....with sunny periods

Hi Richard,
I'm really stunned by the crispiness of the photo and by the lighting..the play of shadows in fantastic . The choice of DOF is another plus: the subject stand out from the OOF clean BG and the OOF shape of the other leaves creates a kind of repetition that add interest. Congratulations, this a first rate image.

The crispness as mentioned is great, feels like I could just reach out and touch it. I really like the texture in the leaves and the gradiant coloring. Beautiful photo!

Richard: I agree, this is great. The backlight has worked really well. I like the drops of water, the detail, and the crispness of the image. I shot some of our tri-color beech here the other day...hoping that they turn out.

Nathan

Vey nice image. The sharp detail, along with the back lighting, really adds to an excellent composition.

Richard - Great shot here. As mentioned its very crisp and I love the lighting and being able to see the transparency of the leaves. Nicely done.

Good composition and camera allignment skills. Backlighting is my favourite for leaves and buds.

Richard,

Perfect use of backlighting. The pin point focus of these leaves really adds to it appeal. I also like the diagonal flow of the branch, works nicely. But I have to be honest, I'm not crazy about the OOF clutter in the upper left corner. A perfectly clean background would have had more appeal. But I must add, I still like the image.

Really good stuff - I follow the thoughts above. Have you considered a slight crop at the top, or some additional PS, it's a bit hot up there. Really good stuff!!!

Thank you folks for your kind comments, as a newbie here it is so nice to begin to get to know all of you through your comments and work.

I've already seen some very creative and imaginative work around these critique forums - it's a great place to get ideas and also develop an awareness of photographic trends.

As a botanist foremost, I try to make images which emphasise a subjects characteristics while also showing it's beauty and wonder. I do not use any artificial means to enhance the image such a removing it to a studio, flash, coloured backgrounds, pruning, tying etc.
As a result my backgrounds may sometimes be seen as cluttered by some whereas I see them as subliminal hints at the environment of my subject. To me a black background or photoshopped in colour is just as much anathema as my 'cluttered' backgrounds are to some viewers.

.......anyway, different views on what is pleasing to the eye are very much part of the fun of the whole subject of photography - and opinions change as fashions and available techniques change.

How interesting it will be when infinite focus lens systems become available and that aparent Holy Grail of total DOF becomes a reality - will the 'pin-sharp-throughout' fans start to make awesome, jaw dropping images?....I don't think so, but it might help us get a better fix on what is the most desirable DOF for our images when all options are possible.

I'm babbling - at least here at the bottom of a thread no one much will see it!

Cheers
Richard

Hi Richard
Basically ditto the above comments, a really wonderful shot that’s very enjoyably to view. Personally I feel that the OOF top corner is a little distracting to the overall image. This is not because of the OOF leaves but caused by the hot highlights in this area. I feel that if it was possible to tone these down a tad, this would lift a really remarkably image to greater heights. Please remember that this is only a suggestion that works for me, as many others have already stated they simply love it. And I can well understand why.

Best Regards & thanks for sharing a wonderful shot
Matthew

Hi Richard, This is a wonderful image and I like your take on backgrounds. I too like to capture images of my subjects in their natural habitat. Although I've been known to buy some flowers at the local grocery store to satisfy a mid winter image itch.

The sharpness as mentioned is what really makes this image stellar!! Very well done!!

Richard, I love the leaves and backlight. Very effective. The OOF leaves in the background IMO would work a lot better if they didn't intersect with the main subject. Still, a very lovely shot!

Beautiful backlighting and detail of the leaves and raindrops. An evocative image. The OOF
is purely subjective and can either add to or detract from the image depending on your preference. Excellent.