with a fluorescent lamp about 20 cm away.

I agree about the composition though, it's a bit messy.
 

hahaa dreamgrass~ can either put someone sleeping there or a can of beer as you said~ >.< makes me more fun! =P
 

i kind of agree that an insect would be distracting. i believe its meant to be an abstract shot of grass with that soothing to the eyes effect. its nicely done.. although i cant help noticing the tip of the tallest grass was cropped out..
 

a change in perspective of grass from ground level. i like this. simple, soft, and green.
 

i kind of agree that an insect would be distracting. i believe its meant to be an abstract shot of grass with that soothing to the eyes effect. its nicely done.. although i cant help noticing the tip of the tallest grass was cropped out..

YAH I had two pictures, one had the grass in frame completely and the other was this. I remember choosing this one as the other one didn't seem as good for some reason, despite the cropping out.

Deming, you'll be surprised to know that this "dream grass" is actually one of the experimental subjects in the life science lab 1. Haha! This shot was far more easily done than what most people think.
 

lol.. you really shouldn't have told us this picture was taken in a lab.

Some of the stuff has already been mentioned:
1. Tip of grass is cropped off
2. Notice that there is another blade of grass in bottom left that is in focus as well, so kinda distracts
3. Dreamy effect is good
4. Agree that there shouldn't be any insect or object in the photo, as the focus is on the grass
5. Agree that the focus shouldn't be in the dead centre of the photo, maybe shift it slightly to the side
6. Spraying water on the grass will probably be good idea... as the droplets of water will look like morning dew and adds some vibrancy to the photo

Just my 2 cents worth
 

I like the composition. Perhaps you can adjust the hues a little as I feel there is a bit too much blue in the picture. Nonetheless it may be your intention to have it. Good effort!
 

There's a reason why there is blue! First off, it's part of the reason why the picture looks soothing. 2nd, it's actually the plastic container for the grass!
 

lol.. you really shouldn't have told us this picture was taken in a lab.

Some of the stuff has already been mentioned:
1. Tip of grass is cropped off
2. Notice that there is another blade of grass in bottom left that is in focus as well, so kinda distracts
3. Dreamy effect is good
4. Agree that there shouldn't be any insect or object in the photo, as the focus is on the grass
5. Agree that the focus shouldn't be in the dead centre of the photo, maybe shift it slightly to the side
6. Spraying water on the grass will probably be good idea... as the droplets of water will look like morning dew and adds some vibrancy to the photo

Just my 2 cents worth

1) Agree, the tip is cropped off..felt a bit tight

2) Agree, May be u are using AUTO AF...next time just try to focus at one point.

3) The effect is good...But I don't felt is a Dream effect... more like a soft and smooth effecting... more like relaxing effect that make you want to lay on the grass and enjoy the softness of the grass...

4) no insect is good.....

5) I preferred to be on the center, cos the whole background is all green, may be you can pick a grass with a darker green or may be shot abit more lower..
that may be come out a bit different.
since you are not focusing on any flower or a main subject there. so is kinda of hard to shot where u wanted for....

6) If spray water on the grass. your title have to change to morning dew or water droplets liao...So I think just leave it like that.....

you can do a search there are many pix with the title of morning dew and water droplets

this is my &#65509;1....
 

good treatment, but what do you think of your composition?

i see a mess of greens, the greens are pleasant, but that's all there is. the top section is abruptly cropped off.
 

i love the soft effect. akin to nightmare, i believe thats just it that this picture has to offer.

i would love to see an insect or something that catches your eyes, but yet again that would spoil your whole dreamy look i guess.
somethings missing tho.
 

Thanks for the comments, I'll see what I can do regarding composition.
Regarding messiness, it's grass! I don't expect grass to be neat and tiny, unless it's some unnatural golf course or astroturf. If you realise, the seemingly random nature of the blades contributes to the perceived soothing effect, since it allows your eyes to wander the picture aimlessly, which normally might be a bad thing but in this case, it's good.
 

Thanks for the comments, I'll see what I can do regarding composition.
Regarding messiness, it's grass! I don't expect grass to be neat and tiny, unless it's some unnatural golf course or astroturf. If you realise, the seemingly random nature of the blades contributes to the perceived soothing effect, since it allows your eyes to wander the picture aimlessly, which normally might be a bad thing but in this case, it's good.

yes it is grass.

but take a look at eikin's pbase gallery, www.pbase.com/eikin

he has a lot of "messy photos" here and there, but there is order within the mess, i.e. while it seems a simple messy photo at first, you look at it for a while more, you notice some thought in the arrangement.

unless you are attempting to capture texture here (in which case you fail).. try to get that "order within the mess". i do not disagree that cluttered photos can make a good picture, but how far are we going to allow clutter? if that's the case, won't compositional rules just be out of the window, since every snapshot would allow our eyes to "wander in and out of the picture aimlessly".. sometimes permanently out.. ;)
 

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