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Photo of some Cattails I took at Martin Mere.
http://i296.photobucket.com/albums/mm163/nodd_photos/cattails.jpg
Any comments welcome.
Neil
harryhaller
08-04-2009, 01:35
A beautiful picture, it is better than many published pictures in field guides.
The light is coming from behind the plants - top-left and behind? - so some of the detail is in the shade. But I only noticed that because I'm getting started in botany and I'm interested in the plant rather than the picture, if you know what I mean. The other thing is the catkin on the right. It's also in focus and could have been part of the picture - unfortunately the frame is too far to the left, so it's been cut off.
But I like the picture a lot - I don't criticise something I don't like:)
Chinkapin
08-04-2009, 02:29
Nice photo. Hope you got some tinder while you were there!
John Fenna
08-04-2009, 08:58
I like the composition, the eye is drawn around the subjecy by natural lines and the "frame" and is always brought back to the subject in a smooth and gentle way.
I like the banding of the background colours and the diagonals of the foreground, both of which compliment the strong vertical of the subject.
The subject is well focussed and interesting in its own right.
The only "negative" points I can find are that the composition does not follow the "rule of thirds" so is not a "classically" good composition (a minor point indeed as I find the the composition pleasing) and that the plant head behind the subject, being of a similar tone to the seeds on the subject itself, are slightly distracting from the "clean" shape of the subject.....
Cracking photo though and one I would be proud of if I had taken it!
Thats looks beautiful.
I have always felt cattail look worst when dry fluffy and seedy, but your piccy makes that time look very gentle, it is the action shot of the plant spreading its seed.
Thank you all for your comments I'm still finding my feet with my camera and image processing.
Asa Samuel
08-05-2009, 17:31
Tha'ts a really nice photo, great bit of tinder on them Cattails!
Why are they now called 'cattails'? They always used to be called (incorrectly) 'bullrushes' - the proper name being 'giant reed mace'. Is 'cattail' an American name for them?
Jim
Asa Samuel
08-05-2009, 18:57
I've known them as bullrushes and giant reed mace and cattails, just thought I'd go along with cattails as that#s what everyone is calling them in this thread.
When I was a boy growing up in the Essex countryside we use to call them Cattails.
Mistwalker
17-05-2009, 06:55
Why are they now called 'cattails'? They always used to be called (incorrectly) 'bullrushes' - the proper name being 'giant reed mace'. Is 'cattail' an American name for them?
Jim
I've heard them called cattails by family members and friends all my life and read of them as bullrushes in many books so I may refer to them as either or...I'm pretty sure that I have never heard them called giant reed maces before, even in school.
As for the picture I think it looks fantastic...I may have to go down on the river and see if I can take some pictures of those from different than an above angle.