Total judging points: 23
Judge's Comments:
1. The strength of this image is that the asters are tack sharp against a blurred background that compliments the busy center of interest. The weakness is the lack of a center-of-interest that holds the viewer's eye. As composed, the two large groups of asters compete for attention, while the stray asters at the top do little to add to the composition. This judge suggests cropping in from the right so as to keep the viewer's focus on the group of asters. Consider, also, cloning out the two aster seed pods on the upper right to further simplify the image.
2. This is a charming photo. I love how the pure whites of the flower petals have been rendered so accurately, retaining their texture without being blown out. I also appreciate how the flowers are in focus from front to back.
Nevertheless, if the photographer were to shoot this again, I would suggest opening up the lens a bit to smooth the bokeh effect in the background. At f/16, the vegetation in the background is definitely out of focus, but there’s a lot contrast between the brighter and darker areas, giving it a gritty look that is less pleasing than the creamy, lower contrast bokeh that comes from wider apertures.
I might also suggest the photographer frame the photo more tightly around just one group of blooms. In this way, several very nice compositions could be derived from this one image.