California Poppies

Critiques [Translate]

•  
• euryan (7762)
• [2008-04-08 19:24]

I like seeing the poppies in this half open / half closed state. The wide angle allowed you to capture the poppies in the foreground very nicely. The blue sky and the orange poppies complement each other very beautifully. The three posts on the horizon add some interest to the bare sky. Very nice composition.
Regards,
Ryan

•  
• capthaddock (28303)
• [2008-04-08 19:45]

Beautiful flowers, and the angle is well chosen as it makes the wooden fenceposts appear grandiose, like an imposing ruin of an ancient building.

•  
• AROBN54 (7620)
• [2008-04-08 19:49]

Hi, John,
I like this shot. My first Navy duty station was between Vallejo and Napa and this scene has that northern California feel to it. I like the vertical framing and the fence posts making a diagonal through the top part with those dried grasses. Very good and very natural colors and I like the way you've filled the FG with the great orange color of the half-opened poppies. Really a lovely shot. Many thanks and kindest regards,
Shelly

•  
• Floydian (25341)
• [2008-04-09 1:16]
• [+]

Hi John,
I just put a comment on Peter his image how jealous he makes me with such fields full of life in a beautiful blue and yellow setting. You were going for the close-ups and have to admit that just as yesterday posting i like this. A powerful composition with those three poles and a beautiful sky on top. Very clean, very natural.
I see a D300, i thought at least you were going for a D3 and get rid of the D2x?
Regards, Henk

•  
• vincz (17520)
• [2008-04-09 1:44]

I love californian poppies, they are so nice when they start to cover the californian hills sometimes mixed the blue lupines. Very good vertical composition here with a big part for the flowers, the wooden poles in front of the blue sky giving deoth.

•  
• ktanska (12413)
• [2008-04-09 2:43]

Hi John,
Very good pair of shots of these poppy fields. I prefer the framing of the previous one. But this has more clear view of the flowers. And orange colour is my choice this time as less common on natural flowers.
Kari

•  
• crhieatt (4413)
• [2008-04-09 3:04]

John,
A great partner to your previous shot, with variation of colour and orientation, whilst stil retaining the same theme - notably highlighted by the posts.
Regards
Colin

•  
• jhm (67812)
• [2008-04-09 4:06]

Hello John,

A lively picture with these poppies, this are totaly other colour of the poppies than here in Belgium.
Every year we get this flowers in May and June but than the red poppies.
Nice composition and plesant for look it.
Thanks for sharing.

Best regards,
John.

•  
• pboehringer (19306)
• [2008-04-09 7:09]

John,
what a nice coincidence to have a shot of Antelope Valley twice at the same day here at TE. I like the detail of the little poppies in the foreground and with the three posts in the background providing some additional element in the horizon. By the more or less closed blossoms I have to believe that you did this shot either in the early morning or late afternoon.
Peter

•  
• Wandering_Dan (3233)
• [2008-04-09 8:46]

Hi, John -

The CA poppy is the state flower, but I think of it as the "state weed," because when it's not in bloom it's scraggly and takes over the yard. When it is in bloom, however, I can be much more forgiving.

And this is a very good shot of them; even the lighting works well. I particularly like the three posts in the background, along with the bits of dead branches, which add a nice decaying touch.

Best,
Dan

•  
• Photo65Net (32550)
• [2008-04-09 10:18]

John,
Again this compo is great !
I like a lot here the FG texture, as it is very eyecatcher with this deep orange color.
Nice one, typical from spring.
Regards,
JB.

•  
• feather (40651)
• [2008-04-09 11:15]

Those last rays did a great job of putting some wonderful light on the poppies. As with the previous post the low POV was a brilliant choice. The posts in the background work very well to add something extra to the scene. I can only imagine how gorgeous this would be in 2 weeks time. Well done
Kath

•  
• gneufeld (10311)
• [2008-04-09 15:53]

Hi John,
I like it. The low profile is perfect to highlite the poppies. The poles near the upper portion of the image provide good balance and depth. Well done and TFS. Gerald

•  
• scobert (5321)
• [2008-04-09 16:04]

Hi John,
I can see how your PS and gradient trick worked to perfection on the sky. You wouldn't have needed to do this if your camera was working properly. This is a beautiful springtime Californian wildflower shot of these gorgeous poppies. I can see from your notes and the photo that the poppies are about ready for bedtime because of the setting sun. Beautiful work!
Stan

•  
• hispic (4422)
• [2008-04-10 3:21]

Hello John,
Pretty orange California Poppies blooming fully in the orange light immediately before sunset.
I like this a little mysterious tone suppressed the saturation.
Have a nice day, Hisashi

•  
• stego (15280)
• [2008-04-11 18:14]

Hi John,
The compo is wonderful, making great justice to the unique beauty of those wild flowers. Like on the earlier one, I am amazed how you found a way to make such an harmonious compo with so many flowers wildly distributed on the terrain. The posts aid much on that, but I find that the spatial arrangement of the flowers also gives a hand. THe light is specially beautiful; I wonder if it would be so attractive if the sun was higher, I guess not.
Regards, José.

•  
• cdmonson (1426)
• [2008-04-13 15:04]

Hi John:

I'm very jealous! I went down to Ennis, Texas yesterday (supposedly the bluebonnet capital of Texas), and never saw anything this beautiful or photogenic. Couldn't agree more with Ryan on the composition. In addition, the lighting is very good. Good call shooting perpendicular to the sun--I found out the hard way yesterday that no other angle works as well that late in the afternoon.

Clark

•  
• plimrn (15921)
• [2008-04-20 10:41]

Hi John,
I see I've been missing some great shots while I've been away. The detail of the flowers is amazing and the colors are very true with nice contrast between the blue and gold.

Sorry I'm so slow to respond, my Mom has been quite ill but she is better now so Larry & I get a little break now. I hope to catch up soo.
HLJ, Pat

•  
• kmarscher (2863)
• [2008-04-21 8:17]

Hi John,
Polarizer is very effective. The slope makes the most of the poppy color which grabbed my attention in the thumbnail. I always like the use of repetition and here the stoic rails balance the full texture of the foreground nicely. Congrads on getting away from the sobering winter climate and finding a home in Fresno area.
Regards,
Kathy

•  
• zeca (18066)
• [2008-04-22 22:07]

Very nice compo, John! The framing is really great, enhancing the scene and making this work excellent.
Cheers!
Zeca

•  
• jmcl (11904)
• [2008-05-22 18:21]

Hi John,

I love the way the orange of the flowers interacts with and amplifies the warmth of the light .. I think you have created a really wonderful composition with the rise of the ground and bit of fence .. very nice.
Hope you and yours are well.

take care,

John

•  
• Hellas (4101)
• [2008-05-28 2:54]

Both the scene and the background are exciting, John. I like you and your wife for the your taste!
The colour of the blooms is so sweet and the frame ideal for this presentation. This is the prettiest dress for the earth's body!

Warm regards,
Athanasios.