Weekly Assignment: Bursts of Color

[PWS-Staff]

Look for an environment in which a natural burst of color occurs to create an image that contains a major, dominant color with minor, secondary colors also in the scene. The main element of the composition should be one color, with the second and third colors in the scene present for a second reading of the image. Post your favorite image here.

From "Compostion," by Blue Fier

[InspiringFotos]

Here is a picture of wildflowers that grow in the desert in the wintertime around February. I took this picture in the neighborhood of Scottsdale, AZ. The primary burst of color are the yellow wildflowers with some orange wildflowers in the mix. Then you see the green cactus. This picture was taken with my Kodak Z712 IS Zoom Digital f/2.8, 1/500 sec, ISO-200, 8 mm.

[goldcoastgolfer]

I puzzled over what to take a photo of for some time until I stumbled on this tree.  Unfortunately by the time I got to it a lot of the flowers were already falling off.  I'm not sure that I'm ecstatic about the two shots I have below - but it's all a learning experience.

Feedback would be great 

Taken with a Nikon D7000 with a Sigma 17-70mm lens:

Shot 1:
Focal Length 24mm (36mm in 35mm)
Exposure: 1/500
F Number: f/7.1
ISO: 6400
Exposure Bias: +2/3

Shot 2:
Focal Length: 70mm (105mm in 35mm)
Exposure: 1/160
F Number: f/8
ISO: 6400
Exposure Bias: +2/3

[goldcoastgolfer]

The second shot:

[InspiringFotos]

I like the red and green contrast as it reminds me of Christmas, though your sky looks washout. Was this taken on a sunny day or cloudy day? Maybe this shot would have been better as a wide angle shot showing the ground with the red tree popping out among the green trees. What do you think?

[goldcoastgolfer]

Yeah - the sky was gloomy.  Was hoping for a clear blue sky which I think would have finished the shot off but with the weather being so lousy and the flowers falling off the tree I wanted to get the shot done. 

And underneath was a construction site - a barbed wire fence was in the way   If the fence hadn't been there, I definitely think a wide angle showing the tree from the ground up would have been the way to go.  To me it just seems to be missing a bit.