POTM [04/07] Congressional Reds

Canon 400D
56mm
f/11
1/160s
ISO-100

That's the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington D.C. for those who don't recognize it.

 

I love it. The red on those tulips is so intense and it's got a perfect DOF.

 

Great shot mate.

 

Fantastic shot, beautiful DOF - really feeling this one

 

Absolutely wonderful, you got my vote

The edges of the petals seem too defined for me though. How much post did you do?

 

Amazingly sharp, what lens is that?

 

Just one question, contrast ?

 

The lens is nothing special: a Tamron 28-105mm f/4-5.6 AF (IF). I haven't got a proper lenses besides this one and my kit zoom so far (hoping to pick up a couple new ones soon though).

I did run a light "Unsharp Mask" filter on the photo. I usually apply this filter on every photo I shoot without a tripod (a tip I got from a pro who does it on every single photo). The edges of the pedals might benefit from a light softening, but the sharpening really improves the rest of the photo.

I was playing on the contrast between the colors.

 

Red, White and Blue.

 

Beatiful shot. Got my vote!

 

Congradulations on the win!

 

I echo Yoda's question. This is a very nice photo. The composition is great; the building is framed nicely in the flowers. The colors are rich and vibrant; the flowers really pop out in the image. The red, white, and blue color scheme is a nice touch, and lends an extra bit of meaning to the image. This would make a great postcard!

But, I don't really see the "contrast." To me, having "contrast" as the theme implies that the photo should illustrate contrast in some way, not simply have contrast as an element. In my opinion, properly illustrating a theme and simply having the theme as an element is what separates a winning photo from a good shot.

Don't get me wrong. I think it's a great photo. I just don't see how it illustrates "contrast."

-monkey

 

^ I think the contrast could also be Republican Red against Democrat Blue, considering the political nature of the building in the pic.

Congratulations on the win - it's a fantastic shot; something I'd expect to see in a book or postcard as previously mentioned

 

The contrast, I suppose, is between the different colours. They are not exact opposites (that would be red - green or blue - yellow), but I can sort of see the point.

 

There are several ways you could interpret it

Red vs blue
Man vs nature
Democrats vs Republican
Fun vs serious
Light (roof) vs dark (shadows)
Sharp vs OOF

Although it doesn't shout out contrast, I feel it is probably more appropriate than half of the entries sometime. My personal opinion is that if an image fits the bill in any way, it's allowed. From then on I would just judge each picture on its own merits, regardless of how cleverly it fits the theme. That's just me though.

 

If that's the case, why bother having a theme in the first place? To me, a themed contest should place emphasis on the theme, otherwise it's just a generic photo contest. I think Yoda said it well in another thread. We should try to take a photo with the theme in mind, not take a good photo and look for the theme later.

That just my personal opinion, though. I suppose the very subjective nature of the art leaves it open to different interpretations.

-monkey

 

A contrast doesn't have to be opposite, just distinct from each other.

 

I agree. I think what I was trying to say was that I don't really think there should be 'bonus points' for a photo that is not great but fits the theme very well.