The instructor for my summer garden photography class at the Denver Botanic Gardens, Jim Steinberg, said that the eye goes to the brightest spot or the sharpest spot in the photograph. In that case, a photo like this one can never work because the bright, blurry flower is competing with the light, focused leaf. What do you think?

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I took this photo on Friday, August 28, the day of Fete des Fleurs. Since the Botanic Gardens were closed when I arrived, I walked around the corner and photographed flowers on 12th Avenue.

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  1. Todd Bradley September 14, 2009 at 10:09 pm - Reply

    I think your photography teacher was right. My eye wants to go to the orange flower, then sees that it can’t focus on it, then goes to the leaf in the background. But that’s not as interesting, so my eye doesn’t know what to do and just closes.

    I think if the flower were in focus as the leaf were out of focus, it would work much better.

  2. Beth Partin September 15, 2009 at 8:46 am - Reply

    I have one of those photographs too, but I didn’t like it either. I think this combination would work only if the flower were in the front of the leaf.
    .-= Beth Partin´s last blog ..Denver Photos: Light Versus Bright =-.