My Cactus, the Turtle


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refraXion

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Mar 24, 2008
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Hougang
Hello guys. I was fretting over my cactus turning yellow (gasp) and chanced upon this angle that I thought looked interesting, so decided to take a shot of it.

01102008cactus01.jpg


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I would like feedback on the composition. Does the cactus work for you as a turtle as well?

I'd like feedback on the post processing too. The original image was rather bland so I tweaked the contrast a little using Curves to create a more dramatic feel.

Thanks!
 

the picture is nice.... the only grouse i have is that thingy in the bg... that black splotch... what's that..? is it a mouse or something? rather distracting.... :bsmilie:
 

Haha, I really like the sense of humour of this post. It does look like a turtle! I have to agree though, the background is pretty distracting. Perhaps it would be better if you could clear the background abit/move the cactus? Better yet, if you could shift the mouse so that it looked like a rock, it would still serve as a great placement to put your title/captions. Hope this helps!
 

yup, it is a mouse. hahaha. regarding the background, i tried shooting it against a white wall but the spikes sorta blended in with the white wall so the effect wasn't as good. moved it around but couldn't get the proper lighting... maybe it's cliche / politically correct but i wanted to enjoy the shot cuz the idea came to me on the spur of the moment so i didn't really want to pull hairs over finding the perfect setting... (in hope that the pros won't humtam me :p)

thanks for the advice! =)
 

...maybe it's cliche / politically correct but i wanted to enjoy the shot cuz the idea came to me on the spur of the moment so i didn't really want to pull hairs over finding the perfect setting... (in hope that the pros won't humtam me :p)

thanks for the advice! =)

You already know it's chiché. At least you do.

I personally think it's no excuse. The degree to which you seek excellence will show up even in the 'spur of the moment' shots.
 

Here is my attempt with a cleaner background.

01102008cactus02s.jpg


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I hope this is a better rendition!
 

ur turtle has gone swimming, haha!
 

actually the cluttered background looks better. the only thing u need to correct is the black thingy. just move it away. it takes the eye away from your intended subject, so it is making negative contributions to the picture.

The blotches of colourful diffused unfocused thingys is more interesting than the meaningless blue. it oso achieves your intent of showing your cactus in context, and the blurrness is a good contrast to the sharp spikes in your cactus.

and finally a little more light in the shadows on the left, some reflected light may be good.

So redo without the mouse - or maybe you have something in mind for which its not showing, is there?

PS: maybe u want the black mouse to make your white words stand out, but on the balance of things it is still negative contribution, and oso u can do the letters another way.
 

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This is very much cleaner!

thank you! shot it against a noticeboard, haha

ur turtle has gone swimming, haha!

hahaha!

actually the cluttered background looks better. the only thing u need to correct is the black thingy. just move it away. it takes the eye away from your intended subject, so it is making negative contributions to the picture.

The blotches of colourful diffused unfocused thingys is more interesting than the meaningless blue. it oso achieves your intent of showing your cactus in context, and the blurrness is a good contrast to the sharp spikes in your cactus.

and finally a little more light in the shadows on the left, some reflected light may be good.

So redo without the mouse - or maybe you have something in mind for which its not showing, is there?

PS: maybe u want the black mouse to make your white words stand out, but on the balance of things it is still negative contribution, and oso u can do the letters another way.


thanks for your detailed analysis =)

actually i had intended for the left part to be darker, to draw the attention of the viewer to the "head" of the "turtle". i thought if there was even lighting for the entire cactus it would be less interesting. doesn't work out? haha

i have to admit (and sorry for using that cliched excuse earlier on) i didn't really give much thought to perfect the execution of this shot initially, so it's the other way round — i hadn't wanted to have the mouse there to place the words, but rather it was there in the picture so it was the obvious choice where to put the words. haha
 

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