2nd Attempt - Hibiscus Sepal

Steven Dillon · Dec 6, 2017

Hibiscus Sepal is another abstract composition from Hopeland Gardens in Aiken, SC.

The Artist's Story blog post for this piece can be found here: Abstract Hibiscus At Hopeland Gardens In Aiken, SC

Techs:
Canon 5D Mark III
F/22
2 seconds
ISO-100
180mm + 2X
No Flash
Arca Swiss B1
Gitzo tripod

sleist · Dec 6, 2017

Not really on board with your composition. The green leaf coming in straight from the middle of the right side of the frame does not work with all the other beautiful angles. I found that a rotation and crop improved things considerably. I see you don't allow edits so I will leave it at that.

davholla · Dec 7, 2017

I like it, not the sort of photography I would take (too many insects in the world) but it is nice.

Steven Dillon · Dec 7, 2017

sleist said:
Not really on board with your composition. The green leaf coming in straight from the middle of the right side of the frame does not work with all the other beautiful angles. I found that a rotation and crop improved things considerably. I see you don't allow edits so I will leave it at that.

Thank you for taking the time to comment. That's one of the great things about art - we each see things in our own artistic way. What doesn't work for you is exactly what attracted me to the composition. The sepal ("leaf") is offset (there is less on the top than the bottom), but it was placed in that spot because of how it interacted with the arcs behind it. I liked the sharpness and tension the sepal brings (reminding me of a knife blade) coupled with the more calming arcs of the ribs as well as the complimentary colors. When composing abstracts I often look for opposing concepts (e.g. stress against relaxing) as they tend to create an overall harmony while maintaining their components (depending on where your gaze is concentrated).