Cant wait for fall to come :)

[abhishekdg]

Hi Friends,

Got a 50mm f1.4 (made in japan version) super cheap and in great condition over Craigslist and couldn't resist myself from buying iy. The first shot with it and I was convinced how good this old gem is.
Anyways here's the picture .. C&C will be appreciated

 

[Frequency]

A powerful image

 

[abhishekdg]

Thanks frequency and glad that you liked it

 

[slackercruster]

Nice, but don't rush the seasons! They will be putting out Xmas stuff pretty soon as is.

 

[rokvi]

:hail: :hail:

 

[sm4him]

I guess I'm "going against the grain" here, as popular opinion seems to be very positive for this photo.

The DOF is so shallow that even the whole leaf is not in focus, and with the selective color, imo, that leaf really needs to be sharper overall. Also, the bits of color left in the grass, especially since they're the same color as the leaf, just seem distracting to me. It brings conflict as to what I'm supposed to be focused on--the dead leaf, or the evidently dead grass. I'm assuming that if you are actually in Minneapolis, since it's summer, that the grass isn't actually that color.
At any rate, my eye just ends up wandering all around those little bits of brown grass, instead of focusing on the leaf.

Admittedly, I'm not a fan of selective color anyway, but if I were going to do this, I think I'd get that leaf more in focus, and not color parts of the grass.

 

[abhishekdg]

Thanks everyone for commments and criticise.I really love this site for all the honest feedbacks that you guys give which makes me grow everyday.
Well sm4him, the leaf was actually quite in focus. However, i deliberately made the edges to go out of focus in order to make the transition from the sharper areas to the softer areas much smoother.
About selective colouring i just thought it would add to the feel of the image although no where the grass can be such gray.
Here are my thoughts with the picture which may differ from urs but i really appreciate all the honest feedbacks you have given.. Its inspiring

 

[Markw]

Hmm. :er:

The transition between the subject and the background isn't supposed to be smoothed out. The subject is supposed to stand out from the background, not fade into it. That's the whole reason for the selective color concept, is it not? Selective color is almost never appreciated by professionals or serious photographers alike. It's just not a great photographic tool, and is rarely done properly, or with an appropriate subject. This is a case-in-point example. The leaf itself is brown (I assume naturally so), but only 1/4 of it is even relatively sharp. The grass around the leaf is coming through with some brown as well. This looks incredibly haphazardly done, and is very distracting for the overall image. sm4him is 100% correct. (besides, the orangey brown in the photo would contrast with the green nicely..)

Trust me, I can empathize. I can't wait for fall either. But, this image simply doesn't work. Sorry. :sad:

Mar