Masterpiece or delete key?
Some time ago I took this picture.
![](http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3021/2562915353_c5325e63cf_o.jpg" width="800" height="533" alt="Dew drop on Japanese Maple" /></a>)
To be honest, the only reason I kept this shot was because I took a number of shots that day of drops on a Japanese maple. None of them turned out as I had hoped so I kept a few of the half decent ones and deleted the rest. This shot was taken on October of last year. Had I taken this shot today, I am not sure that it would have survived the delete key (it would have depended on how the others turned out).
A few days ago, a friend of ours – who is also a photographer – was looking through my pictures and noticed this one. She said she was blown away by it and it should be framed and is one of the most impressive pictures she ever saw.
After looking at the picture a bit longer, I still must say that I’m not sure it should have survived the delete key. The shot is out of focus and the lighting is bad. In particular the big white spot just underneath the drop is rather annoying.
So what are your opinions on it? Is it a nice shot or a recycle bin candidate?
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Tags: abstract, drop, macro, photography, red
As a macro shot, it deserves deletion.
It can be appreciated as a metaphisical / symbolic / abstract shot, if you like the genre (I don’t, I mostly shoot macro and, well, should it be a photo taken by me I wouldn’t have resisted so long in my HD).
There are some details, though, like the monocromatic look, the reflection and the wonderful white/red gradient in the background which are eye-appealing.
If it were in my collection, I would probably save it as I tend to save my marginal pictures like cryogenically frozen people; frozen with the hope that in the future there will be a way to fix them. Unfortunately that makes for a rather full hard drive…
Tha being said, I have to agree with the first comment in that while it makes for an interesting abstract, as a macro of a water drop, the main subject is too out of focus and while the smaller droplets are fairly sharp, it still does not work for me. Just an amateur’s opinion…and I think I will take some of my own advice and start removing some of my own “frozen” images….
James…
I’m inclined to agree… in an artistic sense it’s quite interesting (although I’m not sure I’d attribute it with the term “the most impressive image I’ve ever seen”).
As a macro shot however it’s not really providing any detail or insight into the micro-world.
I like it, a definite abstract macro shot, if you can’t recognize it and it has vivid color it works for me !!
Maybe with a little post-processing it will look more “dreamy/abstract”. Now it’s just pleasing to the eye. Try to play more on the original file. If you’ve shoot RAW push those sliders to extreme
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I really do like this image, the abstract quality of this macro shot is something i find very appealing, alos the water gives a nice effect.
Sorry, but it doesn’t do anything for me — but I’m just a guy who likes photographing bugs and not an artist.
I am just a newbie in the world of photography, but i would say everything we captured is a masterpiece and would always be a masterpiece of your own it may good or bad. I agree for some who said to keep the collections for comparison, of course there is no perfection at first. It is a nice shot for me…
I like your page and thank you I’m learning from you…